Caravan of Thieves

Tickets are $10 in advance, $13 day of show (plus $2 service charge). They are also available through Hold My Ticket (112 2nd St SW), 505-886-1251, Monday to Friday, 11 AM-6 PM.

Driving gypsy jazz rhythms, acoustic guitars, upright bass and violin lay the foundation for mesmerizing vocal harmonies and fantastic stories. It's theatrical and humorous. It's musical and intense. It entertains, dazzles and defies classification while welcoming the spectator to join the band throughout the performance in momentary fits of claps, snaps and sing-alongs. If Django Reinhardt, the cast of Stomp and the Beatles all had a party at Tim Burton's house, Caravan of Thieves would be the band they hired.

Like many families, this one started with a married couple: Fuzz and Carrie Sangiovanni (guitar, vocals, various percussive "instruments") writing and performing as a duo. "It started as a romantic, bohemian vision of a couple making music, performing on the road, in parks, venues, traveling around and avoiding responsibility as much as possible," says Fuzz. "The first thing we discovered was we loved singing together, harmonizing our voices. Just seemed to click right away."

In the spring of 2008, Fuzz and Carrie extended their family to include fiery violinist Ben Dean and double bass madman Brian Anderson completing their colorful vision. Since then, the four of them ran away from home and never looked back.

Caravan of Thieves began to win immediate praise for their unique blend of gypsy swing and popular music. They built an interactive stage set of percussive junk and the ragtag quartet took their show on the road, sharing stages with world renowned artists such as Emmylou Harris, Dan Hicks, Glen Campbell, Nanci Griffith, The Decemberists, Keb Mo, Tom Tom Club, Iron and Wine, Punch Brothers, Tony Trischka, John Hammond, John Jorgenson and many others. The Caravan successfully connected with audiences on each of these diverse bills, proving their act to be understood and appreciated by folk, pop, rock and jazz audiences of all ages.

"The years spent making music as an acoustic duo, alongside street performers, forced us to create a style of music we can present anywhere, anyhow, plugged in or not, a little wild and raw," adds Carrie, addressing the palpable troubadorian nature of Caravan Of Thieves, "and this seemed to be a characteristic of popular artists and performers who have developed their persona and style that continue to span generations."