Caravan of Thieves
THE FUNHOUSE
Biography
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.
Within that first year, the Caravan of Thieves began to win immediate praise for their unique blend of
gypsy swing and popular music, inspiring them to record and release the debut full- length album
Bouquet (2009). To accompany this collection of dramatic and satirical tales, they built an interactive
stage set of percussive junk and the ragtag quartet took their newly animated 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.”
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.
“This idea of bringing the street performance to the stage led us to gypsy music and the 1930's swing
era as these are free feeling, charismatic performances by real entertainers. With this as the musical
backdrop, combined with our fascination with macabre images and sharp-witted sarcasm, we began
writing happy sounding pop songs with pretty harmonies, dark thoughts and creepy characters. This all
seemed to be a suitable combination. And banging on buckets, frying pans and hubcaps were just crazy
and human enough to fit too.”
