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On New Year's Eve 1990 (12-31-90), I went to see New Potato Caboose at the Bayou in DC.
They were a group from northern Virginia. A coworker who was a Deadhead follower was a big fan of New Potato Caboose.
They started their shows with a song called "Let's Get the Party Started." I can't find a video of them performing this song. I might write them, if that's possible, to see if they can post a video of themselves performing.
When I search for "New Potato Caboose," I come up with a lot of links to the Grateful Dead song after which the band named itself, but hardly anything about the band itself.
This article seems to have been written before the invention of the paragraph.
TURNING LOOSE THE CABOOSE
By Mike Joyce June 14, 1989
Ordinarily you wouldn't find New Potato Caboose headlining at the Warner Theatre, but Friday night's performance by the northern Virginia septet is no ordinary concert. It's a record release party celebrating the group's debut album, "Promising Traveler," as well as its long-term (seven-album) deal with the prestigious CD label Rykodisc. It's also a hometown send-off for the band whose founding members once shared a dorm at Catholic University and later discovered they could share tight three-part harmonies, too. "Things started happening from there," recalls Don Laux, the band's rhythm guitarist. Along with guitarist Doug Pritchett and keyboardist John Redling, Laux formed Wood 'n' Steel, an acoustic trio that developed a loyal following around town. The band went electric in 1984, eventually grew to seven members (including the fine lead guitarist Rich Della Fera) and underwent a name change inspired by the title of an obscure Grateful Dead song. In the beginning, at least, Dead songs were among those the Caboose frequently covered in concert, and while the band is now concentrating on developing original material, "Promising Traveler" is indelibly stamped with the sound of '60s rock. "That was the common ground everyone had," says Laux, "and we didn't have to work very hard to get these covers up to the point where they were playable. We spend a lot more time on our original stuff. We're more proud of that than the covers, and the emphasis has been shifting a lot since the recording of this album." Besides, Laux adds, the group's influences are more diverse than a casual listener might think. Redling "was a composition major at Catholic, so he has tons of classical training and that mind-set, as well as jazz. {Drummer} John Trupp is also a very good jazz composer and player. ... I think we're going to be reflecting more of that in the future as we get comfortable with ourselves ... and try to bring new things in." If Laux recognizes the downside of being too closely associated with the Dead or any other act, fearing, perhaps, that the band might be written off as a mere clone, he also recognizes the pluses that come with conjuring up the sound of the '60s. For example, Eliott Mazer, who previously worked with Janis Joplin, Neil Young and Dream Syndicate, accepted Rykodisc's invitation to produce the first NPC album after hearing the band perform a series of concerts in North and South Carolina. It was Mazer's suggestion, in fact, that prompted NPC to record half of its debut album at the Bayou in Georgetown. "We're definitely a live act," Laux says. "There's something that happens when the seven of us get onstage together, and we wanted to capture that on our first album -- that feel. We thought it made sense -- that it's an honest reflection of what we're all about." As for '60s pop, Laux says NPC is hardly alone in feeling its resurgent power. "Even some of the bigger pop stars have incorporated it," he says. "If you listen to John Cougar {Mellencamp}, he's got acoustic guitars going. I think the influence is hitting everybody." Actually, calling NPC a septet is a bit misleading, since Mark Mondok, the band's manager, composes most of the lyrics for the group when he's not handling its business affairs. The next step is working the songs out as a group -- not always a simple process, Laux says. "When you have seven musicians up there you become very good at not stepping on each other's toes," he says. "Generally, the arrangements are a group effort. When we run into a problem, Redling will come out -- he's got a lot of training and will find some solution. Usually it's pretty democratic, though." Until now, NPC has devoted most of its traveling time to touring the East Coast, playing the club and college circuit from Florida to Connecticut. With the release of "Promising Traveler," however, the itinerary will soon include more dates in the Midwest and, with a little luck and airplay, concerts on the West Coast. So far radio stations have been supportive of the band's demo tapes, and Laux is confident that both college and commercial outlets will find "Promising Traveler" even more worthy of a spin. Already he sees the band's audience expanding from "hard-core '60s types" to a more diverse mix of listeners, and clearly Rykodisc is banking on the belief that the best is yet to come.
By Mike Joyce June 14, 1989
Ordinarily you wouldn't find New Potato Caboose headlining at the Warner Theatre, but Friday night's performance by the northern Virginia septet is no ordinary concert. It's a record release party celebrating the group's debut album, "Promising Traveler," as well as its long-term (seven-album) deal with the prestigious CD label Rykodisc. It's also a hometown send-off for the band whose founding members once shared a dorm at Catholic University and later discovered they could share tight three-part harmonies, too. "Things started happening from there," recalls Don Laux, the band's rhythm guitarist. Along with guitarist Doug Pritchett and keyboardist John Redling, Laux formed Wood 'n' Steel, an acoustic trio that developed a loyal following around town. The band went electric in 1984, eventually grew to seven members (including the fine lead guitarist Rich Della Fera) and underwent a name change inspired by the title of an obscure Grateful Dead song. In the beginning, at least, Dead songs were among those the Caboose frequently covered in concert, and while the band is now concentrating on developing original material, "Promising Traveler" is indelibly stamped with the sound of '60s rock. "That was the common ground everyone had," says Laux, "and we didn't have to work very hard to get these covers up to the point where they were playable. We spend a lot more time on our original stuff. We're more proud of that than the covers, and the emphasis has been shifting a lot since the recording of this album." Besides, Laux adds, the group's influences are more diverse than a casual listener might think. Redling "was a composition major at Catholic, so he has tons of classical training and that mind-set, as well as jazz. {Drummer} John Trupp is also a very good jazz composer and player. ... I think we're going to be reflecting more of that in the future as we get comfortable with ourselves ... and try to bring new things in." If Laux recognizes the downside of being too closely associated with the Dead or any other act, fearing, perhaps, that the band might be written off as a mere clone, he also recognizes the pluses that come with conjuring up the sound of the '60s. For example, Eliott Mazer, who previously worked with Janis Joplin, Neil Young and Dream Syndicate, accepted Rykodisc's invitation to produce the first NPC album after hearing the band perform a series of concerts in North and South Carolina. It was Mazer's suggestion, in fact, that prompted NPC to record half of its debut album at the Bayou in Georgetown. "We're definitely a live act," Laux says. "There's something that happens when the seven of us get onstage together, and we wanted to capture that on our first album -- that feel. We thought it made sense -- that it's an honest reflection of what we're all about." As for '60s pop, Laux says NPC is hardly alone in feeling its resurgent power. "Even some of the bigger pop stars have incorporated it," he says. "If you listen to John Cougar {Mellencamp}, he's got acoustic guitars going. I think the influence is hitting everybody." Actually, calling NPC a septet is a bit misleading, since Mark Mondok, the band's manager, composes most of the lyrics for the group when he's not handling its business affairs. The next step is working the songs out as a group -- not always a simple process, Laux says. "When you have seven musicians up there you become very good at not stepping on each other's toes," he says. "Generally, the arrangements are a group effort. When we run into a problem, Redling will come out -- he's got a lot of training and will find some solution. Usually it's pretty democratic, though." Until now, NPC has devoted most of its traveling time to touring the East Coast, playing the club and college circuit from Florida to Connecticut. With the release of "Promising Traveler," however, the itinerary will soon include more dates in the Midwest and, with a little luck and airplay, concerts on the West Coast. So far radio stations have been supportive of the band's demo tapes, and Laux is confident that both college and commercial outlets will find "Promising Traveler" even more worthy of a spin. Already he sees the band's audience expanding from "hard-core '60s types" to a more diverse mix of listeners, and clearly Rykodisc is banking on the belief that the best is yet to come.