DOUG Talks to RON DEVORE about the return of HORSE CAVE TRIO & Opening up for DEREK ST HOLMES at THE TOKEN LOUNGE

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Yeah, either the Detroits Wheels,Doug Foddell. Please, Ronnie, is
that you, buddy, the Doctorof Rock, the man too sweet to
be sour, He's the man ofthe hour. It's the FC Tucky Outlaw
Rock and Ren Devoir. Well,there you go. I've never been introduced
quite like that, but thank youfor that. You deserve it. Maybe

(00:24):
you should bring me along sometime andI can introduce you in a proper fashion.
Well it's supposed to be introducing you, but well maybe it could be
a coexisting, a thing where weboth lift each other up in a proper
manna. I like that. Thereyou go. Well, Ren Devoure,
thank you so much for checking in. We've got Ronnie here from Horse Cave

(00:46):
Trio, a great band out ofDetroit, and you're gonna be uh opening
up for Derek Saint Holmes over atthe Token Lounge on maybe the eleventh,
kind of like a big old springfling out there. Uh so, I'm
looking forward to that. But I'mglad to see Ronnie that Horse Cave Trio
is back because you guys took abit of a sabbatical. Why don't you

(01:07):
give me some of the history ofHorse Cave Trio. Let's talk a little
bit about the Horse Cave history.A Horse Cave started in two thousand and
two. And then something that wereally feel started the Horse Cave Trio was
our Halloween party with the Gul inLorrain, Ohio in two thousand and three.

(01:34):
Right, that's when the band reallygot together. And I had to
drop that because I know that you'rea friend of the Ghoul like I am.
Yes, we all love the Gul. Rest in peace, Ronnie.
We have to lift up the Goul. Anytime we talk about Horse Cave Trio,
we got to talk about the Goul. But we've done two shows now
with Derek Saint Holmes. In twentyfifteen, we opened for Derek and Brad

(02:00):
Whitford. Yeah, that that WhitfordSaint Holmes band. As a fan,
I was blown away. So thatshow really started our dialogue with Derek Saint
Holmes. And let's just let's justdrop the mic right now, if you

(02:21):
will, and say that. Actually, this morning I listened to that first
Ted Newton album again, which Ilistened to so many times as a teenager.
Isn't that one of the best rockand roll albums ever? No,
no question about it and most peopleare still unaware that, you know,
Derek not only wrote most of thosesongs, but he sings most of them

(02:43):
as well. A storm tubering,I mean, you know, I was
so many songs. But anyway,so then we did another show with Derek
at the Token in twenty seventeen andit ended up being like a blizzard,
so it was kind of a awild show, but it was a great
show. So it's great to beback with Barrett Singh Holmes and you Dug

(03:07):
Coogal And that was kind of mypoint. We've missed you guys too because
you took a break for a longtime. So what happened there? So
you know, horse Cave started intwo thousand and two and twenty eighteen,
we did our last show and wedecided we needed to take a break because

(03:30):
it was a long run and we'vedone a lot of stuff. I mean,
I don't know how much time Ihaving to talk here, but we
did. We did a lot ofamazing shows with a lot of amazing bands,
and four albums, four full lengthalbums EPs, two EPs, one

(03:50):
of which was I Am the Chic, which was the theme song for Detroit
Wrestling Chic the movie The Chic.I'm dropping a little wrestling reference there because
I'm I'm a wrestling freak. Soanyway, we decided to take a break
in twenty nineteen, and guess whathappened in twenty twenty Yeah, everything shut

(04:11):
down? Of course. Yeah,we started a conversation of do we still
have anything to say? Does anybodystill you want to see us? And
so in December of twenty twenty two, we did a reunion show and it
was a rockabilly revival and people wantedto see us again. So then we

(04:38):
brought the band back together, Me, Michael Stutso, the Hammer, and
of course Smooth Lou Simon. Yeah. Well, you know, you guys
had you had a great run therefor a long time. You put out
all those albums. I used tolove coming up to Callahan's and see you
play there. So did it becomeharder and harder for you to find places

(05:00):
to play? It did not becomeharder for us to find places that play,
did be honest, Doug, placeswanted us so bad that we had
to you know, we turned downso many shows that would uh venues were
not the issue. But I haveto give kudos to Callahan's. We played
with Johnny Winter, John Mayl,Pat Travers, so many bands we played

(05:25):
with at at Callahan's. Albert Lee. We played with Albert Lee at Callahan's.
Jimmy Vaughan. Jimmy Vaughan took measide and had a conversation with me
at Callahan's. I mean, inmy lifetime to play with Johnny Winter and
Jimmy Vaughan. I mean, Doug, these are this is this is lifetime

(05:46):
dream stuff, which is also lying, uh dream stuff talking to Doug Codella.
So so I gotta tell you.I got to tell you, Doug
real quick. I used to watchthe Beat, Yes, your show.
Yeah, of course it's the endof the Beat. Yeah. I used
to love, Uh, I usedto love going in and doing that show
on Channel fifty six. That wasa lot of fun back in the days.

(06:10):
But a lot of work too.It was a lot of work.
But uh yeah, well it's alla lot of work, you know.
So tell me about the history betweenyourself and the music of rockabilly, because
that's a that's a tough niche tofall into. Now, Michigan has a
great history of rockabilly artists like JohnnyPowers and Uh, I got you can

(06:31):
go back to Jack Scott and uheven even farther than that, like Hank
Ballard and Bill Hayley. So also, what made what made you guys decide
to you know, pick up thatmantra in and play rockabilly. Well,
the thing was, Doug is Itold the guys never to listen to the

(06:53):
rockabilly rock because the thing is Iwanted rock and roll guys. I didn't
walk rockabilly guys. I wanted arock and roll band that played rockabilly music.
That's why we stand out. Well, there is a little bit more
edge to it, there's no doubtabout that. Yeah, there's a Detroit
edge. And let's go back tothe blues reference that you said earlier.

(07:19):
The crowd that really embraced us,that really put us over, was the
blues crowd. The rockabilly crowd didnot want horse cape trio at all.
We didn't wear the fifties underwear,we didn't wear the fifties suits, we
didn't have the you know, wedidn't play the songs just like the records.

(07:39):
You know, who do we love, Doug? We love the Beatles?
Well, did the Beatles play thesongs just like the records, of
course, not that's why they becamethe Beatles. I love Elvis, that
Elvis play the songs just like therecords, of course, not that's why
he's Elvis. So he took thosesongs, yeah, those records and made

(08:01):
him his own, all right.So a lot of the stuff that you've
done, though, has been yourown. You've recorded a lot of original
material and you know, mixed itin with some cover songs. But what
were you listening to growing up?Obviously the Beatles Elvis? But but where
where did that influence come in?I wanted to be Paul McCartney. I

(08:26):
wanted to be the bass player thatsang in the band. Period dropped the
mic. I wanted to be thebass player in the band. How many
bass players were playing in bands thatsang? And then also I had a
period, you know, in theeighties I had a band, Surreal Estate,

(08:48):
where we were like a new waveband and I loved stinging. I
loved you know, I loved thetrio with the front guy that was a
bass player. I mean it wasan it was you know, everybody loves
a trio because they stand back,and they said, how can three guys
make so much sound. But growingup, of course, Elvis, you

(09:11):
know, you know, Elvis ismy heart. I'll always I'll carry Elvis
me forever. And hey, Doug, you know I actually saw Elvis oser.
Wow. Okay, well year wouldthat have been like in the early
seventh that would have been That wouldhave been Chrystler Arena. Wow, that
would have been a great show tosee. So once again, just want
to remind everybody Horse Cave Trio openingup for Derek Saint Holmes May eleventh at

(09:33):
the Token Lounge. I am soexcited. So you've got all these CDs
out, but as we're seeing alot of people are gravitating to vinyl these
days, have you guys talked aboutpossibly putting uh those CDs out, you
know, remastering, reissuing on vinylat all? Has there been any talk

(09:54):
about that for the band. I'mgoing to bring that to the table right
now. I think most people ourfirst CD, Hot Rods, Choppers and
Rock and Roll, which was releasedin two thousand and four. So that's
a very hard CD to find becauseit was kind of like an independent release
where a young band, you know, just out there, you know,

(10:15):
doing our thing. So I thinkmaybe if we could remaster that and put
that on final What do you think, Well, you could do a compilation
as well of a lot of yourmaterial, because you do have a lot
of great songs. You know,you could go through all four CDs and
the EPs, cherry pick some stuffand you know, come up with ten

(10:37):
or twelve songs for an album.I think that would go over pretty big.
So have you guys done any writingor recording now that you're kind of
back out there on the on thestreets. Thank you so much for asking,
Doug. Actually, we have beenworking on a lot of new original
material, oh okay, and weare getting ready to start demo that with

(11:01):
the gentleman that produced our first twoCDs, Matt Hanson, good friend of
mine that he used to play backin the When I mentioned the new Wave
band, he was my partner inthat band and he produced our first two
CDs. He actually was our guestat we did a show at the Token
in December with Chef Chris and Matt. It was our Christmas spectacular. Matt

(11:26):
was there. And so we're goingto start doing some demos with Matt.
New material and it's very exciting andI actually have to drop something right now
our last rehearsal for the show aMay eleventh. You might be surprised by
a song that we do. Ohokay, all right. You know everybody

(11:50):
loves the covers, you know whenbands reinvent covers. This cover you might
like if we actually bring it tothe stage. Now that I've said,
I actually have to do it,so this will be for you, Doug.
All right, Well, so wecan expect some new stuff out there
on May eleventh at the Token LoungeHorse Cave Trio. They're back Ronnie,

(12:11):
Lou and Michael and they're going tobe kicking it out, opening up for
Derek Saint Holmes. So Ronnie,I'm looking forward to seeing you guys.
I know you've been back a littlebit. We haven't had a chance to
get out there to see you live, but I'll be out there and uh,
I know you're going to be rocketedup with that bass. Years by
the way, what is what isthe what brand is that? What kind

(12:33):
of bass is that? Uh?I was I always thought from far away
that you were playing guitar. Butthat's a sweet looking bass. You know.
The funny is, Doug, thewhen we first started the band.
I thought, you know, ifI just played an electric bass like I
always had through my whole career,it'd just be like a rock and be

(12:56):
rock. So I played double bassin college in the symphony, and I
thought, what if you could takethe double bass and and get those acoustic
bass guitars, but put it throughlike a good amplifier, you know,
pump it up, and the Ivanas bass guitar. Acoustic bass guitar is

(13:20):
what I play the black just likeJohnny Cash. Yeah, there you play
a bass, you play guitar,but you know I'm the man in black.
Yeah, it's got that look,there's no doubt. Yeah. So
it's many people ask me that,and it's the Ivans acoustic bass guitar through
a Fender ramp and I slap itand it's it's you know, you know

(13:46):
what. You know, you've seenit. It looks like you sleep with
it as a matter of fact.But I'm not going to go there.
Well, you have to talk tomy wife about kind of love. I
kind of love that guitar. It'sit's pretty special to me because you know,
when the I'll give you a briefaside that people don't know when we
first started, I had a blondeacoustic and I can I'll send you,

(14:11):
I'll send you some pictures of that. And the blonde didn't work. The
blonde was just and so then Ifinally found the black acoustic iban As bass
guitar. And but I do havea beautiful brown now that I bring as
my side, you know, myside girl. She'll be there in case

(14:37):
blacks to perform as she should.So I do now have brown on the
side. So it's iban As acousticbass guitar. So many people have asked
me about that because it's a specialsound. It's a different sound, and
I think that's kind of what makesus special. Is the trio, just

(15:03):
the three guys. But how canthree guys sound well, you guys managed
to do it, There's no questionabout it. That you know. Throughout
the two thousands you are kicking itout, headlining a lot of shows,
and I just think it's great thatyou guys have picked those instruments back up
and you're out there rocking again andwe're all excited to see you. And

(15:26):
of course the Motor City's own DerekSaint Holmes come back to town, kick
out some ted Nugent songs. Itshould be a fun night up there,
and that is once again Saturday,May eleventh at the Token Lounge. I'm
looking forward to it, Ronnie,thanks so much for taking some time out
with us. Looking forward to seeingHorse Cave Trio. And good luck going

(15:48):
forward with the band because we alllove it, you know, good luck
going forward. I hope you guys, I hope you guys put that stuff
out on vinyl because I think it'dgo over pretty good. God bless you
Wheels, God bless us the Dockof Rock. Oh yeah, all right,
thank you ron Ron Devour from HorseCave Trio right here on Detroit's Wheels