Phillyist Playlist: Caravan of Thieves at World Cafe Live

Photo by Chad Anderson, courtesy of Think Press

We stumbled across the music of Caravan of Thieves (MySpace) when running through this year's Philadelphia Folk Festival lineup; the description of the Thieves caught our eye with the words "gypsy jazz." And after giving the group a few listens through MySpace, we were quite taken with them. Unfortunately, we didn't make it to the Festival to see them perform, but we did manage to get our hands on a copy of their album, Bouquet (CD Baby, iTunes). Caravan of Thieves music is...interesting. We don't mean that in a condescending, Top Chef judge-resisting-the-urge-to-spit-the-food-out kind of way, but in a literal one.

The Thieves' influences are numerous and varied—Eastern European folk, jazz, rock, swing, we think even a little zydeco is in there. As singer-guitarist Carrie Sangiovanni has put it: "It’s kind of like putting all of our influences into a blender. We have the energy of rock and the storytelling aspect of folk." And the stories Caravan of Thieves tells? Well, we'll put it this way: They're big Tim Burton fans, and song titles include "Freaks," "Burial at Sea," and "Angels in Cages." So you can imagine. But even if the lyrics are a little dark, the performance certainly shouldn't be.

So if you're looking for a bit of a different kind of holiday cheer this evening—don't be surprised if they pull out "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch"—head over to World Cafe Live for one of the most interesting groups out there these days.

Caravan of Thieves
TONIGHT, 12/4/09
9 p.m.
World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.
Tickets: $12