{"id":17200,"date":"2017-08-07T01:00:14","date_gmt":"2017-08-07T05:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southeastofheaven.com\/?p=17200"},"modified":"2017-08-07T08:45:50","modified_gmt":"2017-08-07T12:45:50","slug":"interview-with-captain-beyonds-bobby-caldwell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/?p=17200","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Captain Beyond’s Bobby Caldwell: “\u201cDancing Madly Backwards\u201d seems to be a cult classic of sorts so lots of people want to hear that one. It\u2019s like a hit without being a hit.”"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s rare that I get the opportunity to talk to a living legend and it\u2019s even rarer when I get that opportunity twice.\u00a0 Captain Beyond\u2019s Bobby Caldwell is the only surviving\/active member and in 2017 it was announced under the radar that Captain Beyond would be making a return to the road.\u00a0 With this huge news, I had to reach out to Bobby and see if he\u2019d be willing to talk to me.\u00a0 To my surprise, he was and I couldn\u2019t wait.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bobby, as always, was a great guy to talk to.\u00a0 His positivity and humor is absolutely contagious and hearing him so excited to talk about the return of Captain Beyond was a real treat.\u00a0 We talked about why Rod Evans wasn\u2019t interested in a reunion, the latest collection of demos and unreleased tracks called Lost and Found, and we talked about why now was the perfect time for Captain Beyond.\u00a0 This was another great one with Mr. Caldwell and I hope you all will dig on this one.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bobby, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me today! \u00a0This is interview #2 for us.\u00a0 I feel like I should\u2019ve bought you flowers or something?<\/strong><\/p>\n

<laughs> Hey, Don.\u00a0 It\u2019s great to talk with you again.<\/p>\n

========================================<\/p>\n

The last time we talked was back in 2015 and you were telling me about a planned Captain Beyond re-emergence.\u00a0 Here we are in 2017 and Captain Beyond is NOW!\u00a0 What made this the right time to do this?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, the last couple of years I have gotten so much interest from people wanting to hear that music played.\u00a0 I\u2019ve toyed with the idea trying to figure out if I could find the right people.\u00a0 It was really about finding the right people and really, the people wanting to hear Captain Beyond\u2019s music played live.<\/p>\n

========================================<\/p>\n

What were the criteria that had to be met by these guys to be considered to be part of Captain Beyond?<\/strong><\/p>\n

They actually had to be nice people, to begin with, because you can\u2019t do this business with people that you don\u2019t like or that don\u2019t like you.\u00a0 They also have to be able to not just play but to excel at playing.\u00a0 Furthermore, they have to have few, if any, vices.\u00a0 It\u2019s a bit more daunting than I make it sound because you really have to dig hard to find these kinds of people.<\/p>\n

========================================<\/p>\n

Bobby, what can you tell me about this new line-up of Captain Beyond?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The bass player is Jeff Artabasy who played with Rhino (deceased Captain Beyond guitarist) and I in Captain Beyond previously.\u00a0 Jamie Holka, a guitarist out of western New York, is playing with us, the singer is a guy named Simon Lind who is English, and the other guitar player, Don Bonzi, is someone who actually played with Rhino the last couple of years.<\/p>\n

========================================<\/p>\n

How hard, if at all, was it to gel with these guys to make it natural as opposed to just making it sound like a bunch of guys doing Captain Beyond covers?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s a very good question, Don.\u00a0 The thing is, one must establish from the beginning that you\u2019re not looking for people to just copy something.\u00a0 You have to have people who identify with it and it\u2019s something that they actually feel in their souls so to speak.\u00a0 That\u2019s pretty much how that works but again, Don, no matter how one tries, you never know how it\u2019s going to be.\u00a0 You do the best you can, you go out there and do it, and you hope that everyone likes it.<\/p>\n

========================================<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure there are a lot of folks who are super critical about the fact that you\u2019re touring with a whole new Captain Beyond lineup.\u00a0 What would you say to those people to convince them that this is a good thing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I would say nothing.\u00a0 It\u2019s not my job to convince anybody of anything.\u00a0 If they don\u2019t like it, don\u2019t listen to it.\u00a0 It\u2019s pretty simple.\u00a0 Honestly, I haven\u2019t seen that many cynical people out there.\u00a0 They\u2019re so happy to hear it and see it happening.<\/p>\n

========================================<\/p>\n

The other big question that is being asked is \u201cWhere is Rod Evans?\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

He\u2019s under \u201cR\u201d in the telephone directory [laughs].<\/p>\n

========================================<\/p>\n

Has Rod shown any interest at all in participating in even a show or two?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not in the slightest.\u00a0 Rod is retired from the music business and he\u2019s just not into it anymore.\u00a0 I\u2019d love to have Rod in the band.\u00a0 He\u2019s an immensely talented guy but you can\u2019t force somebody to something that they have no interest in doing.<\/p>\n

========================================<\/p>\n

In my mind, this is a tour that should\u2019ve been made a bigger deal than it was.\u00a0 Why keep this thing so far below the radar?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t serve any purpose to make a big deal about something like this.\u00a0 It\u2019s far better to let the whole movement of it sort of unfold in front of people as it’s going.\u00a0 In this day and age, the music business has changed and not necessarily for the better.\u00a0 What was once quite easy if you wanted to accomplish something may take a bit more time to get it together now.\u00a0 The people that once ran the music industry have retired, quit, or passed on.\u00a0 A lot of those people that you could just pick up the phone and call aren\u2019t around anymore.\u00a0 You\u2019re always trying to play the best hand you can with the cards you\u2019re dealt.<\/p>\n

========================================<\/p>\n

I just remember seeing a notification from the Captain Beyond page on Facebook that said, \u201cCaptain Beyond is Now!\u201d I was like, \u201cI guess this is happening!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] As I said when we first talked, it\u2019s been all about finding the right people.\u00a0 That\u2019s huge.\u00a0 It\u2019s like saying, \u201cI need a babysitter for my two kids\u201d and having lots of people interested in doing it.\u00a0 That doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re interested in them so you get a lot of people that responded.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t the first group of people that I tried out for this gig.\u00a0 There were a lot of people interested in this but it just takes time to make it right.\u00a0 There\u2019s a serendipity to it.\u00a0 When the time is right, it all happens.\u00a0 It\u2019s all moving forward now and there are a lot of great people involved and everyone seems to be getting more and more excited about it.<\/p>\n

========================================<\/p>\n

There are a good number of high profile musicians out there that have pledged their allegiance to Captain Beyond.\u00a0 Did you ever entertain the idea of putting together something with a group of more famous musicians?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Actually, Don, it wasn\u2019t even really publically known.\u00a0 I could have used every means possible to announce this whole thing but I didn\u2019t do that for a lot of reasons.\u00a0 It was really not something a lot of people knew was going on.<\/p>\n

========================================<\/p>\n

Looking toward the future, do you ever think you\u2019ll work with bigger name artists or do you like keeping Captain Beyond this contained entity?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Captain Beyond was an insular type of band.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t co-mingle with very many people.\u00a0 Not because we thought we were special but just because we were the kind of people that would be more creative if we just tried to perfect what it was we were trying to perfect.\u00a0 That was trying to create something musical first that was not predictable when you listened to it.\u00a0 I mean, I know a few people in the business and if they said they\u2019d really like to play with Captain Beyond I don\u2019t know how that would be as a full-time thing.\u00a0 If they just wanted to come in and sit in for a song or so that would be fine.<\/p>\n

========================================<\/p>\n

Are you guys doing anything to capture and archive any of these live performances?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think most of its being recorded whether we want it or not [laughs].<\/p>\n

========================================<\/p>\n

What do you think about all these people who film the full shows on their phones?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s kind of corny actually.\u00a0 I\u2019m not really a big fan of it but I\u2019m also not really against it.\u00a0 I mean, if you really want to go see it, go see it.\u00a0 To televise every freaking performance I just don\u2019t think is that cool.\u00a0 Besides, it doesn\u2019t do us any justice anyway.\u00a0 You really have to be there in person.\u00a0 I guess it\u2019s just the day and age [laughs]. \u00a0I don\u2019t know why people are so into doing this.\u00a0 It\u2019s boring to me.\u00a0 If I was going to see somebody, I would want to watch and enjoy the show but that\u2019s just me.<\/p>\n

========================================<\/p>\n

This year a collection of Captain Beyond rarities surfaced including the stellar song \u201cUranus Highway.\u201d\u00a0 Are there any more unreleased gems from those sessions lying around that may see the light of day?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s possible.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got enough stuff around there [laughs].\u00a0 The real title is \u201cUranus Expressway\u201d by the way [laughs].\u00a0 It\u2019s actually a misprint on the album cover and it wasn\u2019t corrected in time for the release.\u00a0 We\u2019ll see if it\u2019s corrected on the next round.\u00a0 All of those demos, not \u201cUranus Expressway\u201d or \u201cIcarus\u201d, was exactly what we played for the various people in LA when we were shopping it around.\u00a0 These are the actual demos.\u00a0 That \u201cI Can\u2019t Feel Nothin\u2019\u201d segment is what Rhino, Lee, and I played for Gregg and Duane Allman over at the Hyatt House one night when they were in town.\u00a0 Duane lost his mind and called Phil (Walden; Capricorn Records) telling him to sign us.<\/p>\n

========================================<\/p>\n

What kind of emotions, if any, were brought back to you while sifting through these demos?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, of course, there\u2019s a certain amount of reviewing it from a musical point of view.\u00a0 Some of that stuff was not finished.\u00a0 \u201cUranus Expressway\u201d and \u201cIcarus\u201d were just demos.\u00a0 My first thought was, \u201cIs it in fact good enough with a bit of modern day technology to put out there.\u201d\u00a0 After Live at Arlington<\/strong><\/em> came out a few years ago, the sound on that one was not very good but it sells a good bit.\u00a0 I thought the sound on Lost and Found was infinitely better so I figured that if I thought it was that much better, it\u2019ll probably be ok.\u00a0 Also, with Rod singing on these two songs that nobody had ever heard before, I figured a lot of people would be interested in this.\u00a0 So far nobody\u2019s complained about it [laughs].<\/p>\n

========================================<\/p>\n

What songs can we expect to hear from Captain Beyond on this tour?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, we\u2019re doing some Village People tunes.\u00a0 I\u2019m just kidding [laughs].\u00a0 We\u2019re doing some new stuff that you will not have heard.\u00a0 We\u2019re doing a pretty wide cross section of stuff.\u00a0 We\u2019re doing \u201cRaging River of Fear\u201d and \u201cMesmerization Eclipse\u201d, \u201cFrozen\u201d parts of \u201cI Can\u2019t Feel Nothin\u2019\u201d, \u201cDistant Sun.\u201d\u00a0 The show is about an hour and a half long.<\/p>\n

========================================<\/p>\n

What songs have you, yourself, <\/strong>been excited to play again after all these years?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, \u201cDancing Madly Backwards\u201d seems to be a cult classic of sorts so lots of people want to hear that one.\u00a0 It\u2019s like a hit without being a hit [laughs].\u00a0 I think all of them hit home but you find yourself more concerned with it being a great experience for the people.\u00a0 So far it has been.<\/p>\n

========================================<\/p>\n

I am so excited to see you guys here in Atlanta at the Earl.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am too.\u00a0 Captain Beyond used to be huge in Atlanta.\u00a0 Every band, I don\u2019t care who it is, there are certain places where they just seem to be bigger there than any place else.\u00a0 Captain Beyond had several places in the US where were really popular and Atlanta was one of them.\u00a0 I\u2019m hoping for a good diverse crowd.\u00a0 When we played in Maryland, the age range of the audience was 16 \u2013 60 [laughs].\u00a0 I\u2019m hoping for something like that in Atlanta and that everyone will come out and have a great time.<\/p>\n

========================================<\/p>\n

Bobby, what can I expect from seeing Captain Beyond for the first time?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don, honestly, you\u2019re coming to hear the music played and you\u2019re going to hear it played and I think you\u2019re going to really enjoy yourself.\u00a0 That\u2019s really all I can say.<\/p>\n

========================================<\/p>\n

Bobby, as always, it was a great time talking with you and an honor.\u00a0 I\u2019m so looking forward to seeing you here in Atlanta soon!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don, thank you so much.\u00a0 You\u2019re a real delight and a pleasure to talk to.\u00a0 I always enjoy it and I look forward to meeting you in Atlanta.\u00a0 Cheers, my friend.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s rare that I get the opportunity to talk to a living legend and it\u2019s even rarer when I get that opportunity twice.\u00a0 Captain Beyond\u2019s Bobby Caldwell is the only surviving\/active member and in 2017 it was announced under the radar that Captain Beyond would be making a return to the road.\u00a0 With this huge news, I had to reach out to Bobby and see if he\u2019d be willing to talk to me.\u00a0 To my surprise, he was and I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[194],"tags":[1247,1840,514,1839],"class_list":["post-17200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interviews","tag-bobby-caldwell","tag-capricorn-records","tag-captain-beyond","tag-rod-evans"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17200\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}