Caboose

When you are a bride, the last thing you want to worry about is anything technical with your band/​DJ, Caboose did just that for me! The created such a fun and lively environment, they entertained guests from 5 years old to 70 years old. But they didn’t create a concert feel, they still made myself and my husband the priority of the day. I’m sadly writing this review over a year later because life is life right? But I think it says a lot that even over a year, I think they were one of the best decisions we made for our wedding day. My friends and family still talk about them and we wish every day we could hire them back for another event. You will not be disappointed in this band!

I saw them in Fredricksburg, TX last weekend and they were the best. The music was diverse, and the crowd loved them. I danced all night and had a great time, I’d see them again if I had the opportunity.

We stumbled into our normal north Austin restaurant for happy hour yesterday around 6pm. Caboose was going to be performing at 8:15, and they were doing a sound check. The drummer was pounding the drum over and over again. The bass guitar was also playing notes for the sake of noise and the keyboard would randomly check in. Most people go to Happy Hour to chat with friends after a long week. With this «sound check» going on and on it was simply impossible to speak.
We’ve been here many, many times, and all the Friday evening bands have to check levels, but it’s never gone on like this.
We spoke to our waitress who said it had been going on since 2:30 and the wait staff appeared to be annoyed. She spoke to someone who said he could turn off the sound and we’d just hear vocals. Which was true, for about 5 mins. Then they sang a number to check their levels (it’s now about 7pm). They finally sat down for a break before they’re officially started. We were able to could continue with conversation asking to for our tickets around 8pm.
We heard the first song, which was obviously well rehearsed, however you couldn’t hear the vocalist over the bass guitar. It seems if they are going to interrupt a happy hour for several hours to check levels, the levels should be spot on when it begins.
Again, I stress, this band has a perfectly wonderful sound. Obviously well rehearsed and work together. However, they’re never ending sound check needs to be taken into consideration to business owners realizing that patrons will have to experience a cacophonous happy hour while the band sets levels which seems to lead to a bass guitar solo while the gifted vocalist’s lyrics can’t be heard.
I don’t think the blame falls Completely on the group though (hence three stars instead of 1), the restaurant manager should have been more proactive in getting them under control.

We had a fantastic experience with Mark Grossman as we looked at Caboose. Ultimately, we used another band but it was honestly nearly a tossup at the end (and we looked at six different bands in Austin — all highly rated). We were impressed enough with the process that I wanted to ensure we included a positive review here.
Basically, Mark walked us through everything in detail, and then invited us out to see them perform at the Steiner Ranch Steakhouse and meet the band. Fantastic experience overall — including excellent responsiveness — and could just as easily have gone with Caboose. Clearly others have and loved it:)

Amazing band! They played at my wedding in April in Austin, TX and exceeded my expectations! Leading up to the wedding they were so helpful, asked what songs we wanted for our 1^st dance and were willing to learn songs if they did not know them. Mark is one of the nicest guys and makes you feel so comfortable, I did not worry about a thing! My families love to dance and the band fueled that fire with their great songs and amzing audience interaction! They brought my bridesmaids up on stage and got them to sing and dance, that was soooo cool and soooo much fun!!! I can’t say enough good things about Caboose! I f you are looking for a band for any event look no further. you have found your band!

We had Caboose at our wedding reception. Caboose was SO MUCH FUN! They are such great musicians and such a fun band. All night, guests were telling us, «this band is so great!» The dance floor was packed the whole time. They were spectacular! We added the horns which just made them that much better. If dancing/​partying is a priority, then you must have Caboose! And their manager, Mark, is great to work with. Our wedding wouldn’t have been the same without them!

My daughter’s wedding was February 4, 2012, and we, too, originally contacted Mark Grossman to hire Memphis Train, but they were already booked. After reviewing many bands, we selected Caboose and they were wonderful! Apart from being so accommodating and easy to work with, (They happily and professionally came to the rescue when we developed a sound system problem with a video my daughter wanted to show.) they were SO MUCH FUN! They played all the songs my daughter wanted, learned a new one for her and had a fabulous sound. The lead vocal was awesome! We would definitely use them again!