Cavo

Aug. 15, 2010

Champagne days for Cavo
By Rick Coates
Modern rockers Cavo return to Traverse City this Wednesday to Ground
Zero Nightclub but this time it will be a little different from their
previous stops.
“We will be headlining, we just started our first headlining tour,”
said Casey Walker frontman for Cavo. “We have been to Traverse City a
couple times before as an opening act and we were there in the spring
and heck, I don’t even remember who we opened for, we have been out
doing so many tours.”
For Walker and his bandmates the last couple of years have been a
whirlwind, with a number one hit “Champagne,” and the release of their
debut CD “Bright Nights Dark Days.” Add in non-stop touring opening
for Daughtry, Puddle of Mudd, along with the Cruefest among others,
and Cavo has had little time to catch their breath; but they are not
complaining.
“It has been great, we have been working for nine years to get to this
point,” said Walker. “I have been singing since I was a kid and
writing songs and singing with a rock band is all I have wanted to
do.”
Cavo is more than ready for their headline tour.
“We enjoyed being an opening act and learned a lot from the bands we
opened for,” said Walker. “But the bottom line is when you open for
someone else, everyone is there for the headliner. Now we are in that
role and it feels good to be able to play a full set and now that the
crowd is out there to see us.”

ST. LOUIS ROOTS
Cavo formed when Walker met up with guitarist Chris Hobbs and drummer
Chad La Roy at a St. Louis recording studio.
“I was going to this studio and I kept noticing these guys in the
studio recording without a singer,” said Walker. “So I asked what was
up with that and was told they didn’t have a singer. So I offered
because I liked what I was hearing. I added some lyrics to one of
their songs and they liked it. Funny though, they said, ‘Let’s go out
to dinner -- we want to hire you.’ They took me to Taco Bell and stuck
me with the tab.”
Walker credits the easygoing nature of his bandmates as a big part of
their success.
“We all contribute to the songwriting process. Every band has their
approach to songwriting and often one member or two are the dominant
songwriters, but not in our case. I think the fact that we all
contribute to every song gives each of us a sense of ownership when we
are on stage performing.”
Cavo is planing on heading back into the studio soon.
“We are talking about extending the tour through the year,” said
Walker. “After that, we plan to head back into the studio. We are
working on new songs during soundcheck and when we feel one is ready,
we break it out that night.”
Success has been validation for their perseverance.
“It is validation — like somebody telling you that what you’ve been
focusing on your whole life wasn’t a waste of time,” said Walker.
“People would ask me, ‘How long are you going to keep playing in this
band; when are you going to quit this hobby?’ Being in a band isn’t a
hobby, it’s really hard work. But when it works, and you’re out there
playing music with your best friends, it’s the best job ever.”

Cavo will perform Wednesday night August 18 at Ground Zero Nightclub
in Traverse City. Tickets are available at
www.groundzeroonline.com or by calling the box office at 231-932-1300.