With a tight, seamless, and an acoustic sound that's uniquely their's — a m… Read Full Bio ↴With a tight, seamless, and an acoustic sound that's uniquely their's — a mix of gypsy swing, big band jazz and cross-genre Americana music, original songs and some clever covers — the startling six-piece Belleville Outfit of Austin belies the tender age of its members and its vast experience garnered swiftly after its union around Merlefest 2007 in Wilkesboro, N.C.

In fact, in just six months, the band has played for more than 10,000 people, ridden in a van-with-trailer to shows all the way from Texas to Tennessee, from Colorado to New York, and sold out shows up and down the East Coast and through Texas. They've shared stages with the likes of Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Del McCoury Band, The Waybacks, and The Duhks, and recorded a full-length album with producers John Rees and Bil Vorndick. When the band is home, members soak up other acts’ music, absorbing how music transmits energy from musician to listener, healing both — always learning, learning from the past but breathing their own interpretations into what they hear.

The Belleville Outfit came together when The DesChamps Band of Spartanburg, S.C., was offered a slot at Merlefest 2007. The former band of singer-songwriter-guitarist Rob Teter was no more, so he got former band-mate, singer-guitarist Marshall Hood, and vocalist-violinist Phoebe Hunt (who’s won Daniel Pearl Foundation honors) to New Orleans to meet drummer Jonathan Konya, pianist Connor Forsyth and upright bass player Jeff Brown. After two days of marathon rehearsals, the band was ready for its first shows together — complete with a sound that mixes members’ Appalachian roots and the traditional jazz of New Orleans, American swing, blues, country, soul and gypsy music.

Teter, Forsyth and Konya had been studying music at Loyola New Orleans for two years, and Hunt had earned a degree in history at the University of Texas at Austin while playing in a local folk trio, The Hudsons and learning to play the fiddle. Brown, a member of The DesChamps Band, had joined the military. Hood was playing gigs for Austin’s Toni Price and Warren Hood and the Hoodlums. But after Merlefest, they each decided to give the band their all. Its name (“belle ville” means beautiful town in French) honors New Orleans and the dramatic influence Hurricane Katrina had on the city and the Loyola trio. And “Belleville” is also Django Reinhardt song, which exemplifies a great portion of its sound.

The band’s debut album, WANDERIN’, was released on Feb. 5, 2008.

Caroline
The Belleville Outfit Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Every night
When the
Sun goes down
Behind the clouds
I close
My eyes and
Remember the things we
Could have had

But I know I tried
There's just something in your eyes
I couldn't deny

O! caroline
I just can't wait to get you
Off my mind

Caroline!
Warn me
That you'll steal
My heart next time

You're in my head
Your eyes, your lips,

You knocked me dead

My heart, like lead,
Fell rapidly
Down to my knees
I was feelin' fine
But I know this kind
Ain't tellin' no lies

O! caroline
I just can't wait to get you
Off my mind

Caroline!
Warn me that you'll steal
My heart next time

(Beautiful violin solo)

(Followed by badass guitar pickin')

(And then some wildly awesome plinkin' on them keys)

(Then even more violin, mashed with the git, and the board)
(Ears and souls call this lovely, yes they do)

O! every night when the sun
Goes down
Behind the clouds
I close my eyes
And remember the things
We could have had

But I know I tried
Just something in your
Eyes I couldn't deny

O! caroline
I just can't wait
To get you off my mind

Caroline!
Warn me that you'll
Steal my heart
Next time

Caroline!
Warn me that you'll

Steal my heart
Next time

Overall Meaning

The Belleville Outfit's "Caroline" is a song about a man who can't seem to forget about a woman named Caroline. The song goes on to say that every night when the sun sets and the clouds hide it, he closes his eyes and thinks about what might have been, but ultimately knows that it wouldn't have worked out. He admits that he tried to pursue her, but there was something in her eyes that he couldn't ignore, and it made him realize that they wouldn't have had a future together. The chorus repeats several times and asks Caroline to warn the man that she'll steal his heart the next time they cross paths.

The song has a melancholy feel to it, with the violin and guitar picking creating a somber and almost mournful melody. The lyrics, combined with the instruments, emphasize the sadness of the situation and the longing that the man feels for Caroline. The instrumentals change towards the end of the song, with the violin becoming more prominent and taking over the melody. The piano is also added to the mix, creating a more complex and layered sound.

One interpretation of the song is that it's about unrequited love, with the man unable to forget about Caroline despite knowing that they would never work out. It could also be about the regrets and could-have-beens that come with failed relationships. Overall, the song is a poignant expression of heartache and longing, with a beautiful melody that perfectly complements the lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

Every night
Every night, without exception

When the
At the time when

Sun goes down
The sun sets

Behind the clouds
Disappear behind clouds

I close
Shut

My eyes and
My eyes close

Remember the things we
Recall memories we shared

Could have had
Could have experienced together

But I know I tried
But I am aware that I attempted

There's just something in your eyes
There is a certain quality in your gaze

I couldn't deny
I could not refuse