Vegas duo Mad Caps say musically less is more

They're all about rock 'n' roll as it was originally intended: gritty, raw and real. Vegas duo The Mad Caps are here to tell us how it's done:

What do The Mad Caps sound like?

"Some might say we are perverse boogie-woogie, Elvis from hell, or gutter glam rock, but we believe The Mad Cap sound can best be described as this: Buddy Holly slow dancing with the creature from the Black Lagoon in a country gay bar with Quentin Tarantino DJing in the background. We just like to shake it and show our teeth all the while. Soul music."

Your tunes are stripped down and free of pretense, with a primal rock 'n' roll energy. So, end the age-old debate once and for all: Is less really more?

"It's like salt and pepper, the basic ingredients to any recipe. Why ruin good steak? Let the essence of what you're cooking with take over and don't mess up a good thing. We believe in what it is we're doing, and what it is we're trying to accomplish with our music that less is in fact more. You can't overanalyze rock 'n' roll -- it's rock 'n' roll! What would Little Richard do?

Aside from a few extra beers per 12 pack, what's the best part about being in a duo?

"A lot of things are easier when there are just two of you. Money is split 50/50. Scheduling shows and jam practices are simple. We can pick up and go out of state crammed into one car with our gear. Arguments can be settled over arm wrestling or a simple coin toss. Not having to tune your guitar can really make a guy spoiled as well. It initially wasn't meant to be a two-piece, it was just hard finding a bass player and a singer. Now it's just about seeing how much we can get away with as two musicians. It's a terrifically fun challenge."

There's been many great duos over the years -- Tango and Cash, Sonny and Cher, Bert and Ernie, peanut butter and jelly, beer and breakfast -- where do The Mad Caps fit in?

"Somewhere between Bert and Ernie and peanut butter and jelly -- as long as Bert was wearing Sonny Bono's mustache. Perhaps Bill and Ted, due to the excellent adventure that is The Mad Caps. And a little Lucy and Ethel."

You hit the road for a few dates last month on the intriguingly named "Toilet Tour." Any good road stories?

"It went very well, nothing like getting back to the basics of playing for a crowd of five people and trying to win half of them over. 'The Toilet Tour' was an adventure through Arizona that we took with our friends Dude City and Same Sex Mary.

"Aside from trying to sell the locals of Arizona limited edition 'Toilet Tour' T-shirts featuring a cartoon turd on the front, we had a couple memorable moments along the way: getting lost in Tucson during a flash flood, seeing a car flip on the freeway and college kids getting into fistfights, warm PBR in the back of the van, sleeping in the van, walking through town in the morning in search of a decent restroom. We even had our gig in Flagstaff get canceled on us while we were on our way there, two hours before showtime. With a few quick phone calls we managed to rope our bands into a different local venue just before arrival.

"Overall, Arizona was a blast. We're currently working on 'The Toilet Tour: Part Deuce' right now. We'll see how far 'Las Vegas' Great Unknown Duo' aka The Mad Caps can strut their stuff while keeping the people happy and dancing."

Hear The Mad Caps at myspace.com/themadcapslv.

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal. com or 702-383-0476.