Musician's Van Stolen, Instruments And Gear Stolen Before Sacramento Performance

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Musician Paul Cauthen's tour van was stolen just hours before his local performance and about $15,000 worth of equipment was stolen.

The Texas-based Americana music group was scheduled to play at Harlow's Tuesday night, but the performance was nearly canceled.

But Cauthen says for his fans and his band the show must go on.

"Tonight's going to be fun and we are going to put it behind us and we're just here to play music and that's all we can do," Cauthen said.

The venue for helped and the group performing before them loaned their instruments. Thieves picked a prime target, the van and trailer chock full of their equipment outside the group's hotel.

"We go to get in our van and it's gone with all of our livelihood, everything," he said.

The Country Americana artist and musicians from Dallas are currently on Cauthen's headline tour across the West Coast and this nearly silenced them.

"Every emotion kind of hits you, you know, we are out here trying to make it and we are getting real close and we are just starting to make a living," he said.

So what happened to his van?

"It's just weird that it ended up here, just very bizarre," said Denese Harlan of Sacramento.

Neighbors came home to the ditched van and trailer in a gated Natomas apartment complex just miles away from the hotel.

"It's really terrible and who would do that, I don't know," Harlan added.

After hours of installing a new ignition, the van was ready to roll. Plus, with help from the community, so was the band.

"I'm a blessed human being, I can't complain. So many people lifted me up today and we got our van and trailer back," Cauthen said.

But still missing, the instruments to get them through the last two weeks of their tour.

"My Martin guitar was the first guitar that I really started ever writing songs on and it got stolen today here in Sacramento," he said. "I try not to have sentimental value and instruments, but you put so much love and time into them it just happens,"

It may happen only he won't let this crime upstage his passion for performing.

Anyone with information on the theft or whereabouts of the stolen goods should call Sacramento Police.

WHAT IS MISSING:

• 1997 martin D-15 mahogany with a bunch of wear. Has Kris Kristofferson's signature on the front and the back. Paul's initials PMC chilled into it.
• 2012 Gibson J35 blonde tiger pickguard.
• Black Fender Jazz Master bass "matter" written on the headstock, NASA, eyeballs, "please shut the f*** up" stickers on the body
• 20ft Vox coil instrument cable
• 20ft Monster cable
• Ernie Ball volume pedal
• 4 small Monster patch cables
• Prunes and Custard EHX pedal
• Polytune tuner pedal
• Fender Rumble 200 amp with stickers and white gaff tape all over it
• Korg SV-1BK 73-key
• Hohner S37 Melodica
• Korg Electribe 2s (black)
• Roland JU-06
• 20-note wood Kalimba (Dusty Strings)
• Fusion 61-76 key keyboard bag
• Radial JDI direct box
• Danelectro '56 Baritone (black guitar in blue and grey MONO soft case) - $420
• 70's Gibson G10 - $120
• Pedal Pad MKS III XL (grey carpeted exterior)- $400
• Strymon Flint - $300
• Strymon Mobius - $450
• EHX Deluxe Memory Man - $400
• EHX LPB-1 - $65
• EHX Russian Big Muff Pi (90's) - $500
• EHX Hog 2 - $480
• Ibanez CD10 Delay Champ - $130
• Roger Mayer Voodoo Vibe+ - $700
• Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret - $175
• Dunlop Cry Baby Wah - $100
• Boss TU-2 - $100
• KOD Octave - $100
• 70's Ross Phaser/Distortion - $400
• Mogami cables (20) - $550
• Rock Slide Glass Slide - $35
• MXR MC403 Power Supply - $270
• Black Briefcase with Strings, picks, various tools & accessories
• 24" silver sparkle Slingerland kick drum (late 60's/early 70's)
• WFL snare drum, 15 x 6.5" red sparkle,
• Ludwig Vista Lite snare drum, transparent orange, 14 x 6.5
• Pearl snare drum stand
• DW flat base HH stand
• (2) DW flat base cymbal stand
• Yamaha kick drum pedal
• Tama drum stool
• Hardware case
• Woodblock
• Cowbell w/ kick drum mount
• 10" Ludwig concert tom (black)
• 13" Ludwig Vista lite concert tom (smoke colored)
• Ludwig dual concert tom holder, with Gibraltar base.
• 16" Ludwig Vista Lite floor tom (transparent orange) w legs
• 22" Zildjian K Constantinople ride
• 22" Bosphorous ride with rivets
• 16" Zildjian K Constantinople hi-hats
• Apple box
• Red toolbox with drums sticks, supplies and misc accessories
• Cases for all drums