Storming out of Solvang, California, USA, the Mad Caddies are a punk band formed in 1995. Since their formation they’ve been known for their eclectic mix of Ska punk with any and every genre that they can think of.
Like any long running punk band worth their salt, it does the Mad Caddies something of a disservice to call them a “punk” band in the traditional sense.
They are a band with the voracious musical appetite of anyone from David Bowie to Bjork, their music encompassing genres from hardcore, to polka, to jazz and on one occasion, the sea shanty. It’s the only sure fire way to keep any band interesting after twenty years on the job, after all!
The original incarnation of the band formed out of the same high school, each member of the founding quintet met while attending the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School and the majority of them remain to this day. Singer Chuck Robertson, lead guitarist Sascha Lazor and trumpet player Todd Rosenberg have remained with the band since forming under the name Cracked Macaroni.
In 1996 they signed to Honest Don’s Records and promptly came to their senses. They changed their name to Mad Caddies and released their debut album “Quality Soft Core” the year after, which was enough to get Fat Mike of NOFX’s label Fat Wreck Chords interested.
This would be the making of the Caddies, since every subsequent release after that, their five studio albums, two E.P’s and their live album 2004’s Songs in the Key of Eh! (Live from Toronto), have come from that label.
Since then they’ve been one of the American alternative rock scene’s godfathers. They’ve never had the breakout crossover hits that some of their contemporaries have had and many more have tried for, but that’s never been the Caddies’ goal.
Theirs has been to make the best and most eclectic music that they can make and they’ve reached that goal many times over, while still being one of the best live acts around to boot. Highly recommended.
Courtney Barnett
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