It’s Wednesday night May 8 and So Cal ska band the Mad Caddies returned to Seattle. They were supposed to play here around this time in 2020 but the show was canceled for obvious reasons. The last time I saw them was at the Back to the Beach festival in CA back in 2018. So this was a highly anticipated show.
They hit the stage like a burst of fireworks and the moshing immediately ensued. By the time they finished their first song I felt like my spine needed a realignment.
The Mad Caddies also had a new trombone player (Stepháne Montign) who dripped with charisma, and could work the audience as well as his horn. He was also eye candy.
Vocalist/guitarist Chuck Robertson was no slouch when it came to charisma. He pranced and bounced about the stage non stop and looked as scruffy as ever.
Half way through the show Chuck announced that they would perform six songs that were more than twenty years old. This brought raucous cheers from the packed house. I can’t believe I’ve been a Mad Caddies fan for over twenty years. Another highlight was their ska version of Green Day’s She.
They finished the set with Coyote, one of my favorites and again I got crushed against the stage so many times I felt like my spine had been twisted into a pretzel. They came back out for an encore of about four songs before the evening was over. The Mad Caddies did not disappoint. It was a pleasure to see them again. Rounding out the rest of the Mad Caddies are, Jason Lichau – Trumpet/Background Vocals, Brandon Landelius – Guitar/Background Vocals
Sean Sellers – Drums and Boz Rivera – Percussion.
Playing prior to the Caddies was a guy called Jon Snodgrass. He was more a folky rock singer with electric guitar. I didn’t feel he fit in with the other bands that played, but he had great poetry and was very congenial and well received.
He followed The Let Me Downs. This punk trio hails from Tacoma, WA and for a trio they packed a wild punch. They were non stop energy, constantly writhing about the stage. When they finished their high powered set there was nothing left to do but stomp out the flames they kept fanning.
Starting out the evening was Seattle’s Kids On Fire. I have seen them a few times and I’ve always been impressed. They had just started their set when I arrived but already set the stage alas with their energy. Besides churning out some hard rocking punk, they mentioned the punk rock ethos of eff racism and eff homophobia and be yourself.
Their drummer had so much hair and was so wild I swear he kept hidden chargers in his locks to keep his energy up. Kids On Fire are an amazing and fun band.
As mentioned, the club was packed so even though it’s been a few years since the Mad Caddies graced our Seattle soil, Seattle did not forget about them.
All photos by the very cool Holly Homan.
