Album Review: Mad Caddies -Punk Rocksteady

Late 90’s “Third Wave” ska engulfed the mainstream music scene at a time when alternative rock was still a thing, and bands like Blink 182 were bringing pop-punk to the TRL crowd. Like pop-punk, ska had its share of bands that made it to the radio (Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake). However, with any genre there were many, many more that didn’t. Mad Caddies were one of these bands. While they had the backing of Fat Mike’s record label Fat Wreck Chords, were regulars on the Warped Tour circuit, and were featured on what seemed like hundreds of compilation albums (mostly from their said label), they fell just short of being played on the powerhouses of Krock (or Kroq) and MTV. Nevertheless, in my opinion, they made some of the best and most diverse music within this genre. Their music encapsulated reggae, jazz, punk rock, polka, and “pirate rock”, among others.

When I heard that they were releasing a covers album, of which I’m typically not very fond of since they usually are just standard covers of existing songs (check out Weezer’s recent Teal album to see what I mean), and that it was in 2018 when ska is deemed dead by pretty much every music critic in existence, I was less than excited. However, they ended up releasing a cover of “She” by Green Day before the album released, and I soon realized this album could have some potential. It was an entirely different interpretation of the song, with the same melodies and a backdrop of acoustic guitars, heavy bass line, and brass instruments. They completely reinvented the song, reminding of the original but bringing it new life. I couldn’t wait for the full album to come out. Then they released the tracklist, which included such artists as Bad Religion, Against Me!, Lagwagon, Rancid and of course Fat Mike’s own NOFX.

Prior to the album release show, I was able to catch them at Gramercy Theater in Manhattan, on Lagwagon day no less (May 16th for those who care). They had a solid set of their classics, in addition to playing “She” and “…And We Thought That Nation-States Were a Bad Idea” in which Fat Mike himself came out for a verse. This got me even more excited for the release of the album.

The album opens with “Sorrow”, a classic tune from Bad Religion, that sets the tone for the album. This then leads into an Operation Ivy cover, followed by “She” and “Nation States.” Following that is the NOFX cover “She’s Gone,” the late Tony Sly’s “AM,” and one of the album highlights “Alien 8.” Additional highlights include the Bracket cover “2RAK005” which then leads into “Sink, Florida, Sink” which is my opinion is the strongest song of the album. Granted the original is one of favorite Against Me! tunes, the way they open it up to a reggae-type sound is incredible.

While there are a few sleepers here, overall this is a solid album that renewed my interest in the ska bands I fell in love with during my adolescence and gives me hope for its continuation as a genre, no matter how small it may be.

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