Mad Caddies

While frequently linked to California's Third Wave Ska movement, the Mad Caddies craft an eclectic mix anchored in ska yet repeatedly venturing into reggae, punk, pop, surf, and trad jazz. Chuck Robertson fronts the group as lead singer and rhythm guitarist; the band surfaced from Santa Ynez, California, in the mid-'90s after earlier activity under the names Cracked Macaroni and the Ivy League. Their vigorous, buoyant approach—driven by sharp guitars and brisk horns—first appeared on the 1997 release Quality Soft Core, after which the ensemble advanced to Fat Wreck Chords for the 1998 album Duck and Cover. That same genre-shifting approach reached a peak on 2003's Just One More, which featured the streaming staple "Drinking for 11." Extensive international roadwork filled much of the 2000s, yet the band resurfaced during the following decade with Dirty Rice in 2014 and the 2018 covers set Punk Rocksteady.

Chuck Robertson (lead vocals and guitar), Sascha Lazor (lead guitar), Carter Benson (guitar), and Todd Rosenberg (drums) assembled the Mad Caddies while enrolled at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School in Santa Ynez, close to Santa Barbara. Adding Mark Iverson on bass, Eduardo Hernandez on trombone, and Keith Douglas on trumpet, the musicians began performing locally, initially billed as Cracked Macaroni before switching to the Ivy League. By the time they prepared their first album they had adopted the Mad Caddies name, having learned that two other acts already used Ivy League and having grown weary of comparisons to ska-punks Operation Ivy. Honest Don's Records issued the debut album Quality Soft Core in 1997, drawing notice from Fat Mike of NOFX and Fat Wreck Chords. He signed the band, and their follow-up Duck and Cover appeared in 1998.

Following the five-song interim EP The Holiday Has Been Cancelled, Todd Rosenberg departed; Daniel Rivera, known as Boz, assumed drumming duties for the 2001 collection of twisted sea shanties Rock the Plank, on which Lagwagon's Derrick Plourde also contributed. Rivera's tenure proved short-lived, and several months after the album's release Brian Flenniken replaced him while Carter Benson exited as well. The revised roster was captured on 2003's Just One More and preserved in performance on 2004's Live from Toronto: Songs in the Key of Eh. The 2007 album Keep It Going introduced yet another configuration, with Cris Badham taking bass from Mark Iverson. Recording slowed as touring increased, and the next studio effort, Dirty Rice, did not surface until 2014, after the 2010 stopgap compilation Consentual Selections. Further shifts occurred during the hiatus: original drummer Todd Rosenberg rejoined, Graham Palmer succeeded Cris Badham on bass, and Dustin Lanker became the first full-time keyboardist. In 2017 trumpeter Keith Douglas departed and Mark Bush, formerly of Voodoo Glow Skulls, joined the horn section. For the subsequent project Fat Mike suggested the Mad Caddies reinterpret classic punk songs in their signature style; he selected the material and produced the sessions, resulting in the July 2018 release Punk Rocksteady, which included tracks originally by the Misfits, Green Day, Bad Religion, and the Descendents, among others.