The Mad Caddies

Live From Toronto: Songs in the Key of Eh (Fat)
by Jessica Parker

The Mad Caddies have created a great sampling of their five albums with Songs in the Key of Eh that, despite it being only audio, really has the energy of a live show. Most live albums don’t get across the infectious feeling of pumping your fist or jumping up and down in the crowd, but The Mad Caddies do, and do it well. Brian Flenniken’s drum intro sets up the mood with a vibrating thump working to the sounds of the screams of the Toronto audience. Soon, the beat gets faster, and in come the guitars and horns. Hey, you may’ve tried to forget that time in the mid-’90s when you were skanking all over the neighborhood, but The Mad Caddies bring back that feeling with a vengeance. Not to say that they don’t rock hard, because they do. “Contraband” gets heavy, though the next song, “Monkeys,” brings you right back to ska. It’s fun all the same. As a reviewer who’s never actually seen this band live, the album works well enough to make me look up their future tour dates.
(www.fatwreck.com)