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Live at Garden Amp
September 11th, 2026 Review by Kevin Gomez
Mad Caddies have become a regular at the Garden Amp in the past few years, always making Garden Grove a stop on any tour they announce.
What was originally scheduled for the main outdoor stage was switched to the more intimate indoor Locker Room, and I really feel like this helped set the mood for the evening; encapsulating the crowd into a more enclosed space truly boosted the crowd’s energy.
You know it’s going to be a good night when it kicks off with off with Aggrolites’ lead singer, Jesse Wagner giving an acoustic performance. “People think ska came from Orange County… but it’s from Jamaica,” Wagner said before jumping into a cover of “Shame & Scandal” by Madness. Rocking a western shirt with red flowers (“for Dolly”), he played Willie Nelson’s “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground.”
He did a brilliant rendition of The Clash’s “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais” with some bite. Wagner played an Aggrolites song, “Countryman Fiddle,” before closing with his last song which even saw him go into “Monkey Man” by Toots & the Maytals.
Next up were the Goodwin Club who I saw for the first time at this very venue in January for Ska Smackdown. They were dressed as elderly women at the time, but for Thursday’s performance singer Tami Demaree was dressed in a beekeeper suit while the rest of the band were in various bee costumes. They’re a band who has as much fun at their shows as their fans do. They opened with “See All Color” and “Monster Fish.” Guitarist Charles Grey is so tall that his antenna almost touched the ceiling every time he jumped.
“Idiot Box” stirred up the first skank pit of the evening. The energy and the pit kept going for “#SorryNotSorry,” one of their most popular songs. “Little Girl” featured a guitar solo from Grey that was as sweet as it was long, and it was pretty damn long.
They played “Don’t Join the Club” and then closed with “Turkey Tit.” For the finale Chris Graue jumped to the pit where he played trumpet with his right hand, filmed with his left hand, and skanked, showing some seriously impressive multitasking.
Pico Rivera’s The Ruffolos started off strong with “Mad Ruffies Intro,” and never let up. They played the hectic “L.A. Hoedown” causing an energized skank pit to launch as I caught Mad Caddies frontman Chuck Robertson checking out the show side stage. Their lead singer Rob introduced “Clearer Mirror,” as a new song they recorded for their new album with John Avila, who has worked with Reel Big Fish and Voodoo Glow Skulls.
“Bloody Hell” was about period blood and featured a trombone solo by Luis, capped by jumping into the crowd and starting a skank pit. “Gourmet Race” was an instrumental ska that reminded me of Voodoo. “Special Yesterday” featured beautiful vocals from Bree. The band closed with “Samuel Song,” probably so named because the lyrics are “Hey, you motherfucker.”
Mad Caddies came out to Inner Circle’s “Bad Boys,” the “Cops” TV show theme song. They kicked things off with the ragtime “Villains” before slowing things down for “Lay Your Head Down,” showcasing the wide variety of the Caddies’ catalogue. Robertson introduced Zack, who was filling in on guitar for Ian Cook, lead singer for Larry and His Flask, which is currently out on tour. “Falling in Down” featured a lovely solo from the band’s horn section.
The band Skatanic Rednecks were watching at the front of the crowd as Robertson had a whistling solo for “Mary Melody.” Robertson tried to explain how open-minded and laidback his opinions are quipping, “I’m the kind of guy who will smoke weed with my black friend in my pickup truck on the way to my gay friend’s wedding.” They played the ultra popular, “Leavin’” singing, “Life goes by so damn quickly for me, wanna have some fun.” At 45, boy, do those lyrics really resonate.
Robertson took time to play “Coyote” per a young fan’s request. He then advised the crowd they were taking it back to “late ‘90s, early 2000s” as they played a slew of fast, old ska-punk. Starting with “Monkeys,” going into “Road Rash,” and then highlight of the set for me, “Drinking for 11.” The latter song Robertson said made him a kind-of celebrity in Hawaii where that song shot up to the top of the charts.
They slowed things way down for the groovy “Backyard.” As they often do, they then turned it back up and hit the ragtime, jazzy “Tired Bones.” The Caddies played the pirate shanty, “Weird Beard” before finally closing a fun-filled night of ska goodness with “All American Badass.”
Another successful night of all things ska at the Garden Amp, courtesy of Mad Caddies and friends!
SHOW PHOTO GALLERY
by Todd Markel Rock Images
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