Caddle

The Alabama ensemble known as Caddle has infused everything from snarling punk themes to heartache country lines,
bluegrass breakdowns and furious Southern rock backbeats in their music, while steadily expanding their profile and audience
the past two years through extensive touring and serving as the opening act for everyone from Hayseed Dixie and Lynyrd Skynyrd
to Webb Wilder, Bobby Bare, Jr. and Billy Joe Shaver.

They’ve also become very popular among Nashville audiences due to several appearances on Billy Block’s Western Beat, where
they return for another engagement tonight at 12th and Porter.

“Nashville has become one of our most significant stops,” lead vocalist Phillip Hyde said. “Appearing on Western Beat has
helped us sharpen and better define our core sound, which is really country with a Southern rock underpinning. In the beginning
we got called kind of a country-punk band because of our attitude on stage, which is very energetic and almost kind of ‘in-your-
face.’ But musically, there’s not really much of the punk sound happening anymore, much more country and Southern rock,
presented in a fierce fashion.”

Interestingly, getting the right sound combination has also resulted in considerable personnel tinkering. “We went through about
quite a few bassists and drummers before we really got the type of musicians that understand exactly what the Caddle sound is
all about,” Hyde added.

With guitarists Drew Akin and Eric Watters each capable of doing explosive solos or exciting accompaniment, and bassist Chris
Pottratz and drummer Finney James proving a capable and challenging rhythm section, Hyde’s now free to move in almost any
vocal direction.

Hyde adds that the varying audiences they’ve been appearing before recently have also helped sharpen their musical focus,
something that’s evident on their recent debut CD produced by Grammy winner Don McCollister.

“When we were opening for Billy Joe Shaver it was an older crowd and we did an acoustic set,” Hyde continued. “But when we’ve
worked with groups like Hayseed Dixie or the Burden Brothers, younger audiences also really enjoy the blend of country and rock.
The key thing we’ve discovered is that it really isn’t that much of a stretch between a lot of the elements in the Southern rock wing
and in really rocking country. Everyone responds to honest, driving music, and that’s what we’re emphasizing now, both in our
show and on our disc.” - Ron Wynn - nashvillecitypaper.com

I have seen over 4,000 bands in the past ten years here on Western Beat and Caddle is without a doubt in my Top Three. - Billy Block - Western Beat Entertainment

The term southern rock is being thrown around a lot these days, but where someone like Hank Williams III fails,
Birmingham's Caddle succeed. Caddle has a great, upbeat energy to their vocals that make you want to listen to this
and are the first thing that will suck you into "Raise Em High." (Think bands like Lost Trailers). Obviously when you
mention the term southern rock in describing a sound to someone they automatically think bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd
and at times, especially in the music on tracks like "Give Me A Dollar," I would have to agree, but overall Caddle is a lot
more Hank Jr. then they are Skynyrd. 9 times out of 10 you will be stomping your boots along with Caddle. On songs
like "Raise Em High" and "Work" you cannot help but stomp along and I dare you to listen to this and not be moving.
While on other songs like "Had To Die" and "Afternoon Lies" you will instantly find yourself singing along with the
catchiness in the choruses. It has been a long time since I heard a solid, boot stomping, album like this one, but
Caddle is a band to keep your eyes on. This is a great record that combines a lot of spirit from the scene of yesteryear
with a shot of energy thrown in for good measure. - Gone Country Magazine

Imagine country artist Vince Gill singing with Lynyrd Skynyrd or why not Jon Bon Jovi writing country flavored rock tunes and let Georgia Satellites perform them, then we?re pretty close to the sound of Caddle?s debut "Raise Em Hgh".
Fans of country rock band Big & Rich might wanna check out this band because they know how to make those cowboy boots stomp along to the rocking beat of these songs.
Steel guitar, fiddle, banjo, harmonica and flying V guitars sure is a good receipt for a great sound and when they go out on a picnic with The Eagles in "Meet me at the bar", I have no further comment and just crank it up.
Caddle is the Silvertide frontman Walt Lafty?s favorite band, maybe they will be yours too?! - Melodic Magazine

Caddle reminds me a lot of Bobby Bare Jr. That sort of rockabilly meets blues rock sound that closes down bars for good. Whiskey-soaked vocals and loud harmonica give these blue-collar kids true street cred. Southern rock riffs chug away while the raunchy punk rhythms get thrown down with a vengeance. When you’re filling up your car at the gas station, make sure you never listen to this album—it’ll ignite the whole place up! - J-Sin - Smother Magazine

Every once and a while, a band will come along to wipe the slate clean. Caddle does just that, using their no-nonsense country rock to remind us that sometimes it's good to get back to the basics. Simply put, this is music from
the bottom of the gutter --- down, dirty and just plain loud.

Southern Rock is the main attraction; chocked full of redneck attitude and classic country-inspired plays on words, and those bases are all covered in the first song, Mississippi Doublewide. And it only gets better from there. Caddle is the band you want playing when you walk in the honky tonk, because they provide the perfect soundtrack for drowning sorrows or a good old-fashioned bar fight.

MISH MASH Mandate: Mouth Of The South - Mish Mash Music Reviews

Alt.country? Dixie fried roots-rock? Southern boogie-rock skullabilly? Whatever you call Caddle, the Birmingham, Alabama band's debut CD is spring-loaded with southern-rock energy. Think back to the Georgia Satellites, or even Lynyrd Skynyrd, but add a bit of punk crunch and a touch of Big-and-Rich buffoonery.

A chinkling banjo enlivens the humor in the hard-rocking "Better Bad." ("She's got a wiggle and walks with a grin/Where she stops I begin...When she's good she's really bad but when she's bad she's better.") The openers, "Mississippi Doublewide" and "Work," are raucous, defiantly high-spirited blue-collar anthems whose minimalist choruses represent the bleakness of the working man's life. "Stay With Me" shows that the band is handy with a sad love song, too.

But Caddle's overriding theme is much more serious: drinking in bars. The narrator of "Afternoon Lies" is a bar owner, in fact: "The sun never shines on the inside of this bar of mine/The beer is cold and the stories told are sure to blow your mind." The title track says it best: "Money's leavin' but I'm staying/Sling another drink to me/Party till it's morning/Baby what's your sign?/Daddy's got a brand new bag/Livin' on a dime."

The CD is a very enjoyable ride. It might have one power ballad too many, although "Give Me A Dollar" is a fine one - guess what he needs the dollar for? (Hint: it has flashing lights, it's often found in a bar, and it plays music.) So, in spite of a slight sag in the center, Caddle's debut - unlike the protagonists in most of the songs - comes up a big winner.
by Jon Sobel - Blogcritics Magazine

Caddle has seen a few changes for the better. The three long time members, Phillip Hyde on vocals along with Eric Watters on Guitar and Finney James on drums are seeing several years now in developing Caddle into a serious Hard Country Contender.

The crowd for Caddle ranged from UAB hipsters, old school rockers to Bikers pulling up in Harleys all mixing together getting ready for Phillip Hyde’s delivery.

Caddle with the addition of guitarist Gary Edmonds has gone from just plain dirty southern rock about trailer parks and meth to rev’d up hard classic country kind of like Hank Williams Jr. with a Hank III attitude.

Eric Watters and Gary were intertwining a lot of well thought out guitar parts creating a lot of air guitar and fist pumping in the crowd. Phillip is known for some real out-there monologues about outsiders and drinking and he was on point Saturday night.

Caddle did real well back in 2008 when they did The Billy Block Show back in 2008 at Cadillac Ranch but now the guitar playing is up several notches. True country guitarists like Brent Mason and Pete Anderson can mix it up with deft players like Eddie Van Halen and Steve Vai in their own way and now Caddle really is becoming a powerhouse country guitar outfit that could rival anything coming out of Nashville today.

Speaking of Nashville today, we all talk about how country now is either going for Bon Jovi, Fleetwood Mac, Jimmy Buffet or AC/DC. Well, this could be good timing for the Outlaw biker band from Birmingham. It may be time for a strong guitar sound that sits somewhere between The Black Crowes and Dwight Yoakum’s band to hit mainstream country radio upside the head.

It’s easy to categorize Caddle as Southern Rock, but, their sound is not looking back, Caddle is all about working class – what – is – going – on – right – now vibe. It’s a Saturday night, pull out ten bucks and have a cold one type vibe. An easy smile and cross culture crowd.

When Caddle sticks to the strength of their original material, it works extremely well.

- The Nashville Bridge - Hot Music City Blogged Fresh Almost Daily