rejected retro swing label

Although the Daddies were experiencing commercial success under the guise of swing revivalists, having been declared the “leaders” of the movement by Rolling Stone , the band openly contested being labeled a retro act at the exclusion of their dominant ska and punk influences and modernist lyricism. While still vocal supporters of both the swing revival and its bands, the Daddies adamantly tried to disassociate themselves from the swing scene and in particular its nostalgia -based mentality: Perry explained to Spin in July 1998, “it’s not our mission to be a swing band. I’m not a guy from the ’40s. That’s why we play ska and use heavy guitars”, noting elsewhere “I can’t fully take us out of the retro classification, but we harp on the fact that we’re contemporary music”. Thusly, the Daddies avoided touring with swing bands, selecting Latin rock group Ozomatli and ska/soul band The Pietasters as support on their first headlining U.S. tour, and opening for Argentine rock band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs on their 1998 North American tour. At one point, the Daddies attempted to arrange a tour with Primus which never materialized; said Perry, “I know there are people who come to our shows who’d like nothing more than for us to play swing 24/7 … there are plenty of bands who want to be swing bands and swing bands only. We’re trying to find the audience who’ll let us write songs and just be who we are”.