And then there was one … original member of The Mad Caps. While losing an occasional member is pretty commonplace among local bands, when that member accounts for 50 percent of your lineup, it carries a bit more weight.

As The Mad Caps started off the night on Saturday to a busy Bunkhouse crowd comprised of many fresh faces who had caravanned into town for Costa Mesa’s The Growlers, there was something different about the rock-blues duo—in looks and not music, according to frontman Ted Rader. “It doesn’t make a big difference. If you close your eyes, you don’t think that there’s someone new there, that’s what I enjoyed about it,” Rader says after The Rooks’ Jon Realmuto took over behind the drum kit for the band’s original John, John Bolduc.

“It wasn’t out of want, it was out of necessity,” Rader explains. “John [Bolduc] left to go to school in Canada. He’s a dual citizen, so it’s actually cheaper for him there, plus it’s a big adventure.”

Rader plans to keep The Mad Caps going, sharing the stage with Realmuto for as long as he’s willing and able to balance his time with The Rooks. “I love playing with Ted, and I have a lot of time right now,” Realmuto says. “I’m into it—it’s a different outlet, a different style of music.”