Late musician ‘will live on through the music’ in Sacramento punk band’s album

Josh Thompson made a promise to his longtime friend and bandmate Casey Marsullo about 10 years ago. The two co-founded the Sacramento area punk group Another Damn Disappointment, or A.D.D. for short, but progress on a new album had stalled.

Marriages, jobs, family commitments and divorces had slowed the band’s momentum. Their previous album, 2008’s “Relentless,” felt like it belonged to another era.

All the music for the follow-up had been recorded, including Marsullo’s bass parts. The band was waiting on Thompson to finish the lyrics.

“We never stopped playing shows, but the recording slowed down,” Thompson said. “One of the last times we hung out, Casey was like, ‘You need to finish lyrics, you promise this?’”

That promise is now fulfilled. A.D.D. released its new album, “Bedlam,” Monday and will celebrate with a show Saturday at Goldfield Trading Post in Roseville, 238 Vernon St.

Marsullo’s bass playing is a driving force throughout the album, anchoring A.D.D.’s energetic, melodic sound. The recordings now stand as a tribute to his memory.

Marsullo died in a 2016 car accident, shortly before becoming a father. Thompson, who works as a firefighter for the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, was on shift when he learned the news.

The loss was devastating for the band and its close-knit circle of family, friends and fans.

Thompson and Marsullo launched A.D.D. in 1998, bonded by their shared love of skateboarding and punk music. Their sound echoed the Southern California style popularized by bands like Pennywise and Bad Religion — fast, melodic, and built for both mosh pits and sing-alongs.

“He was the life of the party,” Thompson said. “The room would light up and he was everyone’s best friend. Skateboards and punk rock, that was his thing. He truly lived for this band.”

Before the crash, A.D.D. had built a national fan base through steady touring. In the early 2000s, the band signed with Volcom Entertainment, the record label of the clothing brand known for supporting action sports culture. A.D.D. toured on the Warped Tour in 2004 and 2005, hitting a milestone many punk bands chase.

After Marsullo’s death, the band chose to carry on. Guitarist Aaron Welch stepped in on bass, with Ross Standley, Alex Stephens, and Carl Chang rounding out the lineup.

“If there’s a silver lining in all this,” Thompson said, “before Casey passed, we put down his last works and they will live on through the music.”

Finding the right words for the album wasn’t easy. Thompson revisited the material with a more reflective lens, writing about life on the road and the bond he shared with Marsullo.

That reflection is especially clear in “Yesterday,” the second track on “Bedlam”:

These memories keep running through my mind;

And when I look back on those days,

The endless nights, the songs we played,

I’ve been thinking ‘bout it constantly;

The day you had to go away.

“I had to wait a long time before I could really dig in again,” Thompson said of the writing process. “Once I did, it was cathartic — but it still gives me chills. When we’re practicing them, sometimes I get choked up.”

The band plans to continue playing shows, though extended national tours are harder now with members in their late 30s and 40s. Still, A.D.D. intends to keep going, in the spirit of what Marsullo would have wanted.

There may be some tears along with the slam dancing at Saturday’s album release show. Marsullo’s absence is still felt, and every bass note on the album stands as a reminder of the musician whose energy helped drive the band forward.

“I promised him I’d finish this and put the album out,” Thompson said. “A promise made is a promise kept.”

This story was originally published April 23, 2025 at 7:00 AM.