Line-up

Venue

True Vine Brewing Company

219 S Englewood Ave, 75702, Tyler, TX, US

www.truevinebrewing.com/

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Toadies biography

Toadies are a guitar driven indie rock act who got their start in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. The group’s line up has been in flux since their formation and is now often recognized as the musical outlet of Vaden Todd Lewis.

The band formed in 1989 and from the get go made no attempt in hiding their influences who spanned from lo-fi punk variants like Mudhoney, Butthole Surffers, Meat Puppets, and Husker Du to classic rock legends such as the cultic/celtic heavy metal forgers Led Zeppelin, country tinged Creedence Clearwater Revival, and doom ridden rockers Black Sabbath. Toadies leapt into the cultural stream inhabited by the fanatic cassette trading generation and self-released some of their first recordings exclusively on this format. These early releases include “Dig a Hole / I Hope You Die” the 7” single “Mister Love” and the cassette EP “Velvet” (a release which included the Pylon cover “Stop It”). Comparisons to the Pixies were further cemented when bassist Kim Deal claimed that “it sounds like us” in regards to the single “Dig a Hole”.

Their EP “Pleather” was issued on Grass Records in 1993 and paved the way for their recording contract with Interscope Records. “Rubberneck” the group’s studio debut album came out on 23 August 1993 and contained their best known song to date “Possum King” (a reference to a lake near the group’s hometown Fortworth). Over half of the album consisted of singles and this strong song selection seemed to be the very force responsible for hurtling the LP into the No.1 spot on the Heatseekers chart and No. 56 on the Billboard 200. The group toured heavily in promotion for this album, headlining shows and opening for acts like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bush, Butthole Surfers, and White Zombie.

In 1997 the group returned to the studio to record their follow up album, which was originally entitled “Feeler”; however, Interscope did not approve of the final product and eventually shelved the project. Two years later the band compiled some of the abandoned tracks and composed newer ones for their 2nd official studio album “Hell Below/Stars Above”. The album featured the title track which sported a guest appearances from the talented singer-songwriter Elliott Smith and the Top 50 single “Push the Hand”. Comparative to the group’s studio debut, this album suffered from poor sales and just five months after it’s release the band called it quits, citing Lisa Umbarger’s departure as the reason.

Toadies reformed in 2006 and on 19 August 2008 released their 3rd studio album “No Deliverance” through Kirtland Records. The album was a successful return for the group as it managed to climb to No. 4 on the Top Independent Albums chart and No. 59 on the Billboard 200. It contained the two popular singles “Song I Hate” and “No Deliverance” as well as a cover of the Cure’s “A Forest”.

The band’s intentional 2nd album “Feeler” finally saw release 13 years after it’s recording. Since the band’s reformation rough demos had been circulating the internet quite frequently and the realization of the public’s interest in these “lost” recordings instigated the group to release the album in a newly mastered format. Because Interscope refused to relinquish the rights of these recording’s the group re-recorded all of these tracks for the 2010 release.

Two years later the band issued it’s 5th studio album “Play.Rock.Music”, which consisted entirely of new material. It was the 1st album to feature Doni Blair on bass and was proceeded by a 20th anniversary reissue of the band’s 1st album “Rubberneck”.

Live reviews

I write this while rockin’ out to Hell Below/Stars Above, at first impression, just the Toadies’ sophomore album but, after becoming better acquainted with their history, you’ll find is a heart-breaking tale of corruption, greed, and a betrayal most foul.

Maybe that’s a little dramatic, but if the Toadies are anything, they’re certainly that... oh, and creepy. Almost socially acceptably creepy. Consider “Jigsaw Girl” (honestly playing at this moment), track nine from the album, which chronicles the adventure of a gentleman who has turned his lady into a human puzzle. And though you may feel something like guilt, their backwoodsy brand of rock makes it worth laughing about.

Hell Below was actually not written as their second album. The tracks meant to be, after a long struggle with Interscope Records, were finally released as Feeler in August of 2010, 15 years after they’d intended. Rubberneck, their debut album, contains their most well-known tracks and celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2014 with a special re-release on 120 gram vinyl containing five previously unreleased tracks, a supporting tour for which they performed the entire album from start to finish, and their own beer, Rubberneck Red. Every summer they host a carefully curated 2-day festival called Dia De Los Toadies. The location seems to change every few years, but you can always count on hearing the best music Texas has to offer while reclining in a tube on the river, enjoying a cold beer.

The members of Toadies are all passionate about music and are associated with other creative endeavors. Vaden Todd Lewis (vocals/guitar) also played with Dallas-based Burden Brothers. Drummer Mark “Rez” Reznicek has released a four-part comic series, Buzzkill, about a superhero who has to overcome addiction. Doni Blair, bassist, was in Hagfish and Mag Seven prior to joining Toadies and is an instructor for School of Rock in Lubbock. Clark Vogeler, guitarist, won an Emmy for his editing contributions on Project Runway and the documentary, Bombay Beach, which he also worked on, was named the Best Documentary at the 10th annual Tribeca Film Festival.

Every Toadies performance is better than the last and they continue to surprise audiences with unexpected covers and maybe even some gymnastics. I’ve heard them turn “Heart of Glass” by Blondie into a morose ballad; amplify the energy in “Psycho Killer” by Talking Heads; and give The Cure’s “A Forest” a savage edge. It has become a tradition to invite all the drummers back onstage for a dramatic performance of “I Burn,” which always has every lighter in the venue raised in solidarity and whatever primal urges the penetrating bass rhythm reawakens.

While they try new styles and subject matter, even occasionally waxing philosophical (give “We Burned the City Down” a spin), they remain true to their growling, swamp-thing sound and make me proud to “come from the water”.

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