Toadies

Toadies
Toadies performing at the White Rabbit in San Antonio, Texas
Background information
Origin	Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Genres	Alternative rock, grunge, post-grunge
Years active	1989–2001, 2006–present
Labels	Kirtland Records, Interscope, Aezra Records
Associated acts	Burden Brothers 1100 Springs Baboon
Website	http://www.thetoadies.com/
Members	Vaden Todd Lewis Mark Reznicek Clark Vogeler Doni Blair
Past members	Darrel Herbert Tracey Sauerwein Charles Mooney III Matt Winchel Michael Jerome Lisa Umbarger Terry Valderas Guy Vaughan

Toadies are an alternative rock band from Fort Worth, Texas, best known for the song "Possum Kingdom." The band's classic lineup consisted of Vaden Todd Lewis on vocals/guitar, Mark Reznicek on drums, Lisa Umbarger on bass, and Darrel Herbert on guitar. It formed in 1989 and disbanded in 2001 after Umbarger left the group. The band reformed and released an album, No Deliverance in 2008. In 2010, they re-released the album Feeler with Kirtland Records (the album's original release had been denied by Interscope in 1997). The band's latest album, Play.Rock.Music, was released in July 2012.

Biography

Early years/Rubberneck/commercial breakthrough (1989–1996)

Toadies began in 1989 in Fort Worth, Texas. They recorded a few cassette self-releases and an E.P. titled Pleather before signing to Interscope Records. Their first full-length album Rubberneck was released in the summer of 1994. It included six singles, "Possum Kingdom" (their most successful) as well as "Mister Love", "Away", "Tyler", "Backslider" and "I Come From the Water". "Backslider" can be heard in the film Black Sheep. "Possum Kingdom" would later become a playable track in the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II.

Toadies toured extensively throughout the 1990s supporting Rubberneck, opening for artists such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, White Zombie, Bush, and The Butthole Surfers. They also headlined and co-headlined tours with acts such as Supersuckers, and The Reverend Horton Heat. The band was a regular act at the festivals Edgefest in Dallas, and Buzzfest in Houston during these years.

Feeler, Hell Below/Stars Above, and breakup (1997–2002)

After years of touring, the band entered the studio in 1997 to record new tracks for a second album, Feeler. Interscope Records did not approve the finished product, and rejected its 1998 release.^[1] In 2000, they went back to the studio, salvaged some of the songs from the Feeler sessions, and released their second full-length album Hell Below/Stars Above in the spring of 2001 to poor sales. Portland-based musician Elliott Smith performed piano backup for the title track.

The band broke up five months later while touring in support of the album. The primary reason, according to Lewis, was that Lisa Umbarger did not want to be a part of it anymore, and that the band could not continue without her.^[2]

Shortly after the break-up, a live album, Best of Toadies: Live from Paradise, was released. It was recorded earlier in 2001 at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston, MA. The album was released through Interscope Records, but Kirtland Records later picked up the band's back catalogue.

No Deliverance/Feeler and Play.Rock.Music (2006–2013)

Toadies reformed for a reunion show on March 11, 2006, headlining the Greenville Avenue St. Patrick's Day parade concert, and have played a number of shows since. In March 2007, they embarked on a mini-tour, playing dates in Austin, Houston, and Dallas. The final show of the mini-tour was recorded and released as the live album Rock Show.

The band released their third studio album, No Deliverance on August 19, 2008 via Kirtland Records. The lead single for the album was the title track.

Toadies performed at Lollapalooza on August 2, 2008, Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival on May 16, 2009 and May 18, 2013, and Austin City Limits Music Festival on October 4, 2009.

In June 2010 it was announced that Feeler, the follow-up album to Rubberneck that was shelved by Interscope, would finally be seeing a release. Vaden Todd Lewis was quoted as saying: "Since there are unfinished versions floating around on the Internet, it is important to us that people hear it as we meant it to be." The album was released on July 20, 2010. It has also been announced through the band's website that after Dia De Los Toadies, Feeler, and summer/fall touring.^[3]

The band's fifth album, Play.Rock.Music, was released July 31, 2012 on Kirtland Records. A promotional video for the track, "Summer of the Strange," can be viewed on Clark Vogeler's YouTube Channel.^[4]

Rubberneck 20th-anniversary reissue and tour (2014-present)

On January 7, 2014, the Toadies announced via their Facebook page that their Rubberneck album would be reissued by Kirtland Records with five previously-unreleased bonus tracks.^[5][6] The announcement also revealed plans for a nationwide Rubberneck 20-year anniversary tour, featuring the Toadies playing the entire Rubberneck album "front to back", with supporting acts Supersuckers and Battleme.^[5][7]

Band members

• Vaden Todd Lewis – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1989–present)
• Mark Reznicek – drums (1991–present)
• Clark Vogeler – lead guitar, backing vocals (1996–present)
• Doni Blair – bass guitar (2008–present)

Former members

• Guy Vaughan – drums (1989)
• Terry Valderas – drums (1989)
• Michael Jerome (then known as Michael Moore) – drums (1989–1990)
• Matt Winchel – drums (1990–1991)
• Tracey Sauerwein – guitar (1991–1992)
• Charles Mooney III – guitar (1989–1993)
• Darrel Herbert – guitar (1992–1996)
• Lisa Umbarger – bass guitar (1989–2001)
• Mark Hughes - bass guitar (2006-2008)

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Extended plays

• Velvet (1992) self-released
• Pleather (1993) Grass Records
• Live at Lollapalooza (2008) iTunes exclusive

Singles

Split singles

• Belated Valentines split w/ Slowpoke (1995) – "Not in Love" (David Byrne)

Demo releases

• 4-track Demos (1989)
• Slaphead (1989)
• Chatterbox (1990)
• Y're Cute (1995)

Compilations and soundtracks

The following list includes only non-album and unreleased tracks.

See also

• List of alternative music artists

References

1. ↑ Todd Lewis Interview "Interview: The Toadies", SilentUproar.com, February 3rd, 2007.
2. ↑ Lycia Shrum "Breaking up is hard to do", Dallas Observer, September 27, 2001.
3. ↑ FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!
4. ↑ Toadies "Toadies - Summer of the Strange", YouTube, March 13, 2012.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Toadies Official Facebook Page , Facebook, January 7, 2014.
6. ↑ The Toadies' Best Album is Getting Reissued: What's the Band's Legacy Now? , The Dallas Observer, January 8, 2014.
7. ↑ The Toadies Official Facebook Page , Facebook, January 14, 2014.
8. ↑ Billboard Hot 100 Airplay
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Artist Chart History: Singles". Billboard charts. Retrieved 2008-07-30. 

• Bush, J. "The Toadies Pleather Page." Retrieved May 9, 2005.
• Wilson, MacKenzie. "Toadies ." Allmusic. Retrieved May 9, 2005.

External links

• The Toadies official website
• Toadies at AllMusic
• Interview with Vaden Todd Lewis 11/14/2007
• Obnoxious Listeners: Toadies
• New Times Broward-Palm Beach: Stand and Deliver