While perhaps best known for their 1995 grunge breakthrough “Possum Kingdom” the Toadies have a long and sturdy history, one which roughly correlates with the musical trends of the past quarter century.
The band emerged out of Fort Worth, Texas, in 1989; the earliest incarnations were noted for the ever shifting nature of their personnel. From the start, musicians cycled in and out of the band’s lineup but by 1991 guitarist/vocalist Todd Lewis had emerged as their implicit front man.
Lewis, heavily influenced by a wide range of artists and particularly fond of the Pixies, wrote and produced the Toadies’ early recordings. Following the release of a series of homemade tapes, the band’s line up began to stabilize and jell. Drummer Mark Reznicek was bought into the fold and the band began work on a proper effort. The EP Pleather was released in 1993. It attracted the attention of the suits at Interscope Records who signed the Toadies soon afterwards.
Buoyed by a larger budget and major label support, the Toadies quickly returned to the studio with producers Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf, who had recently scored a major hit with Beck’s platinum-selling album Mellow Gold. 1994’s Rubberneck continued their success, largely on the strength of the oddly metered but endlessly engaging “Possum Kingdom.”
With replacement guitarist Clark Vogeler joining the band, The Toadies settled into a routine of near constant touring, playing high-profile shows with the likes of Bush, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the Butthole Surfers. Yet not all was right in the Toadies’ universe. Producing a worthy follow-up to Rubberneckproved a challenge.
The band returned to the studio in 1997, working up a slate of new material with plans to release a new album, tentatively titled Feeler. However, Interscope balked at the new songs and permanently shelved the project. Disenchanted with this turn of events the band opted to take a break and essentially lay dormant for the remainder of the decade.
The Toadies eventually resumed their pace in 2001, salvaging some songs from the Feelersessions and recording new material-their long-awaited Hell Below/Stars Above-again produced by the team of Rothrock and Schnapf. Buoyed by strong reviews and solid sales The Toadies embarked on a national tour. But in mid tour longtime bassist Lisa Umbarger announced her decision to quit the band; rather than soldier on the rest of the group followed suit, offering up a live album to fulfill their contractual obligations.
The remaining members splintered into various bands — Reznicek pursued his love of country music with his band Eleven Hundred Springs while Todd Lewis fronted The Burden Brothers. Still, the Toadies continued to play the occasional one off gig and talk of an eventual reunion was often in the air. In 2008, Lewis, Reznicek, and Vogeler banded together to record No Deliverance(Kirtland Records) and finalized plans for a tour. They were joined by longtime friend Doni Blair — himself a veteran of the Dallas/Fort Worth music scene-and hit the road, albeit on a slightly more limited scale.
2010 finally saw the release of the long delayed Feeler, again on the Kirtland label, but since Interscope still owned the rights to the original master tapes the band opted to rerecord the songs. Since 2012’s release of Play/Rock/Music they’ve been touring steadily, reconnecting with their fan base and hopefully introducing new audiences to the Toadies Universe. That expansion includes a mid-August show that is certain to be one of Asheville’s most highly anticipated late summer concerts.
If You Go: The Toadies (with opening band Black Fire Pistol) on Sunday, August 10. Doors open at 7 p.m. for this 8 p.m. show. Tickets are $20 in advance and $23 for day of show. Limited seating. Must be 18 years or older. The Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave., Asheville. (828) 398-1837, www.theorangepeel.net.
