The House Of Toad was built in the summer of 1995, and since then we've done our best to keep you updated about the band's activities with each edition of Toad News. If you want to check out the archives as edited by Joe Mock, just click here. 3/24/97: "Coil" Due May 20th 11/1/96: Tom Lord-Alge to mix "Coil" Holiday Greeting Card Delayed 10/1/96: New Album Almost Done Another baby joins Toad family Todd & Randy to revisit the "Fairway To Heaven" Toad joins Indigo Girls for benefit LP 8/1/96: Toad and Gavin reunite for new LP Toad to play Ben & Jerry's fest Toad joins WHFS to benefit 3 charities Hootie & Dishwalla join Toad for hometown benefit Toad to play August shows with Hootie 2/21/96: Toad plays Tonight Show Todd plays with Hootie on ESPN 1/25/96: Toad visits Letterman twice in two weeks Newborn nixes ABC appearance 4th annual SBRCC benefit is a success 10/3/95: Autumn brings new album and video Toad salutes John Lennon SB Benefit marks end of tour Randy and Todd play the "Fairway To Heaven" 9/1/95: Toad rips it up at Red Rocks SB show with Soul Asylum marks end of tour "In Light Syrup" out next month 8/16/95: Toad and Hootie surprise Cleveland New Songs In The Works Toad taps Tech Turf with CD plus and Screensaver Todd gets platinum birthday present 8/3/95: Band enjoys summer break Traveling Troubles New Songs Due Soon Songbook Available TOP 3/24/97: NEW ALBUM "COIL" DUE MAY 20TH Toad The Wet Sprocket are set to release their sixth album on May 20, 1997. Entitled Coil, the album will contain 12 original songs chosen from a group of about twenty that the band laid down in a six month period starting back in August of last year. Principle recording took place at Toad's own studio in their hometown of Santa Barbara, California with the band and long time cohort Gavin MacKillop (producer of the platinum selling Toad LPs fear and Dulcinea) sharing the production chores. Tom Lord-Alge (Oasis, Dave Matthews Band, and many others) was brought in to mix the tracks, and pop legend Van Dyke Parks‹known for his seminal work with the Beach Boys‹conducted a string section to accompany two songs recorded by the band. Look for Toad to embark on a major US tour after the album is released. Toad's first appearance of 1997 will be at the KRBE Earth Day Festival in Houston, Texas on April 12th. TOP 11/1/96: TOAD TAPS TOP MIX MAN FOR NEW ALBUM Toad The Wet Sprocket spent the first two weeks of November at South Beach Studios in Miami, Florida supervising the mixing sessions for their still untitled album. For the first time they've enlisted the expertise of Tom Lord-Alge, a noted knob turner whose credits include work with The Dave Matthews Band, Live and Oasis, among others. Fourteen songs were worked on, including a version of the obscure Beatles' tune, "Hey Bulldog" (from the YELLOW SUBMARINE soundtrack). Working titles of the original songs are "Little Man, Big Man,""Don't Fade,""Lemur,""Amnesia,""Desire,""Whatever I Fear,""Dam Would Break,""Don't Let It,""Husker Bell,""Acid,""Rings," "Silo Lullabye," and "Little Buddha." The last two tracks feature a string section conducted by the legendary Van Dyke Parks, known for his seminal work with Brain Wilson and The Beach Boys, and their masterpiece, "Surf's Up." At this time, no one is sure which songs will ultimately end up on the new Toad album, but it should be released in early 1997. It has been an ever-evolving project, aided by the efforts of long-time Toad producer Gavin MacKillop, and the band hopes to apply the finishing touches before the end of the year. SEASON'S BEST FROM THE HOUSE OF TOAD As Toad continues to work on their new album, they are also working on yet another Holiday Greeting card for the nearly 70,000 listeners on their snail-mail list. This year's effort might end up being a Happy New Year message like last year, considering Randy and Glen now have children to shop for in anticipation of a family holiday. So until they get a new one in the mail, we will post the cards that were sent out in the past for your holiday viewing pleasure. TOP 10/1/96: NEW ALBUM NEARING COMPLETION Despite a whirlwind of personal and group activities, Toad The Wet Sprocket have recorded parts of eleven new songs for their next album, with a tentative release date set for early 1997. Many of the new tunes were debuted at the September 21st Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center Benefit concert, and others were heard at two surprise "warm-up" club shows which Toad played in their hometown on September 18 & 19. Gavin MacKillop, who produced the "fear" and "Dulcinea" albums as well as most of "In Light Syrup," has been behind the controls for most of the sessions and is co-producing with the band. Some of the working song titles are as follows: "Little Man, Big Man," "Don't Fade," "Lemur," "Don't Bring Me Down," "Silo Lullaby," "Dam Would Break," "Whatever I Fear," "Desire," and "Amnesia." BUSY WEEK BEGETS BENEFIT AND BOUNCING BABY What is always the most hectic time for Toad‹the week before their annual benefit concert for their hometown Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center‹became even crazier when drummer Randy Guss became a father for the first time on September 17th. His wife, Heather, gave birth to a boy which the couple immediately christened "Caleb." 24 hours later, Randy was on-stage at the Backstage Club in downtown S.B. with his fellow bandmates performing for a packed crowd of those fortunate enough to hear about the unannounced gig. The band also played the following evening at Toe's Tavern, another small Santa Barbara club, as they worked out many of the new songs that will appear on their next LP. Two days later Toad shared the stage with fellow hometowners Dishwalla and Carolina pals Hootie and the Blowfish for the benefit show at the Santa Barbara County Bowl, perhaps the prettiest place to see a concert on the West Coast. Hootie closed the show and brought out Glen to sing on "Sad Caper" and "She Crawls Away"‹two tracks that Glen recorded harmony vocals for on the "Fairweather Johnson" album‹as well as their versions of the Toad tunes "Is It For Me" and "Torn." The evening ended with a lively version of the Doobie Brothers' classic "Long Train Running." The SBRCC benefit will most likely be the last show that Toad plays this year, but as the two surprise club shows suggest, anything is possible as the band gears up for what promises to be a very busy 1997. VH1 INVITES RANDY AND TODD TO TEE IT UP AGAIN For the third year in a row, Toad The Wet Sprocket was represented at the "Fairway To Heaven" celebrity golf tournament sponsored by the cable music channel VH1. This year's event was held at the TPC Summerlin course in Las Vegas on Monday, October 7 with an Earth, Wind & Fire concert afterwards at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Both events will be broadcast by VH1 on November 16th. Randy and Todd were joined on the links this year by fellow rockers Mike Mills and Bill Berry of REM; Darius, Mark and Dean from Hootie; and others including Alice Cooper and country singer Vince Gill. PGA golfers Paul Azinger, Woody Austin and JC Snead also attended. It was at the inaugural tournament in Florida two years ago that Todd first met the Hooties, an encounter that led to the Toad/Hootie tour of March 1995. TOAD, INDIGO GIRLS AND OTHERS "HONOR THE EARTH" WITH BENEFIT LP The members of Toad have long admired the work of the Indigo Girls and have donated the track "Crazy Life" to a charitable CD that's been assembled by the southern duo. In the stores now, the album is entitled Honor and is a two CD affair featuring the likes of Matthew Sweet, Soul Asylum, Luka Bloom, Exene Cervenka, Bonnie Raitt, Rusted Root, Jane Siberry, Victoria Williams and of course, the Indigo Girls. In addition, seven Native American artists have contributed tracks to the project which will benefit the Honor The Earth Fund, an organization which assists Native Americans in protection of sacred sites and ecosystems, as well as the building of sustainable communities. On October 17th the Indigo Girls, Bonnie Raitt, and Toad will perform at an album release reception in Malibu that will be broadcast live on KSCA FM 101.9 at 7pm PDT. "Crazy Life" has previously been available only on the Empire Records soundtrack. TOP 8/1/96: TOAD AND GAVIN MACKILLOP REUNITE FOR NEW ALBUM After spending the summer rehearsing new songs for their next album, Toad The Wet Sprocket have begun recording in earnest at a Los Angeles studio with the familiar face of Gavin MacKillop behind the controls. MacKillop, who produced the "fear" and "Dulcinea" albums as well as most of "In Light Syrup," was brought on board during a flurry of activity during the last week of July. Now the tape is rolling and some of the working song titles include: "Whatever I Fear," "Dam Would Break," "Don't Fade," "Desire," and "Little Man, Big Man." No one knows when the album will be released by Columbia Records but it won't be until 1997. TOAD SAYS "YES" TO A "SWEET" MIDWEST FEST It's hard to think of a better way to spend the last Saturday of summer. Toad The Wet Sprocket will perform a free show at Loring Park in downtown Minneapolis on September 14. The event, sponsored by the folks at Ben & Jerrys and Concerts For The Environment, is being described by the hosts as combining an "ice cream social with a political rally at an outdoor free concert." Joining Toad on the bill will be bluesmen Robert Cray and JJ Cale, along with legendary folk singer Arlo Guthrie, and a new act from New York: Marcy Playground. Festivities‹which will feature a children's park and various political activities including voter registration‹begin at noon and will continue until six pm. Although the "One World, One Heart" festival is a free event, a select number of "Green Circle" reserved seats are available by calling (612) 870-1099. General festival information is available by calling Concerts For The Environment at: (612) 338-5485. WHFS AND TOAD TACKLE TWO TOGETHER One of the nation's most popular alternative radio stations has enlisted the aid of Toad The Wet Sprocket to benefit three special organizations. The Washington DC-based WHFS FM has put together a 14 song CD entitled "Just Passin' Thru" to benefit Health Care For The Homeless and included in the package is an acoustic version of "Something's Always Wrong" recorded back in 1994 in front of a small audience at Omega Studios in Rockville, Maryland. Also performing live on the disc are Better Than Ezra, Jewel, Gin Blossoms, Joan Osbourne, Sarah McLachlan and Matthew Sweet, among others. The CD is available at Kemp Mill Music and other DC area stores. Also, on August 19, WHFS is sponsoring a celebrity golf tournament; "HFS Hole In One" to benefit Greenpeace and Rock the Vote at the Tournament Players Club at Avenel in Potomac, MD. Todd and Randy from Toad will join 108 WHFS listeners and various celebrities on the links for the all day affair to which the public is invited. Toad has a long standing relationship with WHFS going back to the "Pale" tour, and the band performed in front of one of their largest crowds ever at RFK Stadium in May, 1994, for the "WHFS Festival," an annual extravaganza featuring many top alternative acts. TOAD, HOOTIE AND DISHWALLA TOP SEPTEMBER BENEFIT On the first day of autumn in a beautiful outdoor ampitheatre overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Toad The Wet Sprocket will host their fourth annual benefit concert for the Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center. Joining them this year will be fellow hometown rockers Dishwalla and the Carolina quartet, Hootie and the Blowfish. Tickets for the Saturday, September 21st show at The Santa Barbara County Bowl (capacity 4300) will go on sale at the Bowl Box Office and Ticketmaster outlets on August 10th (you can find more information with a visit to the tour map). The show will be only the sixth performance by Toad this year and may be their last until 1997. TOAD SET FOR AUGUST CAROLINA DATES Toad hooks up with their pals Hootie and the Blowfish for an outdoor concert at the Charlotte Memorial Stadium (August 20) and two dates at the Walnut Creek Ampitheatre in Raleigh, North Carolina (August 22 & 23). The shows are a build up to the Jimmy Valvano golf tournament that honors the basketball coach who succumbed to cancer, and it looks like both Randy and Todd will be joining the four Hooties on the links for charity. In return, the South Carolinians have promised to join Toad for their annual Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center Benefit, slated for September 21st at the Santa Barbara County Bowl. The three Carolina dates and the Santa Barbara benefit are the only live Toad shows on tap so far for 1996, but there is a possibility of more to come once the band finishes recording their new album. TOP 2/21/96: TOAD HITS HAT TRICK WITH TONIGHT SHOW SPOT They haven't toured in four months, but Toad The Wet Sprocket was seen by a few million people last month thanks to the magic of late-night television. The band started the year with a new performance on Letterman's Late Show ("Good Intentions") and then was seen on a rerun of the Late Show a week later ("Something's Always Wrong"). Heading into the last week of January, the band's management received an impromptu call from The Tonight Show, who invited Toad to perform on January 30th. A flurry of phone calls located the band's long-time sound man Quake and guitar tech Al "Rogo", both of whom were out on tour with Tracy Chapman, while old friend Bruce Winter was asked to sit in on keyboards and backing vocals. Bruce, as long-time Toad listeners will recall, played with the band on the long and winding "fear" tours of '92 and '93, and can be heard on the live tracks which accompany the "Something's Always Wrong" and "Fly From Heaven" singles. And yes, that was his former band Wasted Tape who opened up a few Toad shows out West in 1994. This time around, he quickly learned the organ part to "Brother" (which is handled by Tom Petty's bandmate Benmont Tench on the IN LIGHT SYRUP version), Quake and Al were flown in, and Dean, Randy, Todd and Glen ended up making their third late-night TV appearance in the same month! Randy ended up the happiest Toad of all when he scored two tickets for the Lakers game featuring the return of Magic Johnson for later that same night! All in all, it was Toad's second appearance on the Jay Leno-hosted Tonight Show. Their first was back on June 26, 1992, when they performed "All I Want" and "Walk On The Ocean." Trivia: What other late night network shows has Toad performed on? Answer: Dennis Miller (5/11/92), Arsenio Hall (12/11/92) and The Jon Stewart Show (5/5/95). Editor's note: None of these three shows are still on the air. Mmm... MORE TV TALES: Sports fans who could stay awake long enough saw Todd Nichols perform with Hootie and the Blowfish at the ESPY awards televised live on ESPN February 12 from New York. Todd joined his multi-platinum pals for the song "Drowning" and handled the twin-lead guitar parts along with Mark Bryan. It was a great chance to see the Toadster bedecked in formal attire, and if you missed it, ESPN has scheduled infrequent repeats of the show. TOP 1/25/96: LETTERMAN LOVES THEM TWO TIMES A scheduling quirk at CBS-TV gave Toad The Wet Sprocket excellent exposure at the start of 1996 by featuring the band twice in two weeks on David Letterman's Late Show. The first appearance was a new one on Friday, January 5th, when Toad performed "Good Intentions" (with Paul Schaeffer on keyboards). It was their first live performance in two-and-a-half months, and maybe just the tenth time that the song has ever been played in front of an audience. Backstage, Randy and Dave exchanged cigars while Letterman presented the band with genuine "Late Show Handwarmers" since he keeps the Ed Sullivan Theatre at near-freezing temperatures, even in the dead of winter! The best news came the next day, when the band's plane left New York without any delays; rushing them home to sunny SoCal the day before the "Blizzard Of '96" hit the East Coast. Then, on January 17th, CBS rebroadcast a show from December 1st, 1994, where Toad sang a completely re-arranged version of "Something's Always Wrong." Many times when bands show up for the Late Show they are informed that they have exactly three minutes or so in which to play a four minute tune! So, in the hour of rehearsal time allotted to them, they must re-do the song right on the spot, because even though Letterman tapes his shows before a live audience, he does not like to re-shoot anything unless absolutely necessary. That's what happened to Toad a year ago but they pulled it off quite nicely, as the rebroadcast illustrated. All in all, the band has appeared on the Letterman show four times: the other two featured "All I Want" (3/31/92) and "Fall Down" (7/7/94). TOP 11/28/95: NEWBORN NIXES NETWORK APPEARANCE When the folks from ABC-TV called to ask if Toad The Wet Sprocket would like to appear on "Good Morning America," the band's first response was: "How early in the morning is that?" Seriously, the guys were willing to get up for the November 13 telecast from Santa Barbara, but then something else came up. It was a baby girl named Sophia Francesca, born to Laurel and Glen Phillips on November 9th, an event that kept the new daddy too occupied to perform. Fortunately for ABC, Toad's pals in Spencer The Gardener were able to set their alarms in time to appear on the program, as Glen began getting used to changing diapers and warming up bottles. Meanwhile, the no-show gave Todd another day to tear out a few walls for his home improvement project while practicing for a Thanksgiving football game he ultimately limped away from. Randy and his wife headed down to L.A. to watch the Lakers win another tight game, while Dean flew down from his home in the Bay Area only to find out that he didn't have to get airborne after all. But everyone was happy for Glen and Laurel, especially the guys in Spencer The Gardner, who jumped at the chance for a little nation-wide exposure. At press time, Toad has no plans for any public appearances until sometime in 1996, as they continue to enjoy life at home after 18 months on the road. TOP 10/18/95: SWAN SONG SHOW IS A STARRY SHINDIG A beautiful, sun-kissed afternoon turned into a calm and chilly night as Toad The Wet Sprocket headlined their fourth annual benefit concert for the Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center at the County Bowl on October 14th. When Toad plays in their hometown it means a hectic day for everyone involved, and this Saturday was no exception. After an early soundcheck, Todd and Randy joined up with Darius Rucker and Dean Felber of Hootie & The Blowfish for a late-afternoon round of golf, while Glen fielded interviews with the press. But it was Dean (Dinning) who took part in the most unusual pre-concert activity: attending his high school's 10-year class reunion with his wife Nichole. He arrived back at the venue just in time to change clothes before joining his bandmates on stage for the opener, "Fly From Heaven." A few songs later, Rucker ambled to the microphone as the crowd cheered wildly, and he treated everyone to an exceptionally soulful version of "Crowing." He also sang a duet with Glen on the show's last tune, "I Will Not Take These Things For Granted," and came out with Dean (Felber) and others to sing the chorus of "Instant Karma" (a track Toad performs on the new John Lennon tribute: WORKING CLASS HERO). Other new tunes performed by Toad were "Crazy Life" (from the Empire Records soundtrack) with Todd singing up a storm, and "Good Intentions" and "Brother" from the upcoming IN LIGHT SYRUP album. Local faves Spencer The Gardner opened the show with their Latin-tinged, horn-driven rock, and were followed by Soul Asylum, who turned in a thoroughly professional set featuring such hits as "Runaway Train" and "Misery." All in all, the concert raised $40,000 for Toad's favorite charity, and a huge thanks goes out to promoter Moss Jacobs of Goldenvoice, The County Bowl staff, Niceman Merchandising, and Spencer The Gardner for making it possible. The show also marked the official end to Toad's 17 month-long DULCINEA tour and now Dean, Randy, Todd, and Glen will take a few months off before starting work on their next LP of new material. TOP 10/3/95: AUTUMN BRINGS NEW ALBUM AND VIDEO Toad will release their fifth album on Columbia Records on October 24th. Under the title of IN LIGHT SYRUP, the band has assembled a collection of assorted rarities, out-takes, single bonus tracks and soundtrack songs, highlighted by the inclusion of "Good Intentions." This upbeat tune was recorded for, but left off of, FEAR and is now the featured track on the recently released FRIENDS television show soundtrack. Here are the songs scheduled for IN LIGHT SYRUP (listed in order): 1) Brother 2) Little Heaven 3) Good Intentions 4) Hobbit On The Rocks 5) Are We Afraid 6) So Alive 7) All In All 8) All Right 9) Janitor 10) Chicken 11) Hope 12) All She Said. Additionally, Toad visited a Hollywood sound stage on September 21st to shoot a video for "Good Intentions" with director Hans Neleman. (The New York based artist designed the cover for FEAR and also directed the "All I Want" video.) Two days later, Neleman shot footage of FRIENDS star Courtney Cox, which will be integrated into the final version of the video which should be MTV-ready by the time IN LIGHT SYRUP is released. TOAD SALUTES JOHN LENNON ON TRIBUTE ALBUM There isn't a single rock and roll musician on the planet who hasn't been influenced by The Beatles and their music, and 15 artists have gathered together to pay tribute to John Lennon's legacy as a solo artist with the release of WORKING CLASS HERO, due in the stores on October 10th. Besides Toad's sprited rendition of "Instant Karma," the Hollywood Records album features The Red Hot Chili Peppers, (whose manager Lindy Goetz organized the project), Blues Traveler (tackling Lennon's biggest solo hit "Imagine") and Candlebox (covering the lesser known "Steel and Glass"). Fifty percent of the royalties earned by WORKING CLASS HERO will be used to fund programs for spaying and neutering of cats and dogs. SANTA BARBARA BENEFIT MARKS END OF TOURING IN 1995 Toad's Dulcinea tour started in May of last year with an appearance in front of 50,000 at RFK Stadium, continued for over 200 shows in North America and Europe, and finally grinds to a halt in their hometown of Santa Barbara on October 14th. On that Saturday, Toad will perform their fourth annual benefit concert for the Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center. This year's show will be held at the beautiful County Bowl in the foothills above the city and the special guests will be Soul Asylum and local faves Spencer The Gardner. (Originally announced support act Radiohead will not be appearing after all). This concert is sold out but there's always a chance a few tickets will be made available on the day of the show at the Bowl box office. RANDY & TODD TAKE THE FAIRWAY TO HEAVEN It started out as a simple invitation to play a round of golf in Florida, but for Todd Nichols, lead guitarist of Toad The Wet Sprocket, it turned out to be the beginning of a strong friendship with Darius Rucker, the lead singer of Hootie & The Blowfish. Last year's "Fairway To Heaven" celebrity tournament sponsored, and shown by, VH-1 gave Todd a chance to show off his skills and hang with the Hootie boys, a meeting that ultimately resulted in the Toad/Hootie tour earlier this year. For the 1995 event, held in Las Vegas on October 15th and 16th at the TPC Summerlin course, Todd will be joined by his bandmate Randy Guss, and of course, the Blowfish boys, who never pass on an opportunity to hit the links. VH1 will be shooting the event for a November special which will include appearances by golf pros Hal Sutton and Phil Michelson, and movie stars Bill Murray and Courtney Thorne-Smith. TOP 9/1/95: TOAD RIPS IT UP AT RED ROCKS One of the highlights of Toad The Wet Sprocket's recently completed tour with The Cranberries was their August 27th appearance at the legendary Red Rocks ampitheatre outside of Denver. For those of you who've never had the privilege of seeing a show there, one can only say that it's as much of a shrine for rock and roll devotees as the new Hall Of Fame which just opened in Cleveland, especially for U2 fans (such as the guys in Toad) who've enjoyed the concert video the Irishmen shot there ten years ago. This time, Dean, Randy, Todd and Glen rose to the occasion with a spirited 55 minute set which kept the capacity crowd on their feet the entire time. Troubadour Willy Porter, whose entertaining solo set opened the show, joined Toad to add some tasty bottleneck slide guitar to "Walk On The Ocean." Then, right before the band ended with "Fall Down," Glen told the crowd that it had "always been a dream of ours to play Red Rocks," and it looked like this was one of the few times that the event actually exceeded the anticipation. LENGTHY TOUR ENDS WITH BENEFIT SHOW IN SANTA BARBARA As any Deadhead might say: "What a long, strange trip it's been," and that well-worn phrase certainly applies to Toad right now. Their Dulcinea tour started in May of last year with an appearance in front of 50,000 at RFK Stadium, continued for over 200 shows in North America and Europe, and finally grinds to a halt in their hometown of Santa Barbara on October 14th. On that Saturday, Toad will perform their fourth annual benefit concert for the Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center. This year's show will be held at the beautiful County Bowl in the foothills above the city and the special guests will be Soul Asylum, Radiohead, and local faves Spencer The Gardner. Reserved seat tickets go on sale Saturday, September 9, at Ticketmaster locations and the County Bowl box office. Additionally, Toad will headline two shows in Puyallup, Washington (9/12) and Portland, Oregon (9/13) with opening act the Odds just added. The quartet from Vancouver, BC just received a Canadian gold record award for their third album GOOD WEIRD FEELING, an album whose liner notes thank Toad. Back in March, the Odds joined Toad on stage in Vancouver for a rocked-out version of "Cinnamon Girl." NEW ALBUM OUT IN OCTOBER Confirming months of speculation, Toad will release their fifth album on Columbia Records on October 24th. Under the title of IN LIGHT SYRUP, the band has assembled a collection of assorted rarities, out-takes, single bonus tracks and soundtrack songs, highlighted by the inclusion of "Good Intentions." This upbeat tune was recorded for, but left off of, FEAR and is now the featured track on the soon-to-be-released FRIENDS television show soundtrack. Here are the songs scheduled for IN LIGHT SYRUP (listed in order): 1) Brother 2) Little Heaven 3) Good Intentions 4) Hobbit On The Rocks 5) Are We Afraid 6) So Alive 7) All In All 8) All Right 9) Janitor In A Drum 10) Chicken 11) Hope 12) All She Said. Long-time Toad listeners will notice that "P.S." has achieved the musical "hat trick" of getting passed over for the third time as an album track. That song, which the band recorded for, but never included on, both BREAD & CIRCUS and PALE, just missed the cut this time around, but can be found on the ROCK AND ROLL PARTY ALL NIGHT VOLUME III Mailing List CD. TOP 8/16/95: TOAD & HOOTIE DO IT AGAIN Thanks to a favorable (and rare) convergence of separate touring schedules, Toad The Wet Sprocket and Hootie & the Blowfish joined forces for back-to-back shows at the Blossom Music Center on the outskirts of Cleveland, Ohio for two memorable nights of fun and music. It all began Monday, August 14 when Hootie's Darius Rucker enlivened Toad's set with yet another soulful version of "Crowing," as the rest of his bandmates watched from backstage. Guitarist Mark Bryan, bassist Dean Felber and drummer Jim "Soni" Sonefeld later joined in for a sloppy but spirited rendition of David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust." It's interesting to note that on the last night of their joint tour together back in March, the two bands concluded the concert at the University of Scranton with the same song, and Toad has done "Ziggy" on their own as an encore from time to time. On Tuesday it was Toad's turn to play surprise guest stars, as Todd guested on "Drowning;" Glen played mandolin on "Running From An Angel" and Dean played guitar on "Mustang Sally." The wild affair concluded during Hootie's encore segment when the three Toadsters came back out en masse for "Fly From Heaven" with Darius taking over the lead vocal from Glen, who strummed an acoustic while Todd played an electric. Hootie's Dean gave Toad's Dean his bass for the number (hey, the two even share the exact same birthday) while picking up a guitar for himself, and the audience quite naturally responded with a loud ovation when the song concluded. All of this occurred despite 90 degree heat and 90 percent humidity just a few miles away from the soon-to-be-opened Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. By the way, Toad's tour as opening act for The Cranberries will conclude August 31, and the band will headline two final shows in Puyallup, Washington (9/12) and Portland, Oregon (9/13) with opening act the Odds just added. The quartet from Vancouver, BC just received a Canadian gold record award for their third album GOOD WEIRD FEELING (U.S. release date October 10), an album whose liner notes thank Toad. Back in March, the Odds joined Toad on stage in Vancouver for a rocked-out version of "Cinnamon Girl." NEW SONGS IN THE WORKS Toad has given the DULCINEA outtake, "Crazy Life," to the soundtrack of the film EMPIRE, which also features the brand new Gin Blossoms tune "'Til I Hear It From You" and a new song from Cracker. The album should be in the stores August 22. Also, Toad has recorded a killer version of the classic, "Instant Karma," which will be included on an upcoming John Lennon tribute album on Hollywood Records due in October. Finally, fans of the sitcom FRIENDS will be delighted to find a previously unreleased Toad song (recorded during the FEAR sessions), called "Good Intentions," on the soundtrack album for the number one TV show, available in September on Reprise Records. The collection will also include unreleased songs from REM, Paul Westerberg and Hootie & The Blowfish. TOAD TAPS TECH TURF What is a CD Plus? If you're a fan of Sarah McLachlan's FREEDOM SESSIONS you already know that it's a compact disc that takes advantage of CD ROM computer technology to give the user an expanded audio and visual experience beyond the normal CD. A CD+ will play on a standard player and provide the same music as the standard version, but when it's slipped into a computer it will also provide graphics, video clips and narration. Sony Music will release several CD+ albums on October 4, including those by Alice In Chains, Bob Dylan and Toad The Wet Sprocket. Toad's DULCINEA will include interviews with the band members about the recording and concept of the LP, as well as their thoughts on previous works and the complete video of "Something's Always Wrong." Users will be able to listen to 15 second sound clips of every song from all four Toad albums, along with assorted rarities. There is also a Toad photo album and library featuring a long interview taken from the band's hometown newspaper. Suggested retail price will be $22.98. And for the Toad listener who wants Toad on their monitor screen all the time there is the Toad SCREENSAVER coming to a store near you on August 29 from Sony. This software will display scenes from the "Fall Down" video whenever you're not around to look at it. After all, that's what screensavers are for. PLATINUM AWARDS ADD FROSTING TO TODD'S CAKE On Thursday August 10, the four members of Toad The Wet Sprocket were awarded platinum album awards for selling more than one million copies of DULCINEA. Columbia Records president Don Ienner presided over the event at Sony's New York headquarters, which included a surprise birthday cake for Todd, who was spending his second birthday in a row on the road. The 1991 release FEAR was Toad's first million seller. TOP 8/3/95: BANDMEMBERS ENJOY SUMMER BREAK The long, hot summer drags on, sending many of us searching for shade and a cool breeze, but the guys in Toad have been keeping very busy. Dean was married on a beautiful Saturday in July and took off for his honeymoon in Europe. The three remaining members of Toad attended the affair in Northern California along with manager Chris Blake, producer Gavin MacKillop, tour manager Quake, and Columbia Records A&R man Chuck Plotkin. If the last name sounds familiar, it's because you'll find Plotkin's name on many of Bruce Springsteen's recordings. In other news, Glen sang on the upcoming Geggy Tah record, and is happily expecting a child this fall while Randy has been road-tripping through the Northwest. And since the summer time is concert time, many of Toad's former touring mates are coming through Southern California, and the guys have dropped by the gigs to hang with their friends. Glen checked out Rusted Root when they opened for the Allman Brothers at L.A.'s Greek Theatre, Todd was seen at The Wild Colonials show when they opened for The Kinks at The House Of Blues, and he also ended up jamming with Hootie and the Blowfish on the song "Drowning" at the Greek on July 22. Lead singer Darius Rucker returned the favor by wearing a Toad t-shirt on the Jay Leno show. Todd joined up with Hootie again in Las Vegas for a round of golf later that week, and he reports that Darius and the boys have booked time at The Site (where DULCINEA was recorded) in Northern California to start recording their next album in September. And speaking of old friends, the Gin Blossoms invited Toad to their gig in L.A. on August 4, but that's the first night of Toad's tour with The Cranberries. TRAVELING TROUBLES TRIP TOAD Toad's Dulcinea tour started in May 1994, and after 175 shows in 14 months the quartet will be the second act on a three act bill, along with The Cranberries and Willy Porter, for a tour starting August 4 in Hartford, CT, and concluding August 31 at Irvine Meadows, CA. Additionally, Toad will headline two other shows: September 12 at the Western Washington Fair in Puyallup, and what may be the absolute final show of the year: September 13 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. (For ticket information, please see the tour map on this web site). This final leg did not start off without mishap, as the band's gig on August 1 at the Ionia Free Fair in Michigan was nearly stopped by a rainstorm, which forced opening act The Rembrandts to cut their set short. Also, a combination of fog in Santa Barbara and a mudslide on Highway 101 (the only ground route to LAX) forced Glen, Todd and Randy to reschedule their flights, resulting in a six hour delay. Dean, now living in Northern California with his new bride, did not have to endure the travails of his bandmates and enjoyed a smooth flight to Michigan. NEW SONGS DUE SOON During the first week of June, immediately after arriving back in Santa Barbara for a 2 month respite from the rigors of the road, Toad went right into a local studio to re-sing and remix a new version of "Stupid" with the help of noted engineer Susan Rogers (Prince, Odds, and Geggy Tah among others) which should be getting radio airplay soon. They've also given the DULCINEA outtake, "Crazy Life," to the soundtrack of the film EMPIRE, which will also feature a brand new Gin Blossoms tune ("Til I Hear It From You"). The album should be in the stores August 8th. Also, Toad has recorded a killer version of the classic, "Instant Karma," which will be included on an upcoming John Lennon tribute album on Hollywood Records due in October. Finally, fans of the sitcom FRIENDS will be delighted to find a previously unreleased Toad song (recorded during the FEAR sessions), called "Good Intentions," on the soundtrack album for the number one TV show, available in September on Reprise Records. The collection will also include unreleased songs from REM, Madonna and Hootie and the Blowfish. SONGBOOK NOW AVAILABLE The first Toad The Wet Sprocket book of sheet music is called COLLECTION, and it features fifteen songs from the four albums along with photos of the band from all stages of their career and quotes from the band about the songs. It's now available from Hal Leonard Publishing and can be ordered from any store that carries sheet music. Here's a sample quote from Randy concerning the recording of "Come Back Down:""We made PALE in a basement studio in the heart of Los Angeles' Skid Row district. Every day when we came in or out, people were asking us for money. There were all these people down there sleeping in boxes and some of the alleys were blocked off because of the drug dealing. It was really pretty rough down there. Glen says this one is about a character in the movie SALAAM BOMBAY, but it reminds me of that neighborhood."