American alternative rock band
Toad the Wet Sprocket
is an American
alternative rock
band formed in
Santa Barbara, California
, in 1986. The band at the time consisted of vocalist/guitarist
Glen Phillips
, guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning, and drummer
Randy Guss
, who stopped touring in 2017 and left the band in 2020. Guss was replaced by drummer Josh Daubin, who had been supporting them as their drummer on recent tours. They had chart success in the 1990s with singles that included "
Walk on the Ocean
", "
All I Want
", "
Something's Always Wrong
", "
Fall Down
", and "
Good Intentions
".
The band broke up in 1998 to pursue other projects; however, they began touring the
United States
again in 2006 for short-run tours each summer in small venues. In December 2010, the band announced their official reunion as a full-time working band and started writing songs for their first studio album of new material since their 1997
Columbia Records
release,
Coil
.
[1]
Their most recent full-length album,
Starting Now
, was released on August 27, 2021.
History
[
edit
]
Name origin
[
edit
]
Toad the Wet Sprocket takes its name from a
Monty Python
comedy sketch called "
Rock Notes
",
[2]
[3]
in which a journalist delivers a nonsensical music news report:
Rex Stardust, lead electric
triangle
with Toad the Wet Sprocket, has had to have an elbow removed following their recent successful worldwide tour of
Finland
. Flamboyant ambidextrous Rex apparently fell off the back of a
motorcycle
. "Fell off the back of a
motorcyclist,
most likely," quipped ace drummer Jumbo McClooney on hearing of the accident. Plans are already afoot for a major tour of
Iceland
.
[4]
There was also an extended skit about the fictional Toad the Wet Sprocket on one of Idle's later shows,
Rutland Weekend Television
(Season 1, Episode 4, "Rutland Weekend Whistle Test").
RWT
musician and regular cast member
Neil Innes
, ex-
Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
and "
The Seventh Python
", played keyboards with the somnolent band.
[5]
As their first gig approached, the band still had not chosen a name. The members facetiously adopted "Toad the Wet Sprocket" because they thought it would be "hilarious". Vocalist Glen Phillips later called it "a joke that went on too long" and, according to their website, "it was probably meant to be temporary at the time."
[2]
[6]
The name had been used once before, by a short-lived British blues band of the late 1970s that had appeared on the 1980
Metal for Muthas
compilation, although the earlier band had long since split up when Philips and company formed their band.
Eric Idle
, the sketch's original performer, reflected on the band's name in a 1999 performance:
I once wrote a sketch about rock musicians, and I was trying to think of a name that would be so silly nobody would ever use it, or dream it could ever be used. So I wrote the words "Toad the Wet Sprocket." And a few years later, I was driving along the freeway in LA, and a song came on the radio, and the DJ said, "that was by Toad the Wet Sprocket," and I nearly drove off the freeway.
[7]
Early career (1986?1990)
[
edit
]
Toad the Wet Sprocket was formed in 1986, with the members having known one another from
San Marcos High School
just outside
Santa Barbara, California
.
[8]
Singer/songwriter and guitarist Glen Phillips was only 15,
[9]
while guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning, and drummer Randy Guss were 19. The band's first public appearance was at an open-mic talent contest in September 1986. The band did not win.
Toad the Wet Sprocket's first album was released in 1989.
Bread & Circus
was self-financed through their label, Abe's Records. The album spawned the singles "Way Away" and "One Little Girl", which made the
Billboard
Modern Rock Tracks chart
but received little attention.
The follow-up to
Bread & Circus
,
Pale
, was released in 1990, and saw Toad the Wet Sprocket's sound mature. During the recording of the album, the band signed to
Columbia Records
while declining the opportunity to re-record
Pale
but negotiating to have
Columbia Records
reissue
Bread & Circus
.
[10]
Featuring the singles "Jam" and the
modern-rock
chart hit "Come Back Down", the album was still not a success, but the singles received heavy airplay on
college radio
stations. The band's first music video (for "One Little Girl") was directed by
Mark Miremont
and aired on
MTV
's
120 Minutes
.
Commercial breakthrough (1991?1998)
[
edit
]
Toad the Wet Sprocket finally achieved fame with their third album, 1991's
fear
. The album's singles "
All I Want
" and "
Walk on the Ocean
" reached the top 20 of the
Billboard
Hot 100
. The album became the band's first
RIAA-certified
platinum album
.
In 1993, the
Mike Myers
feature film
So I Married an Axe Murderer
included the song "Brother" on its soundtrack. "Brother" later appeared on the
In Light Syrup
compilation album, as well as on the 2004 release of the live album
Welcome Home: Live at the Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara 1992
.
In 1994, after years of heavy touring, Toad the Wet Sprocket released
Dulcinea
, their follow-up to
fear
. This album spawned the hit singles "
Fall Down
", which reached No. 1 on the U.S. Modern Rock charts, as well as No. 5 on the
Mainstream Rock chart
, and "Something's Always Wrong", which also charted. Like
fear
, this album was certified platinum by the
RIAA
.
A 1995 compilation album of
b-sides
and rarities,
In Light Syrup
,
included the singles "
Good Intentions
", which was featured on the soundtrack for the television show
Friends
, as well as the aforementioned "Brother". The compilation was certified as a
gold album
in 2001.
The release of 1997's
Coil
acted as the proper follow-up to 1994's
Dulcinea
. Featuring a more electric, rock sound, it featured the modern-rock and mainstream rock hit "
Come Down
", as well as the singles "Crazy Life" (a previous recording of the song was featured on the soundtrack for the film
Empire Records
) and "Whatever I Fear", which did not chart. The album, despite the success of "Come Down" as a single, failed to reach any sales benchmarks. This failure is often attributed to the label doing a poor job of promoting the album.
[
citation needed
]
Toad the Wet Sprocket formally broke up in July 1998, citing creative differences.
[11]
Post-breakup and reunions (1998?2008)
[
edit
]
Toad the Wet Sprocket, though officially broken up since 1998, worked together off and on over the years. They performed on several occasions in 1999, although only short sets. Also in 1999, Phillips, Dinning, and Guss recorded two studio tracks for a compilation release,
P.S. (A Toad Retrospective)
, including one of the first songs the band wrote together, "P.S." Nichols declined to participate in these sessions and was replaced by Lapdog guitarist Rob Taylor.
Toad the Wet Sprocket temporarily reunited in late 2002, playing a benefit for the Rape Crisis Center in Santa Barbara and opening a few shows for
Counting Crows
. The group then played a few months of full-length shows in early 2003. Although these gigs were seemingly successful,
[
citation needed
]
at the end of the tour, the band decided to continue on their separate paths and careers. In 2004, the band released an album of a live show that had been taped in 1992. This album,
Welcome Home: Live at The Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara 1992,
showcased the height of their popularity during the tour for
fear
.
Between 2004 and 2010, Toad the Wet Sprocket performed several short sets together. In the summer of 2006, the band reunited for a 34-date nationwide tour of the United States. During the summer of 2007, they played several shows with lead singer Glen Phillips serving as their opening act. On January 16, 2008, the band reunited once again to play two shows ? one in
St. Petersburg, Florida
, then the next night at the
House of Blues
Orlando
, prior to joining The Rock Boat VIII. On January 25, 2008, the band played a set at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival in
Ann Arbor, Michigan
. On June 11?12, 2008, they played in
Philadelphia
and New Jersey at the
Trocadero Theatre
and
Starland Ballroom
, respectively. On June 14, 2008, they played at the 27th annual Alexandria Red Cross Waterfront Festival.
[12]
On June 15, 2008, the band performed at The Norva in
Norfolk, Virginia
. One of the show's highlights was the band performing Glen Phillip's solo hit "Everything But You".
On December 19, 2008, Toad the Wet Sprocket performed on
The Adam Carolla Show
at the Canyon Club in
Agoura Hills, California
. In May 2009, they played a four show mini-tour, including two nights at the intimate 400 seat venue
The Ark
in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and also in an outdoor venue at Neptunes Park in
Virginia Beach, Virginia
. Continuing throughout the 2009 summer, the group played a second 12-stop mini tour, which started with a show at the House of Blues in
Houston
. During the show, the band noted that it had been some time since they had played a venue in Texas. However, noting the positive crowd response and energetic atmosphere, Philips stated that the group "would try to make it an annual stop" in the future.
[13]
Full-time reunion, return to recording,
New Constellation
, and
Starting Now
(2009?present)
[
edit
]
In 2009, bassist Dean Dinning said Toad the Wet Sprocket was now something each member considered an active project, and though they had not released a new studio album since 1997 and only did small summer tours, they no longer considered themselves "broken up". In May 2010, the band gathered at a California studio to begin re-recording some of their older hits for licensing reasons. Columbia Records owns the masters to the band's albums. Therefore, the band makes little money from them, so to be able to make a living off their own talent again, they made these re-recordings with the goal of having them used in film and TV.
On December 7, 2010, Toad the Wet Sprocket released their first new studio track in 11 years. The holiday track "It Doesn't Feel Like Christmas", a cover of a
Sam Phillips
original, was posted on their official site, available via
Bandcamp
, for free download just in time for the holidays, along with a new message on their site: "We're that band that did 'Walk on the Ocean', 'All I Want', 'Something's Always Wrong', and "Fall Down'. The one with the weird name. We're back from a long slumber and look forward to saying hello some time. Keep in touch…" The band had recently signed a deal with Primary Wave to handle their back catalog and any future releases, and on December 11, 2010, the band mentioned, both on stage and in an offstage
YouTube
interview, that they are currently writing songs for their first new studio album since 1997's
Coil
. In addition, they began playing two new songs, "Friendly Fire" and "The Moment", which were being worked on for the new album.
On April 12, 2011, Toad the Wet Sprocket released a new greatest hits album titled
All You Want
in digital and disc form via their official website. The 11-track CD includes brand new studio versions of their hits. The band does not have access to some of the versions they did for Columbia Records in the '90s. However, they did regain full control of the songs from their first two albums, and they planned to re-release them in remastered form on their own label, Abe's Records, following the release of their upcoming studio album.
On March 22, 2013, it was announced via Toad the Wet Sprocket's
Facebook
page that recording of the new album had been completed. The album was produced and mixed by
Mikal Blue
at Revolver Studios in
Thousand Oaks, California
. On June 5, 2013, the band announced the first new single in 16 years on
Rolling Stone'
s website titled "New Constellation". An
album of the same name
was released on the band's own Abe's Records on October 15, 2013.
[14]
The band marketed the new album via the
crowdsourcing
website
Kickstarter
.
[15]
The band initially set a fundraising goal of $50,000, expecting it to take about two months to raise that amount. Instead, fans contributed more than $50,000 in less than 20 hours.
[15]
When the Kickstarter campaign finally came to a close, they had raised a total of $264,762.
[16]
The band kicked off their new album with a release party for Kickstarter supporters at
The Palm
restaurant in Los Angeles, California, on August 23, 2013, followed immediately by a live performance at the nearby
Troubadour
music venue.
[17]
In 2014, Toad the Wet Sprocket resumed touring and opened a number of shows for
Counting Crows
. They showcased some of the new material from
New Constellation
, the Kickstarter-funded album, including "California Wasted" and the album's title track while playing a number of their earlier hits. During summer 2015, the band went on tour with fellow '90s acts
Smash Mouth
and
Tonic
.
[18]
The band released an
EP
called
Architect of the Ruin
on June 16, 2015.
In 2018, Toad the Wet Sprocket announced that they had reissued their albums
fear
and
Dulcinea
on a deluxe remastered vinyl LP available through their online store.
[19]
The same year, they also released a limited deluxe 5-LP box set of colored vinyl for their albums
fear
,
Dulcinea
and
Acoustic Dance Party
.
[20]
In a January 2020 interview with ChicagoNow, Glen Phillips stated that "Toad has started recording again." In addition, he confirmed the band's first official lineup change, and that drummer Guss had left the band on good terms. Previous occasional touring member Josh Daubin replaced Guss.
[21]
On September 25, 2020, they released a new song titled "Starting Now", followed by another new song "Old Habits Die Hard" on October 23, from their album,
Starting Now
, released on August 27, 2021.
[22]
Musical style
[
edit
]
Toad the Wet Sprocket have been most consistently been labelled as
alternative rock
,
[23]
[24]
[25]
but their music has also been described as
folk rock
,
[26]
pop rock
,
[27]
jangle pop
,
[28]
and
folk-pop
.
[23]
AllMusic writer Kelly McCarteny described Toad's early music as having a "jangle pop, garage band sound", and noted that their album
Fear
was a shift to "smart and catchy pop/rock songs".
[29]
Associated acts
[
edit
]
Glen Phillips' solo career
[
edit
]
Immediately after the band's breakup in 1998, Phillips began his solo career, releasing five solo studio albums:
Abulum
(2000),
Winter Pays For Summer
(2005), and
Mr. Lemons
(2006),
Coyote Sessions
(2012), and
Swallowed by the New
(2016), along with two live albums,
Live At Largo
(2003), and
Live at the Belly Up
(2016).
Lapdog
[
edit
]
In the late 1990s, Nichols and Dinning formed a new band called
Lapdog
. They recorded and released the studio album
Near Tonight
(2001), and toured minimally. After this, Dinning quit the band to split his time between recording and producing local music and pursuing his acting career. Guss joined Lapdog as their drummer. Again, Lapdog recorded and released an album, called
Mayfly
(2002). Nichols has since ended Lapdog and is focusing on writing songs along with Dinning in
Nashville
for country acts, and producing bands at his studio, Abe's, in Los Angeles. A Lapdog song, "See You Again", appears in revamped/revised form on Toad the Wet Sprocket's
New Constellation
album under the title "I'll Bet On You".
Band members
[
edit
]
Current members
- Dean Dinning ? bass guitar, backing vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar (1986?present)
- Todd Nichols ? lead guitar, backing vocals, mandolin (1986?present)
- Glen Phillips
? lead vocals, rhythm guitar, mandolin, keyboards (1986?present)
- Josh Daubin ? drums, percussion, backing vocals (touring substitute 2017?2020; 2020?present)
Former members
Touring members
- Bruce Winter ? keyboards, backing vocals (1992)
- Jonathan Kingham
? keyboards, backing vocals, rhythm guitar, mandolin, lap steel guitar (2011?present)
- Jon Sosin ? keyboards, lap steel, mandolin (2023?present)
- Carl Thompson ? drums, percussion (2023?present)
[30]
Session substitutes
Discography
[
edit
]
Other media appearances
[
edit
]
Toad the Wet Sprocket's songs have been used in the soundtracks of over a dozen movies and episodes of television series.
[31]
- "Little Heaven" is featured in the film
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
(1992) and the accompanying soundtrack release,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Soundtrack
.
- "Brother" is featured in the 1993 film
So I Married an Axe Murderer
.
- "Fall Down" is featured in the 1994 film
Drop Zone
, in a November 1994 episode of the TV series
My So-Called Life
("Other People's Mothers") and in TV series
Billions
season 6 episode 5 "Rock of Eye".
- "Crazy Life" is on the
Empire Records
soundtrack, which was released in August 1995.
- "Something's Always Wrong" is featured in the 1996 film
Fear
, starring
Mark Wahlberg
,
Reese Witherspoon
,
William Petersen
, and
Alyssa Milano
.
- "Windmills" is featured in the final scene of the 2003 film
Latter Days
and in the season 4 episode "My Roommates" of the TV series
Scrubs
.
- The band has three cover songs on compilation albums:
John Lennon
's "
Instant Karma!
", featured in the album
Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon
;
the Beatles
' "
Hey Bulldog
", featured in the
I Know What You Did Last Summer
soundtrack; and
Kiss's
"
Rock and Roll All Nite
", featured in the album
Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved
.
- "Walk on the Ocean" is featured in the 2013 film
Jobs
, starring Ashton Kutcher.
- The band wrote a song titled "One of Those Days", featured in the 2017 animated film
Animal Crackers
.
- The band is featured on the
Roger Miller
tribute album,
King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller
, covering "Nothing Can Stop My Love".
- "Amnesia" is featured in TV show
Dawson's Creek
season 1 episode 4 "Discovery".
- The band wrote a song titled "Acid", featured on
Mom II: Music for Our Mother Ocean
.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Fuoco-Karasinski, Christina (April 12, 2011).
"Q&A: Dean Dinning of Toad the Wet Sprocket"
.
SoundSpike
. SoundSpike Media, LLC. Archived from
the original
on July 27, 2011
. Retrieved
August 8,
2011
.
- ^
a
b
"Toad The Wet Sprocket"
. Frightanic.com
. Retrieved
August 14,
2015
.
- ^
"How Toad the Wet Sprocket got their name"
. Archived from
the original
on February 25, 2008
. Retrieved
April 23,
2006
.
- ^
Rock Notes
·
Monty Python
,
Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album
, ? 1980
Arista Records
LLC, YouTube
- ^
"4-1 Rutland Weekend Television"
. YouTube. July 4, 2010
. Retrieved
August 14,
2015
.
- ^
Yagi, Anu (May 5, 2011).
"The Long and Winding Toad: The industry has changed a lot since Toad the Wet Sprocket last topped the charts?but it's still all about the music"
.
Maui Vents
. Archived from
the original
on August 28, 2011.
- ^
"Eric Idle Sings Monty Python-Part 11"
. YouTube. November 10, 2014
. Retrieved
August 14,
2015
.
- ^
Wildsmith, Steve.
"Toad the Wet Sprocket: Older, wiser and still wearing their hearts on their sleeves"
.
The Daily Times
. Bounty County, Tennessee: Blount County Publishers LLC.
- ^
Toadfacts
, archived from
the original
on February 25, 2008
- ^
"Official TTWS Website"
.
See the Biography section.
- ^
"Toad the Wet Sprocket Call It Quits"
.
Rolling Stone
. Retrieved
January 18,
2018
.
- ^
27th Annual Alexandria Red Cross Waterfront Festival
Archived
May 7, 2009, at the
Wayback Machine
.
American Red Cross, Alexandria Chapter
.
- ^
Toad the Wet Sprocket Official MySpace Page
.
See Tour List.
- ^
Blistein, Jon (June 5, 2013).
"Toad the Wet Sprocket Find a 'New Constellation' ? Song Premiere"
.
Rolling Stone
. Retrieved
September 19,
2013
.
- ^
a
b
"Toad the Wet Sprocket Caught Off Guard By Fan Support for New Album"
. Billboard. June 19, 2013
. Retrieved
August 14,
2015
.
- ^
"New Studio Album from Toad the Wet Sprocket! by Toad The Wet Sprocket ? Kickstarter"
. Kickstarter.com
. Retrieved
August 14,
2015
.
- ^
"New Studio Album from Toad the Wet Sprocket!"
.
Kickstarter
. Retrieved
March 20,
2021
.
- ^
"Smash Mouth, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Tonic announce summer tour"
.
AXS
. April 16, 2015
. Retrieved
July 12,
2015
.
- ^
"Toad the Wet Sprocket announce vinyl reissues"
.
The Music Universe
. July 16, 2018
. Retrieved
March 15,
2019
.
- ^
RSDBF '18 Special Release: Toad The Wet Sprocket ? Toad The Wet Sprocket Box Set
, retrieved
March 15,
2019
- ^
"Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket Explains Just What Happened in Schaumburg (Concert Preview: January 16, 2020 with Chris Barron at City Winery)"
.
- ^
Price, Jason (August 27, 2021).
"Toad the Wet Sprocket releases new starting now studio album"
.
Icon Vs. Icon
. Retrieved
September 5,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Ankeny, Jason.
"Toad the Sprocket ? Biography"
.
AllMusic
. Retrieved
December 30,
2021
.
- ^
Blistein, Jon (June 5, 2013).
"Song Premiere: Toad the Wet Sprocket Find a 'New Constellation'
"
.
Rolling Stone
. Retrieved
June 14,
2021
.
- ^
"Review & Previews"
.
Billboard
. May 24, 1997. p. 53.
- ^
Levith, Will.
"Toad The Wet Sprocket's Favorite Curse Word Is 'Blast!' ? Which Is Why We Love Them"
.
MTV News
. Retrieved
June 14,
2021
.
- ^
Metivier, Michael (May 25, 2005).
"Glen Phillips: Winter Pays for Summer, PopMatters"
.
PopMatters
. Retrieved
June 14,
2021
.
- ^
MTV News Staff.
"Toad The Wet Sprocket Falls Down, Breaks-Up"
.
MTV News
. Retrieved
June 14,
2021
.
- ^
McCarteny, Kelly.
"Fear ? Album Review"
.
AllMusic
. Retrieved
December 27,
2021
.
- ^
@ToadWetSprocket (June 1, 2023).
"Register"
(
Tweet
)
. Retrieved
August 2,
2023
– via
Twitter
.
- ^
"Toad the Wet Sprocket"
. IMDb.com
. Retrieved
August 14,
2015
.
External links
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