Later this summer, Fort Worth grunge outfit Toadies will embark on a co-headlining tour with alt-metal band Helmet. The joint outing kicks off on July 20th in Houston, TX, and hits up locales like Jacksonville, FL, Philadelphia, PA, Chicago, IL, and beyond before wrapping up on August 14th in Denver, CO. Check out the Toadies’ full tour schedule below, including their remaining dates supporting Social Distortion.

Toadies should be showcasing tracks off from their upcoming fifth studio album, PLAY.ROCK.MUSIC, due out July 31st via Kirtland Records. If you haven’t already, stream the album’s first single, “Summer of the Strange”, just above the itinerary.

Toadies 2012 Tour Dates:
05/15 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory #
05/16 – Bend, OR @ Midtown #
05/18 – Reno @ Knitting Factory #
05/19 – Los Angeles @ The Roxy
05/20 – Pozo, CA @ Pozo Saloon #
06/15 – Shreveport, LA @ The Warehouse #
06/16 – Dallas, TX @ Palladium #
07/20 – Houston, TX @ House Of Blues *
07/21 – Pensacola, FL @ Cptn Fun Beach Club *
07/22 – New Orleans, LA @ Tipitinas *
07/24 – Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits *
07/25 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution *
07/26 – St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre *
07/28 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade *
07/29 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore *
07/31 – Silver Springs, MD @ The Fillmore *
08/01 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero Theatre *
08/02 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall *
08/03 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club *
08/04 – Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall *
08/05 – Lansing, MI @ Michigan Rock And Brew Fest *
08/07 – Cleveland, OH @ House Of Blues *
08/08 – Detroit, MI @ The Crofoot *
08/09 – Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues *
08/10 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue *
08/11 – St. Louis, MO @ Pop’s *
08/12 – Kansas City, MO @ The Beaumont Club *
08/14 – Denver, CO @ The Bluebird Theater *

# = w/ Social Distortion
* = w/ Helmet

On July 31st, Dallas/Fort Worth post-grunge veterans Toadies will release their fifth studio album, PLAY.ROCK.MUSIC, via Kirtland Records. As previously reported, the band enlisted the expertise of venerable alt-rock producer Frenchie Smith (The Darkness, Meat Puppets, Built to Spill) in order to turn what was originally intended to be an EP into a full-fledged album. Below you can preview the album’s first single, “Summer of the Strange”.

The driving bass line sounds like it was ripped from Radiohead’s “The National Anthem“, then left in the backseat of a car for a few hours to melt in the blistering Texas sun. Frontman Vaden Todd Lewis barks “the house caught fire in the summer of the strange/the smoke went higher and we lost our way” amidst raunchy power chords dripping with a thick summer sweat.

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/45941759" iframe="true" /]

Currently on tour with Social Distortion for the remainder of May, Toadies will play a series of headlining dates across the West Coast this June. Check out the full itinerary below, along with the partial tracklist for PLAY.ROCK.MUSIC.

PLAY.ROCK.MUSIC *partial* Tracklist:
01. Rattler’s Revenge
02. Summer of the Strange
03. Laments of a Good Man
04. We Burned the City Down
05. Animals
06. Beside You

The Toadies 2012 Tour Dates:
05/10 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater *
05/11 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot *
05/12 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
05/14 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
05/15 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory
05/16 – Bend, OR @ Midtown
05/18 – Reno, NV @ Knitting Factory
05/19 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy (Headline Date)
05/20 – Pozo, CA @ Pozo Saloon
06/15 – Shreveport, LA @ The Warehouse
06/16 – Dallas, TX @ Palladium

* = w/ Social Distortion

Dallas/Fort Worth grunge outfit Toadies will release their new album, PLAY.ROCK.MUSIC, on July 31st via Kirtland Records. Originally slated to be released as an EP on May 31st, the band changed their tune and expanded the effort after spending some quality time in the recording studio with producer Frenchie Smith (The Darkness, Meat Puppets, Built to Spill). The first single, “Summer of the Stage”, will be released digitally on May 8th.

In a press release, vocalist Vaden Todd Lewis says of the recording process:

The plan was just to record some demos with (producer) Frenchie Smith. It went so well we decided to compile the songs into an EP. But we were having such a good time, we decided to keep the ball rolling and make a full-length record. A lot of this material was written on the fly in the studio. It was a very exciting and scary process.”

Currently on tour with Social Distortion, Toadies announced that they will be adding more to-be-determined dates with Helmet afterward. The band has also revealed that their annual festival Dia de los Toadies will take place over Labor Day weekend in New Braunfels, TX. Check out their full docket below.

PLAY.ROCK.MUSIC *partial* Tracklist:
01. Rattler’s Revenge
02. Summer of the Strange
03. Laments of a Good Man
04. We Burned the City Down
05. Animals
06. Beside You

The Toadies 2012 Tour Dates:
04/10 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater *
04/13 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre *
04/16 – Vancouver, BC @ The Commodore Ballroom *
04/17 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore
04/19 – Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall *
04/20 – Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Events Centre *
04/23 – Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theater *
04/26 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue *
04/28 – Sauget, IL @ Pop’s *
05/01 – Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall *
05/02 – Little Rock, AR @ Juanita’s
05/05 – Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street Amphitheater *
05/08 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom *
05/10 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater *
05/11 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot *
05/12 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
05/14 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
05/15 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory
05/16 – Bend, OR @ Midtown
05/18 – Reno @ Knitting Factory
05/19 – Los Angeles @ The Roxy (Headline Date)
05/20 – Pozo, CA @ Pozo Saloon
06/15 – Shreveport, LA @ The Warehouse
06/16 – Dallas, TX @ Palladium

* = w/ Social Distortion

Californian punk-rockers Social Distortion will maintain their presence on the road this year, as they’ve just revealed tour dates extending through May. These guys have been pounding pavement since dropping Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes a year ago. Their last leg of dates saw the four-piece playing with acts like The Avett Brothers and Foo Fighters, and this new stretch will feature equally varied tour-mates.

Stop number one will be January 27th in Vegas, where the band will play with Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, as well as Sharks. Those acts will stay on as openers through February, at which point Social D will take a pause until April. They’ll pick up their instruments again on the 10th in Portland, OR, with support switching between combinations of Toadies, Lindi Ortega, and Riverboat Gamblers until things wrap up in Salt Lake City on May 11th.

The complete itinerary is available below, followed by the video for the single “Machine Gun Blues”. Ticket information can be found on Social Distortion’s website.

Social Distortion 2012 Tour Dates:
01/27 – Las Vegas, NV @ Hard Rock Hotel *
01/28 – Flagstaff, AZ @ Orpheum Theatre *
01/31 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater *
02/01 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre *
02/03 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theater *
02/04 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theater *
02/06 – Reno, NV @ Knitting Factory *
02/07 – Reno, NV @ Knitting Factory *
02/09 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium *
02/10 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater *
02/11 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater *
02/13 – Chico, CA @ Senator Theatre *
02/14 – Modesto, CA @ Modesto Center Plaza *
02/16 – Ventura, CA @ Majestic Ventura Theatre *
02/17 – Pomona, CA @ Fox Theater *
02/18 – Pomona, CA @ Fox Theater *
04/10 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater ^#
04/13 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre ^#
04/16 – Vancouver, BC @ The Commodore Ballroom ^#
04/19 – Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall ^#
04/20 – Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Events Centre ^#
04/21 – Saskatoon, SK @ The Odeon Events Centre #
04/23 – Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theater ^#
04/26 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue ^#
04/28 – Sauget, IL @ Pop’s ^#
05/01 – Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall ^#
05/02 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues #%
05/04 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues #%
05/05 – Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street Amphitheater ^#
05/06 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater #%
05/08 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom ^#
05/10 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater ^#
05/11 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot ^#

* = w/ Frank Turner and the Sleep Souls and Sharks
^ = w/ Toadies
# = w/ Lindi Ortega
% = w/ Riverboat Gamblers

After headlining their own third annual Dia De Los Toadies gig on August 8th, the Texas outfit will make their way toward Atlanta’s Masquerade for a September 12th appearance. The Toadies then heads north, making six stops before heading back home to Texas. With a couple noticeable gaps, more Midwest dates could be announced as September nears.

The updated list of tour dates follows. Tickets for most of the stops are currently available at Ticketmaster.com.

Toadies 2010 Tour Dates:
08/06 – Abilene, TX @ Lucky Mule
08/07 – Dalles, TX @ Palladium
08/28 – New Braunfels, TX @ Dia De Los Toadies III @ White Water Amphitheater
09/10 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
09/12 – Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
09/14 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Lounge
09/15 – New York, NY @ The Gramercy Theater
09/19 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
09/21 – Chicago, IL @ Double Door
09/25 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
10/01 – South Padre Island, TX @ South Padre Island Music Festival
10/02 – Corpus Christi, TX @ Zeigfest

The draw of the Toadies has always been that they’ve adopted that heavy, post-grunge noise, the kind that tends to drag along with lots of punch, but often without a lot of playfulness. But, then they give it a shot of life with a big, blistery metal tinge, bluesy-jam energy, and just enough absurdity and experimentation to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Feeler is definitively about the metal above all else. “Dead Boy” has that huge, angsty wall of Southern fried metal swagger, while “Waterfall” starts off like some mutant blues track before ripping up the musical landscape in a big block of sheer rock force.

But some of the more satisfying tracks on the album have more to do with innovation and perpetuating their slightly weirdo vibe than going balls out. “Suck Magic” is bright and rocking like a relic from the early ’90s that explodes violently into noise that is made infinitely more impacting with the wails of lead singer Vaden Todd Lewis. Album opener “Trust Game” is a morose and downtrodden little number accentuated by the down-strumming of an old, haggard acoustic guitar. It’s truly the little things, be it odd instrumentation or the layout of the songs, prior to their supernova of thick, dark sorrow that shines brightest and makes the insanity that much more tangible.

There may be bigger revival acts, but they probably can’t match to the varied ferocity the Toadies have presented on this LP. All that musical goodness, combined with the decreased number of tracks on the album and the time constraints placed on each song, make for an album that’s a right hook from days gone by. Whether this album is close to its original state, or if its changed completely thanks to the band’s studio “rediscovery,” Feeler was more than worth the wait.

Okay, no time machine was actually involved, but the guys have been busy re-recording Feeler with the help of the band’s original producer Rob Schnapf. According to Spin Magazine, the revival of the album’s original 14 tracks will be available August 10th. Not having to write new material for the release, the Toadies had ample time to prepare a promotional video for the release.

The video release is now followed by the album’s first single “City of Hate”, which can be streamed below. Pre-orders are currently available at Kirtland Records, which oddly post a delivery date of July 19th.

And if all that weren’t enough, expect more new Toadies shortly. And this time,  According to the band’s website, they will re-enter the studio following the current tour, in the hopes of releasing an album in early 2011.

Check Out:
“City Of Hate”

Feeler Tracklist:
01. City of Hate
02. Pink
03. Waterfall
04. Twitch
05. Mine
06. Dead Boy
07. Tornado
08. Joey, Let’s Go
09. Such Magic
10. Clarkville
11. Your Day
12. Littlefish
13. Send You To Heaven
14. ATF

Toadies 2010  Tour Dates:
07/15 – Tyler, TX @ The Venue at the Down Under
07/17 –  Houston, TX @ House of Blues
07/21 – El Paso, TX @ Club 101
07/22 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
07/23 – Santa Ana, CA @ Galaxy Theater
07/24 – West Hollywood, CA @ The Troubadour
07/25 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill
07/27 – Portland, OR @ Berbati’s Pan
07/28 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
07/31 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
08/01 – Amarillo, TX @ Midnight Rodeo
08/07 – Dallas, TX @ Palladium Ballroom
08/27 – New Braunfels, TX @ Acoustic Kickoff Show
08/28 – New Braunfels, TX @ Dia De Los Toadies III

– High-resolution videos from The Strokes’ headlining performance at the Isle of Wight Festival are now available for viewing. Now, you have some actual footage to compliment the sounds of the recently reunited outfit.

– Also at Isle of Wight, Kanye West made his first public performance in six months, joining Jay-Z for a performance of “Run This Town”. Watch it here.

– Conan O’Brien and Jack White teamed up for a performance at Third Man Records. (“Seven Nation Army” performance included). The whole thing was recorded and will be released on vinyl. Conan also reportedly cut a spoken word 7″.

– Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders and P Diddy teamed up for a performance on the BBC.

– Kid Cudi was arrested in New York on Friday night and charged with a felony. Somehow though, he still manged to play Bonnaroo.

– Rock Band 3 features keyboard and The White Stripes. Read all about it here.

– The first single from Brandon Flowers’ forthcoming solo debut leaked onto the web Friday.

– Pete Doherty tried to enter the United State and was denied.

– M.I.A. dropped a new song, Jay-Z featuring remix.

– Albeit a cover, The Shins released their first new song in two years.

– After 12 year, Toadies are finally ready to release Feeler.

– Spin Magazine is celebrating its 25th Birthday with a series of awesome concerts.

– Max Weinberg talked his future with both Conan O’Brien and Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band.

– The Vaselines announced their first album in 20 years.

– We premiered new offerings from Chemical Brothers and Marco Beneveto,

– Finally, we’re giving away tickets to the first ever Nateva Music Festival.

The Toadies website shares the following: “We can’t help but feel a bit of redemption releasing Feeler 12 years after Interscope decided it wasn’t good enough and shelved it. We always thought it was going to be a good Toadies album. 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. We are beside ourselves that people can finally hear this music and judge for themselves.” Check out the promo video below.

To boot, Toadies will hit up several clubs in Texas and pepper the West this summer, though the website writes there is “more to come”. Tickets are on sale via Ticketmaster.com. While you’re catching up on the Toadies, check out this piece, a terrific interview, and live review Alyssa Spiel did on the Toadies back in the Fall of 2008.

Toadies 2010 Tour Dates:
07/15 – Tyler, TX @ The Venue at the Down Under
07/17 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues
07/21 – El Paso, TX @ Club 101
07/22 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
07/23 – Santa Ana, CA @ Galaxy Theater
07/24 – West Hollywood, CA @ The Troubadour
07/25 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill
07/27 – Portland, OR @ Berbati’s Pan
07/28 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
07/31 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
08/01 – Amarillo, TX @ Midnight Rodeo
08/07 – Dallas, TX @ Palladium Ballroom
08/27 – New Braunfels, TX @ Acoustic Kickoff Show
08/28 – New Braunfels, TX @ Dia De Los Toadies IIIt

Ahead of the tour, the Toadies are offering “Song I Hate”, the newest single off No Deliverance, as a free download via their MySpace.

Toadies 2009 Tour Dates:
04/01 – Armarillo, TX @ Midnight Rodeo
04/02 – Lubbock, TX @ Lonestar Events Center
04/03 – San Antonio, TX @ Scout Bar
04/04 – Beaumont, TX @ Scout Bar
04/08 – College Station, TX @ Hurricane Harry’s
04/09 – Waco, TX @ Whiskey River
04/10 – Abilene, TX @ Midnight Rodeo 3
04/11 – Albuquerque, NM @ TBA
04/14 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
04/15 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
04/17 – Portland, OR @ Hawthrone Theatre
04/18 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
04/21 – Salt Lake City, UT @ TBA
04/22 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
04/23 – Kansas City, MO @ Beaumont
04/24 – Tulsa, OK @ TBA
04/25 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
05/08 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s
05/14 – Shreveport, LA @ The Warehouse
05/15 – Tyler, TX @ Click’s
05/16 – Richardson, TX @ Wildflower Festival
05/18 – Des Moines, IA @ People’s Court
05/19 – St. Paul, MN @ Station 4
05/20 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
05/21 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
05/22 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts
05/27 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
05/29 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat

Did the Toadies envision they’d be rocking the stage in 2008? Most likely not, as the abrupt departure of bassist Lisa Umbarger disbanded the group in 2001 shortly after the release of their delayed follow up to ‘94′s Rubberneck, Hell Below/Stars Above. The split occurred about five months after the album dropped and just after they set out on tour in support of the album. Lead vocalist Vaden Todd Lewis announced the Toadies’ official breakup on August 21, 2001.

But even before the lackluster response to Hell Below/Stars Above and the imminent disintegration of the band, Lewis hadn’t banked on a future for the Toadies beyond Rubberneck. When asked if he anticipated the success of their 1994 commercial breakthrough, Lewis said, “No, no I did not…I fully anticipated to make the record I wanted to make and have a good time doing it, and then get to see the states and get dropped and go back to work. That was honestly the way I went into it…I never anticipated it.”

The Toadies hit the road aggressively from ’94 – ’97 in support of Rubberneck, while their now classic single “Possum Kingdom” reached #4 on the U.S. Modern Rock Charts. Lewis says of those grueling days of touring: “It was fun, it was a lot of fun – it was a lot of work, but a lot of fun.” But times have changed since then: “I wasn’t married, didn’t have a kid, didn’t have a house or car, any of that shit, didn’t even have an apartment…so you know, it was a total ‘living the life’ experience.” His favorite band they toured with? “Either Baboon or Brutal Juice,” he says, both Dallas bands they hit the road with in ’96 – ’97.

After the 2001 breakup, the band members focused on other projects: guitarist Clark Vogeler went to work as a film editor, drummer Mark Reznicek hooked up with country-western band Eleven Hundred Springs, and Lewis formed the Burden Brothers in 2002. The Burden Brothers toured profusely while releasing a slew of EPs, two albums and a DVD, and by August 2007 Lewis felt it was time for a break. “We [Burden Brothers] got off the road in August and I was looking at a large amount of time off with that band. We needed a break, we needed some time apart anyway, just because we had toured so much – so I got home and just started writing. I didn’t really know what I was writing, but eventually I realized that a good chunk of the songs sounded very old school Toadies-ish. We had actually already lined up to do some December shows together at that point, so I just called the guys to see if they would be able to take a year or two off from their lives to go tour and do a record and whatnot. So, that’s just kind of the way it came together.”

Prior to hooking up to work on the new album in late 2007, the band regrouped on March 11, 2006 for their first “reunion show.” Lewis said the Toadies finally agreed to reconvene after a number of random offers. “It was nerve-wracking after not doing it for so long,” but the band went on to play a few more sold out shows in the spring of 2006 and again in the spring of 2007.

The Toadies have come a long way since forming in 1989 in Forth Worth, TX. After enduring a handful of lineup changes, an album rejection and total rewrite thanks to Interscope Records, and nearly five years apart with no live performances (seven years since their last album), the Toadies are back in action and ready for the next leg of their musical journey. Lewis describes the process behind their new album, No Deliverance, as such: “This time, it was just a fresh start. Primarily, this record is different because I wrote pretty much the whole thing. I got home from touring with the Burden Brothers, started writing, and once we decided this was going to be a record, I just dove into it full steam. It was cool because I had a new perspective now from Burden Brothers, and being away from it [Toadies] for so long and trying this other direction for so long, I could see, for me, what defines a Toadies song. You know, as vague as that is. It was really cool, just a blast to write it and to record it – it’s been a lot of fun.”

Lewis speaks genuinely and excitedly about No Deliverance, as well as the thrill of hitting the road these past few months. The Toadies have sold out shows this summer and fall in many major markets and performed for a packed house at the Roxy in LA on September 11. I ask Lewis how it feels to be back on stage, playing many of the same songs that were setlist staples 12-14 years ago. Of the Roxy show he says, “after doing this for so long and playing LA so many times, and seeing the VIP area where the industry people sit and rub elbows and talk and barely realize the bands – to look over there, and they’re standing on the tables, cheering – that’s just fucking cool.”

The picture Lewis paints of the execs at the Roxy illustrates just how contagious the Toadies’ explosive energy is on stage, as they plow through heavy Rubberneck favorites, Hell Below/Stars Above jams and the tight rock of No Deliverance. On Saturday night, the Toadies established the set with the opening track from Rubberneck, “Mexican Hairless”, an in-your-face instrumental that forcibly got heads bobbing with definitive spunk. Moving right into the third track from Rubberneck, “Backslider”, old school Toadies fans were in bliss as the pounding chords filled the air with Lewis’ perfect vocal delivery resounding that sorely missed ‘90′s grunge angst. As a small mosh pit formed in the center of the crowd, one front-row fan flung a pair of sunglasses, hitting Lewis in the face; miffed, Lewis called out the fan and asked that he resist throwing objects on stage and refrain from hitting/punching the fans around him. Unfortunately he did not comply and was hoisted over the barrier a few songs later.

After a spot-on rendition of Hell Below/Stars Above’s “Little Sin”, another Rubberneck favorite, “Happy Face”, flew by with Lewis’ proclamation of “No more son of a bitch” closing the tune with implicit force and satisfaction. After another track off Hell, they tested the waters with the high-power “So Long Lovely Eyes” from No Deliverance. Well-received, they moved into two more songs from Rubberneck, the eerie “I Burn” and the fist-pumping, mosh-inducing adventure known as “Quitter”. A few more tracks from Hell are thrown into the mix, as well as the title track from No Deliverance, followed by the opening swell of Rubberneck’s “Away”. The Toadies translate so well live that music from a decade and a half ago sounds more fresh and alive than one would expect; the songs are polished to perfection while maintaining an authentically gritty and anxious resonance. The whirlwind of the second half of “Away” soared into oblivion, and those few minutes were the absolute pinnacle of brilliant alternative rock music.

“Song I Hate” from No Deliverance kicked in next, a catchy tune with a nice progression in true Toadies’ style. Watch a video of the song here!

Moments later, the much-anticipated hit “Possum Kingdom” belted through the speakers proudly, while a crowd of primarily boys aged 16-22 took over the front section with energetic moshing. Though it is safe to say the beloved “classic” was thoroughly enjoyed by all in the venue, it is important to note that “Possum Kingdom” was not the one big moment fans went crazy for. As with some ‘90′s bands, those one or two big hits are all some fans show up to hear. This is clearly not the case for the Toadies, as fan participation was prominent throughout the entire set.

One more song each from Hell and No Deliverance followed, and Rubberneck’s thrashing “Mister Love” and the catchy “I Come from the Water” rounded out the set. The Toadies came back for an encore performance of “Hell in High Water” from No Deliverance, followed by Hell’s closing track “Dollskin”. The lovable strumming of Rubberneck fan favorite “Tyler” closed the show, with fans screaming the lyrics in unison all the way through to Lewis’ final declaration, “I will be with her tonight!” It was the perfect ending to a virtually flawless show, and the Toadies absolutely nailed it.

I feel confident in saying the Toadies are still extremely relevant and more capable than ever, and have successfully proven that they are anything but a 90′s band past their prime. Their extremely dedicated fan base remains loyal and active, and when I asked Lewis why he thinks fans have stuck with the Toadies all these years, he said, “Man, I don’t know, but they have, and it’s just amazing – just stunning.” Perhaps it’s because of the individual attention they give each one of their fans, as they still conduct meet and greets after every show, taking the time to chat, sign autographs and take photos. Fans also stay active by frequenting the Toadies’ MySpace, Facebook, and fan sites.

The Toadies aren’t going anywhere, that’s for sure – after wrapping up their current tour in late November, they will take just over a month off before heading to Hawaii for a few shows. Lewis says they plan to look at raising their profile a bit more next year, as they hope to open for a prominent headlining band in 2009. Lewis expalins, “We’re talking about getting out in front of more people and using a headliner to do that with. That’s one thing that’s never changing – touring is the thing – if you want people to know who you are, you get on the road and you go out. There’s other ways to do it, but that’s a way that still works and that I highly subscribe to…and I really enjoy it.”

Eager to constantly reach new fans, Vogeler was able to secure a spot for the Toadies on Guitar Hero II for Xbox – “Possum Kingdom” is featured on the game, and there is a strong possibility that more tracks will soon be released as downloadable content. Vogeler says, “We’ve gotten a lot of e-mails and messages from kids who had never heard of us before Guitar Hero, so that’s just another great avenue for getting the music out to people who love to hear it.”

Just like the Toadies, “Possum Kingdom” won’t be going away anytime soon, via the radio, video games, or live shows – and I can understand why. Lewis says, “Somebody asked me at a show last month, ‘do you ever get tired of doing “Possum Kingdom” over and over again?’ And there was a period when I did get tired of it, but I had kinda lost my focus in a lot of ways…the short answer is, how can you get tired of seeing all these people jump up and down and smile, ya know? It’s just kickass. So, I mean, if you focus and keep your priorities straight, it can never get old.” And this is yet another reason why I will always love the Toadies.

——————————————-

A few other tidbits from my interview with Todd:

CoS: What is the most personal song you’ve written?

T.L.: “Lyrically, it’s been about 50/50 – stuff that’s directly from my life, and stuff that I feel is influenced by my life – but I’ve kinda made up this fictional landscape. But as far as the most personal one, I would have to say “Pressed Against the Sky” and “Backslider”, probably. I can’t think of one off the new record – as I get further away from the new record I’ll probably look back and give you one off of that record.” But Vogeler reminded Lewis of the song “No Deliverance”, and Lewis immediately agreed. “Each one of those came from me looking at a point in my life and focusing on it and writing on it, writing about it.”

CoS: What is the meaning behind the song “Tyler”? Is it really about a peeping tom that once roamed Tyler, TX?

T.L.: “Loosely, a lot of that record I wrote based on me just being a fucking weirdo and making up characters. But a lot of it I wrote based on stories that I’d heard from my family. I have family that lived outside of Tyler, TX (my grandparents’ farm) and over dinner one night, they were talking about this guy who was just running around coming onto peoples’ property and looking in windows, and nobody could really catch him. It dawned on me when I heard that, even though I was a little kid, probably early teenager, that it struck me as a load of crap, because I mean, everybody’s got 50 shotguns right by their door…you’re not gonna go look in windows unless you really want to die. But at any rate, I kinda took that character and just ran with it.”

CoS: Is there anything you would change, looking back at your career?

T.L.: “Well, it would have been good to have had a better contract the first time around, but, you know, I’m not a big fucking cry-about-the-past kind of guy. We could have made a little more money, but big fucking deal – we’re doing fine, you know. I don’t know, I did all the drugs that I could, got laid as often as I could…I think I’ve had a pretty good past!”

In celebration of the Toadies’ return, Consequence of Sound has a fantastic prize pack to give away to five lucky members of our readership. Winners will receive:

• One copy of No Deliverance
• One pair of tickets to a upcoming show of your choosing*

If interested, shoot us an email with your name, mailing address, and date of the show you’d like to attend. Since the tour is already under way, we’ll be selecting five winners at random fairly soon so get in the action while you can! Do keep in mind, a good majority of these shows are soldout so this may be your only opportunity to gain admittance.

* = excludes October 25 show at Edgefest, October 26 show at Buzzfest, and November 6 show at Webster Hall in NYC.

Toadies 2008 Tour Dates:
09/23 – Aspen, CO @ Belly Up
09/24 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theater
09/25 – Lubbock, TX @ Lonestar Events Center
09/26 – Amarillo, TX @ Midnight Rodeo
10/04 – Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street Pavilion
10/07 – Little Rock, AR @ Revolution Music Room
10/08 – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge
10/09 – Memphis, TN @ New Daisy Theatre
10/10 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
10/11 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts
10/12 – Louisville, KY @ Headliners
10/14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Diesel
10/16 – Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop
10/17 – Detroit, MI @ The Majestic Theatre
10/18 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
10/19 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
10/21 – St. Paul, MN @ Station 4
10/22 – Omaha, NE @ Sokol Underground
10/23 – Kansas City, MO @ the Beaumont Club
10/24 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
10/25 – Frisco, TX @ Edgefest
10/26 – Woodlands, TX @ Fall Buzzfest
11/05 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero
11/06 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
11/07 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
11/08 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
11/09 – Providence, RI @ Living Room
11/11 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
11/13 – Richmond, VA @ The Canal Club
11/15 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
11/16 – Columbia, SC @ Headliners
11/18 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
11/19 – Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits
11/20 – St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre
11/21 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
11/22 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
11/24 – Tallahassee, FL @ The Beta Bar
11/25 – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues

Tickets are available via ticketmaster.com.