Biography Wikipedia
Wikipedia:
Toadies are an alternative rock band from Fort Worth, Texas, best known for the song "Possum Kingdom." The band's classic lineup consisted of Todd Lewis on vocals/guitar, Mark Reznicek on drums, Lisa Umbarger on bass, and Darrel Herbert on guitar. It formed in 1989 and disbanded in 2001 after Umbarger left the group. The band reformed and released an album, No Deliverance in 2008. In 2010, they re-released the album Feeler with Kirtland Records (the album's original release had been denied by Interscope in 1997). The band's latest album, Play.Rock.Music, is scheduled to be released in July 2012.
Biography
Early years/Rubberneck/commercial breakthrough (1989–1996)
Toadies began in 1989 in Fort Worth, Texas. They recorded a few cassette self-releases and an E.P. titled Pleather before signing to Interscope Records. Their first full-length album Rubberneck was released in the summer of 1994. It included six singles, "Possum Kingdom" (their most successful) as well as "Mister Love", "Away", "Tyler", "Backslider" and "I Come From the Water". "Backslider" can be heard in the film Black Sheep. "Possum Kingdom" would later become a playable track in the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II.
Toadies toured extensively throughout the 1990s supporting Rubberneck, opening for artists such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, White Zombie, Bush, and The Butthole Surfers. They also headlined and co-headlined tours with acts such as Supersuckers, and The Reverend Horton Heat. The band was a regular act at the festivals Edgefest in Dallas, and Buzzfest in Houston during these years.
Feeler, Hell Below/Stars Above, and breakup (1997–2002)
After years of touring, the band entered the studio in 1997 to record new tracks for a second album, Feeler. Interscope Records did not approve the finished product, and rejected its 1998 release. In 2000, they went back to the studio, salvaged some of the songs from the Feeler sessions, and released their second full-length album Hell Below/Stars Above in the spring of 2001 to poor sales. Portland-based musician Elliott Smith performed piano backup for the title track.
The band broke up five months later while touring in support of the album. The primary reason, according to Lewis, was that Lisa Umbarger did not want to be a part of it anymore, and that the band could not continue without her.
Shortly after the break-up, a live album, Best of Toadies: Live from Paradise, was released. It was recorded earlier in 2001 at the Paradise nightclub in Boston, MA. The album was released through Interscope Records, but Kirtland Records later picked up the band's back catalogue.
No Deliverance/Feeler and Play.Rock.Music (2006–present)
Toadies reformed for a reunion show on March 11, 2006, headlining the Greenville Avenue St. Patrick's Day parade concert, and have played a number of shows since. In March 2007, they embarked on a mini-tour, playing dates in Austin, Houston, and Dallas. The final show of the mini-tour was recorded and released as the live album Rock Show.
The band released their third studio album, No Deliverance on August 19, 2008 via Kirtland Records. The lead single for the album was the title track.
Toadies performed at Lollapalooza on August 2, 2008, Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival on May 16, 2009, and Austin City Limits Music Festival on October 4, 2009.
In June 2010 it was announced that Feeler, the follow-up album to Rubberneck that was shelved by Interscope, would finally be seeing a release. Todd Lewis was quoted as saying: "Since there are unfinished versions floating around on the Internet, it is important to us that people hear it as we meant it to be." The album was released on July 20, 2010. It has also been announced through the band's website that after Dia De Los Toadies, Feeler, and summer/fall touring.
The band's fifth album, Play.Rock.Music, is tentatively scheduled to be released July 31, 2012 on Kirtland Records, according to drummer Mark Reznicek. A promotional video for the track, "Summer of the Strange," can be viewed on Clark Vogeler's YouTube Channel.
