That the youthful audience was so plentiful for the Toadies November 6 show in Manhattan’s Webster Hall was mildly surprising. That so many of them knew the lyrics to songs I had come of age to was sublime. Opening the evening with the taunting quick riffs of 1994’s Rubberneck (specifically “Mexican Hairless”), the Toadies did for 90 minutes what their LP’s do so consistently it becomes hard to perceive: play fast, melodic rock songs, violent with melody.
Read full work »

In March of 2001 the Toadies released their second LP, Hell Below/Stars Above, six years after their debut, Rubberneck. Hell Below was a darker (somehow) and more intricate use of the band’s energies and bandleader Todd Lewis’ endless exuberant rage, though by this time nobody cared. Seven years – and at least one official disbanding – later, the Toadies’ third LP, No Deliverance, reverts back to the fast, choppy riffs characteristic of Rubberneck.
Read full work »