Telescope is one of Andrew Stern‘s projects –  He came up with the name because the band is designed around the Telecaster guitar.

When the question is posed to guitarists, “If you could have just one guitar, what would it be?”, polls show that an overwhelming number of guitarists reply, “a Telecaster”. I rank as one who would answer exactly the same. The telecaster is a versatile tool which can cover a lot of ground, but more importantly, it changes the way I approach and play the instrument. Inspired by my own teles and by some telecaster playing guitar heroes of mine, I’ve designed a band around the guitar itself, appropriately titled “Telescope”. A mix of originals and covers, it’s a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll and more than a little bit undefined.

Oh – and besides, Andrew . . . the other names should also “sound” familiar:

Andrew Stern: guitar
James Rohr: keys
Greg Loughman: bass
Mike Connors: drums

David Johnston  – if you don’t know him, you have to stop by TOAD for Blue Monday – take a listen HERE where David talks about his influences and plays a bit of music –

Just look at the band; Dennis Brennan on harmonica, guitar and vocals. Tim Gearan on guitar and vocals. Steve Sadler on lap steel.  Jim Haggerty on bass and Andy Plaisted on drums.

Check out a clip from one of their shows HERE  – After making it thru Monday, YOU deserve a night out!

. . . tonight TOAD welcomes  Organ in Orbit

Organ In Orbit is a jazz/funk organ trio from Boston, formed originally as a side-project of the Freelance Bishops leader/keyboardist, Jeremy Parker, back in 2004. Jeremy had a dream and a newly customized Hammond A-100, with a high-power Leslie cabinet and subwoofer he designed and built himself. With a smart selection of covers by artists ranging from the Meters to John Scofield,and styles ranging from shuffles to boogaloos to modern funk, the roots of the trio’s musical influence were growing wide and deep. And it certainly didn’t hurt to have a similarly deep bench of musical talent to contribute to this vision. On guitar, local luminaries like Justin Piper, Mike Mele, and Bruce Bartlett would be on call. And on drums, you’d likely see Benny Benson, Pete Maclean, or Steve Langone. After many years of regular gigs at their favorite local venues, the trio has developed a unique chemistry and dynamic musical interaction that truly engages the audience. Fast forward to 2017, and the band lineup has solidified and is working on brand-new original material composed by Jeremy, with a new album release eminent. Things are about to get interesting…

Come hear for yourself why this jazz-funk organ quartet from Boston is Out of THIS World!

FANDANGO is as much a spiritual renewal as it is a reinterpretation of some of the best soul, blues, gospel, and Americana music ever written. With a loyal flock of followers (the flock that rock) to their weekly Wednesday night residency at TOAD in Cambridge, FANDANGO fuels frontman Fred Griffeth to lead this congregation into soul and R&B righteousness! For he is like a refiner of fire and he shall purify!

“Ask not for whom the Fandan goes. It goes for thee. On Wednesday donchaknow.” –

Todd Thibaud is a Vermont born, Boston based Singer-Songwriter who’s songs are a slice of what life is really like…the pains and pleasures, love lost and life reborn. Using songwriters like Elvis Costello, Neil Finn, Johnny Cash and John Hiatt for inspiration, Thibaud has built a sound that is entirely his own. His music is meshed with elements of Americana, Folk, Country and Roots Pop Rock, making it seem at once familiar and new.

Road tested troubadour. Relentless songwriter. Greg Klyma‘s biggest influences include Steve Earle, Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, Todd Snider, AC/DC, the Everly Brothers, and Hank Williams.

Be it a house concert, a festival stage, or a darkened barroom, you’ll find him playing his well-loved guitar and spinning yarns. Greg is on tour in support of Never Knew Caroline, featuring Peter Case, Gurf Morlix, and Bill Kirchen, and just might’ve written a new one this week.

With a new CD titled Drinking Songs for Lovers, one might be forgiven for believing that Jack Grace should ease up a little. Songs like “Morning Margaritas,” “Drinkin’ and Gamblin’,” and “You Drank Yourself into a Corner” are certainly convincing evidence that the singer, songwriter and guitarist who has made a career out of following no one’s rules but his own is probably going to keep doing his thing until his liver lays down the law.

Sado-Domestics is the singing-songwriting partnership of Lucy Martinez (Lucy and the Dreamers) and Chris Gleason (Los Goutos).

Perhaps get a feel by checking out their list of influences:

Neko Case, Wilco, Gillian Welch & Dave Rawlings, The Stray Birds, Winterpills, Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris, Carolina Chocolate Drops, The Jayhawks, The Pretenders, Tom Waits, The Replacements, The White Stripes, The Band, The Gourds, Jenny Lewis, Bikini Kill, The Fundies, Old Crow Medicine Show, David Lindley, Mavis Staples, Son Volt, The Pixies, The Breeders, New Multitudes…

Get ready for take-off  – give a listen HERE

Bring your vinyl as we get to take turns playing our faves…

sorta like open mic – sign up to play two songs from your vinyl – we set up a turn table center stage – . . . – once you play your songs you can sign up again –

bring new – old – anything!

David Johnston  – if you don’t know him, you have to stop by TOAD for Blue Monday – take a listen HERE where David talks about his influences and plays a bit of music –

Just look at the band; Dennis Brennan on harmonica, guitar and vocals. Tim Gearan on guitar and vocals. Steve Sadler on lap steel.  Jim Haggerty on bass and Andy Plaisted on drums.

Check out a clip from one of their shows HERE  – After making it thru Monday, YOU deserve a night out!

The Boston Globe on The Franc Graham Band:

“Immensely Underrated… cool and commanding… an unusually rich blend of singer-songwriter rock…”

The Blue Ribbons was formed by singer/songwriter/keyboardist James Rohr.

They have been building a base of devoted fans with their original and soulful music.

Described as
“Ray Charles and Tom Waits on a pirate ship with Sun Ra and Captain Beefheart,” they combine “upbeat disillusionment and celebratory fatalism with musicianship” – Charan Devereux; Boston Globe.

FANDANGO is as much a spiritual renewal as it is a reinterpretation of some of the best soul, blues, gospel, and Americana music ever written. With a loyal flock of followers (the flock that rock) to their weekly Wednesday night residency at TOAD in Cambridge, FANDANGO fuels frontman Fred Griffeth to lead this congregation into soul and R&B righteousness! For he is like a refiner of fire and he shall purify!

“Ask not for whom the Fandan goes. It goes for thee. On Wednesday donchaknow.” –

Raaid is a Boston-based, full-stack musician, performing and recording original music.

What is a full-stack musician?
An electrical engineer by training, Raaid has adopted this from the term “full-stack developer” which generally refers to someone who can “do it all.” As a musician, he writes lyrics, composes music, sings and plays a variety of instruments, records performances, and mixes audio. This gives him nearly end-to-end control over the creative inputs to the music. Mastering aside, every sound is intentional and placed to fulfill Raaid’s artistic vision of every track.

What type of music does he make?
Raaid’s inspirations are primarily American/British alternative, soft rock, and pop artists and groups such as Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, and OneRepublic. His exposure to Pakistani music throughout his childhood has also undoubtedly infused itself into his sound. Although he doesn’t like boxing himself into a particular genre, his style of music can best be described as singer-songwriter or indie pop, though his family has affectionately referred to his music as “American ghazal”.

ET – phone home –   yeah, yeah –

but only after the Baker Thomas Band show . . .  they’re out of this world. . .“A whole bunch of musicians and a whole bunch of instruments, come together to deliver an electrifying show which promises a whole bunch of fun” -Tracey Delfino, Trespass Music

Over the course of his career, Big Ben Hillman has shared the stage with a host of diverse and well known musicians including hip hop stars Method Man and Ghostface Killa from the Wu Tang Clan, De La Soul, Biz Markie, Digable Planets and Mix Master Mike of The Beasty Boys. He has also been seen performing with rock legends Les Claypool and Jimmy Buffet.

Big Ben Hillman is quite the smooth retro funkster…. The production is excellent on all levels, keeping the listener in a comfortable, easy-flowing harmonic place. Ben never falters – his compositions and production show signs of a master at work enjoying his craft. I’m just going to think of Big Ben Hillman as the new Barry White on the opposite end of the vocal spectrum. – T Max, The Noise

Bring your vinyl as we get to take turns playing our faves…

sorta like open mic – sign up to play two songs from your vinyl – we set up a turn table center stage – . . . – once you play your songs you can sign up again –

bring new – old – anything!

“There is little doubt in my mind that tonight’s profile artist Dan Blakeslee, a singer-songwriter, graphic designer, original artist and performer is probably one of the most gifted all-around artists in New England.” – Ryan’s Smashing Life Blog

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Viking Moses, AKA Brendon Massei, achieves a special balance of warmth and command, with familiar melodies that draw listeners in and oblige them to stay. Strongly lyrical songs are played out through tunes that flirt with pop, folk, indie, grunge and Americana, all strung together with a unique pulsing guitar, and by Massei’s robust voice, which ebbs from delicate whispers to throaty howls.

David Johnston  – if you don’t know him, you have to stop by TOAD for Blue Monday – take a listen HERE where David talks about his influences and plays a bit of music –

Just look at the band; Dennis Brennan on harmonica, guitar and vocals. Tim Gearan on guitar and vocals. Steve Sadler on lap steel.  Jim Haggerty on bass and Andy Plaisted on drums.

Check out a clip from one of their shows HERE  – After making it thru Monday, YOU deserve a night out!

SPOTTED TIGER – A musical bridge from Willie Nelson to Bob Marley where JJ Cale is the toll collector.  Featuring original music by songwriters Laurence Scudder & Erik White . . .

Honey Talk is a fresh, innovative, and comfortable quartet that performs classic hits and inviting originals making you feel sweeter than honey.

Honey talk is:
Cody Nilsen – Guitar/Vocals
Steve Bunce- Bass/Vocals
Ben Blanchard – Keys/Vocals
Pat “Daddy” Dalton – Drums/Vocals

check out one of their songs HERE

“I still believe the lessons I learned when I was raised in a Roman Catholic household. Like, it’s harder for a rich man to get into heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.” – Michael Moore –

Celebrate Hump Day with Fandango

Grant Bloom was brought up learning classical piano; wedged between Dallas and Ft. Worth Texas. Much like a kid eating broccoli, he pushed it away, not realizing how beneficial the music was. Some years later, he was baptized into the world of jazz and from this, music began to tug at Grant’s sleeve. After being taught basic guitar chords from his father, and becoming comfortable in his vocal prowess, Grant began to craft songs.

Django Koenig (moniker name: Django Soulo) is a Vermont-born singer-songwriter that blends acoustic music with Soul. He performs his music from the heart, for the heart. Django is currently touring with his newly released self-titled album, ‘Django Soulo’ as well as his debut album, ‘We Live On‘.

“A man as energetic, whimsical, and charming as his music.” – Big Heavy World

SUGAR BLOOD JINX

is Eric Waxwood who uses finger-picking and a slide on a National Steel Guitar and sings lead vocals;

Matt Murphy who plays an upright bass and sings background vocals; and

Scott Pittman who plays an old 1920‘s ‘traps’ drum kit and sings background vocals.

‘The guitar work is terrific; understated but thick with feeling. Imam Hamdani’s guitar takes centre spotlight at exactly the right times, always elevating the track, never calling unnecessary attention to itself”- Mosiki

“‘His tunes are carefully composed to aim straight for the heart, and he hits his mark squarely song after song,’ says Metronome Magazine. And indeed songwriting is the heart of Sawyer Lawson’s craft.”