Ship of the Sun celebrates the music of the Grateful Dead with a fun, free-wheeling, danceable show that pays tribute to the sounds of rock & roll’s most unique band.

Ship of the Sun came together in 2015 around each member’s love of the songs, spirit, and improvisation adventurousness of the Dead.

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!

Methuen-born and Kentucky/Brooklyn-raised, Ray Rizzo is a drummer, singer, and music maker who has been a galvanizing provocateur in numerous bands and recordings including Bob Weir, Yo Yo Ma, and Josh Ritter.

Tonight at TOAD, Rizzjam (essentially 3/4 of The Josh Ritter Band) plays a set of Ray’s songs, as well as inspired covers, accompanied by Zachariah Hickman on bass and Sam Kassirer on keys.

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.

Boston-based blues singer Toni Lynn Washington recorded and released Blues at Midnight for the Tone-Cool subsidiary of Rounder Records in 1995. Washington is considered Boston’s “queen of the blues,” where she has a long and storied history on the club scene.

Sumner & Moss is a folk trio based in Boston, Massachusetts. Rooted in traditional American musics, Sam Moss, Rachel Sumner, and Mike Siegel weave close harmonies and fresh arrangements into classic bluegrass and country songs alongside their own roots-inspired originals.

Sam Moss is an acclaimed songwriter and string player currently supporting his ninth album, Fable. Rachel Sumner is a member of award-winning bluegrass band Twisted Pine to which she lends her voice, guitar, and songs. Mike Siegel is a seasoned jazz and rock bassist making his foray into the folk scene.

BAKER THOMAS BAND  “…kind of a musical Robin Hood, robbing freely from the classic roots of American music and bringing it back to the common folks.”  – Billy Beard, Talent buyer/Boston Session drummer.

Red Tail Hawk has opened for National acts such as G-Love, The Brew and Chris Duarte, to name a few. They’ve played major music festival in the region and sold-out shows at The Stone Church in Newmarket, NH and The Press Room in Portsmouth, NH.

TOAD is thrilled to welcome Imam Hamden for the first time. Born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan. Imam began playing the guitar at the age of 12 and since then has devoted countless hours to mastering the instrument. In 2012 he was featured on a national television music program, drawing attention and acclaim from industry professionals and audiences alike, which led to his first tour the same year.

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

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!

On 8/23/2016, Amber Casares lent her vocal talent to John Powhida International Airport – right here at TOAD – tonight she’s center stage . . .

take a listen HERE

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!

Grayson Foster is a 24 year old Nashville based Indie Singer/Songwriter Artist with a passion for timeless music, gripping films, and laughing at himself and his friends.

Inspired by artists like Afie Jurvanen, John Mayer, Ryan Adams, The Avett Brothers, and The Kings of Leon; Grayson uses guitar driven grooves and intriguing melodies to take listeners to a cinematic world of happiness, sadness, and apathy.

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Zach Cannella, a Chicago native, arrived in Nashville with a different outlook on the genre of country and a unique interpretation on what makes an “indie folk” musician. Cannella studied music composition at a music conservatory in Chicago, but discovered songwriting was his most honest form of artistic expression. His sound plays off of his classical training, which sets him apart from most acoustic folk artists.

Rich Young is a singer/songwriter/ musician from the Cambridge area of the UK. He also writes commercial music for radio, TV & cinema as well as producing other artists. He’s played & recorded with a diverse range of artists including members of Iron Maiden & Bad Company,Eurythmics Dave Stewart, classical violinist,Nigel Kennedy,Dire Straits David Knopfler,and many more.

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.” –

“Danielle Miraglia is a dynamic and captivating musician; her rich soulful voice and blues guitar mastery resonate in a performance both rare and unforgettable.”
– Paul Patchel, State Street Blues Festival, Media, PA

Her project, Danielle M & The Glory Junkies features the classic rock and blues vibe of The Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin delivered through original tunes both lyrical and danceable.

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.

BAKER THOMAS BAND  “…kind of a musical Robin Hood, robbing freely from the classic roots of American music and bringing it back to the common folks.”  – Billy Beard, Talent buyer/Boston Session drummer.

Love Love, a Boston-based 9 piece alt-Americana band feat. JP’s own singer-songwriters Chris Toppin (Fuzzy) & Jefferson Davis Riordan—“both have serious writing chops” (Boston Herald)— LOVE LOVE’s “songs have a captivating folk storytelling style,” writes Twangville.com; “not your father’s indie-rock,” says The Noise. LOVE LOVE’s newest video of their latest song has been nominated by Jamaica Plain News for JP Neighborhood Anthem.

Formed in the Fall of 2016, The Canvas Collective is an alt/indie band comprised of Berklee College of Music students & alumni.

The canvas is representative of silence, & each song paints a picture depicting an event or feeling we’ve experienced. Once painted, the canvas goes blank to have another image projected. As our songs are metaphorically paintings, the culmination of all the images makes us a collective.

 Sunday Spins!  – Vinyl Lovers Unite! 3-8pm every Sunday!

Sign up on the list and play two songs each turn.

Dietrich Strause’s songs are a mix of timeless melody, literate lyricism, and a “virtuosic command of imagery.” (The Artery, WBUR) Strause released his new album How Cruel That Hunger Binds on August 26th, produced by Zachariah Hickman (Ray LaMontage, Josh Ritter), the next benchmark in his steady evolution as one of the most eclectic writers and performers coming out of New England.  His newest collection of songs is found somewhere in the shadows of the likes of Randy Newman, Nick Lowe, and Paul Simon.

Peter Wolf (formerly of the J Geils Band), whose brilliant Midnight Souvenirs—released in 2010—included  David Johnston’s “I Don’t Wanna Know.” This song went on to become the second single from that album, and was performed on the David Letterman Show in June of 2010.

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!

Inspiration seeped through the windows of apartment 5J on Barrow Street looking out over the Hudson River in NYC’s Greenwich Village, where singer-songwriters Eryn Murman and Jason Hite soaked up the energy and passion of musicians, painters, poets, and writers who created the Village vibe.  Together, they paid tribute to those creative spirits and named their band 5j Barrow, writing music and lyrics with an Indie-folk sound, sometimes as a duo, and often picking up other musicians to create unique arrangements.

“5j Barrow is the band that makes you stop what you’re doing and stare…Their music is everything I want music to be. Energetic, evocative, unfiltered, and beautiful. In an age of auto tune and quantization, top 10 charts without any real instruments on them, 5j Barrow is the cure…. With dynamics that range from a whisper to a tsunami, their songs tell stories of love, loss, and longing.” (The Street Noise Project, Brad Geyer)

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.” –

. . . 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!