Calendar
“Mr. (Ryan) Fitzsimmons is a brutal force of nature on acoustic guitar. Often breaking multiple strings during a performance, he plays with a fire and fierceness that cannot be tamed, or faked for that matter. His songs are as authentic and emotion driven as they come, ranging from beautiful and moving ballads, to raucous and rambling dirt stompers, there is no doubt that Ryan is as enticing a musician as they come.”
Beginning on stage at TOAD in Cambridge, MA during a weekly residency in March of 2009, Baker Thomas Band has always been an eclectic collection of musicians and good friends getting together to make great music and have a blast. With anywhere from 7 to 10 and even more musicians on stage, the BTB is a wrecking ball of good times and great tunes – and TODAY is Groundhog DAY!
“Infectious, foot-stomping Americana tunes. Similar to the White Stripes in duo power. Muddy Ruckus delivers a full bodied sound, with nothing but guitar and suitcase drums.” – The Sound
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.
Joe and Matt have been playing and writing music together for a long time. As The Library Band, they combine stellar harmonies and multi-instrumental magic to ensure a pleasant reading experience.
Sunday Spins! – Vinyl Lovers Unite! 3-8pm every Sunday!
Sign up on the list and play two songs each turn.
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 knows what you need at the beginning of the week . . . Blue Monday at TOAD!
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 one drums. Killer.
Belen Cusi is a singer from Argentina & Texas…Latin soul music, seeking to change the world through song.
“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
Country Folk for city folk. Born and raised outside of Boston, MA. Professional Amateur Musician, Multi-instrumentalist, Songwriter. Lover of cats. Grammatical bandit. I get more done in a bathrobe than most do in a suit.
yeah . . . Marc Pinansky had us at cats, too . . .
“You guys put on a hell of a show, a lot of fun!” – Steve Morse, long time Boston Globe music critic and freelance writier on the Baker Thomas Band . . .
set times tbd
Love Love – Genre: Alt. Americana band with Songs of Murder and Love and other mysteries of the world.
Robin Lane was the founder of the band Robin Lane & The Chartbusters, whose hit single “When Things Go Wrong” was the eleventh video broadcast on the debut day of MTV. Her father played piano for Dean Martin and wrote his signature hit “Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime.”
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.
More triva! Peter Wolf, 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.
Bring your vinyl over for a spin! sign up to play two songs – old – new – anything you want! Show tune?! Sinatra – Barry Mannilow –
it’s your call!
Sparrow Blue, Acoustic Fiddle and Guitar songwriting duo from Eastern Massachusetts, consists of Katy Boc and Todd Nickerson.
Having met in 2014, Katy and Todd began writing songs together after discovering a mutual love for American roots music. It wasn’t long before they began performing as a duo, featuring their original songs. Over the past year, Sparrow Blue has performed at venues such as the Spire Center for the Performing Arts, Club Passim, TOAD Cambridge, Atwoods Tavern, and Rockwood Music Hall. In November of 2015 they released their debut album, Mabel, which Red Line Roots called “a sweet rootsy sound that is clean and crisp as it displays hints of Americana goodness” and South Shore Living called “lilting, dark, and spellbindingly catchy”.
David Johnston is a regular fixture in Harvard Square. You can find him on just about any sunny afternoon with his old Gibson guitar, his signature black jeans, black hat, and a white bucket to catch the dollar bills —
Blue Mondays at TOAD . . .
Ryan Alvanos is a poet by training, editor by trade, songwriter by passion, busker by calling, and whim-blown vagabond by good fortune.
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.” –
“When Mike Hastings isn’t playing at local venues such as Toad, he can often be found busking around Davis and Harvard Square. Next time you’re out, keep an ear out for the sound of guitar and a tambourine, and if you see Mike, stop and listen for a while. You just might leave a little warmer.+ – Sound of Boston
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.
ET – phone home – yeah, yeah –
but only after the Baker Thomas Band show . . . they’re out of this world. . .
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.
Trailer Park = a ten-legged rock and roll machine powered by rock and roll guitar, bass, drums, and twin tenor saxophones
Trailer Park = a ten-legged rock and roll machine powered by rock and roll guitar, bass, drums, and twin tenor saxophones
More on David Johnston: You’re rushing through the city streets, maybe late for an appointment, distracted by your life’s many obligations, and you blow right past a street musician, hard at work. And you stop. And you listen. And you enter the moment and think, ‘Wow, this guy can really play.’
