Calendar
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 . . .
In 2009, when multi-award-winning singer-songwriters Amy Fairchild and Carla Ryder decided to combine their voices and join forces to start a band, Miriam was born.
Harmony singin’, lead vocal swappin’, ass-kickin’ fun.
Friends, we here at The Blue Ribbons Propulsion/Stagnation/Existential Laboratories would like to take a moment to say THANK YOU to all y’all who have been coming out to TOAD on Tuesday nights. It truly is a beautiful thing to be together sharing the moment, even if that moment is loud and confusing sometimes. Thank you for listening, dancing, loving it, hating it, ignoring it…the important part is that we are all agreeing to be together for a few hours being human.
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.
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!
LOS GOUTOS is:
Bruce Bartone
(acoustic and electric guitars; bass guitar, keyboards; backing vocals);
Mike Eigen
(lead and backing vocals, percussion, acoustic guitar, clarinet, ukulele, songwriting);
Shamus Feeney
(bass guitar, acoustic, electric, and resophonic guitars; percussion; lead and backing vocals);
Chris Gleason
(lead and backing vocals, mandolin, tenor banjo, acoustic guitar, percussion, songwriting);
Paul Stewart
(lead and backing vocals, accordion, acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, harmonica, songwriting)
…and whenever possible:
Jakub Trasak
(fiddle)
Boston rock band with an eclectic sound. Dylanesque lyrics set to catchy rock guitar. Occasional hints of Stones and Replacements. Eric Salt & The Electric City’s live shows can approach a Springsteen explosion and captivate audiences with their raw power.
“Comanchero’s country-funk thunder melds a rambling jam sensibility with genuine boot-stomping twang. Shades of Widespread Panic, CAKE, and Wilco in these feverish Cactus Rock rhythms.” – Relix Magazine
Sunday Spins! – Vinyl Lovers Unite! 3-8pm every Sunday!
Sign up on the list and play two songs each turn.
A big TV (well, big-ish, which is to say big for us)
will take the place of a band tonight, playing the BIG game!
Right after Sunday Spins, we’ll get ready for the 6:30 kick-off with baskets of our homemade Chili Lime Potato Chips on every table (and the bar).
And a menu of our favorite Christopher’s Super Bowl appetizers will be available for the game, as well. Come in and have some Patriots Nation-type fun with us!
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.’
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.
“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
The Blue Ribbons was formed by singer/songwriter/keyboardist James Rohr.
They have been building a base of devoted fans withtheir 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 – it’s what’s for dinner . . . the heck with prince spaghetti day . . . use your noodle and get to TOAD!
BAKER THOMAS BAND N. – A variety of eclectic Boston/Cambridge/Somerville musicians who come together to put on unforgettable shows.
With a repertoire of New Orleans standards, spirituals, contemporary music, and swing tunes, the Soggy Po’ Boys offer a lively blend of fun and insanity.
The New York singer-songwriter, Ambrosia Parsley, is no stranger to conjuring success, selling a half-million records over the last 15 years with her band, Shivaree, having music in the films of Quentin Tarantino and David O Russell while working with the best and brightest, from Laurie Anderson to Chuck D to Hal Wilner to Dave Sitek
“Chris Maxwell musically channels the heart of Americana-pop — Big Star, Freedy Johnston, Wilco and the like — in crafting a song-cycle as personal as home movies with X-rays included. A beautifully poised grown-up album in an age that still coughs one up from time to time.”
— Jonathan Lethem
Corporate Punk is a pop combo fronted by Boston-area drummer/singer Sean Trischka. Performing Sean’s original ones and some choice covers, Trischka and fellow band mates Stash and Nate Sabat invite you to dance your troubles away. A super charged fun night at Toad. Look for the band to invite special guests up as well!
Come share your vinyl! Record lovers unite at Toad on Sunday afternoons – for a day of song sharing, sipping drinks, and chatting about their favorite music. Toad is a cozy neighborhood bar that hosts live bands every night, but at Sunday Spins, the patrons appreciate music in a different format. People bring their vinyl records and sign up for a slot to play two songs at a time.
O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
. . . shall be right there at TOAD with thou and the other lonesome Romeos, Juliet . . .
“Heart-hitting – Juliet and the Lonesome Romeos are a group whose new songs sound as if they should be on country or pop radio … fresh and emotionally charged, as though Juliet were a long- lost sister of Lucinda Williams.”
-Steve Morse, Boston Globe
Chris Hersch & The Moonraiiders:
“Voted among the best roots guitar players nationwide” – The Alternate Root
Honky Tonk Trucker Jazz and Rock n’ Roll!!!!
Fred Griffeth fronts Fandango – Their celebrated selection of Americana music draws a loyal band of pious sisters and reform school brothers! – Truth . . .
take a listen HERE – Liz Morrison always brings some of the community’s best musicians to accompany her – can’t wait to see who’s up on that little stage this night . . .
Baker Thomas Band: “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
Luddy Mussy is colorful, almost cartoonish music made by lunatics. With eccentric takes on genres ranging from blue, modern rock, surf rock & folk, Luddy serves up an original little something for any musical palate.
