Calendar

Apr
17
Tue
The Blue Ribbons
Apr 17 @ 10:00 pm

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.

Image result for the blue ribbons music

Apr
18
Wed
Fandango
Apr 18 @ 7:00 pm

“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

 

Air Congo
Apr 18 @ 10:00 pm

Boston-based African style band AIR CONGO play music from the 1960’s-70’s Kinshasa/Brazzaville scene–the music of Docteur Nico, Tabu LeyLes Bantous De La CapitaleFranco et l’Orch TPOK Jazz, and more!

Apr
19
Thu
Melvern Taylor & His Fabulous Meltones
Apr 19 @ 7:30 pm
The Band Members: Melvern Taylor- Ukulele
And the Fabulous Meltones: Matt Murphy -Upright BAss Dave Livingston – Slide Guitar Sir Bob Nash – Drums
Genre: Post-Modern Parlor Music  – give it a listen HERE
Image result for melvern taylor
Baker Thomas Band
Apr 19 @ 10:00 pm

“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 . . .

Image result for baker thomas band

Apr
20
Fri
Red Tail Hawk
Apr 20 @ 10:00 pm

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.

Red Tail Hawk

Apr
21
Sat
Eric George
Apr 21 @ 7:30 pm
Eric George

Eric George is one of the smartest songwriters in the entire indie folk scene and nobody knows it. That isn’t to say that nobody knows him—or, at least by this point he should have the entire state of Vermont on his side—but he wraps his way around the intricacies of his arrangements so deftly that one wouldn’t be mistaken, from a laymen’s perspective, to call his work ‘simple.'”

    – Jonathan Frahm, For Folk’s Sake

Citizen Slim
Apr 21 @ 10:00 pm
Citizen Slim

In 2014, two venerable songwriters decided that “acoustic” music is for wussies. They dusted off the Telecasters and tube amps they had stashed away and decided to rock out. Years of folk immersion had rendered them unable to write about anything other than trucks, trains, and the aforementioned telecasters. Whatever, it’s loud and awesome.

When he’s not touring nationally doing the previously mentioned wussie folk thing, Greg Klyma hosts Americana Sundays in Union Square.

The Ryan Fitzsimmons Band won “Favorite Local Bad Ass Rock n Rollers” in the 2013 Red Line Roots Awards. Both of those guys are in this band with Chris DeSanty (drums) and Paul Chase (bass). Do it for Citizen Slim.

Apr
22
Sun
Sunday Spins
Apr 22 @ 3:00 pm

“Vinyl record sales are at a 28 year high” – Fortune April 2016  – See/Hear for yourself at Sunday Spins – every Sunday – bring your records and take turns sharing your faves!

Image result for sunday spins toad

Frank Drake & Friends
Apr 22 @ 9:00 pm

Frank Drake is one of the most unique musicians around.  He is refreshingly free of conventions and covers a wide spectrum of folk-pop-and-more styles . . . ” Steve Morse – Boston Globe

Apr
23
Mon
David Johnston
Apr 23 @ 7:30 pm

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 –

Image result for david johnston music

The White Owls
Apr 23 @ 9:00 pm

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!

Image result for white owls at toad

Apr
24
Tue
Dan Mills
Apr 24 @ 7:30 pm
Dan Mills

Singer/Songwriter Dan Mills fronts a 5 piece Folk/Americana band that’s based between Brooklyn NY and Cambridge MA. Mills portrayed country-guitar legend Carl Perkins in the Broadway cast of Million Dollar Quartet, and his song “Best I Could” earned him a nomination for Sirius XM Coffeehouse’s Singer/Songwriter Discovery of the Year”. Currently celebrating the release of his new full length album Something Good (7/7/17), Mills has combined his knack for writing honest, lyrically driven folks songs with the raw Sun Records twang that has seeped into his artistic voice. Sincere and bittersweet, Something Good is a love letter to cheap wine and deep love, dive bars and indecision, quiet train rides, and the unwavering hope of a hungry artist.

Organ in Orbit
Apr 24 @ 10:00 pm
Organ in Orbit

. . . 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!

 

Apr
25
Wed
Fandango
Apr 25 @ 7:00 pm

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.” –

Air Congo
Apr 25 @ 10:00 pm

Boston-based African style band AIR CONGO play music from the 1960’s-70’s Kinshasa/Brazzaville scene–the music of Docteur Nico, Tabu LeyLes Bantous De La CapitaleFranco et l’Orch TPOK Jazz, and more!

Apr
26
Thu
Todd Thibaud Band
Apr 26 @ 7:30 pm
Todd Thibaud Band

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
Apr 26 @ 10:00 pm

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.

Image result for baker thomas band

Apr
27
Fri
Los Goutos
Apr 27 @ 10:00 pm

LOS GOUTOS

“A veritable Grand Ole Opry with a modern sense of humor….”   (Music Connection Magazine)

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Featuring:

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)

 

Apr
28
Sat
Nyota Road
Apr 28 @ 7:30 pm
Nyota Road

INSPIRED BY SOUTHERN GOTHIC IMAGERY AND EVERYDAY BEAUTY, NYOTA ROAD IS A HUSBAND AND WIFE ACOUSTIC DUO PERFORMING ORIGINAL SONGS ABOUT FAMILY, RELATIONSHIPS AND HOME.

IT ALL STARTED WHEN….

Greta decided to write a song as a birthday gift for her husband, Mark.  She had always written silly tunes and even a children’s book but never a “serious” song.  From that first tune, came another and another with each song telling stories reminiscent of relationships, family and growing up her hometown of Warrior, Alabama.

We call ourselves Nyota Road named from a road in my hometown.  Growing up I used to play on the river with my friends and take walks along the train trestle.  We would spend hours floating down the river, taking in the world as we knew it at the time.  To get there, we’d go down Nyota Road.  It’s one of my happiest memories.

Eric Salt & The Electric City
Apr 28 @ 10:00 pm
Eric Salt & The Electric City

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.

Apr
29
Sun
Sunday Spins
Apr 29 @ 3:00 pm

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

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

Image result for sunday spins toad

Ship of the Sun (music of the Grateful Dead)
Apr 29 @ 8:00 pm
Ship of the Sun (music of the Grateful Dead)

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.

 

 

Apr
30
Mon
David Johnston
Apr 30 @ 7:30 pm

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 –

Image result for david johnston music

The White Owls
Apr 30 @ 9:00 pm

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 White Owls

May
1
Tue
Radium Girls
May 1 @ 7:30 pm
Radium Girls

The original four members of Radium Girls got together at Ladies Rock Camp Boston in April 2014. Their semi-retired original punk hit “Security Theater” has been followed by a slew of originals crossing several genres such as psychedelic rock and doom metal.

The Radium Girls band name honors the female factory workers dying from radium poisoning whose fight established the right of individual workers to sue for damages from corporations due to labor abuse.

The Blue Ribbons
May 1 @ 10:00 pm

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.

Image result for the blue ribbons music

May
2
Wed
Fandango
May 2 @ 7:00 pm

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.” –

Kate Dressed Up (Philly) plus Pat & The Hats
May 2 @ 10:00 pm
Kate Dressed Up (Philly) plus Pat & The Hats

 

Check out Kate Dressed UP discussing her song Wish HERE

 

Running with the Dr. Seuss notion that clever rhymes can woo pretty much anybody, Pat & the Hats are conquering the local music scene one swooning fan at a time.

 

May
3
Thu
Melvern Taylor & His Fabulous Meltones
May 3 @ 7:30 pm
The Band Members: Melvern Taylor- Ukulele
And the Fabulous Meltones: Matt Murphy -Upright BAss Dave Livingston – Slide Guitar Sir Bob Nash – Drums
Genre: Post-Modern Parlor Music  – give it a listen HERE
Image result for melvern taylor
Baker Thomas Band
May 3 @ 10:00 pm

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.

Image result for baker thomas band

May
4
Fri
Muddy Ruckus
May 4 @ 10:00 pm
Muddy Ruckus

“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

May
5
Sat
Lisa Bastoni
May 5 @ 7:30 pm
Lisa Bastoni

Lisa Bastoni is a Boston-based singer-songwriter.

Her album The Wishing Hour will be released in October 2016.  You can pre-order it HERE.

Bees Deluxe
May 5 @ 10:00 pm

Bees Deluxe is a full-tilt, acid blues/funk/rock collective comprised of Boston-based musicians.

Their unique repertoire includes originals and re-interpreted 60s, 70s, and 80s covers from Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, Charles Mingus, B.B. King, Kenny Burrell, Freddie King, Herbie Hancock, Albert King, Etta James, Muddy Waters, The Meters, Little Feat, Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix, Roy Buchanan, Curtis Mayfield, The Butterfield Blues Band, Derek Trucks, Donny Hathaway, Amy Winehouse, Steely Dan, Etta James, ZZ Top, Robben Ford, Bonnie Raitt, Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland, SoulLive, Derek and the Dominoes, Robert Cray, Edgar Winter, among many others. Taking the road less traveled, they discover and share off-the-beaten songs and instrumentals and fuse them into their own original works. They dare to be risk-takers on stage, digging deep into the vaults of blues/jazz antiquity. The result is an effortless take-no-prisoners-approach that wittingly captures the audience’s hearts.

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AS SEEN AT TOAD...