Calendar
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.’
Grace Morrison is an award winning singer/songwriter. Her professional career has included stints performing with some of the most well known musicians in America including Eddie Money, J. Geils, Pete Francis of Dispatch, Chris Slade of AC/DC and The Firm, Greg Douglass of The Steve Miller Band, Joey Molland of Badfinger, Carmine Appice of Vanilla Fudge, and Jimmy Baine of Dio
David Johnston knows what you need at the beginning of the week . . . Blue Monday at TOAD!
Led by Lyle Brewer, Eleanor Bigsby takes you on a trip down memory [penny] lane with killer instrumental Beatles tunes!
Fandango – it’s what’s for dinner . . . the heck with prince spaghetti day . . . use your noodle and get to TOAD!
Magen Tracy & the Missed Connections combines soulful vocals, poignant songwriting, and piano-driven pop-rock with a dash of sleazy swagger and alt-country twang
It doesn’t matter what comes, fresh goes better in life, and Mentos is fresh and full of life.
Nothing gets to you, staying fresh staying cool, with Mentos, fresh and full of life.
Fresh goes better, Mentos freshness, fresh goes better with Mentos, fresh and full of life!
Mentos, the freshmaker!
oh . . . it’s Melvern Taylor & The MELTONES – oops – but you’ll be grooving as much as you did back when you you’d listen to that Mentos jingle . . .
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.
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 . . .
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.
“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!
Bees Deluxe is a full-tilt,
Peter Wolf (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!
The Boston Globe on The Franc Graham Band:
“Immensely Underrated… cool and commanding… an unusually rich blend of singer-songwriter rock…”
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.
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.” –
Nick Pope is a multi-instrumentalist out of Somerville, MA. He’s a huge fan of Louis Armstrong’s solos, Whitney Houston performing The National Anthem, Radiohead performing “The National Anthem,” Kelly Clarkson’s “Break Away,” the key change in “Thong Song,” and Yes’ first three albums.
