Calendar
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.” –
Boston native, Sonya Rae is a rising star with a blend of gifts rarely found on the blues-rock and soul scene today. Her dazzling musical ability is immediately evident through her soaring vocals, scorching guitar work and savvy song-craft. She has been likened to a “fiery female combination of Warren Haynes, Bonnie Raitt and Amy Winehouse”
“happy songs for miserable people” – Melvern
check out a fan fave “Sleepy Eyes” – recorded right here at TOAD
Press:
“Your music makes me want to pee. In a good way….”
Melvern Taylor is the Sam Shepard of the Ukulele!
“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 . . .
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.
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.
Lina Cooper is a singer-songwriter, arranger, producer and artist from Donetsk, Ukraine currently living in Boston. Lina is going to Berklee college of music double-majoring in Contemporary Writing & Production and Songwriting with a minor in Conducting. Also, she is a part of The ArtHouse Collective.
Since the age of 5 Lina has been attracted to music and art, reading a lot of books, adored listening to famous musicians, and dreaming of one day actually becoming one.
Her grandfather used to listen to a lot of ABBA and Queen, her mother – classical music and jazz, her father – a lot of soviet rock-n-roll, blues and singer-songwriters. So, she was surrounded with different kind of music from the very start and that influenced her own style
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!
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!
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 –
John Powhida International Airport won the Boston 2011 Rock and Roll Rumble! Hot Dog! 5 yrs after The Rudds took silver JPX takes Gold!!!
John Powhida is a singer/songwriter living in Boston. John is a multiple Boston Music Award nominee and his songs have been featured in episodes of My Name is Earl and Men in Trees. He has sung on recordings by The Click Five, Sarah Borges and The Gentlemen. You may have seen him perform with his beloved Boston rock and soul combo The Rudds or even as guitarist with rock n roll icon and author Bebe Buell.
Powhida’s main boogie from here on out will continue to be John Powhida International Airport, a potent 6 piece rock, disco, soul, pop fuzion entertainment unit of the highest original order.
Honey Talk is a fresh, innovative, and comfortable quartet that performs classic hits and inviting originals making you feel sweeter than honey.
Honey talk is:
Cody Nilsen – Guitar/Vocals
Steve Bunce- Bass/Vocals
Ben Blanchard – Keys/Vocals
Pat “Daddy” Dalton – Drums/Vocals
check out one of their songs HERE
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.” –
New Orleans-based, Americana/Alt-Country group Ever More Nest stops in at TOAD with their debut album, The Place That You Call Home, which was recently nominated for Best Alt-Country Album in the Independent Music Awards.
Currently touring as a duo, Ever More Nest features the emotive, authentic voice of lead singer/songwriter Kelcy Mae accompanied by the soulful, shimmering guitar work and heart-rending harmonies of Dave DeCotiis.
Produced by 2018 Grammy-nominated producer Neilson Hubbard (Mary Gauthier), The Place That You Call Home poses the universal question: “Just where do I belong?” According to Folk Radio UK, “The answer is clearly in any discerning Americana CD collection.” No Depression calls the project “brilliant” and Country Standard Time calls it a “can’t-miss recording.
Check out the facebook event HERE!
And share with your friends!
“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
“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 . . .
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.
Lady Lupine is a Boston based soul and rock band that delivers thrilling performances of original and covered music. Their sound is a unique blend of poignant lyrics, robust rhythms and alluring melodies. Drawing inspiration from artists like Stevie Wonder, Hiatus Kaiyote, Erykah Badu and Santigold, Lady Lupine creates an engaging experience while cultivating visceral connections through sound.
With a new CD titled Drinking Songs for Lovers, one might be forgiven for believing that Jack Grace should ease up a little. Songs like “Morning Margaritas,” “Drinkin’ and Gamblin’,” and “You Drank Yourself into a Corner” are certainly convincing evidence that the singer, songwriter and guitarist who has made a career out of following no one’s rules but his own is probably going to keep doing his thing until his liver lays down the law.
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!
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.
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!
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 –
“We Are One, Broke In Two, Out In This Strange Place, Who Are You?” The opening lines of the title track raise this question. So who is Grant Farm, and what are they trying to tell us?
Grant Farm is a brotherhood with a song to sing and a story to tell. The double-vinyl release, Broke In Two (June 14, 2019), delves deep into the human relationship with the mystic, furthering the storylines and characters introduced on Kiss The Ground (2016). A testament of empathy for the working people in this demanding modern world, Kiss The Ground was “an appropriate soundtrack to an era that bred Bernie Sanders and widespread societal discontent.” – Kiran Herbert (Relix Magazine).
Broke In Two is an evolution of this concept, developing Archetypal characters such as The Innocent One and The Wanderer in the song “Arjuna The Believer”, Nester the Condemned and The Monarch King in “Nester”, and introducing The Rebel in “Life Of Riley” and the Caregiver in “Tumbleweed”. Real life experiences interplay with these characters, especially in “River Styx” and “The Salmon Song”, both of which reflect true experiences of loss and lessons passed on to the bereaved. The depth and breadth of the songs and stories on Broke In Two are punctuated by the band’s virtuosic musicianship, clever arrangements, and top-notch group vocals.
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.” –
“happy songs for miserable people” – Melvern
check out a fan fave “Sleepy Eyes” – recorded right here at TOAD
Press:
“Your music makes me want to pee. In a good way….”
Melvern Taylor is the Sam Shepard of the Ukulele!
“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 . . .
Over the course of his career, Big Ben Hillman has shared the stage with a host of diverse and well known musicians including hip hop stars Method Man and Ghostface Killa from the Wu Tang Clan, De La Soul, Biz Markie, Digable Planets and Mix Master Mike of The Beasty Boys. He has also been seen performing
Big Ben Hillman is quite the smooth retro funkster…. The production is excellent on all levels, keeping the listener in a comfortable, easy-flowing harmonic place. Ben never falters – his compositions and production show signs of a master at work enjoying his craft. I’m just going to think of Big Ben Hillman as the new Barry White on the opposite end of the vocal spectrum. – T Max, The Noise
In 2014 the erstwhile Boston-based band Fertile Virgin were asked to reunite as part of the WMBR Pipeline 25th Anniversary series of concerts. Three of the original five members of Fertile Virgin reconnected after some 20+ years and took to the stage once again in that nostalgic event celebrating Boston’s rich musical legacy of local bands.
“Why ever did we stop doing this?” the women wondered, and so – they continued. Writing and playing new songs as a guitar/bass duo called Cricket. Rose Defiant (Julie Kantner) and Baby Woman (Donna Sartanowicz) continued to evolve their sound for a new time and circumstance. In the Summer of 2016 they were rejoined by their drummer, Lady Paprika (Leslie Boisset-Dell’Elce) who locked in that beat and solidified their signature sound. Old MoB friend Clint Conley christened them The Very and after a year of live performances they recorded their first EP: “Perfumed Apocalypse.” Upon hearing the recording for the first time another fan wrote: “This reminds me so much of the tunes I used to live on in the 80s and 90s when pop music was cool and relevant and smart – amazing!”
The Big Sip uses uses their music to reimagine the consuming grooves and hard beat drops that characterize computerized music. In their shows, they deliver the adrenaline rush and emotional impact of a night out in search of love and human connection
“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!
