Calendar

Mar
22
Thu
Melvern Taylor & His Fabulous Meltones
Mar 22 @ 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
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Baker Thomas Band
Mar 22 @ 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 . . .

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Mar
23
Fri
Abbie Barrett Band
Mar 23 @ 10:00 pm
Abbie Barrett Band

Abbie Barrett, Boston Music Award Winner for Songwriter in 2015,  fronts her band featuring Ed Valauskas (bass), Jack Hamilton (keys), Josh Kiggans (drums), and Mike Oram (guitar).

Paul Robicheau of The Improper wrote that their album, That Shame, showcases her in full rock mode, sometimes evoking the tone and phrasing of the Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde…[Her] craftsmanship extends from the gorgeous vocals of “As I Wanted You” and the soaring crescendos of “Falling” to the catchy ’80s-flavored punch of “Take It in Stride.”

Mar
24
Sat
Niall Connolly
Mar 24 @ 7:30 pm
Niall Connolly

At the core of every Niall Connolly song is the story, one that unfolds a layer with each listen.

Lady Lupine
Mar 24 @ 10:00 pm
Lady Lupine

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.

Mar
25
Sun
Sunday Spins
Mar 25 @ 3:00 pm
Sunday Spins

Bring your vinyls as we get to take turns playing our faves…

LEARN MORE

Ship of the Sun (music of the Grateful Dead)
Mar 25 @ 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.

 

 

Mar
26
Mon
David Johnston
Mar 26 @ 7:30 pm

Peter Wolf (formerly of the 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.

The White Owls
Mar 26 @ 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

Mar
27
Tue
Dan Mills
Mar 27 @ 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.

Honey Talk
Mar 27 @ 10:00 pm

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

 

Mar
28
Wed
Fandango
Mar 28 @ 7:00 pm

Fred Griffeth fronts Fandango  – Their celebrated selection of Americana music draws a loyal band of pious sisters and reform school brothers! – Truth . . .

Air Congo
Mar 28 @ 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!

Mar
29
Thu
Telescope
Mar 29 @ 7:30 pm
Telescope

Telescope is one of Andrew Stern‘s projects –  He came up with the name because the band is designed around the Telecaster guitar.

When the question is posed to guitarists, “If you could have just one guitar, what would it be?”, polls show that an overwhelming number of guitarists reply, “a Telecaster”. I rank as one who would answer exactly the same. The telecaster is a versatile tool which can cover a lot of ground, but more importantly, it changes the way I approach and play the instrument. Inspired by my own teles and by some telecaster playing guitar heroes of mine, I’ve designed a band around the guitar itself, appropriately titled “Telescope”. A mix of originals and covers, it’s a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll and more than a little bit undefined.

Oh – and besides, Andrew . . . the other names should also “sound” familiar:

Andrew Stern: guitar
James Rohr: keys
Greg Loughman: bass
Mike Connors: drums

 

Baker Thomas Band
Mar 29 @ 10:00 pm

ET – phone home –   yeah, yeah –

but only after the Baker Thomas Band show . . .  they’re out of this world. . .“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

 

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Mar
30
Fri
Abbie Barrett Band
Mar 30 @ 10:00 pm
Abbie Barrett Band

Abbie Barrett, Boston Music Award Winner for Songwriter in 2015,  fronts her band featuring Ed Valauskas (bass), Jack Hamilton (keys), Josh Kiggans (drums), and Mike Oram (guitar).

Paul Robicheau of The Improper wrote that their album, That Shame, showcases her in full rock mode, sometimes evoking the tone and phrasing of the Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde…[Her] craftsmanship extends from the gorgeous vocals of “As I Wanted You” and the soaring crescendos of “Falling” to the catchy ’80s-flavored punch of “Take It in Stride.”

Mar
31
Sat
Sado-Domestics
Mar 31 @ 7:30 pm
Sado-Domestics

Sado-Domestics is the singing-songwriting partnership of Lucy Martinez (Lucy and the Dreamers) and Chris Gleason (Los Goutos).

Perhaps get a feel by checking out their list of influences:

Neko Case, Wilco, Gillian Welch & Dave Rawlings, The Stray Birds, Winterpills, Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris, Carolina Chocolate Drops, The Jayhawks, The Pretenders, Tom Waits, The Replacements, The White Stripes, The Band, The Gourds, Jenny Lewis, Bikini Kill, The Fundies, Old Crow Medicine Show, David Lindley, Mavis Staples, Son Volt, The Pixies, The Breeders, New Multitudes…

Los Goutos
Mar 31 @ 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
1
Sun
Sunday Spins
Apr 1 @ 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!

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Blue Light Bandits (acoustic)
Apr 1 @ 9:00 pm
Blue Light Bandits (acoustic)

Blue Light Bandits is an independent four-piece groove rock band from Worcester, MA. After receiving the “Best Up & Coming Act” award at the 2016 Worcester Music Awards, BLB released their first LP in October of 2017.  Their debut LP climbed to #186 on the NACC 200 national college radio charts. “It’s a smooth piece of work, rife with some spectacular guitar work and a low-key sort of funk” – T&G.

Apr
2
Mon
David Johnston
Apr 2 @ 7:30 pm

Peter Wolf (formerly of the 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.

The White Owls
Apr 2 @ 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
3
Tue
Honey Talk
Apr 3 @ 7:30 pm

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

 

The Blue Ribbons
Apr 3 @ 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
4
Wed
Fandango
Apr 4 @ 7:00 pm

Fred Griffeth fronts Fandango  – Their celebrated selection of Americana music draws a loyal band of pious sisters and reform school brothers! – Truth . . .

Air Congo
Apr 4 @ 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
5
Thu
Melvern Taylor & His Fabulous Meltones
Apr 5 @ 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 5 @ 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.

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Apr
6
Fri
Big Ben Hillman – The Professor of Funk
Apr 6 @ 10:00 pm

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 with rock legends Les Claypool and Jimmy Buffet.

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

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Apr
7
Sat
Mike Gent (of The Figgs)
Apr 7 @ 7:30 pm
Mike Gent (of The Figgs)

Hitting the stage tonight is Mike Gent, guitarist & vocalist of The Figgs.

The tried and true band The Figgs,  has a worldwide fan base, a hearty discography,  and celebrates more than 25 years together.   Members (Mike Gent, Pete Donnelly and Pete Hayes) have been playing since the trio was in high school in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The Figgs tunes are stuffed with Kinks-inspired power and melodies, vibrant harmonies and sonic experimentation ala The Beatles and the The Band, the reach of NRBQ’s eclecticism, and a grit and youthfulness akin to the best rock bands from The Who to the Ramones

David Johnston Band
Apr 7 @ 10:00 pm

Peter Wolf (formerly of the 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.

Apr
8
Sun
Sunday Spins
Apr 8 @ 3:00 pm
Sunday Spins

Bring your vinyls as we get to take turns playing our faves…

LEARN MORE

Dietrich Strause
Apr 8 @ 9:00 pm
Dietrich Strause

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.

Apr
9
Mon
David Johnston
Apr 9 @ 7:30 pm

Peter Wolf (formerly of the 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.

AS SEEN AT TOAD...