Toadies Book 2020 Studio Time With ‘Bucket List’ Producer
The past and the future are on the immediate minds of the Toadies. As 2019 heads to the fall, the band has announced a handful of dates celebrating the 25th anniversary of their 1994 breakout album, Rubberneck. Plus, they've already started looking ahead to the next album checking off a "bucket list" item in the process.
The band has enlisted acclaimed producer Steve Albini to oversee their next album, and sessions for their eighth studio release will commence in early 2020 in Chicago.
Bassist Doni Blair says that Albini is a "bucket list producer," while guitarist Clark Vogeler adds, "There are records in each of our collections that were recorded by him which mean the world to us. The sound he brought to records like The Pixies’ Surfer Rosa, and PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me, capture the feeling of being in a room with a band while they play (quite loudly, it would appear). A personal fave, Wedding Present's Seamonsters saved me in a way that no other record has."
Vogeler continued, "The emotion of the songs just pours out of the speakers. His recordings of bands are honest; there’s not much in the way of Pro Tools fixing (he records to tape) or studio trickery (no autotune in sight!). It’s mostly just a band in a room with microphones, playing the songs, and that appeals to us at this point. We’ve always felt like we could deliver live, so why not record the band live?”
As stated previously, Toadies will also be celebrating the 25th anniversary of their Rubberneck album this year. The album provided the '90s alterna-radio staple "Possum Kingdom" as well as the hit track "Tyler." The band's career was stunted a bit after a split following the release of their second album, Hell Below / Stars Above, but a reunion in 2006 helped put them back on the musical map.
Vogeler says “That people still want to hear the Rubberneck songs live, 25 years later is a testament to the bond that people make with the music they love. There are certainly albums that old or older that mean a lot to me, so it’s not hard to understand. To be in a band who plays songs that elicit joy in a crowd of people is a musician’s dream come true. There is literally no feeling on earth like the one I get when I play the first few notes from ‘Tyler,’ and everyone in the room screams with excitement.”
Drummer Mark Reznickek adds “I never gave much thought to what I’d be doing 25 years later, but I’m pretty certain I didn’t think I’d still be playing all those songs. I never expected the band or the album to be as long-lived as it has been. Seeing the smiles on the fans faces, and hearing the roar of the crowd when we play their favorite songs will never get old. I guess I really am livin’ the dream.”
The band will stay close to home, limiting the run to four Texas-based dates with The Bluebonnets featuring Kathy Valentine, Dominique Davalos, Eve Monsees and Kristy McInnis supporting. The group will also play one other October date, supporting country singer Cody Jinks in Houston. See the dates listed below.
Toadies Fall 2019 Tour Dates
Oct. 9 – Abilene, Texas @ Patio with Bluebonnets*
Oct. 10 – Lubbock, Texas @ Jake’s Backroom with Bluebonnets*
Oct. 11– Dallas, Texas @ Southside Ballroom with Jonathon Tyler and Bluebonnets*
Oct. 12- Houston, Texas @ Sam Houston Race Park supporting Cody Jinks
Oct. 13 – Corpus Cristi, Texas @ Brewster St. Icehouse with Bluebonnets*
*Rubberneck Anniversary Show
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