ROX-TV gets an exclusive interview with the Toadies. We chop it up about the band’s history, album releases, the 25th Anniversary Tour “Rubberneck” coming this year, and much more.
Welcome back to the ROX-TV website. I’d like to thank all the returning readers and also those of you who have wandered in for the first time. As you know, we like to mix up our content with album reviews, new artists, the underground music scene, movies, and all things that interest us. My absolute favorite articles to do though are the exclusive interviews with bands. Tonight, I’m excited to announce that we will be talking with the gold and platinum artists known to the world as the Toadies.
As the regular readers know, I’m from the nineties and the Toadies exploded onto the scene with one of the best albums of that era called “Rubberneck”. I remember the first time I seen these guys on MTV and their music and visual presence was so right for those years. The songs they kicked out really captured the essence of that time in my life when I was coming up and really deep diving into the music. The video for “Possum Kingdom” is probably one of the best examples from that moment in history and really is a great representation of the energy that was booming around the country.
The group achieved some great milestones during that time, but the important and really exciting thing is that they never stopped pumping out the jams. They have continued to roll through the years and are getting ready to do the 25th Anniversary Tour for the album “Rubberneck”. They will be travelling around the country this year and for those of you living in the Murder Mitten, they will be stopping into Royal Oak on 10/12/2022. You do not want to miss the show. If you live outside of the Mitten, head over to the Toadies website for dates and locations near you. We will be talking more about that in a minute, so keep reading. The Toadies have shared the stages with some of the biggest names in music, toured everywhere, broke up, and come together again to release more amazing sounds.
https://thetoadies.com/tour-dates/
So kick back, crack a beer, roll a joint, or whatever you need to get relaxed and get ready to spend a night with ROX-TV and the Toadies. Ladies and Gentlemen, take your seats…the show is about to begin.
I’d like to thank the Toadies for taking time to stop by the ROX-TV website to talk with the readers. Before we get too far into the weeds, I’d like to talk about your hometown. I understand that the Toadies formed up in 1989, hailing from Fort Worth, Texas. How did the group meet back in the day and what drew the members to each other?
The three original members, Vaden, Charles Mooney, and Lisa Umbarger, met while they were working together at Sound Warehouse, a record store in Ft. Worth. I think they were drawn together through a love of music and similar musical tastes.
I’m always fascinated by what brings people to a life of music, especially for the artists and creators. Going back to those early years in each of your lives, when was the first time that you noticed music. I’m not talking about the first time you heard a song, but the first time you heard the sounds and the world paused for a second. When you were bit by the music and everything changed? (each member can answer or collectively, whatever your most comfortable with). Do you remember the exact song/artists, perhaps a situation?
Music has always been a part of my life: my Dad was a professional musician and loved music (jazz music and polka music). And my Mom and siblings all loved music too, so there was always music in the house, records by the Beatles, Beach Boys, Supremes, Temptations, etc. But the first record I bought with my own money was Jackson 5’s ABC album. When I heard their songs on the radio, and discovered they were all brothers, I knew I wanted to do something like that, and wanted the records.
I really enjoy the history of the music and I like to dig a little deeper. Before the amazing “Rubberneck” album was released in 1994, there were a few trunk releases and also the EP “Pleather” in May of 1993. “Pleather” featured some blistering tracks like “Mister Love”, “Happy Face”, and of course the eventual smash track “Possum Kingdom”.
The songs on “Pleather” were so unique sounding, raw, edgy, and with a driving push that it caught the attention of Interscope Records. Before we talk about that, can you take us back to those days of writing and recording “Pleather”. What was life like for the band at the time? How did the songs come together? And what were your expectations at the time? Did you know that your world was about to change based off this EP?
We were rehearsing at a storage unit on the east side of Ft. Worth, working up songs that were mainly written by Vaden, and playing gigs around the DFW area. When we signed to a new indie label called Grass Records, we were mainly excited to have our music pressed on an actual CD, and hoped it would be available in record stores. I don’t think our ambitions really extended beyond that.
How was dealing with Interscope Records and the signing experience? It must have been a thrilling time for you all. The hard work had paid off and Interscope released “Rubberneck” in 1994. Containing more bomb tracks like “Scorcher”, “I Come From the Water”, and the totally fine “Tyler”, as well as tracks from the original EP release. The album is such a standout. I’m from the 1990’s and when I hear this album I’m literally transported back. The album might as well be the greatest time machine ever for those that walked around back then. With the “Possum Kingdom” as the tip of the spear, this album would eventually go Gold in 1994 and Platinum in 1995. Simply an amazing accomplishment. What was life like for the group during this amazing ride? I’m sure you could feel the momentum building. What was it like to see your faces on MTV? What was it like to be in the pack, rocketing down the road with Grunge in full bloom?
It seemed like it all happened pretty fast in retrospect. We signed with Interscope in June of 1993, and by September we were in Northern California (near Mendocino) recording the album. When it was all finished in November ’93, we went back home and waited almost a year until it was released in August 1994. We went on tour the following month in our van, opening for other artists like Samiam, Big Chief, and The Goats. When we did a tour opening for Bush, a new high profile group on Interscope touring behind their debut album, things started to happen pretty fast. We got bigger opening slots, like White Zombie and a second tour with Bush, as well as doing headlining shows of our own, and going from a van to a bus. By the end of 1995, Possum Kingdom had become a buzz clip on MTV and our album was certified gold.
With success comes the road. The Toadies toured the 1990‘s opening for some of music’s biggest names including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bush, White Zombie, and the Butthole Surfers. What was life like on the road during that time for the band? Was it everything you thought it could be? Or something else perhaps? How did the group get on with the other groups on tour?
We got on well with the bands we toured with for the most part. We had a lot of fun on tour, and as we got more popular, more people would come to the shows and the crowds grew wilder and more rabid, with moshing, stage diving and all that. By the summer of 1996, while we were on a co-headlining tour with Butthole Surfers, we were informed our record had gone platinum.
After riding high from “Rubberneck” it was back into the studio for “Feeler”. Interscope didn’t like the direction of the 2nd album and the release stalled out. What the hell was wrong with Interscope? I’m assuming that was frustrating and disappointing for the band. What was going on in your mind set following the disagreement? Did you think Interscope’s poor judgement hurt the momentum of the group at that time?
I think Interscope not releasing our second album in 1998 definitely stopped our momentum dead in its tracks. And yes, it was a very trying time for the band and each of us as individuals.
The situation was rectified in the album “Hell Below/Stars Above” but much time had passed since the projected release of “Feeler” in 1998. Ultimately some songs were salvaged from the “Feeler” album, but “Hell Below/Stars Above” did not get released until March of 2001. By that time Interscope oddly did not promote the album and the band split up due to symptoms of lousy label handling on InterScope’s part. Do you think if “Feeler” had been allowed to drop in the 1990’s where it sounds like it belongs, it would have done as well as the “Rubberneck”? Did the label’s actions, which caused the “Hell Below/Stars Above” release to be pushed out to 2001, maybe again slow down momentum of the band and miss an opportunity to strike when the iron was hot?
We were (and are) very proud of the HB/SA album. We literally spent years of hard work coming up with those songs, and it felt great to finally have them released and heard by the public. But then to receive almost zero promotion from the label after all that got to be too much and we decided to call it quits.
After the break up, things were quiet for awhile. Interscope released a greatest hits album in 2002, which was later picked up by Kirtland Records along with the back catalogue. What were things like for everyone during these days? Did you ever think you’d play together again under the Toadies banner?
After the breakup we each went our separate ways. But we kept in touch and played a couple reunion shows. We didn’t say we’d never play together or anything. But I don’t think any of us thought it would become a full time gig again.
The band reformed to play a St. Paddy’s Day show in 2006. What was it like to play together again? Do you credit that show with getting the ball rolling towards another album, eventually released in 2008 and called “No Deliverance”? Can you talk about the “No Deliverance” recordings and the feeling you were all experiencing at that time?
Yeah, the St. Pat’s gig in ‘06 definitely got the ball sort of rolling again. We played another St. Pat’s show in ‘07, so it was sort of becoming a little bit more of a regular thing. In February of 2008, Vaden called and asked if I was into starting the band back up. It kind of surprised me, and I was a little hesitant. I had been playing with another band for 6 years by that time (Eleven Hundred Springs, a country band based in Dallas) and had a busy schedule. But I missed playing rock & roll. So during gaps in my schedule, we recorded No Deliverance. I would fly or drive down to Austin on Monday, record all week, and then return to the DFW area on Thursday or Friday for gigs all weekend. Lather, rinse, and repeat. It was hectic, but fun.
In 2010, after years of waiting, the “Feeler” album was released properly. The album was getting leaked on the internet and you guys wanted it to be heard the way it was intended. Was there a personal triumph in finally getting to release the “Feeler” album? Maybe a big middle finger to your old label? What was the group feeling during this release?
It just felt like a bit of unfinished business sort of hanging over our heads. We thought it would be a good resolution to re-record those songs and give it a proper release.
In 2012, the band released their fifth album “Play.Rock.Music”. It has some great numbers on it and jumps out of the gate with “Rattler’s Revival” and features some burner tunes like “Beside You”, “Laments of a Good Man”, and my favorite off the album “We Burned the Cities Down”. It’s polished, tough, and has some great guitar (as well as the vocals and drums of course) playing. Kirtland Records released it. I’m only guessing here, but Kirtland Records was a way better fit than Interscope? Did they give you more flexibility to be who you were and are?
Yeah, Kirtland has been great. They give us pretty much total freedom to record what we want with no pressure. It’s a great fit.
2015 saw the release of “Heretics” which contained some re-imagining of songs and even a cover of “Heart of Glass” by Blondie. What was the recording process like during this time? The “Heart of Glass” cover is absolutely fitting, like a glove, it sounds like it was made for the Toadies. Similar to a Dylan/Hendrix experience with “All along the watchtower”. What made you pick that song? Has Debbie heard it?
We’d been hosting our own annual music festival, Dia de Los Toadies in various places around Texas for several years. On night one of each year’s fest, we’d play a more intimate, acoustic-based show where we’d deconstruct some of our songs and play some unusual covers. So that idea was kind of the basis for the Heretics album. “Heart Of Glass” is a great song that stood up to that kind of treatment. No idea if Debbie Harry or the rest of Blondie have heard it.
Most recently the band has released the “The Lower Side of Uptown” in 2017. Is the band working on any new projects at the moment? Any news you’d like to tease out for the readers at ROX-TV.com?
The plan is to record a new album at some point, hopefully later this year. We’ve been wanting to do a new album for a few years, and then Covid happened, etc.
The 25th Anniversary tour of “Rubberneck” is coming this year. The album will be played in its entirety and I can’t wait to cover the event in October when you guys hit Metro Detroit with a stop in Royal Oak. What can fans expect from this amazing Anniversary Tour?
Yeah, we’re playing the whole album front to back, plus some crowd favorites from our other albums and maybe a few surprises. The Reverend Horton Heat, our friends from here in Texas, will be on the tour, so it’s gonna be a blast. Can’t wait!
Thanks, Mike
For the dopest Toadies gear head over to Kirtland Records site for pages of shirts, stickers, coloring books, Toadies Rubberneck Rubbers, and much much more.
