Toad the Wet Sprocket is an American

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band formed in Santa Barbara, California, in 1986. The band at the time consisted of vocalist/guitarist Glen Phillips, guitarist

Todd Nichols Toad the Wet Sprocket is an American alternative rock band formed in Santa Barbara, California, in 1986. The band at the time consisted of vocalist/guitarist Glen Phillips, guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning, and drummer Randy Guss, ...

, bassist

Dean Dinning Toad the Wet Sprocket is an American alternative rock band formed in Santa Barbara, California, in 1986. The band at the time consisted of vocalist/guitarist Glen Phillips, guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning, and drummer Randy Guss ...

, and drummer

Randy Guss Randel "Randy" Guss (born March 7, 1967) is an American musician and drummer. He was best known as the drummer for the band Toad the Wet Sprocket from its formation in 1986 until he stopped touring in 2017 and left the band in 2020. Career G ...

, who stopped touring in 2017 and left the band in 2020. Guss was replaced by drummer Josh Daubin, who had been supporting them as their drummer on recent tours. They had chart success in the 1990s with singles that included "

Walk on the Ocean "Walk on the Ocean" is a song by American alternative rock group Toad the Wet Sprocket from their third studio album, ''Fear'' (1991). Two different versions of the song were released: the album version with a cold ending (timed at 2:59) and the ...

", " All I Want", " Something's Always Wrong", " Fall Down", and " Good Intentions". The band broke up in 1998 to pursue other projects; however, they began touring the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

again in 2006 for short-run tours each summer in small venues. In December 2010, the band announced their official reunion as a full-time working band and started writing songs for their first studio album of new material since their 1997

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

release, '' Coil''. Their most recent full-length album, ''Starting Now'', was released on August 27, 2021.

History

Name origin

Toad the Wet Sprocket takes its name from a

Monty Python Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British comedy troupe who created the sketch comedy television show '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four ...

comedy sketch called "Rock Notes", in which a journalist delivers a nonsensical music news report: As their first gig approached, the band still had not chosen a name. The members facetiously adopted "Toad the Wet Sprocket" because they thought it would be "hilarious". Vocalist Glen Phillips later called it "a joke that went on too long" and, according to their website, "it was probably meant to be temporary at the time." The name had been used once before, by a short-lived British blues band of the late 1970s that had appeared on the 1980 ''

Metal for Muthas ''Metal for Muthas'' is the name given to a series of heavy metal compilations made during the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM). The original compilation was ''Metal for Muthas'', released in February 1980. The compilation was a sampl ...

'' compilation, although the earlier band had long since split up when Philips and company formed their band.

Eric Idle Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943) is an English actor, comedian, musician and writer. Idle was a member of the British surreal comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band The Rutles, and is the writer of the music and lyrics for the Broadwa ...

, the sketch's original performer, reflected on the band's name in a 1999 performance: There was also an extended skit about the fictional Toad the Wet Sprocket on one of Idle's later shows, ''

Rutland Weekend Television ''Rutland Weekend Television'' (''RWT'') was a television sketch show on BBC2, written by Eric Idle with music by Neil Innes. Two series were broadcast, the first consisting of six episodes in 1975, and the second series of seven episodes in ...

'' (Season 1, Episode 4, "Rutland Weekend Whistle Test"). ''RWT'' musician and regular cast member

Neil Innes Neil James Innes (; 9 December 1944 – 29 December 2019) was an English writer, comedian and musician. He first came to prominence in the pioneering comedy rock group Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and later became a frequent collaborator with the Mon ...

, ex-

Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (also known as The Bonzo Dog Band or The Bonzos) was created by a group of British art-school students in the 1960s. Combining elements of music hall, trad jazz and psychedelia with surreal humour and avant-garde art, ...

and " The Seventh Python", played keyboards with the somnolent band.

Early career (1986–1990)

Toad the Wet Sprocket was formed in 1986, with the members having known one another from San Marcos High School just outside

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...

. Singer/songwriter and guitarist Glen Phillips was only 15, while guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning, and drummer Randy Guss were 19. The band's first public appearance was at an open-mic talent contest in September 1986. The band did not win. Toad the Wet Sprocket's first album was released in 1989. '' Bread & Circus'' was self-financed through their label, Abe's Records. The album spawned the singles "Way Away" and "One Little Girl", which made the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Modern Rock Tracks chart Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

but received little attention. The follow-up to ''Bread & Circus'', ''

Pale Pale may refer to: Jurisdictions * Medieval areas of English conquest: ** Pale of Calais, in France (1360–1558) ** The Pale, or the English Pale, in Ireland *Pale of Settlement, area of permitted Jewish settlement, western Russian Empire (179 ...

'', was released in 1990, and saw Toad the Wet Sprocket's sound mature. During the recording of the album, the band signed to

while declining the opportunity to re-record ''Pale'' but negotiating to have

reissue '' Bread & Circus''. Featuring the singles "Jam" and the modern-rock chart hit "Come Back Down", the album was still not a success, but the singles received heavy airplay on

college radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...

stations. The band's first music video (for "One Little Girl") was directed by

Mark Miremont Mark Miremont is an American artist who works in photography, experimental film, music video and aphoristic writing. Early life and education Mark Miremont was born in Madrid, Spain and studied philosophy at UCLA & Harvard. His first experim ...

and aired on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

's ''

120 Minutes ''120 Minutes'' is a television program in the United States dedicated to the alternative music genre, that originally aired on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then aired on MTV's associate channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003. After its cancellation, MTV ...

''.

Commercial breakthrough (1991–1998)

Toad the Wet Sprocket finally achieved fame with their third album, 1991's ''

fear Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear ...

''. The album's singles " All I Want" and "

" reached the top 20 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album became the band's first RIAA-certified

platinum album Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. In 1993, the

Mike Myers Michael John Myers OC (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. His accolades include seven MTV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollyw ...

feature film '' So I Married an Axe Murderer'' included the song "Brother" on its soundtrack. "Brother" later appeared on the ''

In Light Syrup ''In Light Syrup'' is an album of B-sides and rare tracks by American alternative rock band Toad the Wet Sprocket, released in 1995. ''In Light Syrup'' was RIAA Certified In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIA ...

'' compilation album, as well as on the 2004 release of the live album ''Welcome Home: Live at the Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara 1992''. In 1994, after years of heavy touring, Toad the Wet Sprocket released ''

Dulcinea Dulcinea del Toboso is a fictional character who is unseen in Miguel de Cervantes' novel ''Don Quijote''. Don Quijote believes he must have a lady, under the mistaken view that chivalry requires it. As he does not have one, he invents her, mak ...

'', their follow-up to ''

''. This album spawned the hit singles " Fall Down", which reached No. 1 on the U.S. Modern Rock charts, as well as No. 5 on the

Mainstream Rock chart Mainstream Rock is a music chart in '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched i ...

, and "Something's Always Wrong", which also charted. Like ''fear'', this album was certified platinum by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. A 1995 compilation album of

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

s and rarities, ''

,'' included the singles " Good Intentions", which was featured on the soundtrack for the television show ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...

'', as well as the aforementioned "Brother". The compilation was certified as a

gold album Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

in 2001. The release of 1997's '' Coil'' acted as the proper follow-up to 1994's ''Dulcinea''. Featuring a more electric, rock sound, it featured the modern-rock and mainstream rock hit " Come Down", as well as the singles "Crazy Life" (a previous recording of the song was featured on the soundtrack for the film ''

Empire Records ''Empire Records'' is a 1995 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Allan Moyle, starring Anthony LaPaglia, Maxwell Caulfield, Debi Mazar, Rory Cochrane, Johnny Whitworth, Robin Tunney, Renée Zellweger, and Liv Tyler. The fil ...

'') and "Whatever I Fear", which did not chart. The album, despite the success of "Come Down" as a single, failed to reach any sales benchmarks. This failure is often attributed to the label doing a poor job of promoting the album. Toad the Wet Sprocket formally broke up in July 1998, citing creative differences.

Post-breakup and reunions (1998–2008)

Toad the Wet Sprocket, though officially broken up since 1998, worked together off and on over the years. They performed on several occasions in 1999, although only short sets. Also in 1999, Phillips, Dinning, and Guss recorded two studio tracks for a compilation release, P.S. (A Toad Retrospective), including one of the first songs the band wrote together, "P.S." Nichols declined to participate in these sessions and was replaced by Lapdog guitarist Rob Taylor. Toad the Wet Sprocket temporarily reunited in late 2002, playing a benefit for the Rape Crisis Center in Santa Barbara and opening a few shows for

Counting Crows Counting Crows is an American rock band from San Francisco, California. Formed in 1991, the band consists of guitarist David Bryson, drummer Jim Bogios, vocalist Adam Duritz, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham, David Immerglück, bass guitarist Mil ...

. The group then played a few months of full-length shows in early 2003. Although these gigs were seemingly successful, at the end of the tour, the band decided to continue on their separate paths and careers. In 2004, the band released an album of a live show that was put to tape in 1992. This album, ''Welcome Home: Live at The Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara 1992,'' showcased the height of their popularity during the tour for ''fear''. Between 2004 and 2010, Toad the Wet Sprocket performed several short sets together. In the summer of 2006, the band reunited for a 34-date nationwide tour of the United States. During the summer of 2007, they played several shows with lead singer Glen Phillips serving as their opening act. On January 16, 2008, the band reunited once again to play two shows – one in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

, then the next night at the

House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers''. The first location opened at ...

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

, prior to joining The Rock Boat VIII. On January 25, 2008, the band played a set at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...

. On June 11–12, 2008, they played in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and New Jersey at the

Trocadero Theatre The Trocadero Theatre (opened as the Arch Street Opera House) is a historic theater located in Chinatown in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It offered musical comedies, vaudeville, opera, and burlesque. The Trocadero Theatre was refurbished for us ...

and Starland Ballroom, respectively. On June 14, 2008, they played at the 27th annual Alexandria Red Cross Waterfront Festival. On June 15, 2008, the band performed at The Norva in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

. One of the show's highlights was the band performing Glen Phillip's solo hit "Everything But You". On December 19, 2008, Toad the Wet Sprocket performed on '' The Adam Carolla Show'' at the Canyon Club in

Agoura Hills, California Agoura Hills () is a city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 20,330 at the 2010 census, which decreased to 20,299 in 2020. It is in the eastern Conejo Valley between the S ...

. In May 2009, they played a four show mini-tour, including two nights at the intimate 400 seat venue The Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and also in an outdoor venue at Neptunes Park in

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

. Continuing throughout the 2009 summer, the group played a second 12-stop mini tour, which started with a show at the House of Blues in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. During the show, the band noted that it had been some time since they had played a venue in Texas. However, noting the positive crowd response and energetic atmosphere, Philips stated that the group "would try to make it an annual stop" in the future.

Full-time reunion, return to recording, and ''New Constellation'' (2009–present)

In 2009, bassist Dean Dinning said Toad the Wet Sprocket was now something each member considered an active project, and though they had not released a new studio album since 1997 and only did small summer tours, they no longer considered themselves "broken up". In May 2010, the band gathered at a California studio to begin re-recording some of their older hits for licensing reasons. Columbia Records owns the masters to the band's albums. Therefore, the band makes little money from them, so to be able to make a living off their own talent again, they made these re-recordings with the goal of having them used in film and TV. On December 7, 2010, Toad the Wet Sprocket released their first new studio track in 11 years. The holiday track "It Doesn't Feel Like Christmas", a cover of a

Sam Phillips Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, ...

original, was posted on their official site, available via

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

, for free download just in time for the holidays, along with a new message on their site: "We're that band that did 'Walk on the Ocean', 'All I Want', 'Something's Always Wrong', and "Fall Down'. The one with the weird name. We're back from a long slumber and look forward to saying hello some time. Keep in touch…" The band had recently signed a deal with Primary Wave to handle their back catalog and any future releases, and on December 11, 2010, the band mentioned, both on stage and in an offstage

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

interview, that they are currently writing songs for their first new studio album since 1997's ''Coil''. In addition, they began playing two new songs, "Friendly Fire" and "The Moment", which were being worked on for the new album. On April 12, 2011, Toad the Wet Sprocket released a new greatest hits album titled ''All You Want'' in digital and disc form via their official website. The 11-track CD includes brand new studio versions of their hits. The band does not have access to some of the versions they did for Columbia Records in the '90s. However, they did regain full control of the songs from their first two albums, and they planned to re-release them in remastered form on their own label, Abe's Records, following the release of their upcoming studio album. Kickstarter Show Pass

On March 22, 2013, it was announced via Toad the Wet Sprocket's

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

page that recording of the new album had been completed. The album was produced and mixed by

Mikal Blue Michael Blue (born 3 March 1966) is an English music producer, songwriter, engineer and mixer best known for his work with Colbie Caillat, Jason Reeves, Jason Mraz, Five For Fighting and OneRepublic, better known under the stage name Mikal B ...

at Revolver Studios in

Thousand Oaks, California Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, United States. It is in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles, approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown Los Angeles, Downtown. It is named af ...

. On June 5, 2013, the band announced the first new single in 16 years on ''Rolling Stones website titled "New Constellation". An album of the same name was released on the band's own Abe's Records on October 15, 2013. The band marketed the new album via the

crowdsourcing Crowdsourcing involves a large group of dispersed participants contributing or producing goods or services—including ideas, votes, micro-tasks, and finances—for payment or as volunteers. Contemporary crowdsourcing often involves digita ...

website

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

. The band initially set a fundraising goal of $50,000, expecting it to take about two months to raise that amount. Instead, fans contributed more than $50,000 in less than 20 hours. When the Kickstarter campaign finally came to a close, they had raised a total of $264,762. The band kicked off their new album with a release party for Kickstarter supporters a
The Palm
restaurant in Los Angeles, California, on August 23, 2013, followed immediately by a live performance at the nearby

Troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a ''trobairit ...

music venue. Toad-Tonic-Smash Mouth Pass

In 2014, Toad the Wet Sprocket resumed touring and opened a number of shows for

. They showcased some of the new material from ''New Constellation'', the Kickstarter-funded album, including "California Wasted" and the album's title track while playing a number of their earlier hits. During summer 2015, the band went on tour with fellow '90s acts

Smash Mouth Smash Mouth is an American rock band from San Jose, California. The band was formed in 1994, and was originally composed of Steve Harwell (lead vocals), Kevin Coleman (drums), Greg Camp (guitar), and Paul De Lisle (bass). With Harwell's depar ...

and Tonic. The band released an EP called '' Architect of the Ruin'' on June 16, 2015 In 2018, Toad the Wet Sprocket announced that they had reissued their albums ''fear'' and ''Dulcinea'' on a deluxe remastered vinyl LP available through their online store. The same year, they also released a limited deluxe 5-LP box set of colored vinyl for their albums ''fear'', ''Dulcinea'' and ''Acoustic Dance Party''. In a January 2020 interview with ChicagoNow, Glen Phillips stated that "Toad has started recording again." In addition, he confirmed the band's first official lineup change, and that drummer Guss had left the band on good terms. Previous occasional touring member Josh Daubin replaced Guss. On September 25, 2020, they released a new song entitled "Starting Now", followed by another new song "Old Habits Die Hard" on October 23, from their album, ''Starting Now'', released on August 27, 2021.

Musical style

Toad the Wet Sprocket have been most consistently been labelled as

. But their music has also been described as

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

jangle pop Jangle pop is a subgenre of pop rock or college rock that emphasizes jangly guitars and 1960s-style pop melodies. The term originated from Bob Dylan's song " Mr. Tambourine Man", whose 1965 rendition by the Byrds became considered one of the g ...

, and

folk-pop Folk-pop is a musical style that may be 1) contemporary folk songs with large, sweeping pop arrangements, or 2) pop songs with intimate, acoustic-based folk arrangements. Recording production values created a unblemished style that appealed to ...

. AllMusic writer Kelly McCarteny described Toad's early music as having a "jangle pop, garage band sound", and noted that their album ''

Fear Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear ...

'' was a shift to "smart and catchy pop/rock songs".

Associated acts

Glen Phillips' solo career

Immediately after the July breakup in 1998, Glen Phillips began his own solo career. He has toured almost constantly up to the present time, usually just him and his guitar, but often with regular guest musicians. He has a close friendship with the members of

Nickel Creek Nickel Creek (formerly known as the Nickel Creek Band) is an American bluegrass band consisting of Chris Thile (mandolin), and siblings Sara Watkins (fiddle) and Sean Watkins (guitar). Formed in 1989 in Southern California, they released six alb ...

, and they often perform together; they recorded a studio album called ''

Mutual Admiration Society "Mutual Admiration Society" can refer to: Literature * Mutual admiration society, a term referring to people who admire or flatter each other, originated in the 1800s but came into common use in the latter 1950s, popularized by the song of the s ...

'' in 2000, released in 2004. In addition to that collaboration, Phillips has released five solo studio albums: '' Abulum'' (2000), ''

Winter Pays For Summer ''Winter Pays For Summer'' is an album released in 2005 by Glen Phillips. The album was Phillips' debut for Lost Highway/Universal Records. It was recorded during 2003 and 2004. It was produced by John Fields at Paramount Studios and Mansfiel ...

'' (2005), and '' Mr. Lemons'' (2006), Coyote Sessions (2012), and '' Swallowed by the New'' (2016), along with two live albums, ''Live At Largo'' (2003), and '' Live at the Belly Up'' (2016). Also, in spring 2006, Phillips released a studio EP titled ''Unlucky 7'', featuring outtakes from his "Winter Pays For Summer" studio sessions (and one track, "The Innocent", from his scrapped 2002 "Tornillo" album). In February 2008, he released another EP entitled ''Secrets of the New Explorers'', consisting of six songs inspired by private space travel. In March 2008, Phillips and

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

, which includes

Sean Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglici ...

and

Sara Watkins Sara Ullrika Watkins (born June 8, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and fiddler. Watkins debuted in 1989 as the fiddler of Nickel Creek, the progressive bluegrass group she formed with her brother Sean and mandolinist Chris Thile. In addi ...

of Nickel Creek, finished mixing their ''WPA'' album, which was released on August 28, 2009. Phillips also released a self-titled EP with his side project Plover, which features Nielson Hubbard and Garrison Starr, and a full-length album for his project Remote Tree Children titled ''Veteran Of The Loudness Wars''. In December 2010, as a bit of a Christmas gift to his fans, Phillips finally made his unreleased 2002 album ''Tornillo'' available via his

page. On November 7, 2014 Glen released Options – B-sides & Demos album for fans to hear rarities.

Lapdog

In the late 1990s, Nichols and Dinning formed a new band called

Lapdog A lap dog or lapdog is a dog that is both small enough to be held in the arms or lie comfortably on a person's lap and temperamentally predisposed to doing so. ''Lapdog'' is not a specific breed, but a generic term for a type of dog that is sma ...

. They recorded and released the studio album ''Near Tonight'' (2001), and toured minimally. After this, Dinning quit the band to split his time between recording and producing local music and pursuing his acting career. Guss joined Lapdog as their drummer. Again, Lapdog recorded and released an album, called ''Mayfly'' (2002). Nichols has since ended Lapdog and is focusing on writing songs along with Dinning in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

for country acts, and producing bands at his studio, Abe's, in Los Angeles. A Lapdog song, "See You Again", appears in revamped/revised form on Toad the Wet Sprocket's ''New Constellation'' album under the title "I'll Bet On You".

Band members

Current members * Glen Phillips – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, mandolin, keyboards (1986–present) * Todd Nichols – lead guitar, backing vocals, mandolin (1986–present) * Dean Dinning – bass guitar, backing vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar (1986–present) * Josh Daubin – drums, percussion, backing vocals (touring substitute 2017–2020; 2020–present) Touring members * Bruce Winter – keyboards, backing vocals (1992) *

Jonathan Kingham Jonathan Kingham is a folk, pop and jazz musician from Nashville, TN. He was born in Woodland, California and graduated from Woodland Senior High School in 1992. Kingham has released three full-length albums, one EP, and appeared on '' Meet The ...

– keyboards, backing vocals, rhythm guitar, mandolin, lap steel guitar (2011–present) Former members *

– drums, backing vocals (1986–2020) Session substitutes * Rob Taylor – lead guitar on "Eyes Open Wide" from '' P.S. (A Toad Retrospective)'' (1999)

Discography

* '' Bread & Circus'' (1989) * ''

'' (1990) * ''

'' (1991) * ''

'' (1994) * '' Coil'' (1997) * ''

New Constellation ''New Constellation'' is the sixth studio album by American alternative rock band Toad the Wet Sprocket, released October 15, 2013, through Abe's Records. It is available on CD, vinyl and as a digital download. web Financed with more than $250,0 ...

'' (2013) * ''Starting Now'' (2021)

Other media appearances

Toad the Wet Sprocket's songs have been used in the soundtracks of over a dozen movies and episodes of television series. * "Little Heaven" is featured in the film ''

Buffy The Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...

'' (1992) and the accompanying soundtrack release, '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer Soundtrack''. * "Brother" is featured in the 1993 film '' So I Married an Axe Murderer''. * "Fall Down" is featured in the 1994 film ''

Drop Zone A drop zone (DZ) is a place where parachutists or parachuted supplies land. It can be an area targeted for landing by paratroopers, or a base from which recreational parachutists and skydivers take off in aircraft and land under parachutes. In ...

'', in a November 1994 episode of the TV series ''

My So-Called Life ''My So-Called Life'' is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995. It is distributed by The Bed ...

'' ("Other People's Mothers") and in TV series Billions Season 6 Episode 5 "Rock of Eye." * "Crazy Life" is on the ''

'' soundtrack, which was released in August 1995. * "Something's Always Wrong" is featured in the 1996 film ''

'', starring

Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), former stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, businessman, and former rapper. He has received multiple accolades, including a BAFTA Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, three ...

Reese Witherspoon Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, she ...

William Petersen William Louis Petersen (born February 21, 1953) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his role as Gil Grissom in the CBS drama series ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' (2000–2015), for which he won a Screen Actors Guild Aw ...

, and

Alyssa Milano Alyssa Jayne Milano (born December 19, 1972) is an American actress. She has played Samantha Micelli in '' Who's the Boss?'', Jennifer Mancini in ''Melrose Place'', Phoebe Halliwell in ''Charmed'', Billie Cunningham in ''My Name Is Earl'', Savan ...

. * "Windmills" is featured in the final scene of the 2003 film ''

Latter Days ''Latter Days'' is a 2003 American romantic comedy-drama film about a gay relationship between a closeted Mormon missionary and his openly gay neighbor. The film was written and directed by C. Jay Cox and stars Steve Sandvoss as the missionary ...

'' and in the season 4 episode "My Roommates" of the TV series ''Scrubs''. * The band has three cover songs on compilation albums:

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

's "

Instant Karma! "Instant Karma!" (also titled "Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)") is a song by English rock musician John Lennon, released as a single on Apple Records in February 1970. The lyrics focus on a concept in which the consequences of one's actions ...

", featured in the album '' Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon'';

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' "

Hey Bulldog "Hey Bulldog" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles released on their 1969 soundtrack album '' Yellow Submarine''. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, but written primarily by John Lennon, it was finished in the recording studio by both L ...

", featured in the ''

I Know What You Did Last Summer ''I Know What You Did Last Summer'' is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Jim Gillespie, written by Kevin Williamson, and starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. It is loosely based on ...

'' soundtrack; and Kiss's "

Rock and Roll All Nite "Rock and Roll All Nite" is a song by American rock band Kiss, originally released on their 1975 album '' Dressed to Kill''. It was released as the A-side of their fifth single, with the album track "Getaway". The studio version of the song pe ...

", featured in the album '' Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved''. * "Walk On The Ocean" is featured in the 2013 film ''

Jobs Jobs may refer to: * Job, an activity that people do for regular income gain People * Steve Jobs (1955–2011), co-founder and former CEO of Apple Inc ** Steve Jobs (disambiguation) * Laurene Powell Jobs (born 1963), widow of Steve Jobs * Lisa ...

'', starring Ashton Kutcher. * The band wrote a song titled "One of Those Days", featured in the 2017 animated film ''

Animal Crackers An animal cracker is a particular type of cracker, baked in the shape of an animal, usually an animal either at a zoo or a circus, such as a lion, a tiger, a bear, or an elephant. The most common variety is light-colored and slightly sweet, but ...

''. * The band is featured on the

Roger Miller Roger Dean Miller Sr. (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping Country music, country and pop hits "King of the Road (song), Ki ...

tribute album, ''King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller'', covering "Nothing Can Stop My Love". * "Amnesia" is featured in TV Show ''

Dawson's Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college that ran from 1998 to 2003. T ...

'' Season 1 Episode 4 "Discovery". * The band wrote a song titled "Acid", featured on Mom II: Music for Our Mother Ocean

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1986 establishments in California Alternative rock groups from California American folk rock groups American pop rock music groups Columbia Records artists Culture of Santa Barbara, California Jangle pop groups Musical groups established in 1986 Musical groups disestablished in 1998 Musical groups reestablished in 2010