Toadies share the first single and title track from their forthcoming brand new studio album The Charmer. The set is out May 1 on Spaceflight Records. It was done with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago and is among the few projects recorded with him before his unfortunate passing that have not yet been released. An extensive nationwide tour will support The Charmer through the fall with some select festival stops The Louder Than Life Festival that was announced yesterday. They play the fest on Sunday September 20. Tickets on sale now. For more info: https://thetoadies.com/tour-dates/.
The bones of ‘The Charmer’ date back to frontman Vaden Lewis’ home-alone pandemic soul searching. With just his guitars, dogs, and endless movies for company, he was finally able to confront and even give name to the self-hatred he’s wrestled with for decades: The Charmer.
“I was afraid that if I lose that part of me that has such self-loathing that I won’t be able to write music anymore,” he explained. “I decided to take that apart and make it a character, The Charmer
If I don’t give that character worth, it’s worthless. But if I do give it worth, I’m worthless.” As the album opines in its lilting, slow-burning title track, ‘It’s only you that keeps me alive … [But] you’d be nothing if it weren’t for me.’
The accompanyingvideo was directed and edited by Emmy-nominated filmmaker and Toadies guitarist Clark Vogeler, capturing the sessions with Albini “I knew before we went in to record the new album with Steve Albini we’d be playing together live as much as possible, in contrast to most records which are pieced together layer by layer. Of course we knew he was going to capture the sound of what was happening in the room so I took the opportunity to capture images as well.”
On the technical set up: “I had one decent camera (BMPCC 4K) and a tripod, plus a GoPro and sometimes a friend’s camera. To minimize distraction and interference I used a setup of cameras on tripods which I’d move around and trigger in between recording takes. At times it was tough to balance making the record with filming the session but the record always came first and we often moved fast so sometimes I didn’t get the video I wanted.
I looked at the video briefly after we finished the album just to make sure there was something there, and I didn’t revisit it until long after Steve’s passing. It was a bit of a mindfuck to look at the video again as I’d filmed him quite a bit – he was always welcoming when my cameras were out, but it was nice to see him again, in his element, tirelessly focused on the work but also relaxed, stimulating and hilarious.”
Toadies Live Dates
Apr. 16 – Buda, TX – The Backyard *
Apr. 17 – Cypress, TX – Fio Hill Country Grill *
Apr. 18 – Biloxi, MS – Crawfish Boil – Miss. Coast Coliseum
Apr. 19 – New Orleans, LA – Tipitinas *
Apr. 30 – Abilene, TX – Potosi Live +*
May 1 – Christoval, TX – Cooper’s BBQ/LIVE!+*
May 2 – Dallas, TX – Longhorn Backyard =+*
May 3 – Oklahoma City, OK – Tower Theatre +
May 5 – Fayetteville, AR – Ozark Music Hall *
May 7 – Memphis, TN – Graceland Soundstage
May 8 – Nashville, TN – Eastside Bowl +*
May 9 – Birmingham, AL – Iron City +*
May 12 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade – Heaven +*
May 13 – Asheville, NC – Orange Peel +*
May 15 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground +*
May 16 – Raleigh, NC- The Ritz +*
May 17 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore +*
May 19 – Norwalk, CT – District Music Hall +*
May 20 – Boston, MA – House of Blues +*
May 21 – New York, NY – Webster Hall +*
May 22 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer +*
May 23 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Stone Pony +*
May 27 – Pittsburgh, PA – Roxian Theatre +*
May 28 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues *
May 29 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s *
May 30 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Intersection +*
May 31 – Chicago, IL – The Vic +*
Jun. 2 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue +*
Jun. 3 – Omaha, NE – The Astro +*
Jun. 5 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theater ^
Jun. 6 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Grand at The Complex +^
Jun. 7 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory +^
Jun. 9 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox +^
Jun. 10 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater +^
Jun. 12 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore +^
Jun. 13 – Los Angeles, The Belasco +^
Jun. 14 – Santa Ana, CA – Observatory +^
Jun. 16 – San Diego, CA – Observatory North Park +^
Jun. 17 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren +^
Sep. 20 – Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life Festival
