Photo by Steven Visneau.

Vaden Todd Lewis (Vocals, Guitar)
Mark Reznicek (Drums)
Clark Vogeler (Guitar)
Donivan Blair (Bass)

Toadies’ long-awaited eighth album, The Charmer is their most personal and visceral to date. One of the last recordings by late, legendary producer Steve Albini (Nirvana, PJ Harvey etc.), it for the first time captures the platinum-selling Texas foursome playing live in the same room on a studio recording, bottling their singular Southern-tinted grunge like never before.

“From record one, we always wanted to work with Albini,” said Vaden Todd Lewis, Toadies’ founding vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter. “We got to go do our dream record that we had always wanted to do.” Toadies long-serving drummer Mark Reznicek added “When we first signed with the major label back in 1993, they asked us who we wanted to record with and we all replied ‘Albini!’ But they immediately vetoed that choice for whatever reason,” he laughed, adding “not commercial enough or something. But now, we finally got to do it our way!” Bassist Donivan Blair adds “I wanted to work with Steve from the first note of ‘Goat’ by Jesus Lizard. We were able to fulfill a 30 year dream of mine. Steve was as advertised- he had an acerbic wit and dark sense of humor so we felt at home. His dedication to the craft of recording blew my mind. We won’t see his kind of engineer ever again and recorded music will suffer because of it. ”

The band has partnered with Austin’s pioneering Spaceflight Records (Die Spitz, The Sword, Heartless Bastards etc.) to release The Charmer. Spaceflight’s bold non-profit model challenges industry norms. “The goal of Spaceflight seems to be different than the goal of many record labels, which is just to sell as many records as possible,” said Toadies guitarist Clark Vogeler. “As a non-profit record label (the first!) Spaceflight’s aim is to support artists and promote inclusivity and diversity in the industry. Having been in this industry for over 30 years, we appreciate Spaceflight’s artist-friendly arrangement which allows us to fully own our masters, make a fair royalty and if we sell a bunch of records, we all benefit, including the less established artists on the label. What a cool setup!”

“We appreciate that they’re musicians and crew workers themselves,” Vogeler continued. “They also have guys that have long histories in live music, so we just feel like it’s a great partnership for us. It’s different than the major label system, which has been super frustrating for us over the years.”

Formed in Fort Worth in 1989, Toadies marry the band’s love for the Pixies and Talking Heads to the old-school country, ZZ Top, and classic rock they all grew up on. It’s a sound intoxicating but uneasy, cathartic yet always searching. On the strength of an independent label-released EP, they signed with Interscope Records and, propelled by radio-ubiquitous hit single “Possum Kingdom,” their 1994 debut album Rubberneck racked up over a million sales, putting them on high-profile tours with the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bush, and White Zombie.

Single-mindedly irreverent and restless (“Possum Kingdom” is one of very few hit singles in 7/8 time), Toadies immediately set themselves apart from both their grunge/alt-rock peers and rock music in general. Although often heavy and loud, they constantly transport listeners through whisper-quiet troughs, surprise left turns, and enormous, scream-capped crescendos. Never afraid to challenge rock tradition, wry flecks of musical and lyrical mischief offset any discomfort, creating a nuanced, bittersweet aura all their own.

While the major label convulsions of the late ‘90s would delay Toadies’ second album, the wonderfully raw Hell Below/Stars Above until 2001, their unique ultra-dynamic take on guitar rock has ensured longevity. Connecting through Lewis’ tortured, textured vocals (described by Albini as “a Texan Bon Scott”) and relatable yet open-to-interpretation lyrics, Toadies continue to accumulate fans. They continue to tour for growing crowds, including two rapturously received Rubberneck anniversary treks.

“The band spent years preparing the songs for this album,” said guitarist Clark Vogeler. “We believe in this material as much as any of our material and feel as vital as ever. The pandemic gave us time to send lots of riffs, beats, voice recordings and sound files back and forth which allowed us to collaborate even though we couldn’t play together. Contrary to how we recorded the last few albums, we entered the studio with these songs 100% mapped out. Our task at Electrical Audio was simply to set up the gear and lay the songs down to tape.”

The lyrics of The Charmer reflect Lewis’s 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.

Never a band to rely on studio gloss or production trickery, Toadies steer even closer to their lauded live prowess on The Charmer. Encouraged by the famously no-frills Albini, they recorded the guts of the record live and all together, with only minimal overdubs.

“The amps are in the room, and the sound waves are bouncing off each other and doing weird, magical things,” Vogeler recalled. “The sound of us playing together in the room comes through loud and clear on the album.”

Album standout “Normal,” already a fan favorite at Toadies shows, personifies the anti-hits that the band has inadvertently specialized in all along. “Almost every song I’ve ever written, there’s something wrong with it, from the weird time signatures to the forgetting to put the name of the song in the song,” laughed Lewis. “I just wanted to write a pop song; a straight-up, four-on-the-floor normal song. But when I started putting drums on ‘Normal,’ I realized it was in 3/4 time!”

“Musically, there’s a kind of new classic rock flavor built into Toadies,” offered Vogeler. “There’s always been some ZZ Top, but now there’s some Boston, Bob Seger, and Rolling Stones … and Vaden is using a lot of 7th chords, which to me can sound panicked. It’s got this extra note in there that makes you feel like something’s not right.”

Made on their own terms, realizing their dream of recording with Albini and released through a hands-off label that puts the artist first, The Charmer is the most defiantly “Toadies” Toadies album yet.