The Fable of Three Ton Toad
Chapter 3: Two Brians and a Scooter Walk Into a Bar…
Hey gang! We’ve got some pretty cool developments shaping up over here at Camp Toad that we thought you’d all want to hear about. We’re always looking for ways to improve; whether we’re talking about how we play our songs, how we bring a more energized show to our audience, or even what beer we drink (except for Trent… you do NOT want to mess with him and his Miller Lite, just trust me on this). So in that respect, we’ve got three big things to update you on.
First off, we’d like to give a long-overdue welcome to Brian “Bam Bam” Bell. A Washington Court House native, a graduate of Ohio University and an alumni member of the Marching 110, Brian started sitting in on bass with the Toad in late 2014, after moving back to Ohio from an extended stint in Arizona. His precise, funk-laden playing style and quick-witted sense of humor helped him to quickly land a permanent spot with the band in early 2015.
Second, our most recent addition to the group is Brian “Biggie” McGuckin. Brian joined the band in August 2015 following his time in the drummer’s throne with the local band The Lovebenders. In addition to keeping our rhythm section in check, Brian can also be seen performing with original local group Hitchhiker’s Hail. After more than a year of searching to find just the right replacement for Scot behind the drums (don’t freak out… more on that next), we were thrilled to land a drummer like Biggie, with his impeccable sense of tempo, musical smarts, and easy-going personality.
So with a brand new drummer joining the ranks of Three Ton Toad, any devoted Toadie reading this would probably be wondering right about now: ‘what happened to Scooter?’
Well that’s our third piece of news, and thankfully, he’s not going anywhere! As a matter of fact, you’ll be getting to see him a lot better from now on. In an exciting shift to our lineup, Scot will be joining our long-time singer Mikey out front as a second vocalist and multi-instrumentalist.
The concept for this new lineup began to percolate in early 2014, when the band thought it would be fun to try putting together a medley inspired by Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake’s ‘History of Rap’ that would feature both Mikey and Scooter on vocals. From there, the idea expanded: ‘what if having two frontmen was just our usual lineup?’ Realizing the exciting dynamics to be gained by pairing Mike’s hip-hop and pop sensibilities with Scot’s rock influence, the band locked onto this concept and began working to make it happen. In addition to his vocal duties, Scooter will also be providing extra layers of sonic goodness to the Toad’s sound in the way of additional guitar and synth parts.
We believe that these changes will do one thing: provide a better sound and a better experience for our audience. After all, we’re not just musicians, we’re bringers of good times! We might also qualify as professional beer drinkers - is that a thing?
We hope you’ll all come out soon to meet our new guys and to help us celebrate this next chapter of our story. We’re all really stoked about it, and we’re even more stoked for you to hear it!
Let’s Cheers It Up!
TTT