Toad the Wet Sprocket

With special guest Willy Porter

This alt-rock group from Santa Barbara was formed in 1986 by four friends who met in a high school theater troupe: Glen Phillips, Todd Nichols, Dean Dinning, and Randy Guss. Since then, the band (named for a fictional Monty Python band) has spent four decades building a devoted audience worldwide.

Bread & Circus, their DIY debut album, caught the attention of Columbia Records and launched a career defined by an uncompromising independent spirit. That spirit paid off: Fear (1991) went platinum and spawned a pair of Top 20 hits (“All I Want” and “Walk on the Ocean”) followed by a second platinum album (Dulcinea) in 1994 which featured fan favorites like “Fall Down” and “Windmills”.

In celebration of Toad’s 40th anniversary, the band released the album Rings: The Acoustic Sessions which reimagines their most beloved songs (including “Good Intentions” and “Something’s Always Wrong”) and highlights their enduring warmth and honesty. Like the rings of a tree marking each season of growth, these songs trace Toad’s musical journey — and our own — with grace, depth, and hope.