Toad the Wet Sprocket

A mainstay of 1990s alternative rock, Toad the Wet Sprocket has gone through starts and stops since 1986, currently touring with its original members. Taking their name from a Monty Python sketch, band members Glen Phillips (vocals and guitar), Todd Nichols (guitar), Dean Dinning (bass), and Randy Guss (drums) met in high school in Santa Barbara, California. The band self-released and self-promoted its first album, Bread & Circus, and was picked up by the Columbia Records label, though the first two albums were not commercial successes. Toad the Wet Sprocket had its breakthrough with the 1991 album Fear, whose singles “All I Want” and “Walk on the Ocean” were Top 20 Billboard hits, and its songs were also featured in the movies Buffy the Vampire Slayer and So I Married an Axe Murderer. The band’s 1994 follow-up, Dulcinea, also went platinum, helped by the hit song “Fall Down.” Other hits include “Come Down” and “Good Intentions,” which was featured on the show Friends. Toad the Wet Sprocket broke up in 1998, though the members continued to work together sporadically. At this point, the band is officially together again, playing a circuit of small clubs and outdoor festivals.