He Comes From the Water

Tonight one of the darkest souls on the planet lit up a small stage at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. Vaden Todd Lewis, songwriter, singer and guitarist for one of my favorite bands, Toadies, did a solo acoustic set of songs from his catalog (including songs from his other band, the Burden Brothers). The whole evening was great, but highlights for me were the songs from the Toadies' 1994 album Rubberneck, which easily ranks alongside Hunky Dory, Doolittle and Aquemini (just to name a few) as one of the best albums of all time. Swampy, gritty, beautiful and soulful-- just like music is supposed to be. I saw many Toadies shows when I lived in Texas, but it was so great to hear these songs in such an intimate venue. I am so lucky to have been there. As if the great music wasn't enough, my friend and I shared a chocolate & cream cocktail, and I even got a T-shirt, too.