I'll Show You My Dark Secret

#14.3 Rubberneck: The Toadies. This CD is so great, I cannot believe it never became a multi-mega smash. It rocks, hard. Its dark, and uncomfortable, with songs about rapists and stalkers and just generally bad people. They are kind of like Nirvana From Texas. But don't take it from me. Take it from Trev, who is a much better writer than I am, as he describes the night we saw them in concert (opening for Bush (!))

"These freaks include one of the butchiest-looking women I've ever seen on bass, a lead singer who seems to be one Ritalin dose from a spastic breakdown, and a totally inbred-looking motherf****r on lead guitar. When he chimes in "I come from the water" during one of the band's songs ... well, you have to believe it. Most amazing of all, the drummer has a pretty ordinary appearance ...

The opening band, these "Toadies," rip it up that night. Many concert-goers insist that they put on the better performance that night. Among them: a lanky pre-med student who later buys the band's CD, expects great things from them, and is convinced that the guitar-playing genetic freak will somehow rise above the circumstances of his birth to one day wed Gwen Stefani. I was so close, so close ..."

it took them 7 years to follow this up due to a dispute with the label (damn record companies!!) and they never did anything close to this again. But they still tour, and I just saw them last year, and they still kick butt.