by Adam McGrath
Guitarist Clark Vogeler joined the Texas alt-rock band, Toadies, in 1996, just as Interscope Records started to muck everything up. It was two years since “Possum Kingdom” dominated airwaves, but this was the beginning of the end of times for major label influence. After the Toadies’ sophomore album suffocated in red tape for nearly seven years, the moment was gone.
After a tumultuous breakup, it wasn’t until 2006 that Toadies breathed new life, and in 2008, the band reformed behind founding member Vaden Todd Lewis and longtime drummer Mark Reznicek, along with Vogeler and Doni Blair. With a new home on Dallas-based-label Kirtland Records, Toadies have released three studio albums, including the original version of Feeler as it was supposed to be heard.
Toadies’ fans never left, and with the band stronger than ever, it made perfect sense to go back to the beginning, with a special 20th anniversary release of Rubberneck, the album that started it all. On Saturday, April 26 at the Theatre of Living Arts, Toadies will play the album in its entirety, treating fans to live versions of classics like “I Come From The Water” and “Tyler.”
Clark Vogeler recently spoke to That Mag about the Rubberneck reissue, being caught in record label hell, and how his passion for film led him to create the documentary “Dark Secrets – The Stories of Rubberneck“.
“I was in a band called Funland in Texas around the time Toadies were getting started, Vogeler explains. “We played a bunch of shows together early on, then they blew up. When Funland broke up in 1996, Toadies had just parted ways with Darrel [Herbert]. I auditioned, and joined the band right after all the Rubberneck touring.”
It would be a tough five years with the band for Vogeler, as record labels such as Interscope were slow to apprehend the shifting musical landscape, and countless bands languished in contract hell.
“It really was the end of [major labels’] time,” Vogeler concurs, “and I think that our experience speaks to that. The band had just sold a million records, you’d think you’d want to get the band right back in the studio, but they didn’t care about a band making a good record, they cared about a band making one good single.”
Luckily, once the band got back together in 2008, they found a much better partner in Kirtland Records.
“Vaden Todd Lewis was playing with another group, the Burden Brothers,” Vogeler recounts, “and he’d always had a good relationship with Tami Thomsen, so when Toadies got back together, Kirtland were really good about letting us do what we wanted to do.”
That kind of creative freedom has allowed Toadies to flourish, as demonstrated by the diversity of influences on the 2012 album, Play.Rock.Music. But it’s always been clear what songs most capture the fans’ hearts.
“It’s pretty obvious when we go out and play that people love these songs on Rubberneck,” Vogeler says. “And they always have. It just made sense to go out and do this, and give the people what they want. The crowds have been crazy. This has been the best tour we’ve done in years.”
When asked about the cyclical nature of pop culture and the slew of other 20th anniversary albums out recently, Vogeler responds, “When you look at the mainstream charts, rock ‘n’ roll isn’t doing much right now, so hopefully this cycle kicks in and rock comes back in a big way. The younger bands that I hear, these kids are just strumming chords, you know, and nobody is playing riffs anymore. I think that’s one of the basic elements of rock ‘n’ roll.”
Young musicians won’t have far to look for inspiration, as the Rubberneck reissue hit shelves on April 8th. Given the tenuous relationship with Interscope, the Toadies actually had to license their own songs to make the project happen. Luckily, a mutually beneficial agreement was reached.
Even though Vogeler didn’t play on the original recording of Rubberneck, he wanted to contribute to the reissue, and helped dig up and repackage old masters of songs from those sessions that didn’t make the album. Rob Schnaaf, who helped mix the original record, also came back to help with the reissue.
Vogeler’s largest contribution to the Rubberneck project, though, came from his passion and talent as a film editor. Using old videos taken by the band’s original bassist, Lisa Umbarger, Vogeler began work on the documentary “Dark Secrets – The Stories of Rubberneck”.
“When I saw Lisa’s footage, I realized there was a whole lot of good stuff there,” Vogeler explains. “I was inspired to do some interviews with Vaden and Rez to ask them about the meaning of these songs, because there’s been a lot of speculation as to what they mean. Vaden was really forthcoming, so if you ever wanted to know what “Possum Kingdom” is really about, check out the documentary.”
Look for Clark and the rest of the Toadies on South Street Saturday night, and get your rock fix with the excellent reissue of Rubberneck.
