Toad Tavern celebrates its two-year anniversary this weekend

Okay, that headline may be a tad misleading. The Toad Tavern has actually been around for more than two decades. Two years ago, though, a stalwart of the scene, Brice Hancock, who plays guitar in Rubber Planet and has been involved in a number of other area clubs, including the...

By Dave Herrera

September 18, 2009

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Okay, that headline may be a tad misleading. The Toad Tavern has actually been around for more than two decades. Two years ago, though, a stalwart of the scene, Brice Hancock, who plays guitar in Rubber Planet and has been involved in a number of other area clubs, including the no defunct Cricket on the Hill and Herman's Hideaway, bought the Littleton club and completely remodeled the place. Shortly after purchasing the Toad, Hancock remodeled and revamped the bar, from putting in a new, much larger stage -- which effectively transformed the Toad from a strip mall bar to a viable venue -- to tapping Mark Sundermeier, previously the talent buyer for the Soiled Dove and Walnut Room, to handle booking duties for the room. Since then, the Toad has served as a prime outlet for local bands and brought in a slew of high profile national acts including Ours, Del Amitri, Marc Broussard and Chris Duarte, among others. This weekend, the Toad will be celebrating the two year anniversary of its rebirth with a pair of shows. Tonight's bill features Jason Vigil, And Sometimes Why, Ben Park Drive and Julia Bryan Band tonight, while tomorrow night's bill features scorching blues guitarist Jason Ricci and New Blood, with Ryan McGarvey Band and the Steve Crenshaw Band. Happy anniversary, guys. Glad to see things are hoppin' for you!

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