Toad's Place
Encyclopedia
Toad's Place is a concert venue and nightclub
in New Haven, Connecticut
, with two other short lived locations in Waterbury, CT and Richmond, VA.
and across an alley from Mory's Temple Bar
, was the original location of the Yale Co-op. During the 1960s, it was a popular restaurant called Hungry Charlie's and then the location of Caleb's Tavern. In 1974, Michael Spoerndle, formerly a student at the Culinary Institute of America
, rented the building for a French and Italian restaurant, which opened in March 1975. He named it Toad's Place, after a childhood joke. He said, "When my parents were going out to dinner, they would tell me they were going to such-and-such, and I thought it would be funny if they said, 'We're going to Toad's Place.' Plus, people who didn't go out and stayed at home, we'd call them 'toads.' It was the equivalent of a couch potato." In 1976, Spoerndle turned the restaurant into a live music venue, working with a local musician named Peter Menta to bring in bands. Willie Dixon
, Muddy Waters
, John Lee Hooker
and Koko Taylor
were some of the first performers. In 1976, Brian Phelps joined as manager and eventually co-owner. Phelps took control in 1995, after Spoerndle's numerous problems with alcohol and drug addiction. Spoerndle died on May 6, 2011.
In 1983, a second location opened in Waterbury, Connecticut
, although it lasted only three years. In 2007, a franchise location in Richmond, Virginia
opened with a concert by the Squirrel Nut Zippers
. It included a restaurant and club for up to 1,500 visitors. The principal owner was Charles Joyner, a local physician who was a disc jockey
at Toad's Place while he was a Yale undergraduate in the 1980s. On 9 March 2009, Toad's Place Richmond was closed. All scheduled shows were canceled and/or moved to The National, another venue in Richmond. A third location was planned for Trenton, New Jersey
.
played a surprise hour-long concert for 700 people at Toad's Place. They had been rehearsing for the "Steel Wheels" tour
for six weeks at the Wykeham Rise School, a girls' school in Washington, Connecticut
that had closed earlier that year, and performed the concert as "a thank-you to Connecticut for the hospitality." On January 12, 1990, Bob Dylan
started a tour with a Toad's Place performance including four sets that lasted over five hours, his longest show to date. It was his first club performance in 25 years. In July 1980, Billy Joel
recorded the song Los Angelenos from his album Songs in the Attic
at Toad's Place. Jeff Lorber
, a jazz keyboardist, included an instrumental piece called Toad's Place on his album Water Sign. U2
performed at Toad's Place three times between 1980-1981. Their first performance at Toad's Place was on December 14, 1980 during the second leg of the Boy
tour. This was only their eighth tour date in North America. The band returned to Toad's Place on May 27, 1981, during the fourth leg of the Boy tour, and on November 15, 1981, during the second leg of the October
tour. The May 27 show was the occasion of their first public performance of the song Fire
. Adam Clayton is shown wearing a Toad's Place t-shirt in an early poster of the band. On March 17, 2005 the Black Crowes played a concert under the name "Mr. Crowes Garden." This was one of five tour dates at small Northeastern clubs intended as a warm-up for their 2005 tour, after not having toured for almost four years.
Through mutual friends, singer Rob Zombie met future wife, actress Sheri Moon, at Toad's in 1989. They married on Halloween of 2002.
, a Sublime
tribute band
.
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, with two other short lived locations in Waterbury, CT and Richmond, VA.
History
The building, located on York Street down the street from Ashley's Ice Cream and Blue State CoffeeBlue State Coffee
Blue State Coffee runs coffee stores in Providence, Rhode Island, New Haven, Connecticut, and Boston, Massachusetts. The company donates 2% of sales to "local, progressive" causes, and has given over $250,000 to date.-History:...
and across an alley from Mory's Temple Bar
Mory's
Mory’s, known also as Mory’s Temple Bar, is a private club adjacent to the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States, founded in 1849 and housed in a clubhouse that was originally a private home built some time before 1817...
, was the original location of the Yale Co-op. During the 1960s, it was a popular restaurant called Hungry Charlie's and then the location of Caleb's Tavern. In 1974, Michael Spoerndle, formerly a student at the Culinary Institute of America
Culinary Institute of America
The Culinary Institute of America is a non-profit culinary college located in Hyde Park USA, founded in 1946. The CIA also has branch campuses in St. Helena, California, and San Antonio, Texas, as well as a campus in Singapore. It is a not-for-profit academic institution of higher learning...
, rented the building for a French and Italian restaurant, which opened in March 1975. He named it Toad's Place, after a childhood joke. He said, "When my parents were going out to dinner, they would tell me they were going to such-and-such, and I thought it would be funny if they said, 'We're going to Toad's Place.' Plus, people who didn't go out and stayed at home, we'd call them 'toads.' It was the equivalent of a couch potato." In 1976, Spoerndle turned the restaurant into a live music venue, working with a local musician named Peter Menta to bring in bands. Willie Dixon
Willie Dixon
William James "Willie" Dixon was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the Upright bass and the guitar, as well as his own singing voice, Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters...
, Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...
, John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
and Koko Taylor
Koko Taylor
Koko Taylor sometimes spelled KoKo Taylor was an American Chicago blues musician, popularly known as the "Queen of the Blues." She was known primarily for her rough, powerful vocals and traditional blues stylings....
were some of the first performers. In 1976, Brian Phelps joined as manager and eventually co-owner. Phelps took control in 1995, after Spoerndle's numerous problems with alcohol and drug addiction. Spoerndle died on May 6, 2011.
In 1983, a second location opened in Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River, 33 miles southwest of Hartford and 77 miles northeast of New York City...
, although it lasted only three years. In 2007, a franchise location in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
opened with a concert by the Squirrel Nut Zippers
Squirrel Nut Zippers
The Squirrel Nut Zippers are a band formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina by James "Jimbo" Mathus , Katharine Whalen , Chris Phillips on drums, Don Raleigh on bass and sideman Ken Mosher....
. It included a restaurant and club for up to 1,500 visitors. The principal owner was Charles Joyner, a local physician who was a disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
at Toad's Place while he was a Yale undergraduate in the 1980s. On 9 March 2009, Toad's Place Richmond was closed. All scheduled shows were canceled and/or moved to The National, another venue in Richmond. A third location was planned for Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
.
Notable events
On August 12, 1989, The Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
played a surprise hour-long concert for 700 people at Toad's Place. They had been rehearsing for the "Steel Wheels" tour
Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour
The Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels Tour was a concert tour which was launched in North America in August 1989 to promote the band's album Steel Wheels; it continued to Japan in February 1990, with ten shows at the Tokyo Dome. The European leg of the tour, which featured a different stage and logo,...
for six weeks at the Wykeham Rise School, a girls' school in Washington, Connecticut
Washington, Connecticut
Washington is a rural town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, in the New England region of the United States. The population was 3,596 at the 2000 census. Washington is known for its picturesque countryside, historic architecture, and active civic and cultural life...
that had closed earlier that year, and performed the concert as "a thank-you to Connecticut for the hospitality." On January 12, 1990, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
started a tour with a Toad's Place performance including four sets that lasted over five hours, his longest show to date. It was his first club performance in 25 years. In July 1980, Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
recorded the song Los Angelenos from his album Songs in the Attic
Songs in the Attic
Songs in the Attic is the first live album by Billy Joel, released in 1981 .At the time of its release, it was unique as being the first widely available appearance of music from his first album, Cold Spring Harbor from 1971....
at Toad's Place. Jeff Lorber
Jeff Lorber
Jeff Lorber is an American Grammy Award-nominated keyboardist, composer, and record producer.After leading his own group, The Jeff Lorber Fusion, he went on to pioneer the smooth jazz genre....
, a jazz keyboardist, included an instrumental piece called Toad's Place on his album Water Sign. U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
performed at Toad's Place three times between 1980-1981. Their first performance at Toad's Place was on December 14, 1980 during the second leg of the Boy
Boy (album)
Boy is the debut album from Irish rock band U2, released October 20, 1980. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the album received generally positive reviews. Common themes among the album's songs are the thoughts and frustrations of adolescence. The album included the band's first United Kingdom hit...
tour. This was only their eighth tour date in North America. The band returned to Toad's Place on May 27, 1981, during the fourth leg of the Boy tour, and on November 15, 1981, during the second leg of the October
October (album)
October is the second album by Irish rock band U2, released in 1981. The album featured spiritual themes, inspired by Bono, The Edge, and Larry Mullen, Jr.'s memberships in a Christian group called the "Shalom Fellowship", which led them to question the relationship between the Christian faith and...
tour. The May 27 show was the occasion of their first public performance of the song Fire
Fire (U2 song)
"Fire" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the fifth track on the band's 1981 album, October, and was released that year as the album's first single.-History:...
. Adam Clayton is shown wearing a Toad's Place t-shirt in an early poster of the band. On March 17, 2005 the Black Crowes played a concert under the name "Mr. Crowes Garden." This was one of five tour dates at small Northeastern clubs intended as a warm-up for their 2005 tour, after not having toured for almost four years.
Through mutual friends, singer Rob Zombie met future wife, actress Sheri Moon, at Toad's in 1989. They married on Halloween of 2002.
Incidents with under-age drinking
In September 2002, Toad's Place was fined $25,000 and closed for a week after underage drinkers were found on the premises. In May 2007, it closed for ninety days, after a November 5, 2005 inspection by the state Liquor Control Commission found 142 underage drinkers were present. The owner paid a fine of $90,000 in addition to the ninety-day closure. It reopened on August 4, 2007 with a concert by BadfishBadfish
Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime is a tribute band dedicated to playing the music of Sublime and not to be confused with the original "Badfish" from Southern California. The group is named after a song appearing on the album 40oz. to Freedom...
, a Sublime
Sublime (band)
Sublime was an American ska punk band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band's line-up, unchanged until their breakup, consisted of Bradley Nowell , Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh . Michael "Miguel" Happoldt also contributed on a few Sublime songs, such as "New Thrash." Lou Dog, Nowell's...
tribute band
Tribute band
A tribute act is a music group, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act - sometimes one which has disbanded, ceased touring or is deceased. Probably the largest class of tributes acts are Elvis impersonators, individual performers who mimic the songs and style...
.