Toenut
Encyclopedia
Toenut was a 1990s alternative rock and roll band, based in Atlanta, GA and signed to the Mute Records label. The band churned out three records, the last under the new name of "Tyro", and toured the US and UK between 1995-2000. A handful of music videos were also produced, several directed by the indie-legend Norwood Cheek
.
The story begins back in the summer of 1991. Skipper Hartley moved from the Computer Science and mathematics program at Emory University
to a short-term position in a research laboratory in Naples, Italy. There he met influential musicologist and artificial intelligence guru, Piero Scaruffi
, who became a life-long friend. But earlier that year, back in Atlanta, Hartley and fellow guitarist Richie Edelson had planted the seeds of the 'Nut in the moist confines of a rehearsal cubicle. By the following January, they were working Atlanta clubs with a slow-morphing line-up that included Katie Walters singing timidly offstage and the notorious Elephants Gerald tweaking a battery of tape recorders and Dictaphones, a bricolage of gear that hardly suggested the sampler stylings that would become the band's trademark. Hartley's old bandmate Chris Collins was shipped in from Columbia, South Carolina
, to play bass, and several drummers came and went. Toenut broke onto the Atlanta music scene and college radio rotations, and established a reputation of interesting and innovative music-making. The Point, a small music venue in Little Five Points
, became their main stamping ground.
In 1993, a ragtag iteration of Toenut straggled into Clint Steele's Atlanta studio to record their first single, "Heyward"/"Information," released on the wee Half Baked Records. By then, the band had such a rabid following in the Southeast that national attention was imminent. The 7" landed on the plate of ruthless indie starmaker Kramer
, who invited the band to his Noise New Jersey studio to make a full-length demo. At Noise, the band met their production svengali, Steve Watson, who helped hone the Toenut sound and has continued to work with them through the recording of their debut LP.
In the summer of 1994, Mute Records
got their paws on Steve's handiwork and began the feverish pursuit of Toenut for their roster. But the band had become something of an indie Alan Parsons Project, with a swirl of personnel. Although semi-temp sideman Jeff Sullivan, whose day job was Drivin N Cryin
, kept the beat on all the band's studio projects prior to their signing, the Toenut camp continued to search for a full-time drummer. Adroit stickman Colin English (the band's sixth drummer) emerged from the Atlanta scene and answered the call, joining just in time for the Mute signing. With a few modifications, the demo from Noise New Jersey was released by Mute in the summer of '95 as the debut LP, Information. In-the-know US periodical, Alternative Press, described it this way: "..riveting, broken rhythm structures and urgent exploratory songs, the savvy quintet make a big noise on their debut album."
CMJ charts, MTV
spins, international exposure, and a spattering of singles followed. Most notable among them was "Danger! Humans Approach," which was recorded at the modern-day Muscle Shoals Easley Studios
. The track found a coveted spot in John Peel
's legendary BBC rotation. Influential UK magazine NME
also responded: "Toenut should be your worst nightmare; instead, they're a dream come true."
After resigning his post as Operations Manager with Spoleto Festival
, former high school mate Eric Holowacz joined the band as multi-media stage producer and cigar-chomping manager. A small office was established in Midtown Atlanta, and touring activity covered the Southeast, Midwest, and Northeast between 1995-1997. Tour support and musical escapades ensued, usually with fellow-Southerners, Man or Astro-man?
. During this time, in support of 'Information' Holowacz created a concert-length stage show which utilized two 16mm film projections and two 35mm still slide projections simultaneously.
Toenut's second cd, 'Two in the Piñata', followed as the next Mute release. It represented a maturation as songwriters and continued the production ethic of dual-guitar assault, samples and electronic flourishes, with a layer of enchantment provided by Walters' vocals. Sadly, 'piñata' also became a souvenir of the band's recent loss. On April 5, 1997, bassist Chris Collins was killed in an automobile accident as he drove to a show in Athens, Georgia
. Chris' many friends have lost a brother and a musician of indescribable merit. 'Two in the Piñata' is Chris' last recording and, in many ways, the most complete statement of his bottomless creativity, inventiveness, and complex sense of humor. He was proud of this record.
Following that tragedy, Toenut changed its name to tyro
and released 'Audiocards' which ventured fully into production wizardry and the complex musical patters of the Hartley-Walters collaboration. This time also marked a departure for Toenut members, as Edelson and English joined forces with Man or Astro-man?
and ran off to join their circus. Holowacz moved to the South Carolina coast to become executive director of the Arts Council of Beaufort County
, and now lives and works in Wellington, New Zealand. Hartley and Walters, now married, continue to make music in Atlanta. Edelson is based in Los Angeles, where he works in the music and video production industry.
Norwood Cheek
Norwood Cheek is a filmmaker and has directed many music videos for bands such as Superchunk, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Ben Folds Five, AFI, Toenut, 12 Stones, French Kicks, the Donnas, Soul Coughing and many others. He directed an episode of the USA Networks GvsE and has made commercials for X-Large...
.
The story begins back in the summer of 1991. Skipper Hartley moved from the Computer Science and mathematics program at Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
to a short-term position in a research laboratory in Naples, Italy. There he met influential musicologist and artificial intelligence guru, Piero Scaruffi
Piero Scaruffi
Piero Scaruffi received a degree in Mathematics in 1982 from University of Turin, where he did work on the General Theory of Relativity. For a number of years he was the head of the Artificial Intelligence Center at Olivetti, based in Cupertino, California. He has been a visiting scholar at...
, who became a life-long friend. But earlier that year, back in Atlanta, Hartley and fellow guitarist Richie Edelson had planted the seeds of the 'Nut in the moist confines of a rehearsal cubicle. By the following January, they were working Atlanta clubs with a slow-morphing line-up that included Katie Walters singing timidly offstage and the notorious Elephants Gerald tweaking a battery of tape recorders and Dictaphones, a bricolage of gear that hardly suggested the sampler stylings that would become the band's trademark. Hartley's old bandmate Chris Collins was shipped in from Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
, to play bass, and several drummers came and went. Toenut broke onto the Atlanta music scene and college radio rotations, and established a reputation of interesting and innovative music-making. The Point, a small music venue in Little Five Points
Little Five Points
Little Five Points is a district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 2½ miles east of downtown. It was established in the early 1900s as the commercial district for the adjacent Inman Park and Candler Park neighborhoods to the west and east...
, became their main stamping ground.
In 1993, a ragtag iteration of Toenut straggled into Clint Steele's Atlanta studio to record their first single, "Heyward"/"Information," released on the wee Half Baked Records. By then, the band had such a rabid following in the Southeast that national attention was imminent. The 7" landed on the plate of ruthless indie starmaker Kramer
Mark Kramer
Mark Kramer , known professionally as Kramer, is a musician, composer, record producer and founder of the New York City record label Shimmy-Disc...
, who invited the band to his Noise New Jersey studio to make a full-length demo. At Noise, the band met their production svengali, Steve Watson, who helped hone the Toenut sound and has continued to work with them through the recording of their debut LP.
In the summer of 1994, Mute Records
Mute Records
Mute is an independent record label based in the UK. It was founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller and featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Goldfrapp, Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure and Fad Gadget.-Beginnings:...
got their paws on Steve's handiwork and began the feverish pursuit of Toenut for their roster. But the band had become something of an indie Alan Parsons Project, with a swirl of personnel. Although semi-temp sideman Jeff Sullivan, whose day job was Drivin N Cryin
Drivin N Cryin
Drivin' 'N' Cryin is an American Hard rock/Southern rock band from Atlanta, GA.-History:The band was formed in 1985 in Atlanta. Kevn Kinney hooked up with Tim Nielsen, who was in a popular band called the Nightporters with drummer Paul Lenz at the time...
, kept the beat on all the band's studio projects prior to their signing, the Toenut camp continued to search for a full-time drummer. Adroit stickman Colin English (the band's sixth drummer) emerged from the Atlanta scene and answered the call, joining just in time for the Mute signing. With a few modifications, the demo from Noise New Jersey was released by Mute in the summer of '95 as the debut LP, Information. In-the-know US periodical, Alternative Press, described it this way: "..riveting, broken rhythm structures and urgent exploratory songs, the savvy quintet make a big noise on their debut album."
CMJ charts, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
spins, international exposure, and a spattering of singles followed. Most notable among them was "Danger! Humans Approach," which was recorded at the modern-day Muscle Shoals Easley Studios
Easley McCain Recording
Easley McCain Recording is an American recording studio, based in Memphis, Tennessee, notable for recording musicians such as Tav Falco's Panther Burns, Grifters, Pavement, Sonic Youth, Come, White Stripes, Townes Van Zandt, Pezz, Jeff Buckley, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Guided by Voices, Lydia...
. The track found a coveted spot in John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
's legendary BBC rotation. Influential UK magazine NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
also responded: "Toenut should be your worst nightmare; instead, they're a dream come true."
After resigning his post as Operations Manager with Spoleto Festival
Spoleto Festival USA
Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of the world's major performing arts festivals. It was founded in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti, who sought to establish a counterpart to the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy...
, former high school mate Eric Holowacz joined the band as multi-media stage producer and cigar-chomping manager. A small office was established in Midtown Atlanta, and touring activity covered the Southeast, Midwest, and Northeast between 1995-1997. Tour support and musical escapades ensued, usually with fellow-Southerners, Man or Astro-man?
Man or Astro-man?
Man or Astro-man? is a surf rock group that formed in Auburn, Alabama, in the early 1990s and came to prominence over the following decade.Primarily instrumental, Man or Astro-man? blended the surf rock style of the early 1960s like that of The Spotnicks with the new wave and punk rock sounds of...
. During this time, in support of 'Information' Holowacz created a concert-length stage show which utilized two 16mm film projections and two 35mm still slide projections simultaneously.
Toenut's second cd, 'Two in the Piñata', followed as the next Mute release. It represented a maturation as songwriters and continued the production ethic of dual-guitar assault, samples and electronic flourishes, with a layer of enchantment provided by Walters' vocals. Sadly, 'piñata' also became a souvenir of the band's recent loss. On April 5, 1997, bassist Chris Collins was killed in an automobile accident as he drove to a show in Athens, Georgia
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
. Chris' many friends have lost a brother and a musician of indescribable merit. 'Two in the Piñata' is Chris' last recording and, in many ways, the most complete statement of his bottomless creativity, inventiveness, and complex sense of humor. He was proud of this record.
Following that tragedy, Toenut changed its name to tyro
Tyro
In Greek mythology, Tyro was the daughter of Salmoneus and married Cretheus, but loved Enipeus. She gave birth to Pelias and Neleus, the twin sons of Poseidon. With Cretheus she had Aeson, Pheres, and Amythaon....
and released 'Audiocards' which ventured fully into production wizardry and the complex musical patters of the Hartley-Walters collaboration. This time also marked a departure for Toenut members, as Edelson and English joined forces with Man or Astro-man?
Man or Astro-man?
Man or Astro-man? is a surf rock group that formed in Auburn, Alabama, in the early 1990s and came to prominence over the following decade.Primarily instrumental, Man or Astro-man? blended the surf rock style of the early 1960s like that of The Spotnicks with the new wave and punk rock sounds of...
and ran off to join their circus. Holowacz moved to the South Carolina coast to become executive director of the Arts Council of Beaufort County
Beaufort County, South Carolina
-National protected areas:*Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge *Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 155,215 people, 45,532 households, and 33,056 families residing in the county. The population density was 206 people per...
, and now lives and works in Wellington, New Zealand. Hartley and Walters, now married, continue to make music in Atlanta. Edelson is based in Los Angeles, where he works in the music and video production industry.
Discography
- Toenut Information Mute Records 1995
- Toenut Two in the Piñata Mute Records 1997
- Tyro Audiocards Mute Records 2000