Artist description This is a spin-off of Toad the Wet Sprocket - we probably sound most like Toad!

Music Style Alternative, Pop, Rock

Musical Influences Toad the Wet Sprocket, U2, Led Zepplin, REM, BeeGees, Beatles, Husker Du, Meat Puppets, Tears for Fears, The Cure,The Smiths, Journey.

Similar Artists We are half of Toad the Wet Sprocket, also Matchbox 20, Dave Matthews, Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Goo Goo Dolls,Chili Peppers,U2, REM,Counting Crows, Live, Wallflowers, PearlJam, Glen Phillips

Artist History From the moment he graduated from high school, Todd Nichols was playing lead guitar in a rock band, singing and writing songs that would later be heard by millions of people. The group was Toad The Wet Sprocket, they stayed together for about a decade, and by the time they amicably split up in 1998 they had sold over 4 million albums (containing such hits as "All I Want," "Walk On The Ocean" and "Fall Down" all co-written by Todd and the group) and toured the world. No wonder at that time he took a little break from the music biz to work on his golf game and fine-tune his newly-built home studio, all the while writing songs for a new band that didn't yet exist. "Well, we stayed in the animal theme at least," Nichols laughs when asked about the name. "But I definitely wanted a shorter name than our last band. So we have the very simple 'Lapdog.' It's a comfortable sounding name." Brought in from the local Santa Barbara music scene to round out the band was guitarist Rob Taylor and drummer Erik Herzog and from mid-1999 to mid-2000 Lapdog played dozens of shows and recorded over 25 original tunes, written & poduced by Todd. This was quite an output for a guy who had collaborated for ten years with lead singer Glen Phillips of Toad, who usually handled most of the lyrics when Todd brought in his music. "This is the first time I've been responsible for all of the lyrics," Nichols admits. Usually, I just came up with a title, or chorus lyric and that's about it. "It's funny because in the past I never tuned into the words when a song came on the radio. Now all I do is listen to the lyrics." That newfound interest is reflected throughout the 15 original tunes that make up Lapdog's debut album: "Near Tonight." From "the far away from home" theme of the title song to the devotional "Anywhere You Are" Todd's lyrics and simple and heartfelt. Besides the writing and recording, one of the first things Todd insisted upon was establishing the band's presence on the internet, enlisting the aid of one-time Toad roadie Joe Lyons to create "Lapdogmusic.com" which immediately served as a forum for displaced Toad fans who quickly downloaded the MP3 samples offered on the site. Since Toad had one of the largest fan databases in the business - Lyons and Nichols immediately incorporated that into their own e-mail list to notify fans of upcoming Lapdog events. This is a subject that Todd is excited about. "How great is the internet? In over a year we've become sort of a little internet business. I mean, we've only played a few gigs in that time but we're making our name as a "cyber-band." Not only is it relatively cheap to work that way but more than that...it's fun." So Todd seems content to operate the band and his own label called Abe's Records (the same label Toad used when they independently released their own cassette version of their first album "Bread & Circus" oh so many years ago) without the guiding hand of a major record company. Yet if one came knocking would Todd answer the door? "I really don't miss the dog and pony show that comes with working for a big label. Yeah, there are perks, but right now for the first time in my career I have the final say in what goes on. I'm flying under the radar and I like that." Todd is proud of the new album, but he's been unable to fully enjoy its completion since his young band is experiencing a set of "growing pains" at the moment. (In rock and roll that cliche' usually means "personnel changes.") First off, Dean Dinning has left the band to follow his own pursuits, that fall beyond the arena of playing music. Drummer Herzog is also gone, but his replacement will surely fit right in because he's Randy Guss, the one and only drummer of Toad The Wet Sprocket. "I recently moved down to L.A. and Randy now lives about 10 minutes away from me. He came over to play on a demo that Dean Felber (of Hootie and the Blowfish) was recording. He kind of left his drums here so it seemed kind of obvious that he should join Lapdog." Just like with any Toad record, it's the songs that matter, and Nichols has come up with fifteen strong ones that borrow from the tuneful Toad legacy. "Perfect You" will likely appeal to older Toad fans with its catchy chorus and tasteful guitar solos. "Why Believe" combines the acoustic and electric guitars of Taylor and Nichols along with some Beatle-esque Indian scales to form a sonic assault, while "Take My Time" is a flat-out rocker that would sound great on the radio. "I've gone from a lead guitarist who sang a few songs to a lead singer who plays a few solos," Nichols says, referring to guitarist Taylor's important role in Lapdog. "I love Rob's playing. It's the opposite of mine. He can get wild while I keep it steady. It's a good mix that gives us a different sound from Toad." Drawing from his past experiences but plunging headfirst into the 21st century, Todd Nichols and Lapdog should prove be to a very good mix for many years to come. The album "Near Tonight" is currently available at: www.lapdogmusic.com

Group Members Todd Nichols - guitarist, songwriter, vocalist, Randy Guss - drums, Johnny Hawthorn - guitar, background vocals, Eric Holden - bass

Instruments Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Drums

Albums Near Tonight (2001), Mayfly (2002)

Press Reviews "Lapdog ain't sitting down on the job. They continue the tradition of the solid pop craftsmanship and rocking spirit that Toad was known for, bringing fresh, steamy sounds and hooks in an age desparately in need of same." --Josef Woodard

Location Santa Barbara, California - USA

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).