Music Bloodline

Toad the Wet Sprocket

Sincere, melodic rock four-piece had an impressive 1990s string of singles on both the pop and modern rock charts.

Biography

While its goofy (but undeniably unforgettable) name may have implied that Toad the Wet Sprocket were prone to novelty songs, the California four-member band and its earnest alternative rock were descendents of both the melancholy, literary Smiths and the gritty, introspective Smithereens. The act's singles were drenched in desolation and desperation and Glen Phillips's vocals oozed sorrow, but that fit the grunge-heavy mid-1990s, and Toad had a remarkable string of medium-sized hits on both pop and modern rock radio.