Toadies officially reconvened, signing with Kirtland and recording No Deliverance with David Castell (Burden Brothers, Blue October) at Fort Worth Sound in Fort Worth, and Music Lane in Austin. Lewis says the band has gone for a bare knuckle sound, amping up the psychotic stomp heard on Rubberneck and Hell Below... on the grinding, relentless title track as well as the seething, death-of-a-romance gem So Long Lovey Eyes and the towering, sludgy Man of Stone. The upshot is a taut, exhilarating listen that is quintessentially Toadies. Lewis is stoked on the freshness of this new record. I wrote it between first week of August and, what? About a month ago. Getting back into this, back into the feel of the Toadies, is cool. Lewis, Rez, Vogeler and new bass player Doni Blair (Hagfish, Only Crime) are optimistic that their indie incarnation will succeed, thanks to the support of their devout fans and equally supportive label. The music industry has changed so much, says Vogeler. A band like us can be on an independent label and still get the music out to the people who want to hear it. Getting back to the bare knuckles element of the Toadies, continues Lewis, is what I really enjoy, after being away from it for so long. Vogeler and Rez concur. I m here and still doin it, furthers Vogeler, because the music s good. And Rez proclaims in his thick Texas drawl, The Toadies are back in business. And suddenly, everything wrong is right.