MR. TOAD'S Wild Ride saxophonist Tom Colclough belts out a (une during a recent show at the Landmark Jazz Bar in Vancouver. The North Shore resident says that his polka-playing days are over and he will now concentrate more on jazz.

'S — Friday, June 19, 1987 - North Shore News

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NORTH SHORE saxophane player Tom Colclough is a man with a sense of humor.

By STEPHEN BARRINGTON News Reporter

Now the front man for the band Mr. Toad‘s Wild Ride, Cotclough had paid his polka dues and is get- ting into some serious playing after “pigs from hell."

“Pm playing way less polkas now,’’ he says matter-of-factly, reflecting on the time he was dress- ing in lederhosen to play at numerous German beerfests.

No more. But he still has a bevy of stories about those evenings. “You get lots of free beer and the girls really like the legs. [1’s totally bizarre.”’

Featuring Colclough and former fellow Handsworth student [an Fisher, Mr. Toad has played various local jazz venues around town. Superb playing, top-notch writing and an unusual sense of humor have attracted somewhat of a following.

During shows, the band tries to dispel some of the unfortunate myths about the poor toad. ‘‘Toad facts! Toad facts,’’ the audience will usually yell.

‘We go into our toad facts jingle, tell a few toad facts and then Bob’s your uncle.’’ Not being the resident toad facts expert, Col- clough says little by way of exam- ple except, ‘‘People think toads give warts; toads don’t give warts.””

NEWS photo Neil Lucanto

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NO MORE POLKAS, SAYS MUSICIAN

player

leaves behind ‘gigs from hell

Named after a popular children's story and Michael Jackson's favorite ride at

Disneyland, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride has gone through a number of name changes.

Ending up sounding like one of the fess-popular women’s per- fumes, the names ran the gamut through about five labels in the vein of Impulse and the like.

“Everybody liked Mr. Toad a lot,”’ says the man who discovered the naiae.

Coictough’s name was recently splashed in huge lights when he and the band performed at the Rick Hansen tribute at B.C. Place. But with the set-up in the stadium, the collection of players had to fake it through the performances.

Pretending to play a mostly- improvised piece meant Colclough was sometimes caught unaware, with him taking a breath when he was supposed to be playing.

‘“(But) it looks just as stupid with the sax in your mouth the whole time.”’

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride is cur- rently working on its first LP, which the band is hoping will be released in the fall. Described by Colclough as ‘‘instrumental pop jazz. fusion rhythm and blues,’’ the music is mostly original material.

A lack of a singing voice means music without vocals, something that with a voice such as his would perhaps be too much of an imposi- tion on listeners.

“{ don't like my singing voice

See Band Page 16