Toyesauce, the breakout project from Nashville guitarist Leon Toye, will officially deliver its star-studded debut EP on Friday, June 10th. Today, ahead of the release of the self-titled collection, Live For Live Music is thrilled to premiere Toyesauce in its entirety.
The collaborative studio project positions the Nashville-based Toye alongside a combination of world-class players representing the places from which he draws his inspiration and lifelong passion for music: New Orleans, Austin, Nashville, and beyond.
Though inspired and shaped by these cities and their respective musical dignitaries, Toyesauce was predominantly recorded from afar. The process for each of the EP’s five tracks began at Toye’s home studio in Nashville, where the guitarist worked with saxophonist Troy Atkins to form the ideas for songs. Those sketches were then kicked down to New Orleans where Galactic‘s Stanton Moore added his prodigious drum grooves. Through Moore, the roster of NOLA talent grew to include the likes of legendary The Meters bassist George Porter Jr., who adds his unmistakeable Big Easy swagger to a pair of tracks including kung fu funk offensive “Yip Man”.
As Toye explained of the track, “This riff was written during the summer of 2020, while sitting on the couch and watching kung fu movies about Yip Man. At this point Stanton had already played on two other tracks and we had a nice established workflow. The tune reminded me of a Meters groove and I remember thinking, ‘it sure would be cool if George Porter Jr. played on this.’”
“Good As It Gets Anymore“, which he co-wrote and recorded with Austin, TX music hero Kevin McKinney of Soulhat, and which also features Porter on bass, marked yet another perfect match for Toye, who spent his formative years as a college student in Austin when it was becoming widely known as the “Live Music Capital of the World.”
“I’ll Give It A Try” immediately evokes the sonic playbook of Dave Matthews Band, propelled by violin leads from Joseph Shackelford and rhythmic acoustic guitar strumming from Toye. So, naturally, Leon Toye recruited DMB saxophonist Jeff Coffin to add his singular sound and a spacey solo to the track.
On the EP’s final two tracks, “Chicken” and “Flea Market”, Troy Atkins and a horn section filled out by Nashville staples Emmanuel Echem (trumpet) and Roy Agee (trombone) take center stage, powering the parade along with searing solos woven into Toye’s urgent guitar tones. The long list of collaborators on Toyesauce goes on with Nashville musicians like Kenny Jackson (bass), and Ryan Connors (keyboards), New Orleans drummer Terence Higgins, bassist Craig Glaiberman out of Northern California, and the backing vocal trio of Amber Woodhouse, Jannelle Means, and Sarina-Joi Crowe.
Ultimately, Toyesauce is a rare silver lining of the pandemic era, an exciting set of songs that bridge styles, cities, and physical distance in the name of creativity and collaboration. “I love surrounding myself with smarter and more talented people. It’s uncomfortable, but a motivating and fantastic learning opportunity,” Leon shared of the experience. With such a prestigious cast of personnel on the album, Toye added, “I’m humbled to even plug in my guitar.”
Listen to the debut EP from Toyesauce below now exclusively via Live For Live Music. Click below for a full list of personnel featured on each track. Toyesauce arrives on major streaming platforms on Friday, June 10th. For more on Toysauce, head to the band’s website.
Toyesauce – Toyesauce – Full EP
The post PREMIERE: Toyesauce Issues Funky Debut EP Ft. Members Of The Meters, Galactic, DMB, More [Listen] appeared first on L4LM.
