Band Name: Toro and the National Guard

Album Name: Ride Free

Genre: Country Rock, Psychedelic, Soul
RIYL: These United States, The Rolling Stones, Brian Jonestown Massacre

The Strutt, Kalamazoo with Benjamin Riley, Blackwater Valley Songs
Nov. 5, 9 p.m.
$3 door, $5 album
myspace.com/toroandthenational guard

"Midwest country rock with contemporary songwriting sensibility" is how guitarist/vocalist Andy Catlin describes Toro and the National Guard. He also threw out "Tractor Pull Medicine Show." What this comes down to is some seriously good song construction: strong, guitar-driven rock ‘n roll with that smoky country flavor, complimentary harmonies and interesting transitions.

The band's forthcoming album, Ride Free, will be its third release, and also its most professional. Plum (2007) and At the Grand Inn (2008) were both recorded on a four-track cassette, whereas Ride Free was recorded by Catlin and Ban Lau at Strutt Studios (Kalamazoo).

"This time, we sat down to create a cohesive album that captures our band's unique voice that had developed from playing tons of shows," Catlin said. "We worked harder than we partied."

Most of the members of Toro's have numerous side projects of their own, but Toro's two main songwriters are Catlin and Grant Littler, who began writing music together when they were only 14 years old.

"Grant's song topics run the gamut from Native American history to personal relationships," Catlin said.
"I mostly write about booze and girls. We are pretty similar, complimentary songwriters because we've been working together as long as we have been writing, recording and performing."

The songs grow from their early stages through experimentation and the sonic sculpting of drummer Adam Danis and bassist Tod Kloosterman, or around pedal steel licks courtesy of Bill Winks. Americana-style vocals are accentuated by Julie Toro's clear soprano. The songs are full of dynamic changes, transitioning from soft vocals to chaos and back again with remarkable precision. Its sound can be reminiscent of several things at once, spanning a variety of times and genres, but is something all on its own.

"The band is a sum of all it parts," Catlin said. "Everyone brings something to the table, and what you hear on (Ride Free) is an amalgamation beyond recognition of what each of us has brought to the songs. Our band ranges in age from 21 to 36 and the diversity of experience and interest, in both life and music, is what drives this band."