The Toluenes presented by IndieMusicPeople.com

	El Diablo		Folk/Acoustic Rock/Americana
	Drunk & Naked		Folk/Acoustic Rock/Americana

No Rhythm	1/18/2008 3:32:33 AM Hi guys....Really enjoying your song Adios New Mexico.....I'll keep my ears open for future releases......Cheers Mark
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* Your song 'Adios New Mexico' has just been added to Future Ones station!

* Your song 'Adios New Mexico' has just been added to Nothing But Mexico Radio station!

* Your song 'Adios New Mexico' has just been added to The Country Rose Show station!

* Your song 'Mexico' has just been added to WROK station!

* Your song 'Adios New Mexico' has just been added to Beer Drankin' 'n' Hell Raisin' station!

* Your song 'Mexico' has just been added to Beer Drankin' 'n' Hell Raisin' station!

* Your song 'Drunk & Naked' has just been added to What the Folk! station!

* Your song 'Drunk & Naked' has just been added to fine station!

IAC Your song 'Drunk & Naked' has just been added to SPEAKEASY station!

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July, 2008 Newsletter

Hola amigos & amigas,

With half of 2008 behind us and a few months since the release of Four Chords & A Pack of Lies, we continue to find our names popping up in all kinds of places other than the usual post office walls. Recently, Adios New Mexico was picked up by Clear Channel Broadcasting and can now be heard on such stations as New Rock 103.9 The X in Dayton, OH, 104.1 WTQR Country in Greensboro, NC and 94.9 Zeta Rocks in Miami, FL. We also got pinned down long enough to do a couple of interviews with Graffiti Magazine and with Junior's Cave a while back.(You can check out both of those in the "news" section of our website.) Meanwhile, Four Chords & A Pack of Lies has sold...literally…several copies. If you haven't picked up one yet you can get it at www.thetoluenes.com or, if you're a member of the ipod generation, you can download any or all of it from Amazon.com, Rhapsody, itunes or Napster.

Most exciting, though (at least to me), is that somewhere between Nashville and Mexico we managed to jot down a handful of happenstances and set them to music. The result is the soon-to-be-released follow-up to Four Chords called Off The Wagon & On The Lam. The album is due sometime in September and will feature 10 brand new tales of love and alcohol that have only been heard by those shifty enough to have caught us live these past few months. The first single will be released in August and will likely be either El Diablo or I'll Have What He's Having. We're still arm wrestling over that issue.

Anyway, that's where we are. Hope all is well where you are.

Dios este con usted,

Jamon
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What can I say? (A review by padwanshaun)

What can I say about Four chords & a pack of lies from The Toluenes? Pleasantly surprised is where I’ll start. When I got this cd I put it in my car and gave it a listen on my way back and forth from work. The first day I had songs on there that I liked, but it wasn’t until the end of the week that I realized I had a great album. Nice hooks and great guitar work was what popped out at me at first and kept it in my cd player, but what made me fall in love with this album was the great lyrics. I felt like an idiot laughing out loud at a red light when I heard “broken and busted”. Now when I have friends over we put this on in the back ground. We play a drinking game to it. Every time you hear the word “Mexico” you drink. Unless you are a tank you are going to be buzzed half way through the album & have a half naked chick dancing on your coffee table(that’s what you get when you play with José). The only track that really doesn’t “jive” with the rest is “Dust”. Don’t get me wrong it’s a good song, but it’s a real tear jerker. I’m sure The Toluenes wanted to change the pace up a little with this song since they put it right in the middle of the album, and they succeeded , but it isn’t what you want to hear when you are trying to get drunk and have a good time. “Here’s To You” is a song I got to talk about for a minute. This song says everything Garth Brooks’ “Friends In Low Places” says but just does it better. Its as much a honky tonk anthem as you’ll find these days. While it seems that Nashville is breaking its neck to “pop” up their sound its really refreshing to see a band with an attitude that’s all beer and backbone. Much like the name of the last track “From Nashville To Mexico” this album takes you on a journey. And on the way you get some great songs . This album has all you’ll need for a good time, except the coronas.
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Off the wagon, on the lam and loving the journey (Review by HonkyTonkBuffalo "Rocket Man")
If music was a boxing match, the Toluenes would start round two off, swinging hard with their new CD ..Off The Wagon And On The Lam'. This follow up to ..Four Chords & A Pack Of Lies' is exactly what you want a sophomore effort to be. It's familiar, and different all at the same time. And I don't think you'd want it any other way.

What's familiar? Jamon Scott, and Dan Crawley's desert southwest Tennessee sound. If you've heard ..Four Chords' you know what I'm talking about. (If you haven't, you should do yourself a favor and pick that CD up too.) It's not county, as much as it is rock, and it's not rock as much as it is county, with a taste of salsa-like south of the boarder flavor. The sound is back, and it's very welcome.

What's different? The guys aren't afraid to explore their harder, rougher edge. To take their signature sound down a path that's a bit more raw, and a little darker. Almost like saying; ..Yeah, we sound like that, but we can also do this too.'. And it works very well. Every trip you take, even through a familiar neighborhood, can seem different in the middle of a storm, and this journey is no different.

That being said, this CD is a great listen. Not once have I reached for the skip button on my CD or MP3 players. Whether you're saying goodbye, drinking to, and maybe envying a friend who's shedding his bachelorhood in ..I'll Have What He's Having', or hanging out with Elvis, and Eddie Vedder in a drunken hallucination through 'No Mas De Tequila', to a tongue-in-cheek wink to the Kink's 'Lola', and Aerosmith's 'Dude Looks Like A Lady' in ..Lana' you smile and chuckle as you tap your feet. Or maybe you just want to be alone, close your eyes and drink in a warm shot of, not being able to shake a former loved one with ..You're There', or just trying to get past that point and be ..All Over That Girl'. Then heading off to a fun margarita, cerveza, tequila filled party and get ..Drunk & Naked', with ..El Diablo'. You can also take a side road, with the gritty ..El Presidente's Daughter', and ..Sancho's Blues'. And top it all off with the hopeful and reflective ..Que Sera'.

I hope these guys are around for a long, long time. They're one of those rare bands that make you feel good, thoughtful, and contemplative all at the same time, and ..Off The Wagon And On The Lam', is Crawley and Scotts testimonial to that. It's progressive, all the while staying true to the core sound. It's a musical excursion I'm more than happy to take, and so should you.
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Off The Wagon and On The Lam
Category: Music
Hola amigos & amigas!

The leaves have begun to fall in the Smokies, turkeys everywhere have gone into hiding and somewhere there's a jolly, red-garbed, white-bearded hombre checking his list to determine which boys & girls will find limes & cervezas under their trees in the coming weeks. So, watch out, don't cry and don't pout because...well, you know the rest.

Meanwhile, everyone's favorite Southwestern band from the Southeast has just put a big bow on our Christmas present to you. That's right...the mostly eagerly-awaited, somewhat anticipated follow-up to "Four Chords & A Pack of Lies" is finally complete and will be released December 16. "Off The Wagon and On The Lam" will feature 10 brand spankin' new tales of love & alcohol including the first single "El Diablo". For a preview, visit our official Myspace page. The disc will be available at www.thetoluenes.com or can be downloaded at Amazon.com, Rhapsody, Napster and iTunes. We'll also be on the road in early 2009 playing it for anyone who will give us free beer. Hopefully, we'll see you along the way.

Until then, Dios este con usted.

Jamon
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Four Chords gets five stars! (Review by HonkyTonkBuffalo "Rocket Man")
What do you call desert southwest rock music from Tennessee? You call it the Toluenes. And their CD Four Chords & A Pack Of Lies is a Lynchburg lemonade sweet mix of both geographical areas.

From the opening of Call Me Sancho to the final chords of From Nashville To Mexico, this disc is a journey of gain and loss, to euphoria and heart break. Jamon Scott, and Dan Crawley have created a grouping of musical stories here they should be very proud of.

While listening to the song Mexico, you can feel the wind in your hair as you're being chased across the border, and cheering our hero on during his escape. Or you can sit with him at the bar, as he pours his heart out over his loss, while at the same time finding new love in One Cerveza. Then there is the haunting balled; Dust. Anyone who's ever been through a breakup, can relate to every single word in this song. It's as healing as it is soothing and meaningful.

So, no matter the kind of song you're looking for, look no further. If you want something fun (Here's To You, Mexico, Adios New Mexico), something thought provoking, heartfelt, and beautiful (Dust, I'd Be In Mexico), or even a waltz (Broken & Busted), Jamon and Crawley serve it up on a silver platter called Four Chords & A Pack Of Lies.
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From Nashville to Mexico: A trip well worth taking (Review by Jack Lee)
The Toluenes are The Ramones meet Tom T. Hall. That has to be the first time in the history of the English language that particular sentence has been constructed but how else than by invoking such disparate artists can one describe a sometimes raw and urgent and always vital band that tells such clever, entertaining and amusing stories in its songs?

And not only are there stories, it turns out, but stories within stories. I hate to use the term "concept album" because "Four Chords & a Pack of Lies" neatly avoids the pretentiousness that term conjures, but this is, in fact, a concept album in that the songs tell (tall?) tales that follow an amusing (sometimes laugh-out-loud funny) and often touching (even haunting) arc from Nashville to Mexico and back again. Along the way the singer has some adventures, meets some women (and runs afoul of some of their significant others) and generally has himself a fine ol' time. But it's not all fun and games. Lead singer Jamon Scott and his partner-in-crime Dan Allen Crawley take it in the teeth a few times, too. At the end it sounds like they've learned some hard-won lessons but, I hope, at least, that's only until it's time to live the life it takes to write a new album. I like it when these boys are down in Mexico and on the run and I think you will, too. Speaking of which, if you take a look at the song list you'll see that a whole lot of the cuts deal with the land south-of-the-border. If you (like me) find yourself thinking, 'What the hell is up with all the Mexico songs?' then fear not. That question is answered on cut six and it broke my heart in the best possible way. These guys can go for the gut just as easily as the funny bone.

With great hooks, clever lyrics (and I won't spoil any of them for you by quoting them here) that reward you for listening closely and repeatedly and melodies that get stuck in your head for days and days there's no fault to find in the song writing and the boys back it up with some mighty fine singing and playing. I don't know if you call this country or country rock or alt country or americana but whatever it is, I want more. Lots more. I think I've found myself a new favorite band.

By-the-way, it turns out that "toluene" is the second "T" in "TNT" (I had to look it up) which I think is the perfect name for the band. They are, without a doubt, the explosive shot in the arm that Nashville needs. Do yourself a favor and check out the Toluenes now. That way you can brag to all your buddies that you were a fan long before they became a household name.
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Graffiti Magazine interviews The Toluenes
Tell me about your latest projects:....

.. ..

Jamon: We’ve just finished a new c.d. called “Four Chords & A Pack of Lies”. It was written by the band and, not to name-drop or anything, but it was co-produced by Jim Allison, who has written a truckload of cuts in Nashville, including a #1 hit for Reba McEntire.....

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Dan: The album title is a reference to the famous Harlan Howard quote that country music is “three chords and the truth”.....

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Jamon: We also just took 1st place in the Indie Gathering Film Festival for a t.v. pilot entitled Bottle Rockets that we shot in Morristown, TN late last year. The show is a sitcom in the vein of Seinfeld or It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. It’s set in Nashville and is about a group of friends trying to make it in the entertainment industry. I co-wrote and co-starred in it along with Scott Sullivan, an actor/stand-up comic from Russell Springs, KY. The director of photography on the project was Jason Epperson, who is from Winchester, KY. His credits include music videos for Sawyer Brown and Blackhawk and you might also remember him from Fox’s On The Lot reality series, on which he finished second. ....

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Dan: Not to name-drop or anything.....

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What kind of music do you play? ....

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Dan: Well, people tell us that we’re a little too rock to be country, but a little too country to be rock. I guess that would make us alternative country…maybe?....

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Jamon: Or maybe electric Americana?....

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Dan: Hey, that sounds pretty cool.....

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Jamon: I have this dream of being on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine next to the caption “The Americana Nirvana”.....

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Where in West Virginia and eastern Kentucky do you play?....

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Dan: Anywhere they'll give us a bar tab.....

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Jamon: And free food.....

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What are some of the most important gigs you've played?....

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Jamon: We played at Luther Luckett Correctional Facility in LaGrange, KY a while back. That was an experience.....

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Dan: Yeah, I was channeling Johnny Cash all day.....

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Jamon: We also played the Master Musician’s Festival in Somerset a few years back. Shared the bill with Nickel Creek at that one. I’m not sure all those bluegrass fans really knew what to make of us, though. Oh yeah, and I played an acoustic gig at The Rainbow Room on the Sunset Strip. That was cool.....

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Dan: Wasn’t that where heavy metal bands used to go to get a hummer after they played at The Whisky?....

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Jamon: That’s the legend. Nobody offered me one, though.....

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Who are your musical influences?....

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Jamon: Well, I spent my formative years listening to New Wave music. I’m still a huge Duran Duran fan.....

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Dan: I was a metal head...but I liked Prince.....

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Jamon: We both liked bands like Gin Blossoms, The Refreshments and Third Eye Blind, though.....

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Dan: And Steve Earle, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings.....

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Jamon: I guess when you throw all that stuff into a blender you get The Toluenes.....

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What are your plans for the future?....

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Dan: To keep doing the same thing we do everyday…try and take over the world.....

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Jamon: While quoting cartoon characters, no less.....

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Dan: Seriously though, we’d like to be able to create music we like and get it out there to as many people as possible...and, hopefully, make a living doing it.....

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Jamon: Oh, and we’d like to date a lot of supermodels.....

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How old are you?....

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Dan: Old enough to know better but young enough to still get away with it.....

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Jamon: What he said.....

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Do you play any other instruments?....

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Jamon: I’m not sure I technically “play” any instrument. I bang on the guitar and make really cool sounds on the synthesizer, though.....

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Dan: I play guitar and bass, but I can usually make sense of about anything that has strings on it.....

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Jamon: How 'bout a piano?....

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Dan: Pianos have strings IN them.....

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Jamon: Touche'.....

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Do you come from a musical family?....

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Jamon: I had an uncle who used to play the flat top a little, but no one in my family was a serious musician.....

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Dan: My family doesn't even like music.....

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How did you get started in the music business?....

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Jamon: As far back as I can remember I always wanted to be Elvis. I can’t remember ever wanting to be anything else.....

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Dan: I wanted to be Prince.....

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Jamon: So, you wanted to wear a raincoat and panties?....

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Dan: Wait 'til you see what I wear to the next show.....

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Jamon: My family had an old floor model stereo and my mom says I used to beg them to put on some Elvis and then I'd stand in front of it with my chin propped on it and fall asleep staring at the record spinning around. As I got older, I started to get into the New Wave bands of the 80’s. That’s when I got my first keyboard. I used to try and play stuff I would hear on the radio. What I was playing wasn’t even close to the actual song, but it still sounded pretty good. So, I thought, “Hell, I’ll just write words to this.”....

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Dan: Actually, Jamon inspired me to get into the business. He had recorded a song with a guitar player friend of mine and it was getting some serious airplay on a local radio station. I heard it and decided right there and then that I wanted to be a part of it. I called up my friend and asked if they could use another guitarist.....

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Jamon: Now, what you have to understand here is that Dan couldn't even play guitar at this time.....

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Dan: But I thought I could...at least until we set up an audition. I chickened out at the last minute, though, and never showed up.....

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Jamon: But we crossed paths later on and the rest, as they say, is rock and roll history.....

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Where in eastern Kentucky are each of you from?....

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Jamon: I’m originally from Louisville but grew up in a little town called Albany. I think there are more cows than people there.....

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Dan: Well, to make a short story long, I grew up in the same town but I moved to Nashville right after high school and fell ass-backwards into a publishing deal which turned out to be more of a learning experience than a money-making experience. I moved to Lexington after that and played in a couple of bands there before moving back to Albany a few years ago.....

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Do you spend a lot of time there?....

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Jamon: Most of my family still lives there so I go back pretty often.....

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Dan: I'm there every damn day.....

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What does being from eastern Kentucky mean to you?....

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Jamon: Well, I've traveled quite a bit and seen a lot of this country, but there's just a certain sense of pride here that you don't see anywhere else. This area has such a rich heritage and you really get the sense that it's a part of the people who live here. I know it's a part of me.....

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Dan: You just went John Mellencamp on her ass, didn't you?....

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Jamon: Yeah, a little.....
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New Music Now Spotlight: The Toluenes
A mixture of Country and Americana, Nashville’s Toluenes are hot on the music scene currently. Vocalist & songwriter Jamon Scott: and Guitarist Dan Crawley makes the perfect combination for the band as their diverse musical background fits perfectly. Now the duo is taking the time from their busy schedule to answer some questions for Junior’s Cave. You can find them just about anywhere on the Internet but if you want a taste of the band then make sure to view their EPK (Electronic Press Kit) on Sonicbids.com (Music Resource Submission Giant).

Isaac-Joseph: How is everyone doing today?

Jamon: A little lethargic, actually.

Dan: Actually, I'm a little drunk Isaac!

Isaac-Joseph: Your music has a nice acoustical feel to it. What I really like about the music is that when I am listening to it I feel I am listening to a story being told. How do you approach your music?

Jamon: Well, Isaac, I like to think that we don't really write songs; we just write them down.

Dan: Oh yeah, we pretty much just jot this shit down as it happens to us. They're all true stories.

Jamon: At least as far as you know.

Isaac-Joseph: What aspect of making music excites you the most right now as an entertainer?

Jamon: The prospect of dating a supermodel ranks pretty close to the top.

Dan: Chicks do dig musicians.

Jamon: Seriously, though, I think one of the most exciting things about being an artist in the 21st century is the fact that it's so easy to get your music in the hands of people who want to hear it. Hell, 10 or 15 years ago 99% of all the bands out there had no chance of ever being anything other than a local band, but with Internet radio and sites like Myspace, Garageband & YouTube and online stores like Amazon.com, a band can literally go from complete obscurity to having a respectable global presence overnight.

Dan: And I'd be willing to bet that most supermodels have the Internet, too.

Isaac-Joseph: What aspect of making music discourages you the most?

Dan: Labels! Everyone wants to put a label on what you do. They think you have to fit some category. Good music is good music and bad music is bad music.

Jamon: 'Nuff said.

Isaac-Joseph: You have a new release. Expound on your new project and what we can expect from it.

Jamon: The new disc is called Four Chords & A Pack of Lies.

Dan: And you can expect to hear it everywhere!

Isaac-Joseph: What's the most unusual place you've ever played a show or made a recording?

Jamon: We played a show at the Luther Luckett Correctional Facility in LaGrange, KY a few months back. That was interesting.

Dan: And when he says "interesting" he means "scary".

Isaac-Joseph: How did the qualities of that place affect the show?

Jamon: Well, there's something to be said for playing to a "captive audience".

Dan: All I know is that I didn't go to the bathroom while we were there.

Jamon: I was thinking the whole time it was a set up to have an old warrant served on me.

Isaac-Joseph: In what ways does the place where you live (or places where you have lived) affect the music you create or your taste in music?

Jamon: To be honest with you, I really don't think geography has as much influence on an artist as it used to. I mean, when you think about it, if you have cable or satellite TV and the Internet, then the whole world is pretty much being piped right into your house. I think that kinda makes everywhere feel a whole lot like everywhere else.

Dan: I just use the Internet to watch porn.

Isaac-Joseph: When was the last time you wrote a song? What can you tell us about it?

Jamon: I wrote a song about Mexico the other day.

Dan: When was the last time either one of us wrote a song that wasn't about Mexico?

Isaac-Joseph: As you create more music, do you find yourself getting more or less interested in seeking out and listening to new music made by other people...and why do you think that is?

Jamon: I don't know if I'd say I'm either more or less interested in music by other artists, but I definitely have to put out a little more effort to find music I like these days.

Dan: Some of the best music out there right now is definitely not on the radio.

Isaac-Joseph: Lately, what musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn to as a listener?

Jamon: I've been listening to a lot of Dylan lately. At the same time, I've kinda been on an '80's kick for some reason, too. But when I'm really feeling wacky, I listen to Dylan from the '80's. Now, that's some bizarre shit.

Dan: I have Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers in my CD. player right now. You damn sure won't hear anything that good on the radio.

Isaac-Joseph: Are there still CD players around (smiles)?

Isaac-Joseph: Name a band or musician, past or present, who you flat-out LOVE and think more people should be listening to. What's one of your all-time favorite recordings by this band/musician?

Jamon: Well, I know when I was a kid it was all about Elvis for me. In fact, there was a time when I couldn't even understand why a radio station would play anything besides Elvis...and I would literally get pissed off at the artists they played who weren't Elvis. I was like, "Why are you wasting my time when I could be listening to Elvis? You're not Elvis. Get the hell off my radio."

Dan: I felt the exact same way but about Prince.

Jamon: So, let me get this straight: If we emulated our heroes on stage, I'd be wearing a white jumpsuit & cape and you'd be wearing a raincoat & panties?

Dan: I think we've just found our look.

Isaac-Joseph: What is your favorite song of yours that you enjoy performing on stage?

Jamon: Definitely Adios New Mexico. I guess I just feel like more people should have the mental image of me running down the street naked.

Dan: Well, since you put it that way I know what my least favorite one is now! Seriously though, I enjoy playing any of the songs that Jamon has written. A lot of the time I find myself caught up in the story or mental images. It takes me a minute or two to come back to reality because I’m just on stage enjoying the songs.

Isaac-Joseph: This is what we call our Shout Out time. Elaborate on any and everyone that matters the most to you:

Jamon: I'd like to give a shout out to Dan.

Dan: Right back at you “brotha”!

fine
SPEAKEASY

fine

SPEAKEASY

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