To kick off Riot Fest formally for us last weekend, we caught Social Distortion and The Tossers at the Congress Theater. Unfortunately, we missed out on Reverend Payton's Big Damn Band, but from the folks we spoke with in the crowd last night, they definitely got everyone warmed up in a big way. The Tossers took the stage around 8:30 p.m. to an exceedingly excited crowd hungry for some old fashioned Irish folk punk. While their set was solid, the majority of the songs came from some of the newer material. While we hate to sound like the old guy at the bar saying that the classics were way better, we would've preferred a more balanced set with some more mainstays. Classics like Aye Sir and their cover of Dirty Old Town made us feel warm and fuzzy, but overall, we think the folks who prefer newer cuts had a much better experience than we did. more ›

For those of you who didn't get your Irish out yesterday, the Tossers are playing their annual St. Patrick's Day show Metro tonight. It seems fitting that Tony Duggins and company play the venerable Wrigleyville concert venue the day after St. Patrick's Day. The Tossers' sound is firmly rooted in that fusion of Irish folk and punk. Playing an actual St. Patrick's day gig on the day itself would seem like a concession. more ›

Here's a classic from Tony Duggins and the Tossers. We'll probably be singing this on December 26. more ›

If there was ever one time to find yourself at a Tossers show, it's on St. Patrick's Day. When the actual date falls on a Wednesday, only the hardcore will venture out to the bars to celebrate like most others had done during the preceding weekend. Even Wrigleyville was uncharacteristically staid last night, so when these hundreds of green-clad Soldiers in the Army of Chi-rish Drunken Pride show up to the Metro mid-week to get a little sideways and kick out some jams, you can be sure you're in the company of True Believers. more ›

If you usually associate southside Irish stalwarts The Tossers with their alcohol-fueled St. Patrick's day sets at Metro, you get a 3-month-early preview of those gigs when they take the stage near midnight on New Years Eve at Reggies Rock Club. The Tossers have been keeping something of a low profile through the second half of this year, and the NYE gig will be their first show in 4 months, which is an eternity for a band that's almost always on the road. Opening for the Tossers will be avant-garde doom metal group Yakuza, the surf-punk Teen Idols, and Scott Lucas and the Married Men, a group which features Aaron Duggins and Becca Manthe of the Tossers in his lineup as well. [Ed. note: Lucas is gonna be busy that night, since he's playing a headlining set at Double Door later that evening!] more ›

more ›