Toby Cryns played at our (The CVS Trio) second annual Halloween Themed party last night and as expected did not disappoint. Every act in the evening wore a costume which was no exception for the joggers that appeared on stage along side Toby. He roared through an emotional set. Unfortunately I can’t remember song titles off hand but the tunes themselves were unforgettable, unforgiving and unbiased.

Toby’s voice is always the first thing to jump out at you. I would describe it as a mix of Placebo and the Flaming lips. Wavering in tone but certain in message. He knows what he’s singing about. So many artists spend their time writing metaphor after metaphor about subjects that don’t interlock with the rest of the song. Toby writes about quitting the shittiest job he’s ever had with such blunt words you begin to think of your own job, kids bringing guns to school with humor and girls not really understanding him. Toby is the real deal and it comes out in his advanced guitar skills. The bass and drums were perfectly mixed throughout the night and brought out the beat, but Toby was the one that brought the balls. I look forward to the new CD coming out next spring and putting Cryns #3 on more show bills just so I can see them more. Cheers!