The Chop Top Toronados

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The Chop Top Toronados blend the swing of rockabilly with the roots of country and the angst of punk to form a unique and electrically charged sound that's lit up Wisconsin venues such as Tom’s Garage, Onopa Brewery, G-Daddy’s BBC, Points East Pub, Anchor Inn, The Inferno, Vnuk’s Lounge, Cactus Club and the Rock Shop, as well as festival stages at Maxfest, Locust Street Days, West Bend Classic Car Show, Center Street Daze, Milwaukee’s East Side Summer Soulstice, Bayview Bash, and Summerfest.

CTT have warmed the crowd for national acts such as Nick Curran and the Nightlifes, Twistin’ Tarantulas, The Boneyard Brawlers, Split Lip Rayfield, The Lustre Kings, Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash and the Legendary Shack Shakers. They have shared the stage with hometown favorites the Uptown Savages, the Nelsonics, Five Card Studs, the Probers and the Sin City Injectors. The Chop Top Toronados debut CD entitled The Good Life receives regular air play on WMSE 91.7 FM which led to the invitation to play on the stations annual spring pledge drive.

The current line up includes guitarist, The Colonel, whose Jazz-influenced chops and unique ear for hooks lend an original musical personality to the band. Mark E. Lee sings about heartache, heartbreak, and hangovers -- as well as the good times that make drinkin' and rockin' worth doin'. The rhythm section is lead by Rex Handsome, whose electric bass crosses a wide spectrum of tones ranging from cool jazz to a galloping rockabilly frolic that often draws comparison to an upright bass. Hot Karl supplies a high-octane drum style and offbeat stage presence required to crank the high-horsepower Toronado engine.

Upcoming Shows

Friday, May 18 @ 08:00 PM Miramar Theater 2844 N. Oakland Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53211 With the Brutal Dildos, Wanda Chrome and the Leather Pharoahs and .357 String Band. Sunday, May 20 @ 09:00 PM Vnuk's Lounge 5036 S. Packard Cudahy, WI Opening for The Three Bad Jacks, and The Koffin Kats. We're up at 9 Friday, May 25 @ 10:00 PM McAuliffe's Pub 3700 Meacham Road Racine, WI 53405 Chop Tops with The Five Man Trio Saturday, May 26 @ 08:00 PM Circle A Cafe 932 E. Chambers Street Milwaukee, WI 53212 Alive at 8! This show is going to be all requests, no set list. Be sure to get there early so you don't miss your favorite song.

Reviews

“Imagine Johnny Cash fronting a band like the Clash after taking a few guitar lessons from the Reverend Horton Heat. Since January of 2003, the Chop Top Toronados have been breeding boot-kicking country with old school punk and hotrod rockabilly to form a uniquely original sound that's creating a buzz in Milwaukee and beyond.”

— Press Package from Four on the Floor Records

“Good old-fashioned rave-up rock 'n' roll, fast and hard and edged with the taste of cheap, yet tasty, beer.”

— Jon M. Gilbertson,
Special to the Journal Sentinel

“Though the Chop Top Toronados’ racous spirit sits comfortably in country-punk, the Milwaukee four-piece seems more at home in the bygone world of barrelhouse rockabilly, when rock was dangerous but still had a sense of humor. The band definitely enjoys its booze, celebrating and lamenting life’s foilables with Jameson and PBR, it’s elixers of choice. No mere revivalists, Chop Top Toronados cut Link Wray’s guitar rumble and Merle Haggard’s whiskey-soaked hard-luck tales with jazzy flourishes and ambitious arrangements on their new album, The Good Life.”

— The Onion Staff

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Copyright © 2007 The Chop Top Toronados. CD available at CDBaby.com, Atomic Records and Rush-Mor Records.