Toy Factory Project Kick Off Spring Tour in Wilmington, N.C.
Toy Factory Project, photo by Dino Perrucci
Toy Factory Project, the Southern rock supergroup honoring Toy Caldwell and the music of The Marshall Tucker Band, took the stage in Wilmington, N.C. last night to set off their four-stop spring tour. After making their electrifying debut at the 52nd annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival last June and setting up at Port Chester, N.Y.’s The Capitol Theatre in February, the powerhouse outfit set out on their long-awaited circuit with an 18-song tribute to their inspiration at Wilmington, N.J.’s Greenfield Lake Amphitheater.
Toy Factory Project opened up their set with “Hillbilly Band,” drawn from the Marshall Tucker Band’s 1973 self-titled debut. The stacked ensemble led by The Marshall Tucker Band’s founding drummer Paul Riddle featured Marcus King on guitar and vocals, Oteil Burbridge on bass, Charlie Starr on guitar and vocals, Josh Shilling on keys and vocals, percussionist Jimmy Rector and special guest Sam Bush on fiddle (evoking some of the passages originally recorded by Charlie Daniels). The seven players maintained the momentum via further classics like “Fly Like an Eagle,” “Fire on the Mountain” (Both the MTB and Grateful Dead’s versions), “Long Hard Ride,” “Searchin’ for a Rainbow” and a set-closer of “Where a Country Boy Belongs.” The band’s second frame touched on hits like “Running Like the Wind,” “Blue Ridge Mountain Sky,” “Can’t You See,” “Take the Highway” and an encore of “Heard it in a Love Song.”
Riddle first imagined Toy Factory Project 13 years ago to recognize the achievements of the late Caldwell, and he found the right band to carry his mantle with the band’s all-star class of devotees. “It overwhelms me, the love and the respect they have for the music and each other is completely egoless,” Riddle said in a Relix feature. “They are all dear friends and great human beings—there’s no musicians on the planet I admire more than those guys.”
In a recent interview with Oteil Bubridge he noted. “Man, the Toy Factory thing is just remarkable. I’ve known Paul Riddle for so long. He used to come out and sit in with the Allman Brothers when we rolled through the Carolinas…There was a 13-year waiting period that the universe insisted upon, and now it’s harvest time.”
The Toy Factory Project will return to the Greenfield Lake Amphitheater tonight, then head off to Richmond, Va.’s Music at Marymount tomorrow. The ensemble’s headline set at Delfest, running from May 21-24 at its longtime home of Cumberland, Md.’s Allegheny County Fairgrounds, currently stands as the final date on their live itinerary. Find tickets and more information at toyfactoryproject.com.
