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A Monty Python sketch seems as good a place as any to take inspiration for a band name , especially when you ’ re a teenager daydreaming of making it big . For Glen Phillips , of Toad the Wet Sprocket , the daydream became reality and the origin of the band name became a story he would be telling for the next 30 years . As the lead singer and primary songwriter for Toad , Phillips mixed beautiful , lingering melodies with melancholic , spiritual lyrics . Not exactly reminiscent of a Monty Python sketch , and yet that name is an absolutely perfect fit .
Although the band dissolved in 1998 , they continued to tour sporadically until officially reuniting in 2009 . The break gave Phillips the opportunity to begin releasing music under his own name though , and he hasn ’ t stopped since . Outside of central California , you ’ re most likely to find him performing songs off his latest solo album , Swallowed by the New . If you happen to live in the middle of the Golden State , there ’ s a good chance you ’ ll find Phillips at the local farmers market . If you happen to be one of the farmers at the market , Phillips may have already found you .
First off , about a month ago you had a birthday , so happy belated birthday . Thank you . I think 47 is officially middle age .
Do you have any favorite birthday traditions ? A favorite meal or cake to mark the occasion ?
No . This year I just invited a bunch of friends , 30 or 40 people , and we had a little cocktail hour . Everyone brought snacks . We went to the beach , and it was cool . Wine , cheese , and a sunset at the beach . That was it .
That sounds awesome . Yes , it was perfect .
I know you ’ re not in official wine country , but you guys have a lot of wineries around Santa Barbara .
Yeah . We ’ ve got Oreana ; we ’ ve got a bunch of others . We have the Urban Wine Trail down in the funk zone . There is a group of wineries that are operating within the city itself . So , it ’ s Santa Barbara County grown , but depending on the winery , some stuff is actually put together in the city . There are a few neighborhoods like that . There are the big wineries , who do everything on site , and there ’ s a lot of places that have offsite production .