Energetic. Raw. Feisty.
These three words tell you everything you need to know about Australian roots artist Toby on stage.
Toby is a stand out performer – and this is why she is making her mark touring the world – with five Canadian tours up her sleeve, she also tours throughout Europe, America and Australia playing major festivals, and performing her own headline shows.
For an audience, these live shows are a deeply emotional and joyous experience. For Toby, she wears her emotions, thoughts and adventures on her sleeve as clearly as the delighted smile she sports while playing. It's that chemistry and connection – in between plenty of dancing and jumping from both sides – that makes each performance so strikingly unique and deliciously unpredictable.
Passionate and known for her unwavering commitment to her craft Toby is willing to take the risk and be vulnerable with her thoughts and emotions committed to song.
An inability to pin down Toby's charismatic style is what draws such a wide audience from those who pick up her love of roots, folk, jazz, Latin and rock to those who link into her pop sensibilities or smooth reggae grooves, all of which magically weave their way in and out of her music.
Performance highlights so far include Milwaukee 's Summerfest alongside Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and Blondie plus Canada 's Big Time Out Festival with Michael Franti and Xavier Rudd. Also Australian festivals including WA Blues and Roots, Bridgetown Blues (five consecutive years) and Fairbridge Festival. Supports have included everyone from Sheryl Crow, John Mellencamp, Paul Kelly, Brandy, The Indigo Girls, Gomez, Donavon Frankenreiter, Luka Bloom and Pete Murray.
Toby has performed on stage with artists such as The Violent Femmes, Tex Perkins and Ash Grunwald.
2010 is set to be a massive year for Toby. Starting the year with a bang, Toby will be supporting the John Butler Trio in Toronto, this is followed by her sixth full band tour of West Canada. Toby will be recording her fourth studio album in San Fran, USA with Carey Williams acting as producer. Carey has produced for Taj Mahal and manages the incredible Etta James. Toby will be joined by some high profile musicians from San Fran and LA.
"Music – my own or someone else's – is emotionally driven for me. When I am feeling the raw emotion about something, then the songs flow. On stage you get exactly how I am feeling and that's what makes the shows stand out.
"With the songs the audience are invited into my life and they take away feelings of their own and a sense of knowing me and therefore become more open. As they open up, that energy feeds back to us and it makes us all more human."
Keeping it real and untamed is Toby all over as she criss-crosses the globe connecting with audiences, injecting them with the passion she feels for music and turning each performance into a memorable party.
Find Toby online...