Glen Phillips Plays Jammin' Java

Jonathan Kingham (left) and Glen Phillips tune up for a fun, casual show at Jammin' Java.

On April 2, Glen Phillips played to a sold-out crowd. Best known for being the frontman of Toad the Wet Sprocket, which he started when he was just 16, the still-babyfaced Phillips, now 37, continues to tour in support of his solo material. With solid material to pull from several solo albums as well as rock collaborations with other notable musicians, his shows are always a good time. His songs range from beautiful ballads to silly fun, from the heartfelt "True" to the goofy "Solar Flare," from the just-released EP Secrets of the New Explorers.

Phillips and Kingham worked well off of each other; their stories and rantings were quite entertaining. Apparently, the two had a full tour of the Nasa-Goddard Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland and, as self-professed nerds, were enthralled by all the equipment and the scientists themselves. Phillips noted his pre-teen daughters were with them on the NASA tour and, recognizing their dad was having a blast, did their best to hide their boredom. He was beaming with pride about it.

Phillips also told a cheesy pirate joke that got a chuckle but then, when he started the next song, he stopped and apologized, “I still have some pirate in my throat.” He then recounted how he once did a show where he came out for the encore and, realizing he hadn’t played any Toad songs up to that point, sang only Toad songs in the encore but performed them in a Neil Diamond voice. That got quite a giggle. Luckily, he didn’t do the Diamond impression that night.