Toadstool Shadow is three cousins. They grew up working and playing on their grandfather's roadside stand in the tiny village of Toadstool Junction, Ohio. They sold mushrooms in the spring, ginseng in the summer, pumpkins in the fall, and Christmas trees in winter. That is where they learned their first songs together and first sang together.
Toadstool Shadow is inspired by an earlier age of American musical entertainment. In the bygone era of vaudeville and early radio & TV shows, country and folk musicians easily mixed music and humor. Back then, between songs, all manner of jokes and gags kept the audience entertained.
Toadstool Shadow's live performances mix original songs with corny jokes and a few old classics like "Home on the Range." Their songs are about important topics like "The Apple Who Fell Far from the Tree," "The Old Dog Who Learned a New Trick," "The Late Bird Who Caught a Worm," as well as songs about corn, mermaids, potatoes, leprechauns, and cowgirls.
Their stage set typically includes props like the Toadstool Telephone, which rings between songs; the Toadstool Clock, part of a running gag titled "What time is it, Cousin Margaret?;" and the World's Tallest Toadstool. They often tell tales of growing up in the tiny, but very foggy, village of Toadstool Junction, Ohio.
Musically and stylistically, Toadstool Shadow aims for a marriage of the old Hee Haw TV show and "Yellow Submarine." Their melodies are in family of American folk music, with lyrics that range from the silly to the serious to the surreal. On stage, they usually dress as cowgirls and cowboys. However, occasionally, they dress as gnomes.
Toadstool Shadow features the sunshine sweet sister duet harmonies of cousins Ellie DeGarmo and Margaret Colligan, accompanied by their cousin, guitarist Chris Till. Till's guitar playing often echoes the minimalist style of Luther Perkins (of Johnny Cash's Tennessee Two).
Cousin Margaret also plays melodica, while Cousin Ellie also plays kazoo and percussion. If the audience is particularly lively, Cousin Margaret might even break into dance!
Since 2023, Toadstool Shadow has performed at numerous Ohio festivals, including the Lancaster Festival, Columbus Comfest, Midwest Psych Fest, Honeyfest, Potato Festival, Sunflower Festival, Fall Festival of Leaves, Summer Jam, Earth Gathering Festival, Mystics & Marvels Oddities Fair, Dogwood Pass Old West Town, as well as historic theaters like the Paxton Theater and the Majestic Theater.
An earlier (2020-2022) version of Toadstool Shadow primarily featured Chris Till, collaborating with about a dozen special guest musicians. This early version focused on recording and videos, not live performance. They released two albums (Rainbow Nights and Folk Songs of the American Wood Elf), as well as a short film (Folk Songs of the American Wood Elf), as part of a three-part fairy tale opera. Sone of the online Toadstool Shadow streams are of this earlier version of Toadstool Shadow.
Toadstool Shadow is inspired by an earlier age of American musical entertainment. In the bygone era of vaudeville and early radio & TV shows, country and folk musicians easily mixed music and humor. Back then, between songs, all manner of jokes and gags kept the audience entertained.
Toadstool Shadow's live performances mix original songs with corny jokes and a few old classics like "Home on the Range." Their songs are about important topics like "The Apple Who Fell Far from the Tree," "The Old Dog Who Learned a New Trick," "The Late Bird Who Caught a Worm," as well as songs about corn, mermaids, potatoes, leprechauns, and cowgirls.
Their stage set typically includes props like the Toadstool Telephone, which rings between songs; the Toadstool Clock, part of a running gag titled "What time is it, Cousin Margaret?;" and the World's Tallest Toadstool. They often tell tales of growing up in the tiny, but very foggy, village of Toadstool Junction, Ohio.
Musically and stylistically, Toadstool Shadow aims for a marriage of the old Hee Haw TV show and "Yellow Submarine." Their melodies are in family of American folk music, with lyrics that range from the silly to the serious to the surreal. On stage, they usually dress as cowgirls and cowboys. However, occasionally, they dress as gnomes.
Toadstool Shadow features the sunshine sweet sister duet harmonies of cousins Ellie DeGarmo and Margaret Colligan, accompanied by their cousin, guitarist Chris Till. Till's guitar playing often echoes the minimalist style of Luther Perkins (of Johnny Cash's Tennessee Two).
Cousin Margaret also plays melodica, while Cousin Ellie also plays kazoo and percussion. If the audience is particularly lively, Cousin Margaret might even break into dance!
Since 2023, Toadstool Shadow has performed at numerous Ohio festivals, including the Lancaster Festival, Columbus Comfest, Midwest Psych Fest, Honeyfest, Potato Festival, Sunflower Festival, Fall Festival of Leaves, Summer Jam, Earth Gathering Festival, Mystics & Marvels Oddities Fair, Dogwood Pass Old West Town, as well as historic theaters like the Paxton Theater and the Majestic Theater.
An earlier (2020-2022) version of Toadstool Shadow primarily featured Chris Till, collaborating with about a dozen special guest musicians. This early version focused on recording and videos, not live performance. They released two albums (Rainbow Nights and Folk Songs of the American Wood Elf), as well as a short film (Folk Songs of the American Wood Elf), as part of a three-part fairy tale opera. Sone of the online Toadstool Shadow streams are of this earlier version of Toadstool Shadow.