TT PRO

Dear Throwing Toasters,

Thank you so much for participating in CSULB's FAll odyssey Theme-Year Project, "The Process: Creativity Reviled and revealed." Your significant contribution as a performer and serving as the Master Of cermonies (MC) for "JOKEYOKE" and the freestyle stand-up comedy event, which followed was gatly appreciated.

Comedy week was quite successful due in large part to your participation. Your performance, whihc was enjoyed not only by the Odyssey students but also by CSULB students from various other departments and disciplines, was hilarious. You were also an extremely entertaining MC.

I wish you continued success in your field. Again, thank you for particpating in the Odyssey Theme year project. I truly enjoyed meeting you and hosting your visit to CSULB.

Sincerely,

Rachel Brophy - Rachel Brophy Student Programs

"I laughed so hard I cried"
Savala Smith Albertson College

"Comedy week was successful in large part due to your performance, you were also a hilarious MC!" Cal State Long Beach

"Energetic, Excellent and Funny all around, We're bringing him back again!" UT Martin

"Grant, Great Show! We're bringing you back next year!
Bridgewater College

"Grant was great! I wish he wasn't so funny, so I could go and study!" Rocky Mountain College


Partial College List

UT Martin
University of New Hampshire
Cal State Long Beach
Rocky Mountain College
Bridgewater
Oregon State University
Randolph Macon
Lebanon College
Albertson College
Texas A&M Galveston
Penn State Mont Alto
Penn State Edinboro - Various Colleges

By Charleen Earley
Special to The Record
Published Friday, October 24, 2003

Not only do Grant Baciocco's band members skip every rehearsal, but they never make it to the shows either. Baciocco, however, is hardly worried.
That's because the missing musicians are the premise behind his one-man show, "Throwing Toasters." Baciocco performs Saturday at Kiley's Dinner Theatre in Lodi.
In an interview from Burbank, the 29-year-old comedian said he got the idea for a pseudo-band from an
e-mail in which a fan raved endlessly about his own pretend group. The name came from a story he heard about college roommates engaged in a verbal war: "It's not so bad that they're throwing toasters."
"I found my mom's old guitar in her closet," Baciocco said. "I thought I could do these songs that I had written before. They were parodies, so I started teaching myself guitar."
Bottom line: There's nothing in the show about toasters, throwing them, or even a band called Throwing Toasters. It's all about a songwriting comedian who scored a hit on the comedy music charts with "N.R.L. (Nursery Rhyme Lawyer Song)" off his third album, "Chrome." That song was inspired by Baciocco's work as a substitute teacher.
"It came from the kids," he said. "I was teaching English to Armenian kids in the fifth and sixth grade in Glendale and thought of fun ways to teach them with my guitar."
Realizing that most nursery rhymes are quite volatile, Baciocco wrote about a lawyer who took on case after celebrated case.
"Jack and Jill sue the owner of the hill, Little Miss Muffet gets a restraining order on the spider, and the Old Woman in the Shoe lives in a boot and has a summer sandal on the lake," Baciocco said.
Teaching can help pay the bills, but for Baciocco, comedy is his true calling.
"Making people laugh is the coolest thing in the world," he said. "And to make them laugh in a way they are not expecting, via music, is even better.
"They think, 'Who is this guy with the guitar?' Then they get into it and it's, 'Hey, this is really funny.' "
::: Advertisement :::


Baciocco began writing songs as a California State University, Long Beach student. He graduated from the university in 1996 with a theater degree and moved to San Francisco to pursue a stage career. He filled the time between auditions by singing.
The roster of well-known comedians who have effectively combined music and mirth is short. In the 1960s, Tom Lehrer pounded out topical ditties on albums and television. More recently, "Weird Al" Yankovic has been the standard-bearer.
For Baciocco, Stan Freberg was an idol, the man he most wanted to emulate. He came across the musical comedian's best work, such as "St. George and the Dragonet," on radio's syndicated "Dr. Demento" program.
"His music is so good, it's classic," Baciocco said. "He's the guy I want to be like, but I give Dr. Demento tons of credit, because I would not have been introduced to him if I hadn't heard him on the show."
Barenaked Ladies is another influence.
"Back in 1997, when I wanted to learn guitar, I'd find Barenaked Ladies chords on the Internet and learn to play along," Baciocco said. "Then I'd change the chords all around and write my own stuff. Not parodies, but just use the same chords."
Guitar in hand, Baciocco honed his act in clubs across Southern California. He went on to appear on the Game Show Network's "Extreme Gong" and even took his act to Japan. Perhaps the highlight of his career to date came last year when he played a "Weird Al" Yankovic convention in Elk Grove, Ill.
Just before he went on, Baciocco saw Yankovic himself settle into a front-row seat.
"I thought, I'm playing for someone I've loved since fourth grade," Baciocco said. "Afterward, he complimented me on my set."
An unspoken division exists in comedy, comedians with guitars tending to be denigrated for being "prop comics." For his part, Baciocco finds such distinctions unnecessary.
"I don't know why there is segregation between the two," he said. "I always thought funny is funny, no matter how you do it.
"Some stand-ups think if you go onstage with anything more than a microphone, you are somehow cheating and aren't earning your laughs. I just let my act speak for itself.
"When I have to pause in a song because the audience is laughing so hard I don't want them to miss the next line, I know I'm doing a good job," he added. "I just smile to that other comic as he sips his free drink after and I'm selling CDs."
The fact Baciocco has the opportunity to sell them in Lodi this weekend rests at least in part with an anonymous fan.
"Apparently, someone gave my CD to Kiley's Dinner Theatre and said they should book me," Baciocco said. "I don't know who that is, they wouldn't tell us, but if you're out there, let me know. I owe you a dinner."

* To reach Charleen Earley, e-mail features@recordnet.com
'THROWING TOASTERS'
* WHEN: 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday
* WHERE: Kiley's Dinner Theatre, 1030 S. Hutchins
St., Lodi - Record Net .Com

http://www.gazettes.com/tour06092005.html - Gazettes.Com

The band Throwing Toastershas achieved cult status and legions of loyal fans throughtout Southern California. Burnt, their second album is a live concert CD recorded at HAllenback's General Store in North Hollywood. It captures live the wry lyricism of Grant Baciocco, the bands only member, whose songs lean more toward love lost, love obsessed over and eventually love that involves orders of protection....
Baciocco finds both humor and sympathy for these musical protagonists. In Living at Home he sings about an obssesed science-fiction fan whose basement is a treasure trove of toys and videotapes, and wh is afraid to deal with the outside world, protecting himself from it with an emotional crutch of the need to take care of his mother.....

Burnt is a SOLID second album that should please Throwing Toasters' current fans and open them up to a legion of new ones.

Chuck Miller
- Goldmine Magazine- Issue 524

Date: July 27, 2005 3:50:06 PM PDT
To: hello@doctorfloyd.com
Subject: How COOL!


Just discovered your amazing show and couldn't resist sending a huge thank you! Thank you for making a show that is clean and fun and funny and not stupid and not lame all in one! I KNEW IT COULD BE DONE, but it seems like everyone else in the whole world has somehow forgotten the recipe. Even the cartoons are gross these days. I'm so excited to tell my kids and all my extended family (and there are LOTS of us) about this site. I would be surprised if you guys didn't get some kind of major attention soon. This is a class act! I excited for your future, and excited to dive into this world you have created!

All best wishes and thank you thank you thank you. As a fellow Apple lover it is cool to see that you are doing this all with Mac stuff, too!

Morgan - Morgan-Young Listener

Grant was great! One of our students commented, "I wish he wasn't so funny, so I could go and study!" Grant performed during a Study Break Breakfast before finals week. - Stephanie Lee

Date: April 1, 2004 11:39:33 AM PST
To: randomstuff@throwingtoasters.com
Subject: Hey hey!

Grant, my man! You need to come back to Oregon!
*cries* Seriously, you were a hit on KBVR! I've been
meaning to drop you a line about it, even though it
seems like it was forever and a day ago.

People were coming up to me for days afterwards
telling me how much they loved the show. Plus I had a
blast (I can't read that ATM Safety PSA without
giggling a bit now).

So if you're ever wandering through Oregon, or just
bored and feel like making a long drive, let me know!
I'd love to have you back.

-Autumn - Autum (DJ)

More Good Dr. Floyd Feedback! This really is HIGH praise!

Grant Baciocco
grant@throwingtoasters.com

March 5, 2005 9:00:49 PM PST
<hello@doctorfloyd.com>
Subject: RadioDramaDigestSubscriberReview

Dr Floyd (LOL),

Let me start by saying i'm a fan, not a producer, of radio theatre.I cut my teeth as a teen in the 60s listening to firesign theatre on california pirate radio. I have followed audio theatre ever since (on public radio) from Hitchhiker to Star Wars to Lord of the Rings (BBC and NPR), then got into old time radio theatre (mostly LUX radio theatre and SciFi series like Dimension X and X - 1). While I've only listened to the 1st 4 epsiodes of Dr Floyd so far, it reminds me of some of the early Firesign stuff, which is a high compliment from me, as I consider Firesign Theatre the benchmark of talent in radio comedy and theatre, over then last (almost) 40 years. Thank you for carrying on the tradition and I eagerly await the 2nd season becoming available for download.

Peace,
Scott Kelley - Scott Kelley

Throwing Toasters opened for Weird Al's Tour 2007 and a crowd of over 3000 people at the Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa in Kelseyville CA on Saturday June 16th, 2007 - Konockti Harbor