Ocean's Cold

I Will Keep On Loving You

Follow the story of John Still, an ambitiously clairvoyant doctor with a taste for power.

Meet his influences, family, and downfall.

For The Weaver

EmmyLynn

Scream Louder

Letters From Emily

Kashi The Deathless

The Choices Of John Still

HEAR MORE AT CONNERCHERLAND.COM
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ABOUT THE SONG:
I created Toad Boy as a silly writing exercise.

One of my favorite songs by Shakey Graves says "old snake lady stole my savings", and I thought "hey a snake lady sounds funny. I should make a character like that!"  I started singing about a toad boy and the phrase "walrus skin" came out randomly, so I formed a story about a boy toad who learns to be himself after growing up around a bunch of walruses. After more random wordplay, I sung "marmalade of all our hopes and dreams", and realized - hot dang I got a song. 

For the longest time I thought it was a silly song about a toad, but over time I realized that my subconscious wrote the song as a way to process my own music journey. I feel extraordinarily out of place in the music industry. I don't feel cool enough, good looking enough, or interesting like other musicians I know and respect. But, at the end of the day, I can write a song, and I can be honest about my heart and show it to you. That's my power.

This is a song about breaking from tradition and being who you are. At the end, the narrator says "I heard [Toad Boy]'s getting by". For all the times you feel like quitting and returning to your cozy old life, I hope you remember this little toad boy and how he's getting by, even when people can't see past the walrus skin.

Toad Boy

I hope my life doesn't turn out like the songs I sing in bars: beautiful and unnoticed. 

That's why I wrote ‘Let My Body Be,’ as a prayer to god that he'd use me (dead or alive) to make the world a better place. To this day if I start feeling invisible at a gig, I play this song and pray ‘Father, let my body be beautiful beyond what I can see. Father, when my words pass away, won't you stay.’ 

It's a call to hope when I can't muster it, and a meditation to combat loneliness and futility. I hope people sing along and feel themselves more hopeful and less alone.

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