Steal the Spotlight: Hi there, let’s start by telling us your name and what do you do in the band.

The Toadies: Mark Reznicek - drums

STS: Where are you from?

Mark: Born in Omaha, NE. Currently live in Hurst, TX, near Ft. Worth.

STS:  How did you come to be a part of The Toadies?

Mark: I stalked them for six months until they hired me.

STS:  When did you first start (doing what you do, ie drums, signing, guitar).

Mark: I started playing the snare drum in the school band in 4th grade. I was about 9 years old, I think.

STS:  Besides The Toadies, what other bands have you been a part of in some aspect or another?

Mark: While the Toadies were on a 7 year hiatus from 2001 - 2008, I played in a band called Eleven Hundred Springs. We played country & western music. Before the Toadies I played in various cover bands in college, and in a band called In The Midst just prior to joining the Toadies.

STS:  You guys have an album getting ready to come out called “Play.Rock.Music.” Can you tell use a little about it?

Mark: It is an album containing lots of rock music, which we play in a variety of styles. It branches out stylistically while style remaining in the Toadies signature heavy rock mode.

STS:  Now the title is “Play.Rock.Music.” Is that just straight to the point or is there something else behind that title?

Mark: Straight to the Point!

STS:  If you had to pick a track or two from the album that you want listeners to pay special attention to when they pick the album up, which ones are they and why?

Mark: My two current favorites on the album are "Epic Castles", a cool song where we embrace some of our early influences and go to a place the Toadies haven't visited too often; and "The Appeal", a very moving song that moved us all to tears when Todd first sang it.

STS:  We haven’t had a chance of listening to any of the album yet, so what can we and fans expect to hear on this album (Vibe, beat, aggressiveness, those classic heavy bass lines)?

Mark: As I mentioned, we followed some new directions in the music, but it still maintains the Toadies edge that listeners enjoy, and the "classic heavy bass lines" that everybody responds to.

STS:  How does this album differ from the past Toadies albums?

Mark: A lot of it was conceived and arranged in the studio, which is a slightly different way of recording than we've done in the past.

STS:  Let’s go to the upcoming tour. It starts in July. What can concert goers expect when they come out to a show?

Mark: It's a co-headling tour with Helmet, so you can expect to see a lot of heavy, kick-ass rocking. The opening act for the tour is Ume, from Austin, TX, who also deliver a high-energy, hard rockin' show.

STS:  August 31^st and September 1^st you are having your fifth annual Dia De Los Toadies in New Braunfels, TX. What goes into putting that on each year?

Mark: A lot of blood, sweat, tears, and love. It really is a year-long process which starts shortly after each year's festival, when we start brainstorming which bands we want to book for next year's Dia.

STS:  How do you pick the other bands that play that annual show?

Mark: Because we like them.

STS:  Should we expect you guys to pick up other tours to round off the year and possibly go into early 2013?

Mark: Yes! We will definitely be touring and playing shows the rest of the year and into next year.

STS:  Can our international readers expect some dates overseas?

Mark: Nothing in the works yet, but we'd love to get over there soon.

STS:  Okay, shifting gears again for the last time. What was/is your opinion about the music industry when you first began your career and now?

Mark:  I'm encouraged by the ability for artists nowadays to basically do-it-yourself in a way that just wasn't possible back when I was starting out.

STS:  If you could share one story to a brand new band looking to break into the industry what would it be?

Mark: If your beer isn't cold, and you just gotta have one NOW, just spin the bottle/can in the ice for about 60 seconds. It'll be nice and cold.

STS:  Could you see yourself having any other career at this point in your life?

Mark: I guess I could, but I don't really like to.

STS:  This is my signature wrap-up question….if you could share the stage with anyone past or present, who would it be and why.

Mark: The Beatles. Because they're The Beatles!

STS:  Well I want to thank you once again for taking the time to talk to me, is there anything else that you want to mention to the fans or critics?

Mark: Thanks for all the interest and support over the years!