Toy Soldiers (band)

Toy Soldiers
Toy Soldiers in New York City
Background information
Origin	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genres	Blues, soul, rock, americana
Years active	2007–2014
Members	Ron Gallo, Dominic Billett, Bill McCloskey, Matt Kelly and Luke Leidy

Toy Soldiers were an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The group's sound melds elements of folk, roots rock, blues, and soul.

Toy Soldiers formed in 2007 as a two-piece with Ron Gallo as the primary songwriter, alongside former drummer Mike Baurer. The name Toy Soldiers was taken from a painting on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Though the band's sound was initially lo-fi and sparse, they eventually expanded to as large as ten members, including keyboards, horns, and backing vocalists. The band's membership remained fluid at times, with some members occasionally meeting each other for the first time as they took the stage for shows. Their debut album, Whisper Down the Lane, was initially self-released in the fall of 2009, but after signing with MAD Dragon Records, the group re-recorded several songs for the re-release of the album. MAD Dragon reissued the record on May 18, 2010. Critic Richie Unterberger noted the album's gospel and old-time music influences and likened Gallo's singing to that of Lou Reed and Marc Bolan. The group accompanied the CD release with several live dates, including as a headliner and with Midlake. The group played the WXPN Xponential Music Festival in July 2010.

By October 2010, there was an entirely new and solidified lineup consisting of Gallo, Dominic Billett, Matt Kelly, Bill McCloskey and Luke Leidy. The new group recorded a new EP titled Get Through the Time released on Ropeadope Records on September 20, 2011. They also released a split EP, Midweek Mountain Getaway with Nashville Singer-Songwriter, Jordan Hull.