ToadStool honors a fallen friend with ‘Good Grief’

When a family member, friend or loved one passes on, there are numerous ways to honor their existence. There’s the old-fashioned route of a wake and a funeral, but there’s also a mural, a monument or even a song. For Coventry native Mike Jencks, he decided to do the latter and then some under his hip hop moniker ToadStool. The result of this endeavor is “Good Grief,” which was self-released back on June 14. It’s his third album to come out so far this year, with “Smother” having come out in February and “Swampcrawlr” following that up in April, and it’s a testament to how committed and consistent Jencks is when it comes to his craft.

The catalyst for “Good Grief” came about after the passing of one of Jencks’ good friends a few months ago. After dealing with the emotions that come after suffering a personal loss, he decided to transition them into his music.

“This album was made in three weeks, from start to finish, after my homie Peter passed away,” he describes the making of the full-length release in the liner notes. “I wanted to honor him by throwing myself into an art piece...he would’ve dug that. Peter Fortin forever.”

Much like his previous two albums, there’s an array of jazz samples and killer beats flowing underneath the lyrics. Jencks’ delivery is charismatic and genuine, there isn’t any nonsense being conveyed and every word he spits carries substantial weight. I’ll also say that this record seems to have Jencks going back to his creative foundation after creating more abstract material with his other recordings. There’s a classic hip hop structure with the rhymes and instrumentation forging a cohesive dynamic. This is a characteristic that both the purist and idealist of the timeless style can appreciate.

It’s especially true in a wide range of tracks. “I’ve Been Trying” begins in melancholy fashion with a cut up piano sample making the introduction, along with a voice clip, before the beat hits. Starting up in a similar fashion is “What’s The Damage?” but with a horn kicking things off and weaving in and out as the song goes along. “Coke Cans” has a sweet bass line I absolutely love that has everything else bouncing off of it. Other highlights from “Good Grief” include “...Tomorrow’s Lunch,” “Poison Mist” and “Go To Church.”

To give “Good Grief” a listen, log onto the ToadStool’s Bandcamp page at xxxtoadstoolxxx.bandcamp.com. While you’re at it, check out Jenck’s band Toad and The Stooligans at toadandthestooligans.bandcamp.com as well. Both pages are chock full of fantastic music that’ll keep the ears occupied if they have time to spare. For future announcements, follow ToadStool on Facebook at facebook.com/LLStoolJ. In the meantime, dive into an excellent album that pays tribute to a person who meant a lot to a talented artist.