Southern Rock Supergroup Toy Factory Project Debuts at Telluride

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Nobody panic. Try to look cool. But what happened in Telluride, Colorado Saturday night (6-21) on the legendary stage of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival might be one of the greatest things to happen in Southern rock in the last 25 years. And when you ponder this is just the very beginning of what’s in store, it’s hard to not break out into chill bumps.

In early April we caught wind that some sort of Southern rock supergroup had formed assembling modern guitar god Marcus King, Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke, bass maestro Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers, Tedeschi Trucks Band, a bunch others), Josh Shilling of Mountain Heart, the incomparable Billy Contreras on fiddle, and legendary Southern rock drummer Paul T. Riddle. It was all put together to in part pay tribute to the legendary Toy Caldwell. It’s called the Toy Factory Project.

And yes, there is a certain band Toy Caldwell is most associated with, as is the 72-year-old Paul T. Riddle who was a founding member of it when he was 17 with Caldwell. Toy Caldwell himself passed away in 1993. But due to legal reasons, we’ve been asked not to name that band here. But hey, you know who they are.

After a video was released showing all these folks in a studio together, and allusions to a documentary film in the works about the formation of the band, they announced they would officially debut it to the world at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival of all places. Though this might seem like a strange place for a Southern rock project, those who know Telluride Bluegrass know they’ve always been permissive to these kinds of moments on the stage. That’s one of the reasons the festival is so legendary itself, and been around for 52 years.

The Toy Factory Project was everything you wanted from this truly Southern rock supergroup when you first saw it on paper, and more. No, this is not just a tribute act. This is a reimagining of the music of Toy Caldwell and adjacent influences into incredibly immersive Southern rock experiences featuring all of the extended improvising and soulful moments you could ever wish for.


In Telluride, it honestly didn’t matter if you were a Southern rock fan or not. The talent on the stage, the vibes and chemistry they were able to tap into irrespective of all the big names and egos all on the stage at the same time, it all came together incredibly.

Obviously, Marcus King and Charlie Starr act as co-frontmen. But everyone is an equal player, with bassist Oteil Burbridge being just as an important piece as any, Josh Shilling (keys) and Billy Contreras (fiddle) getting their opportunities to shine, and drummer Paul T. Riddle who is the mastermind of the whole thing making it all work together.

Some of the songs were clearly recognizable hits from the legendary Southern rock band that can’t be named. Some were not like The Grateful Dead’s “Fire On The Mountain.” Some might have been original compositions, or songs inspired by Toy Caldwell as opposed to direct covers. But everything was intense and enrapturing, without any lull in the energy from musicians clearly enthusiastic and honored to be tapped to interpret these songs.

A very partial set list includes:

Fire on the Mountain (1975 version)
Fire on the Mountain (Grateful Dead Version)
This Ol’ Cowboy
In My Own Way
Blue Ridge Mountain Sky
Can’t You See
Take The Highway

“Can’t You See” was not the set ender as some might expect. This was “Take The Highway” that was absolutely mind blowing, and where drummer Paul T. Riddle put on a veritable clinic of laying down a pocket while Marcus King, Charlie Star, and the rest did their worst. While some of the other headliner sets at Telluride this season saw a thinning out of the audience late in the sets, everyone stuck around for Toy Factory Project, even though many had no idea what it was.

About the only complaint of what transpired in Telluride is at times you couldn’t hear the fiddle of Billy Contreras, even when he was playing a solo. And when you did hear it, it sounded distorted, or the tone wasn’t right. With so much happening on stage including a two guitar attack, it’s just difficult for an acoustic instrument to break through. But they’ll dial that in over time in hopefully what are many more performances, if not a proper tour.

According to Paul T. Riddle, the group has been recording at Peter Frampton’s studio in Nashville’s Berry Hill neighborhood. This comes after 13 years of trying to do something with the project and working with Vince Gill and others over that time. Vince Gill and Frampton will also appear on the recorded tracks, along with the supergroup members. No release date on the studio music has been revealed, and though rumors of a tour are in the works, no dates have been announced just yet.

A stripped down version of this band also appeared on the Grand Ole Opry recently, with Marcus King, Charlie Starr, Josh Shilling, and Paul T. Riddle all performing together. But Telluride was the first official concert. They also invited Béla Fleck and Sam Bush to sit in for the set, after Marcus King and Charlie Starr also sat in during Sam Bush’s set right before the Toy Factory Project performance.

Many memories, and much history has been made at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival over the years, and the members of the Toy Factory Project have all been monumental to American music. This moment Saturday night will be another memorable, history making moment in Telluride lore, and hopefully just the start of the story of Toy Factory Project, and the effort to keep the legacy of Toy Caldwell alive.

All photos and media by Kyle “Trigger” Coroneos. For more video/photos from Telluride and other live events, follow Saving Country Music on Instagram.

Marcus King
Charlie Starr
Billy Contreras
Paul T. Riddle
Josh Shilling
Oteil Burbridge required oxygen at Telluride’s 8,700 feet
J.R.
Marcus King meeting with fans and signing stuff earlier in the day
Charlie Starr and Marcus King performing with Sam Bush


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