Ropeadope

Toy Soldiers was born in the fall of 2007, originally as a guitar/drum duo lead by singer-songwriter Ron Gallo. The release of their first album “Whisper Down the Lane”, described as a “gritty, dirty collection of liquor-fueled Americana music. Shifting flawlessly from roots, to blues, to country, to rockabilly...and undeniable ”barn-burner” marked the beginning of the “big-band era” of Toy Soldiers, which Gallo was joined by upwards of 11 members at times. In the fall of 2010, inspired by an exhausting tour, Gallo stepped back and reformed the band to a solid core lineup consisting of Lancaster, PA based musicians Dominic Billet (Drums), Matt Kelly (Guitar), Bill McCloskey (Bass) and Luke Leidy (Keys). Toy Soldiers has since won an Independent Music Award for their song “Throw Me Down”. The band continues to tour in support of this release, quite naturally appearing on Ropeadope as an important voice on the indie folk scene. Ron Gallo continues to tour and record, and is currently working on a second EP for release in 2011 with Nashville songwriter Jordan Hull.