Former Toadies Bassist Lisa Umbarger Is Fighting Cancer

Those of you who saw the Toadies in the early days of Rubberneck remember Lisa Umbarger.

I remember the first time I saw her. She had somehow rigged a stuffed animal to ride on her back or backpack. It was like she was making an attempt to stay a girl in the men's world of rock and roll. That was my impression, anyway.

Regardless of any expression of being a female or just being a kid, Lisa totally RAWKED. Those basslines on Rubberneck are epic and timeless. Umbarger left the band in 2001 and, for a while, that was the end of the Toadies. The band decided to eventually soldier on without Umbarger.

Get our free mobile app

The band obviously still has a lot of love for Umbarger and posted that she's suffering from cancer. A fundraiser has been started in her name. I certainly hope we are not violating her privacy by publicizing all of this, but she obviously needs help and love right now.

At the time of this writing, the fund was near its goal. This could still be a great opportunity for a lot of fans to get involved by making small donations. I think her sister may have been a little conservative in what it will take to get her through cancer treatments. This is certainly a fund that we should blow the top off of.

Lisa and the Toadies helped keep Texas music on the map during the grunge years and dropped one of the greatest albums of all time. If you see fit to donate, please do.