About

Toy Robots is an Indie-Jam Rock band based in Chicago, IL. The band’s lineup consists of front-man Andy Madden on lead vocals/guitars, Paul Duda on bass and vocals and Stephan Kohnke on drums and vocals. Formed in the spring of 2015, this power trio has quickly amassed a collection of well structured songs with movable boundaries to keep their improvisation skills sharp and their shows ever-evolving.

Toy Robots came to be out of the pursuit of front-man, Andy Madden, in search of his next musical chapter. Having always been a well accomplished lead guitar player in previous bands, and a decent back-up singer, Madden decided to take the next step in his musical evolution. With a slew of songs in his back pocket, Madden convinced himself to step into the front man slot, and needed to flesh out his next incarnation. Enter Paul Duda. Duda and Madden had started their musical journey together back in 2008, through an ad on Craigslist no less, where they joined forces in Chicago rock band Kickbush. They quickly formed a strong bond, played plenty of shows throughout the Midwest, and even made a great record. After the band parted ways, they later played together in original rock band The Holdout, along with some of Madden’s former counterparts from The Des Plaines River Band. When Madden left The Holdout in late 2014, Duda wondered what was next for Madden and wanted to continue on the same road.

Looking for a third core member of the group, Duda and Madden tried out a slew of local drummers they had come to know along the way, and struck rhythmic gold in Stephan Kohnke. Madden had met Kohnke in the previous year at the then weekly Projam over at Berwyn’s newest music venue, Wire, where Madden at the time had been Marketing Director. Madden and Kohnke jammed sporadically, unrehearsed as many nights were at the Projam, and had no idea that anything would come out of it. Kohnke, coincidentally, had been looking for a new original project, and Madden just happened to be in the right place at the right time. The band now had a rhythm section.

Currently, the boys in toys have found their fourth member, Tom Slater, adding keys, vocals and guitar to their lean and mean approach. Check out their latest release, The Games We Play, available wherever you listen to music these days.

ROCK OUT WITH YOUR BOT OUT!