Frogg Café is a contemporary art rock ensemble working out of the New York metropolitan area. The members of this unique group are Nick Lieto (vocals, keyboards, trumpet), Steven Uh (guitars), Bill Ayasse (violin, mandolin), Andrew Sussman (bass), and James Guarnieri (drums). All of the members of Frogg Café are university trained in music and this professionalism is quite evident in both the mature compositions and discerning musicality. Frogg Café has been receiving rave reviews from fans and industry alike with their incredibly diverse and eclectic sound that is unmistakably their own.
Frogg Café started out life in 1998 as a Frank Zappa cover band called Lumpy Gravy performing Zappa's difficult music on Long Island and New York City. In 2000, the band was in transition and found a new beginning with the addition of percussionist James Guarnieri to the band. At this point, the band changed its name to Frogg Café and started to perform original music with a host of discernable influences in their sound such as Zappa, Yes, Gentle Giant, Ian Anderson, Genesis, and even the more avant garde styles of composers such as Stravinsky, Ravel, Mingus, Coltrane, Ives, and Copland, just to name a few.
Within their music, Frogg Café deftly blends elements from many sources such as progressive rock, jazz, and even modern chamber music into a cohesive whole. They pull off dazzling intricate written passages one minute, and then take off into spacey improvs the next with a seamless integration. Frogg Café follows their artistic impulses whilst maintaining an incredible amount of musical integrity. With a beautiful blending of vocal harmonies, colorful textures, unparalleled lyricism and melodicism, uncharted and challenging improvisation with both heavy and whimsical musical styles and grooves, the music of Frogg Café is beyond description of words - it must be experienced first hand.
"Enjoying the success of their self-titled debut Frogg Cafe and the 2003 release Creatures, Frogg Cafe is proud to announce the release of their third studio album, Fortunate Observer of Time, through ProgRock Records, on June 21, 2005. In addition to extensively touring popular clubs in the Northeast, in 2004 Frogg Café performed at The Rites of Spring Festival (PA), NewEars Series (MA), NJProghouse (NJ) and a European tour of Germany, Austria, and Belgium. They have also been invited to perform at NEARFEST (Northeast Art Rock Festival) at Lehigh University's Zoellner Arts Center, the biggest American progressive rock festival in the country, in early July.
Frogg Café has performed with major rock acts Caravan, Happy the Man, Proto-Kaw featuring Kerry Livgren of Kansas, The Flower Kings, The Grandmothers of Invention, and the legendary percussionist Ed Mann sat in at the Zappanale Festival in Germany. They have received major accolades from distinguished rock websites and magazines such as The Giant Progweed, The Axiom of Choice, Progression Magazine, Io Pages and legendary figure of progressive music Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull."
Contact: Andrew Sussman
contact@froggcafe.com
www.froggcafe.com
Check out the artist's website:
http://www.froggcafe.comTrack List:
1. eternal Optimist
2. Fortunate Observer Of Time
3. Reluctant Observer
4. No Regrets
5. Resign
6. You're Still Sleeping
7. Abyss Of Dissension
8. Release
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