The music world has given us amphibian-named bands such as The Toadies, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and even Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade. Now, we can add Frogman & The Friends of Frogman to that list, the local psychedelic garage band from the swamps.
Sure, naming a band can be difficult and frustrating experience. Most of the time, bands come up with names after its members, a shared passion, a place they may have come from, or a phrase that describes their music. That wasn’t the case for Frogman & The Friends of Frogman since they had help from down below.
“Frogman came to us all in a shared dream and spoke of his journey to us,” guitarist/vocalist Will Heingartner said. “We are his vassals and have vowed to share his story. From the primordial swamp he came, birthed from the cosmos in another dimension he travels the planes in the realms between.”
Bound by friendship
The band is a mix of experimental noise, ethereal psychedelia, and punk, and is comprised of Heingartner, guitarist/vocalist Patrick Mathews, bassist Daniel Gomez, and drummer Lane West. The names should ring a bell to most since they are veterans in the local music scene.
Mathews, Gomez, and Heingartner have been playing together since their South Side High School days and had a stint in the psychedelic soul-rock act Jafunkae. Mathews can also be found playing guitar for Fort Wayne Funk Orchestra and alongside Heingartner in Los Lemons. West is active with Jackson Sqware and Red Queen Project.
No matter how busy they are, the stars aligned and these four have created something special with Frogman.
“The band is about friendship,” Mathews said. “I love these guys and making music with them.”
The same vibe can be felt by Heingartner.
“It’s an absolute pleasure jamming with these fellas as they’re all very talented and in general just fun to hang out with,” he said.
Hop online for album
At 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 4, the band will release their first EP to the downloading world.
The self-titled album consists of six tracks that were recorded and mixed at Heingartner’s house with mastering done by Mick Morrison in Australia.
With tracks like “Satan’s Door,” “Velvet Coffin,” and “Acid Amigo,” the EP certainly sparks interest and makes me more intrigued to meet this so called Frogman.
From what I was told, a couple of the numbers were written a few years ago, but due to various musical endeavors nothing came of them. Frogman picked up where they left off and the rest is history.
“Expect some energy,” West said of the album. “To me, it’s very fun sounding, extremely fun to play live and to be a part of, and the beginning of the stories and journey of Frogman.”
There are discussions of releasing the EP in physical formats, so folks will want to keep their eyes peeled for that. If that’s not enough, there are plans for a full-length release this year.
If you’ve seen the band performing lately, chances are you have heard numbers from the upcoming EP as well as stuff from the future release.
“Our plans for this year are to definitely get out and play a bunch,” Heingartner said. “We have some material we’ve been sitting on that just needs tracked, and we’re always writing. When and wherever Frogman speaks to us.”
Coming to venue near you
You can catch Frogman in the wild when they celebrate the EP’s release with a show Saturday, March 4, at The Brass Rail with Piques and Los Lemons. They will also be at The Ruin on March 25 and April 1, and return to The Brass Rail on April 14.
When you head out to see them live, make sure and bring your wallet as they have some pretty sweet T-shirts designed by the talented Dusty Neal.
