FROGG CAFÉ - REVIEWS

Creatures
2003

Sea of Tranquility
Review by Pete Pardo
July 31, 2003

The second release from New York’s Frogg Café, Creatures, is a major step forward for the band, and a big move into classy progressive rock territory. While hints of the more fusion based sound that flowed throughout the bands debut album still pop up, this new recording is a complex and symphonic affair, filled with tons of offbeat melodies and instrumental brilliance. Members Nick Lieto (vocals, keyboards, trumpet), Frank Camiola (guitars), Bill Ayasse (violin, mandolin), Andrew Sussman (bass) and James Guarnieri (drums) show once again that prog rock can be challenging and fun at the same time.

“All This Time” kicks off the CD in grand fashion. Waves of Mellotron and heavy guitar riffs support the melodic vocals of Lieto on this one, which ultimately turns into a harder rocking piece than the band has ever done before. The gorgeous title track combines the deft beauty of vintage Kansas with the wacky complex time signatures of Frank Zappa. Weaving guitar and piano lines from Camiola and Lieto are littered all over this intricate piece, which also features some haunting violin work from Ayasse. The vocals of Lieto are once again very strong on this track, richly melodic during the atmospheric sections, and forceful when complementing the intense instrumental outbursts. It’s great when a band uses vocals not just for the sake of using vocals, but utlilizes them effectively as the would another instrument. “The Celestial Metal Can” is the closest Frogg Café comes to RIO, as the band brought in a few guests for a avant-garde “chamber rock” experience along the lines of Henry Cow, Univers Zero, or Thinking Plague. Acoustic guitars, clarinet, flute, sarod, various percussion, and Toro electric weedwacker (yes, you read that right!) are all used resulting in an ethnic sounding yet jazzy cacophony of noises. This track segues into the violin tour-de-force of “Gagutz”, where Ayasse gets to show off his prowess on the electric violin. Ayasse’s lethal flights recall Goodman, Ponty, and Steinhardt , and he really cuts loose here on this funk-rock instrumental piece, as does guitarist Camiola with some distorted rock solos. Check out the band completely change gears after Camiola’s hard-edged solo as Lieto interjects a jazzy trumpet solo over a more relaxed groove. Just brilliant!

The epic, 21-minute “Waterfall Carnival” finishes of the disc on a real high note. Throwing many styles at the listener, the band here has created a prog-rock masterpiece. Starting off with lush acoustic guitar and Mellotron that recalls vintage Genesis, the band then mixes symphonic rock and jazz-fusion for a huge wall of sound. The rhythm team of Sussman and Guarnieri are consistently locked in here, providing the support for intricate keyboard and violin lines from Lieto and Ayasse. Fans of Kansas or the Dixie Dregs will love how Frogg Café shifts into symphonic fusion on this one, resulting in a long track that lives up to its epic scope. Oh yeah, there’s a cool Hammond solo from Lieto here as well, which just screams vintage 70’s guys like Auger or Winwood.

This is a fabulous CD, and one that should propel this five-piece from Long Island to greater heights in the world of progressive rock. Anyone in the New York Metropolitan area who has a chance to see the band live really should, as they are as tight an ensemble as you will ever see.

Progressive Ears
July 31, 2003

We often get cds submitted for review here at PE and this one came across my desk recently. Overall I found it enjoyable, though some tracks resonated with me more than others. While listening to Creatures it is clear the band draws influences from many directions.

The albums opener "All This Time" is a rocky pop/prog tune with a dreamy quality. It is reminicent of Pink Floyd at times, Zappa others, Kerry Livgren's solo work, I hear all these and more. This is a cool tune, melodic stuff that never beats the listener over the head even when it gets tricky. In fact this whole cd is like that.

Someone recently said this cd is diverse and I have to agree with that. Each tune seems to mine a different musical vein. The second cut, the title track, goes places the first cut didn't even hint at. No metal here, no this is more like "Inca Roads" meets the Weather Channel at Steely Dan's BBQ. This one goes down real easy. Enjoyable stuff, light and breezy.

"The Celestial Metal Can" on the other hand is something different and I am grateful for that. This shows another side of the band, here they compose a piece in memory of Charles Ives. This is the most daring piece yet and the least derivative so far on the cd. I could easily enjoy a whole cd of the group doing music in this vein. It seems to me, and this is just where my tastes lie presently, that this is more exciting than music that recalls 70's symph.

"Gagutz" is another piece here that I enjoyed, probably my second favorite. At times reminicent of Crimson, but a bit more grooving, funkier. There are some cool electronic touches here and there. Frankie Camiola turns in some 'out' guitar work here. Just the right amount of musical "garlic" as Zappa would say. And just as it seems you heard it all... the violin enters. There is some real tasty playing here that recalls prime Jean-Luc Ponty. Fans of fusiony violin take note, Bill Ayasse is a name you need to know!

The last cut is the 20 minute epic "Waterfall Carnival". This is an uplifting work that starts out quite pastoral. Camiola's acoustic work here is really nice, classy stuff. The addition of flute reminds me of some of the acoustic/flute bits Genesis did back in the day. When the tempo picks up around the 6:35 mark that feeling continues. Sort of "Cinema Show"-like, but not as over the top. There is an ornate bit that comes in around the eight minute mark that sounds a bit like the Dixie Dregs with a dash of DiMeola tossed in, Kansas and Tull too. Nick Leito's turns in some classic keyboard work here and his vocals are pleasant as well. Camiola's solo around the 18:00 mark is really tasty. This section reminds me of And Then There Were Three era Genesis. Overall "Waterfall Carnival" is a pleasant journey, recommended for fans of 70s symph.

Creatures is a cd that covers a lot of the bases. Now you can call that not thematic or uniform, and some might, but I think it is a wise move actually. How often do you find a cd that has something for both symph lovers and avant music fans too? Seldom. Seems Frogg Cafe knows there are different facets to the prog audience nowadays. Offering something for everyone is a cool move. I find this cd to be on the whole enjoyable. At the same time I am aware of the collective talent this group has and think that their next album may be the one that really defines this bands own sound. Creatures is a nice stop along the way on that evolution and an ambitious one to boot.

Proggnosis
August 10, 2003

Creatures" is a very interesting and eclectic progressive rock album that should interest almost every fan of this style of music.

The first song "All This Time" is very much in the traditional 70's style. Powerful guitar, heavy drums and mellotron in the background. Nick Lieto's voice is in the Wetton/Stolt area and he sings quite well. Great opener!! The second track "Creatures" reminds me more of Frank Zappa. I guess this represents somewhat of an hommage from this ex cover band. Third song "The Celestial Metal Can" is very experimental and I must admit, not my cup of tea. I don't feel qualified to evaluate it. Next track "Gagutz" is a very good fusion piece. Finally "Waterfall Carinval", clocking at more then 20 minutes, is an incredible epic prog masterpiece in the vein of early nineties Echolyn (and perhaps also Kansas). Just for this one you should buy this cd, and since there is much more good stuff to listen to...

Highly recommended.

Whiplash.net
Review by Guilherme Vignini
August 2003
(Translated from the original Portuguese - special thanks to Mariano Bugarín)

It's great when you hear people talk about an unknown band, you check it out and find out the band is spectacular. That's what happened to me with Frogg Café. I had been hearing excellent comments about these guys in the prog community, and it all came to one point when I was tempted to look closely, and they surprised me.

This group from NYC started as a Frank Zappa cover band. This alone tells you the musicians have to be versatile, to say the least. The Zappa influence is obvious, but elements from the Dixie Dregs, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Gentle Giant can also be recognised.

They play highly complex music, but they don't exaggerate it. 'All This Time' is a great 'entry point', with a great melody. Vocalist/keyboardist Nick Lieto sings really well and Frankie Camiola's guitar is great. 'Creatures' is Zappa Giant, a fantastic tune, and it reminds me a lot of some things by Steve Vai (Fexable-era) and Mike Keneally. Certainly a new classic.

The Celestial Metal Can' is a cavernous instrumental, full of effects, dedicated to Charles Ives, a great American classical composer. Very experimental, with jazz touches, for those who enjoy the exquisite (like myself), this is a full dish. 'Gagutz' is a bit more 'normal', although it reminds of some things by the Mahavishnu Orchestra, a great little thing with jazzy touches, and Bill Ayasse's killer violin, 'à la' Jean-Luc Ponty,

Closing the CD, the 21-minute opus 'Waterfall Carnival' is very beautiful. Once again, the players show their unparalleled skills, with impressive passages and astonishing tastefulness.

Frogg Café, along with IZZ, are one of the great revelations of American Prog, and the previous words tell you why. 'Creatures' is a CD that's worth every cent if you like progressive rock.

Prog4you.com
Review by Aaron Jazy
August 2003

In 2001, Frogg Café, an obscure New York prog band with a serious Zappa fixation released their first, eponymous album. Nearly no one noticed. While the album certainly showed that the band had chops, the production quality was not nearly so good and the songwriting was more in the nature of a tribute to heroes than the reason for the recording. The album seemed to be one for the MCI plan: friends and family.

Enter the Internet. See, a funny thing happened next. Through connections made on various Internet prog lists by band members and those on their respective MCI plans, the band won a gig at Jim Robinson's Metlar-Bodine proghouse in New Jersey. The good news: they filled the place. The bad news: "filled," Metlar-Bodine seats 50…soaking wet. The other good news: someone taped the gig.

Enter the Internet again. See, another funny thing happened. CDR burns of the tape began making the rounds of some of those same Internet lists. And it was a very good tape indeed. Clearly the band had progressed since their time in the studio. Now they were more than promising chopmeisters who had gone to school on Zappa and the deities of American fusion jazz. Now they had chemistry to add to the musicianship of the performance. Suddenly the band had a buzz about them. So it was with the sound of bees in their ears that Frogg Café headed back into the studio.

What they emerged with is a remarkable album. Nothing in Frogg Café's past - not the Metlar-Bodine tape and certainly not the debut album - suggested that they were capable of producing an album of the astonishing quality of Creatures. The album opens with "All This Time," a driving, powerful number that owes far more to Red-era King Crimson than Zappa. Where Frank Camiola's guitars had provided background colorations on the first album, they are the main player here. And it is not just the influence of Fripp and the sainted Frank that is evident in Camiola's playing; on the lead there is also more than a mere nod in the direction of Roine Stolt.

Similarly, Nick Lieto's vocals have come to the foreground on this album. Where Lieto's vocal contribution to the first album seemed to be more the fact of vocals then the vocals themselves, nothing could be further from the truth here. On the title track, for example, Lieto shines. His tone and phrasing in the difficult jazzy, syncopated passages that define the song are perfect. It is difficult to imagine them done better, or even as well. While the song is far closer to the Zappa-influenced style of the first album, there is as much Canterbury as Mothers in evidence. And as the album unfolds, so does the evidence of the band's influences: Gong, RIO, Village Vanguard-era Coltrane, Dixie Dregs and even Kansas.

But it is for the twenty-one minute epic, "Waterfall Caravan" that this album will be remembered. For all of the lengthy prog epics that have flowed from the pens of Neal Morse and Roine Stolt of late, this one clearly harkens back to Genesis. And yet in "Waterfall Caravan," the Froggies seem to be referring less to "Supper's Ready" and the Gabriel-era then the Genesis of Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering. With Camiola's acoustic guitar work, Lieto's melotron swells and vintage analog keyboard sounds, Guarnieri’s timely crash cymbal - not to mention the linear structure and the heartbreakingly beautiful melody -- it is as if the Hackett-Banks-Rutherford-Collins lineup had recorded the side-long epic they never actually recorded.

And yet, as tempting as it is to view "Waterfall Caravan" and the entire Creatures album in terms of the various influences to which the band provides citing references, the more remarkable aspect of the album is the degree to which all of it is delivered from a uniquely Frogg Café point of view. Whether the references are to Red-era Crimson, Zappa, Flower Kings or Wind & Wuthering Genesis, what it all really sounds like is Frogg Café.

And that sounds good. Really good. If Frogg Café continues to improve from Creatures as dramatically as they improved to get to Creatures future acts may be citing to them. Perhaps they should already.

9 out of 10 stars (and it is only the uneven recording quality on the album that denies them the last star).

ProgressiveWorld.net
Review by Rod Chappell
September, 2003

The post 70’s world of Progressive music has seen a number of bands trying to recapture the magic present in the early recordings of the groups some now refer to as ‘the big 5’. Once in a while a recording passes my desk that contains moments of the above-mentioned ‘magic’, but now I can honestly say I've at last heard a CD that has it all. Frogg Cafe’s second CD entitled CREATURES is a blend of all of the elements that made prog music great in the days when Yes’ “Close to Edge”, Genesis’ “Selling England”, Gentle Giant’s “Free Hand” and Zappa‘s “Overnight Sensation” to name a few were brand new. However, Frogg are not a cheap rip off, they are A VERY original band creating something all their own.

The CD opens with ALL THIS TIME. This is one of their heavier songs. The drums and bass start things off with a nice groove in 6 followed by an anthem-like theme that you'll be singing for a while after the song is finished. The guitar adds greatly to the power already established by the rhythm section. As with all of their songs, the lyrics are deep and meaningful. A great way to open up things. It is immediately evident that all of the players are of a high caliber. Literally no weaknesses.

This is followed by the song CREATURES. Their Zappa/jazz influence is evident in the opening of the tune. Just the right mix of both here. The bass and drums groove on a nice 7. The guitar hits a great chord that takes the song in a unique direction. There are just enough time and tempo changes to keep things interesting for the full duration (7:41) The emphasis throughout the entire recording is on composition. This is something I have found missing in a lot of the post 70’s prog music. This and all other songs are VERY well written pieces.

The next song THE CELESTIAL METAL CAN is not really a song, more of a “sound experiment”. This piece would not be out of place on a VERY early Pink Floyd album or perhaps “Trout Mask Replica” era Captain Beefheart. An interesting journey that sets the stage for an instrumental tune called Gagutz. This is another nearly 8 minute song and, as with the others, keeps you interested for the entire piece. Two things that take it over the top are an amazing violin solo by Bill Ayasse followed by an equally amazing guitar solo by Frankie Camiola. Things get suddenly a tad jazzier as Nick Lieto belts out a killer trumpet solo. The song then morphs into a nice little feel that reminds me of an early Gentle Giant-like groove. But hang on, the best is yet to come!

The final piece is bound to become a modern progressive rock classic. It’s been a great while since a post 70’s song has passed through my headphones, leaving me speechless. WATERFALL CARNIVAL did just that. This song clocks in at 21:15 and every moment of it is pure magic. If you are into Supper’s Ready or CTTE, this song alone makes buying CREATURES a MUST. In my opinion, this is the finest song I’ve heard in a LONG, LONG time. I found myself hitting the replay button after it ended.

All Frogg Café need is one high profile gig…say NEARFEST 2004 as an example to lift them to the top of the heap. If this recording is any indication of where the band is headed, I can't wait to hear what they come up with next. I HIGHLY recommend CREATURES to anyone longing for the kind of music produced in Prog’s heyday.

Progressive Rock & Progressive Metal E-Zine
The Band and Record of the Month - October 2003

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), Frank Camiola (guitars), Bill Ayasse, 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 the both their self-titled debut "Frogg Café" and the newly released "Creatures", Frogg Café is on a path of a very promising musical journey. Frogg Café has performed with major progressive rock bands such as The Flower Kings and The Magic Elf, and has received major accolades from such distinguished progressive rock websites and magazines such as The Giant Progweed, The Axiom of Choice, Progression Magazine, Io Pages and even legendary figures of progressive music such as Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull.

progVisions
Review by Douwe Fledderus
March 2004

“Wake up prog-labels: Frogg Café plays original and progressive music!”

Creatures is the second album of the American band Frogg Café. In the year 2001 they released their selftitled debut album. For me this album is my introduction to this band. The band surprised me with Creatures, an album with highly original and progressive music. I count them as one of my musical discoveries of last year. So the purpose of this review is to inform you about them and bring this band to a bigger audience. I think they deserve this and again I’m wondering why this band is not discovered by one of the proglabels.

This year the band will release their third album. But progVisions will first give “Creatures” the attention it deserves. If you have noticed all the different instruments which are used for this album, you can imagine the band has a very big musical pallet. The music is classical, jazzy and symphonic at the same time. To give you some references I will sum up the bands I was thinking of while listening to this wonderful album. These are all bands who where/are very important for the development of progressive rock music … Isildurs Bane, Gentle Giant, Happy the Man, National Health, Genesis, UK, Frank Zappa … but also Italian progbands and modern classical composers.

“All this time” (8:02) is (together with “Waterfall carnival”) one of the most symphonic pieces with dark and mysterious symphonic keyboards, a humming bass and melodic guitars and vocals. The titletrack “Creatures” (7:41) has more a jazz-rock atmosphere and reminds me of bands like National Health, Happy the Man and Gentle Giant (the marimba). The vocals are sung in way like Adrian Belew does. The third track “The celestial metal can” (8:19) is experimental and influenced by modern classics. It is a homage to composer Charles Ives. There is a lot of percussion and a freaky clarinet in the first part. The closing classical part melts seamless into “Gagutz” (7:55) which has some Isildurs Bane influences. After the Isildurs Bane part an electric violin solo follows. The kind Eddie Jobson used to play when he was in the band UK. Next are a guitar solo and a jazzy trumpet solo before the classical and Isildurs Bane influences are returning. What a variation in a single adventurous track. The last track is the longest of the album and is called “Waterfall carnival” (21:15). The first part sounds like delicate Italian prog to me because of the violin, mandolin, acoustic guitars and Mellotron. It even reminds me sometimes of the old Genesis and the Japanese band Outer Limits. But the violin of Bill Ayasse also reminds me sometimes of Jean Luc Ponty. And we are only halfway with “Waterfall carnival”. Next is a part with delicate and melodic flute parts and Hammond organ. You think that you are listening to an Italian prog band. What a diversity again in this composition. It’s an enthralling musical trip.

Frogg Café made with “Creatures” an album for the adventurous progfan. The album fascinates till the last second. Innovative and contemporary progmusic with some influences from the seventies. Personally I will treasure this album. I’m very curious how this talented band will develop and can’t wait to hear their new album.

ProgressiveWorld.net
Review by Eric Porter
April, 2004

Creatures is the sophomore effort of Long Island based Frogg Café. Having evolved from a Zappa cover band, Frogg Café uses plenty of influences to create 5 unique tracks. The music is complex, with intricate solo sections where jazz-fusion elements are often heard. Any band that combines the guitar with violin is ok in my book, and this will draw comparisons to The Dregs and Mahavishnu, among others. The symphonic sections often cross over, as the band is coming out of this jazzy grooving section they smack you in the face with a mellotron.

The music takes a turn on track 3 “The Celestial Metal Can” moving into the experimental realm, combining sound effects and atmospheres with various instrumentation. This could be the first appearance of the Toro electric weedwacker on record (although I doubt it), but it is a first for me. I wonder if they could get Toro to sponsor their next tour? “Gagutz” really stands out as the strongest track, with its use of woodwinds in the introduction adding a classical influence. The song quickly finds a strong groove and allows guitars, keyboards, and violin to step out and solo. The standout is the trumpet solo, which just took me by surprise but added a great element that is rarely heard in progressive music. Vocalist Nick Lieto is responsible for the trumpet section, as well as being the band's keyboardist. The track at times reminds me of what Gentle Giant might have done had they been more jazz influenced.

The final track is the 21 minute “Waterfall Carnival." The introduction is as mellow as the band gets on the record. Acoustic guitar and flute show a more pastoral side to their music. Keeping things subtle, slowly adding flute, drums and keyboards creating an early Genesis feel. The track carries itself well throughout, and fans of the symphonic epics should be pleased with this one as it builds to its conclusion. From start to finish, Frogg Café shows its diverse influences and brings them together with solid songs, melodies, and excellent musicianship.

Review by Mariano Bugarín
August, 2003 - Argentina