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What in the Hell is a Crunchy Frog, anyway?
Good question.
With many accolades to their credit – including a couple RAMI nominations; appearances at Groove Walk and Davis
Park Summer Concert series; a few street dances and most importantly: some great fans – the Crunchy Frogs have become
everything you could want in a band (except for David Hasselhoff). The Frogs never let a little mediocrity get in the way
of a good time.
But where did the Frogs come from?
Depending on how far back you want to look at it…or
how much you really care…Frogs seemed to have evolved from fish when they developed arms, legs, lungs and such…I
digress. Actually, the best place to start would be sometime in the middle of 1999 when two brothers, Steve and Bill, found
themselves noodling around (musically, that is) with Rebecca. It was just sing-songy stuff without much purpose until the
ever looming Y2K was just a few months off, and a popular local hangout found itself in dire need of New Year’s Eve
entertainment. At the time, everyone felt the end of the world was upon us, or at the very least, the end of computer calendars
being accurate, and it was decided to put on a show. It was booked without a bassist or drummer.
The grapevine
quickly provided a talented bassist who offered to “fill in” for the gig. After a few tryouts with gifted drummers
(oxymoron?), Eric stumbled, rather jittered, into a practice and it was good. After coming up with four hours of delightful
entertainment to fill everyone’s last night on earth, the band was ready and all it needed was a name. It was dubbed:
the Millenium Bugs.
Much to the dismay of the Millenium Bugs, the world did not end that night and they were forced
to spend several hours of January 1st, 2000 packing up and moving gear. Furthermore, it was clear that the talented bassist,
who shall remain nameless, would not be carrying on with the band and the band itself was now left with a tragically outdated
cliché for a name.
Enter Jesse. The equally, if not more, talented bassist literally jumped on board and
“tried out” at the next gig. After several years of amazing friendship, great fun and other things, Rebecca decided
to evolve further. Needing a new Frog, Jesse found Mandy singing in a karaoke competition. Knowing they'd found "the
one," the band pestered her into becoming the newest member of The Crunchy Frogs and have never regretted a minute since.
Brother Bill has always given a gajillion percent to every performance and has proven time and time again that
his skill on lead guitar is never just a one time fluke. This led to the need for another surgery to keep his hand in
tip top shape. When Frank was found lurking about on Craigslist, Bill decided to give him a call and offer him the
spot as 'temporary lead guitarist.' Much to the surprise of all, Frank's vocal ability, personality
and skill quickly led to an offer of Full Time Frog.
For those wondering where the heck Steve, aka "MonkeyPaws," has
been, fear not - he is just fine. Steve is on vacaaaaaaaation, as he puts it. Once he gets the tan he's always
longed for he will consider returning to the lily pad. In the meantime, the show must go on.
The rest,
as they say, is/was/will be history.
These days, the Frogs can be found all over: at bars, street dances, festivals,
squashed on roads, even an upcoming world tour, well…not really. They have endured a couple of surgeries, a few defunct
significant others and have collected more vans than should ever be in the vicinity of any band. Still, much fun can always
be had by all at a Frogs’ show. People can sing, dance and get their collective mojos going. Best of all, this fun can
be had with little or no risk to yourself or your personal property…and with literally no carbohydrates!
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