This Sunday, November 10 at Orion Baltimore - Frogg Cafe and Pluck and Rail

[Steve F.]

Saturday Night, November 10th

the Orion LiveMusic Showcases
presents:

Frogg Cafe
with guests
Pluck and Rail


Da Rulz:
All Ages Show
BYOB
We should have enough chairs. We think.
Cover: $20


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Frogg Café are certainly not strangers to the Orion Stage. Well, the old stage at least, and they've got the slivers to prove it! They're coming back to Orion this coming Saturday, November 10th, to give us clues as to just what in the dickens a Frogg Café is. Like, is it a restaurant that features fresh mosquito larve and dragon fly flambé? Makes me wonder what might be in that lumpy gravy. One thing I can assure you, this will be a whole lotta fun. It's always a party when the Froggs are in town!

Frogg Café is a 5 piece band from the New York metropolitan area making music that incorporates elements of Zappa-esque progressive rock, pop melodicism and fusion jazz. Frogg Café’s music is also peppered with an appealing variety of other flavors including latin music, bluegrass, modern chamber music and avant-garde/experimental. Their energetic live shows feature extended flights of group improvisation that would draw grins from any hardcore jam-band fan.

The members of this unique group are Nick Lieto (lead vocals, keyboards, trumpet, flugelhorn), Steve Uh (guitars, violin, vocals), Bill Ayasse (electric violin, mandolin, vocals), Andrew Sussman (bass, cello, vocals), John Lieto (trombone) and James Guarnieri (drums). Frogg Café studio albums also exploit the considerable talents of a regular supporting cast of guest musicians, who supply trombone, marimba, flute, and additional percussion to their colorful and highly textured arrangements.

All of the members of Frogg Café are university trained in music composition and performance and this education and experience is quite evident in their mature compositions, prowess on multiple instruments and wildly entertaining live performances. Frogg Café started out life in 1998 as band called Lumpy Gravy, performing the music of their hero, Frank Zappa. In 2000, the band changed its name to Frogg Café and started to write and perform original music.

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Pluck & Rail is the acoustic intersection of Andrew Sussman of the prog-rock heavyweights, Frogg Café, and George Gierer of the folkabilly band, South County

Drawing from the deep well of American music, Pluck & Rail blends together gritty songwriting, tight vocal melodies and soaring cello runs to craft their unique sound. They have been featured performers at The Hurdy Gurdy Folk Music Club, NJ Prog House and The Tribes Hill Music Festival. This summer Pluck & Rail will be featured at the 2016 Long Island Bluegrass Festival.

“…bittersweet…” – New York Times (July 2015)
“…evocative of the Felice Brothers…” Westchester Magazine’s 2014 Fall Arts Preview
“…a fresh take evoking aspects of T Bone Burnett.” Progression Magazine, Oct. 2015”
“…fun, irreverent, soulful and gritty!” EMBARK|PEEKSKILL, May 2016 Pluck & Rail’s

George Gierer bought his first guitar at age 17 and moved to Austin, TX, where he soaked up the sounds of the south and was forever changed. After hearing hearing Eddie Van Halen at the age of 15, classically trained cellist Andrew Sussman starting spinning Bach into the blues and Beethoven into Zappa and never looked back.

[Shadow]

I saw Sunday and thought I would have to put off the religious sacrifice until the following week.

[Steve F.]

Oops.fixed.

[3RDegree_Robert]

I love this place and they've been really good to us. I wish it were closer to me and that the shows weren't always on Saturday nights which is particularly bad for me. With NJ Proghouse on a sort of hiatus I miss it all the more.

[Hobo Chang Ba]

good to see frogg café still an ongoing concern.

[bill g]

Oh man, would love to see this. Seriously I may have to just move to the east coast where all the good shows are!

[Shadow]

What an incredible show. These guys kicked ass. Best version of The Wall I have ever heard.

[Steve F.]

Best version of The Wall I have ever heard.

[AstroProg]

What an incredible show. These guys kicked ass. Best version of The Wall I have ever heard.

Shadow is absolutely correct - what a show.

The night started with Pluck and Rail doing their acoustic set - stand up bass, guitar/banjo, and cello/mandolin (courtesy of Andrew Sussman from Frogg Café). They were joined on a few songs by Frogg Café members Bill on Mandolin and Nick on trumpet. Although the band is much closer to bluegrass than prog, they were a pleasure to watch. They even threw in a little surprise with a high energy version of Locomotive Breath.


The Frogg Café set was also well done. Some of the new songs from their promised 2019 release started a little rough, but quickly morphed into the expected grove with rotating solos on mandolin, violin, trumpet, keyboard, and trombone. When these guys are in the zone like they were Saturday night, they are an absolute treat to watch.


The final set combined the 2 bands with Andrew switching back to cello, and Pluck and Rail's bass played taking over the electric bass. What followed was magic. They played an extended version of St. James infirmary and unbelievably Another Brick in the Wall (I'm pretty sure they included at least a portion of all of the various parts of the song). Kudos to Andrew Sussman for his on-stage direction of the bands that could easily have sounded like a high speed train wreck. Instead it was a group of obvious professionals having a great time. I lost track of the solos during these 2 songs, but Andrew made sure everyone had their moment in the spotlight.


This was my 3rd time seeing Frogg Café at Orion. These guys just seem to come alive in this room, and Saturday night was no exception.

[winkersnufs]

Good Afternoon Music Folks!

Just wanted to add a few more comments regarding the show ~ AND ~ it was nice to cross paths with quite a few that are indeed Progday regulars.

Pluck and Rail was rather interesting. Another taste of 'progressive 'Americana' was what comes to mind. I certainly like some Americana - apparently in smaller and buffered doses. P&R was a joy to experience live but I also thought that this was a band I wouldn't listen to at home.


I traveled to Orion with my longtime friend Jeff Wilson and our seats just happened to be in the first row of chairs. We each commented that it is/was an enhanced experience from that VERY close viewing perspective. Personally.... I've never sat THAT close. Rather cool to see facial expression, band members eyes connecting at those times when the music suggested, and the bands sheer pleasure while performing. Nice experience for me!


Frogg Café put on a very fine show for sure. Thanks to everyone involved!


Carry On
Chris Buckley