frogholler reviews
reviews for Railings
"Fourth
and best album by this band from smalltown Pennsylvania.Their origins
as a bluegrass trio show in the songs(Sweetest Sound) as well as instruments-banjo,fiddle,dobro,steel-but
their mid-tempo country rock and ballads,well-written,well- played,and
with a fine rich vocal,mark them as special." - Sylvie
Simmons Mojo March 2004
"Here,
a songwriter on the cutting edge of clever country fully illustrates why
many are tipping him and his tasty band for big things. This is Frog Holler's
fourth CD, and you'll have to search far and wide to find songs expressed
with more sensitivity or frustration. The album's called Railings, and
he can rage, and does, taking bops at rampant consumerism, people who
don't think for themselves and folks who are too straight-laced, ignorant
or downright selfish…….the songwriting and great playing is
as "just right" as it could ever be" -
Loudon Temple - Maverick Magazine (UK)
(3 1/2 stars out of 4) "Frog Holler's self-styled "Pennsylvania Dutch rock" is as much about country as rock. Acoustic guitar, banjo, and dobro weave together with electric guitar, drums, and piano, and on the Reading-area sextet's fourth album these seamless sounds are presented with particular clarity. Like the music, the exceptional lyrics of singer-guitarist Darren Schlappich also exhibit elements of rock and country, and they do so with a profound, plainspoken eloquence. We get defiance and idealism, but also a whiff of weary fatalism, of wondering whether it's better to remain in or to leave the comforting but sometimes suffocating confines of his small town. "I've seen God's children and those kids are so much taller than me," Schlappich sings with a touch of whimsy on "God's Children." One thing's for sure: When it comes to capturing his place in the world. Schlappich continues to stand head and shoulders above most Americana songwriters. - Nick Cristiano The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Unique and engrossing AltRoots group Frog Holler
bring their enigmatic,shady Americana sound to the Northside Tavern Thursday
in support of theirexcellent 2003 CD, Railings. The Pennsylvania-spawned
sextet uses thetypical tools of the trade (banjo, lap-steel, and mandolin
all find their way into the mix), but Frog Holler nobly avoids cliche's,
painting frontmanDarren Schlappich's deep and mysterious songs with an
atmosperic glaze thatglistens with an organic yet somehow transcendent
luster. Their acousticbased and impassioned, respectful reinvention of
classic American Folk forms brings to mind The Band during a power outage
(even though stirringatmospheric electric guitars slither throughout the
album). Schlappich'svisceral writing style makes for some of the best
songs being crafted in the"AltCountry" realm. they're one of
the best rising young lions on the "No Depression" scene."
- Mike Breen Cincinnati City Beat
"With Railings, Frog Holler capture the essence of The Band as well as any outfit around these days, courtesy of their sound - rustic and soulful and borderline gospel-ish at times - and their communal spirit - Rick Cornell Amplifier March April 2004
"........their excellent new work Railings, simply the best band I've heard in years. Great songwriting, they are a deliriously entertaining live act, that truly create their own genre." - Andrew Aber The Village Voice
"If country music is about trying to lead an ordinary life in America's small towns and rural counties, it makes sense that alternative-country should be music about trying to lead a bohemian life in the same circumstances. Few acts pursue this latter strategy with as much devotion or with as much success as Frog Holler, a sextet from the area around Kutztown, Pa. ........ It reminds us that Frog Holler is one of our most underrated alt-country acts." - Geoffrey Himes The Washington Post
Pennsylvania's Frog Holler is getting it down: on its fourth album, Railings (Record Cellar), the six-piece plays an arsenal of instruments very sparingly, creating a backdrop of mystery and tension for Darren Schlappich's straightforward prayerful songs." - Monica Kendrick The Chicago Reader
"All it took was one listen to these haunted rural road songs and your humble host once again found himself falling in love with a band." - Vin Scelsa Idiots Delight 90.7 WFUV
"Railings, is a stunning bit of vindictive" - Brian Howard The Philadelphia City Paper
"an album
of beauty..........Railings is great the way it is, and Schlappich
has every reason to be proud of this moving, heartfelt addition to Frog
Holler's catalog" - Alex Henderson All Music
Guide
live review - "Frog Holler is from the semi-wilds of Pennsylvania, a point of geography and pride that the band wears on its sleeve and on Daniel Bower's bass drum. On a mild early-November Sunday night, Bower and the other five members od Frog Holler brought a little bit of Berks County, Pa -- nah, make that a large chunk of it -- to downtown Durham............" - Rick Cornell No Depression read full review
'' The recording is dominated by thoughtful, country-tinged meditations on love gone sour and outsider status, with a little social commentary thrown in for good measure. The quality of the songcraft and soulful instrumental backing could put Frog Holler in the front ranks of the alt-country scene on a national level" - John Terlesky The Allentown Morning Call
"To catch the full Frog Holler vibe, you'll need
to see the Philly combo in a crowded honk. The group has a growing rep
as a killer live band, whereas the studio albums, as good as they are,
have gotten progressivley more polished............" -Fred
Mills No Depression
read full
review
"Frog Holler is fond of loud drums and Neil Young-worthy guitar solos. Its notoriously intense live show would fit right in at a Texas honky-tonk, a West Virginia hoedown, or at a noisy Philly club like the North Star." - Amy Phillips The Philadelphia Inquirer
"the Berks County six-piece has been delivering it all across America and overseas for the past seven years, collecting rave reviews all along the way. Those years of rowdy performances have been punctuated by a series of remarkable recordings, the most recent of which is Railings, a truly great and honest-sounding record that ranges from some real foot-stompers to delicate country hymns that are the definition of restraint for a six-man band." - Jeff Royer The Fly Magazine (Lancaster, Pa)
"The album is probably one of the best to come out in 2003 and would do well alongside other stellar alt.country bands on the rise. A must!" - Jason McNeil Pop Matters
"a thoughtful and heartfelt album, not only for fans of alt-country music" - The Big Takeover
"Frog Holler's four discs, the latest is Railings- are the work of a band that loves to fiddle around with its rustic roots. The band's atmospheric songs are spiked with sturdy melodies and marked by lyrics about living life and making music left of the dial." - The Winston-Salem Journal
"This is a piece of polished coal - decorative, combustible and possibly containing a rough diamond." DC - Americana UK
"Frog Holler has already released a veritable pantheon of great albums; Railings is the best of the bunch" - Jim Speese The Reading Eagle
Frog Holler
is to Americana as Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp are to rock n'
roll. Their inspiration is found in the Northeastern Rustbelt, in the
smaller towns and the countryside, far removed from the urban elite, and
they do a fine job of evoking that experience. - Don Grant Freight
Train Boogie
"These fellas from Pennsylvania have four awesome CD's out now, and each of them are wonderful. I'd say one of the most underrated bands today. With six talented musicians composing a sound all their own, I honestly can't categorize them. Personaly I think the new cd "Railings" should be in everyone's truck. "Railings" receives four JJJJ's" - Stoney Magazine
- Bart
Ebisch Alt Country NL (the Netherlands)
"Absolutley Brilliant!" - Ctrl Alt-Country (Belgium)
"……..songs about people and places that we pass by everyday and never stop to notice. That's Ok, because these guys do it for us. Everyone is a hero in their tunes and life's twists and turns don't derail them as easily as they do us." - Village Records
