|
Dennis Flemion
vocals/drums/keyboards/piano |
Jimmy Flemion
vocals/guitar/piano |
The Frogs started their career back in 1980 when they played their first show at the 8th note coffee house in Milwaukee, WI. They consist of two brothers Dennis (older) and Jimmy (younger) Flemion. Their first album came years later in 1988, when the duo self released "The Frogs", which was limited to 1010 copies on 12" vinyl. The limited release has made this album an instant collectors item, which I just recently acquired! Their follow up album "It's Only Right and Natural" was released on Homestead Records in 1989. IORAN is a collection of songs that had been recorded in the Flemion home during 1986 and 1987. The "Made Up Songs" were available on cassette through their newsletter "Rosy Jack World" and contained nearly 500 titles. IORAN was released to much fanfare, and it hit the musical world by storm. Although not gaining popularity with the general public, IORAN caught the eye of a few "famous" musicians. Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins are most notable due to the fact that they have invited The Frogs to tour with them. The Frogs appear on the Pearl Jam single "Immortality" with their rendition of "Rearviewmirror" on the B-Side. Dennis took over as the touring keyboardist for the Smashing Pumpkins after their keyboardist died of a heroin overdose. The Frogs also appear on a couple Smashing Pumpkins songs as backup vocals and instrumentation. The Frogs were also featured in a segment in the Smashing Pumpkins video release "Viewphoria". Which sucked except for The Frogs little segment. Personally I think the whole idea for Viewphoria's setup and layout were ripped off from "Toy Porno", a self released video by The Frogs that included little skits between different live performances. After IORAN, came "My Daughter the Broad" on Matador records, back in 1996. MDTB was an instant hit with the fans, and also consisted of a compilation from the Made Up Songs tapes. 1997's "Starjob" EP on Scratchie records took The Frogs back into the studio. While this was only a six song EP, it gave us a taste of the different side of The Frogs. A more serious side, which in my opinion has hoisted the band into the top 10 bands of all time. While I still enjoyed listening to some of the funnier songs on the previous albums, I found myself intrigued by their multiple personalities. Their next release "Bananimals" (1999 Four Alarm Records) was another collection from the Made Up Songs, and was similar to IORAN and MDTB in it's sound, but the over all feel of the album was less silly and more in the spirit of "punk" rock, or whatever the kids call it these days. "Racially Yours" (2000 Four Alarm Records) was their next release, originally recorded in 1993, but considered "too racy / racist" to be released at the time. Personally I don't know what all the fuss was about, if you ask me, the album is quite anti-racism, and actually would open peoples minds a little if they just sat down and gave it a listen. "Bigot" is my absolute favorite off this album, and one of my favorite songs of all times. Racially Yours is a masterful piece of art both musically and lyrically. With the release of 2001's "Hopscotch Lollipop Sunday Surprise" The Frogs had returned to the sound of the studio. An excellent assortment of songs including a cover of Bob Dylan's "Billy", which is in my opinion, better than the original. Definitely a more serious album intended to take the mainstream music industry by surprise, and vault The Frogs to super stardom. (something that failed to happen) Either way, The Frogs are, and always will be, superstars to me. There truly is no experience that can compare with being a true Frogs fan; going to the shows, talking with the fan community, and of course, the seemingly endless supply of material that keeps coming out of the duo. The Frogs will always rule my world.
Before the dawn of The Frogs, Dennis and Jimmy called themselves
"The Gila Monsters"
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