Frog Holler
Railings
© 2003 Record Cellar/Zobird (729785007324)
CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.
'No Depression' Style Americana featuring guitars, bass, drums, banjo, and lap-steel.
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"Railings" is Frog Holler's fourth CD.It was smartly produced by Edan Cohen at Soundgun Studio in Philadelphia and released in September 2003.The band consists of six members featuring acoustic and electric guitars,bass,drums,banjo,and lap-steel."Railings" reveals a lean,mean efficient Frog Holler.The cd is unforced,unhurried,natural and effortless.Here,the songs are personal,often exposing the writer's vulnerability.They are poetic and melodic.The songs constantly examine life.They ask questions,provide answers,show courage and occasionally offer a bit of wisdom.They are spiritual.confrontational,and are always in search of something.Sometimes all of these elements exist in the same song.
The band of musicians adds so much.They treat the songs well.The music matches the words,the sentiment is exact.Frog Holler has had a pretty good stretch as a band.The best measure of this success is that they have an audience for their music wherever and whenever they take the stage.They were embraced at Americana radio with their last CD and charted at #34.They were featured on NPR's "Hear and Now" program and also featured on the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer's Arts & Entertainment section.No Depression magazine has supported them by reviewing their cds and profiling the band.They have that certain unexplainable intangible that all really good bands have.See www.frogholler.com for more info.
"Frog Holler gives voice to a generation's conflict...so smart,so catchy,so rooted in its home turf."
-Geoffrey Himes
The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Like the music,the exceptional lyrics of singer-guitarist Darren Schlappich also exibit elements of rock and country,and they do so with a profound,
plainspoken eloquence"
-Nick Cristiano
The Philadelphia Inquirer
"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
WFUV-Idiots Delight
"Railings,is a stunning bit of vindictive."
-Brian Howard
Philadelphia City Paper
"...their excellent new work 'Railings',simply the best band I've heard in years.Great songwriting,they are a deliriously entertaining live act,that truely create their own genre."
-Andrew Aber
The Village Voice
"This is a piece of polished coal-decorative,combus-
tible and possible containing a rough diamond."
DC
Americana UK
"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 bands 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
"Pennsylvania's Frog Holler is getting down:on its fourth album 'Railings'(Record Cellar),the six-piece plays an arsenal of instruments very sparingly,creating a backdrop of mystert and tension for Darren Schlappich's straightforward prayerful songs."
-Monica Kendrick
The Chicago Reader
"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
"Frog Holler has already released a veritable pantheon
of great albums;'Railings'is the best of the bunch."
-Jim Speese
The Reading Eagle
"The album,overall,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 MacNeil
Popmatters.com
"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
Allentown Morning Call
"...their mid-tempo country rock and ballads,
well-written,well-played and with a fine,rich vocal,
mark them as special."
-Mojo Magazine
* * * *
"...they're one of the best rising young lions on the 'No Depression' scene"
-Mike Breen
Cincinnati City Beat
"It reminds us that Frog Holler is one of our most underrated alt-country acts."
-Geoffrey Himes
The Washington Post
""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 Magazine
"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."
-Loudon Temple
Maverick Magazine
reviews
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Railings
author: Martin ClaassenGood CD
- author: N
Heard some of the tracks on this album on Idiot's Delight one night... The album sounded like Pennsylvania - I bought it. CD Baby: thanks for getting it here
A wonderful treat!
author: AmyLike another reviewer said, I heard you guys first on a Sirius radio channel...I LOVED your sound and I'm so happy I now have this cd. I've been driving around in the fall weather listening to your beautiful songs!
LOVE IT
author: FROGHOLLERi BOUGHT THIS CD BECAUSE I HEARD ONE SONG ON "FOLKTOWN" ON SIRIUS RADIO, AND THAT WAS "THE SWEETEST THING". IT WAS INSTANT LOVE. NOW, AFTER PLAYING THE ENTIRE CD OVER AND OVER, I LOVE ALL THE SONGS.
Good stuff
author: ShmayThis is probably the first newer released CD that really caught my attention and held on to it in quite a while. I have been recommending it to all of my friends. If you like America or Alt Country, this is the very first CD that I would recommend. I enjoyed it enough that I am ordering all of Frog Holler's other recordings.
- author: CD Baby Reviewer
While not all of the songs on this CD are songs that I will listen to over and over; Unlock the Door, Virginia & Idiots certainly are! Keep up the good work!
A fabulous alt country cd!
author: Warm Ale AnthonyRest assured,this is not a fascimile of Son Volt's Trace or Whiskeytown's Strangers Almanac. With Railings, Darren Schlappich has managed to do what every great alt country act does: Take the general recipie of equal parts rock, country, folk, and bluegrass, and end up with a uniquely American cd. Buy Railings, you will not be disappointed!
Listening to "Railings" and I get the feeling I am with family members dealing w
author: CD HALBACHWhen I listen to Frogholler's Railings cd, I get the feeling I am with family members and dealing with the ups and downs that come with life.The more I listen the more I get involved. Just a wonderful recording.
Where was this band when I lived in PA?
author: K. MorrisI loved "Idiots," but this CD is so beautiful it makes my heart ache. (That's a good thing.)
- author: CD Baby
With a nod to Wilco and Whiskeytown, embracing alternative country and folk, Frog Holler sings a song of dusty, rugged Americana true to the rural experience of well-traveled roads, deserted general stores, and pickups with 100,000+ miles. Without dressing up the texture and instead, letting the simplicity sing through, his songs seem to have an unplaceable familiarity, a tugging, comfortable kinship with the collective countryside language.
- author: Tamara Turner, CD Baby.com
With a nod to Wilco and Whiskeytown, embracing alternative country and folk, Frog Holler sings a song of dusty, rugged Americana true to the rural experience of well-traveled roads, deserted general stores, and pickups with 100,000+ miles. Without dressing up the texture and instead, letting the simplicity sing through, his songs seem to have an unplaceable familiarity, a tugging, comfortable kinship with the collective countryside language.
World class songwriting, freewheeling instrumentals and engaging arrangements.
author: Eric BayneWith world class songwriting, freewheeling instrumentals and engaging arrangements, "Railings" tops the band's last recording "Idiots" on the strength of the playlist. There are no weak cuts here. Production values, often the achilles heel of indie recordings, are outstanding. Frog Holler (or is it Frogholler now?) is not a polished ensemble, nor would you want them to be. It is their grit that makes them so special.
I like their sound but every song seemed way to similar.
author: Georgie MaulerI was very impressed listening to this CD at CD Baby and I ordered it. After listening to the whole thing I am still impressed with the over-all style of the band. I like the stripped down thing and the mix of instruments. I just feel that the songs tend to drag on and the singers voice just lays there with little expression. What can i say, I was moved enough to buy the CD. You got my money now you got my comments too.
Terrific Recording
author: Bruce LevineRailings is an amazing recording, like something somewhere between an old Alan Lomax remote recording, The Connells, with a nice bit of Springsteen class-consciousness thrown in for good measure. "Virginia" and "Glory" are especially strong. Very highly recommended.
- author: Dave
I heard you guys on Idiot's Delight. I listened to the recording of that studio performance incessantly for weeks. Then I had to buy the CD so I could turn my friends on to your music. Keep up the good work. When are you gonna tour on the west coast? There are some great taverns and such here in Seattle...
Excellent CD......Frog Holler keeps putting out great sounding toons!
author: Dean BaimThis CD is a very good, and CD Baby provided it easily and effortlessly, thanks again!
Getting Better with Every CD!
author: Bruce Lomet (CHINASKI)Frog Holler keeps getting better with every CD. Darren Schlappich has evolved into one of the top songwriters in the alt-country scene - bar none. There's not a bad tune on "Railings." The lyrics run the gamut: from heartbreaking to comical. It's not often that you hear music this genuine and from the heart.