FROGCHILD

Frogchild is a band from Honolulu Hawaii who in the 1990's helped to usher in a new music scene of original music to venues only previously catering to cover bands. Inspired by earlier original Hawaii bands like, Oriental Love Ring, Poi Dog Pondering and Hat Makes The Man, Frogchild was the next generation motivate a new alternative scene with their unique sound and original songwriting. With a fusion of alternative rock jazz funk blues, they were able to attract a large fan base giving way to popular venues opening their doors to original music.   

Over the years Frogchild members have pursued other musical endeavors both locally and abroad. Bassist Andrew Mclellan has played in popular local bands Go Jimmy Go, Henry Kapono Band and won a Hoku while playing bass with Guy Cruz, Lopaka Colon and Jake Shimabukuru in their band Colon. Jon Glaser, now residing in Oregon, is the drummer of the popular southern Oregon band TC and the Reactions who are in constant demand on the Winery circuit with their danceable soul-rockin’ rhythm and blues.  Colin Reinhardt, when not working on top secret military projects, performs slack key guitar when traveling back and forth from Oregon to California.  Gary Wong’s love for music has lead him on a journey of documentation, filming and recording local and visiting bands and DJs in the greater Honolulu area.  And Buck Giles is one of the last students of Steel Guitar Hall of Fame inductee Jerry Byrd and protégé of the acclaimed Hawaiian musician Bill Tapia. He has performed with the father of Exotica Martin Denny, Lopaka Colon, Grammy nominated artist Stephen Inglis, Ki Ho`alu Legacy Award recipient Makana, and most recently with Billboard and Rolling Stone acclaimed singer-songwriter Zeshan B. 

Throughout the years their musical endeavors, families and work have pulled them in different directions, but they still remain as close as they were in their younger years growing up in Hawaii.  It is this connection, their home in Hawaii and band chemistry that enables them to reconnect and continue their Frogchild musical adventures by reuniting with friends and fans, old and new, recording new music and performing live shows.  And when they get together is a musical gathering you won’t want to miss.

Honolulu Weekly 

..."FrogChild was among those bands in Honolulu back in the early ’90s that helped ignite the independent, local alternative music scene, Most of the bands back then rode ska’s third wave or embedded in the punk and hardcore set, but FrogChild went in a direction all its own. They were the most musically articulate of the bands that forged what has become a thriving local music scene. They artfully combined jazz and funk in a way that no other Hawai’i band had done before. For those to whom Frog Child is a new band, be prepared to witness songwriting and musicianship that can fairly be considered to be among the best ever to come out of Honolulu." 

THE HAWAII INDEPENDENT 

There was a time in Honolulu when independent, local music began to enjoy a sort of underground limelight. Bands didn’t necessarily become famous, but they were household names among the many fans that went out to see them in large numbers at a host of alternative music venues. Venues like My Favorite Eggplant, Java Java, The Factory and, of course, Anna Bannana’s opened their doors to bands like the Tantra Monsters, Tweaked, El Toupe, and even my old band Red Session each week. All-age fans flocked to these venues as second homes and havens from the perils of post-adolescence and beyond. Among all of those bands, FrogChild may have been the most imaginative. 

And while many bands from those salad days gained enough local support to launch modest national tours, only a few made the leap to relocate to the mainland to pursue more opportunities. FrogChild was one of them, choosing Seattle as their base of operations. They played all original funk-jazz-rock fusion, at a time when ska, reggae, punk and Jawaiian were the genres filling venues with bodies in a boom era that seemed to have no end in sight. 

Few of those bands are still around. Creative differences, day jobs, marriage, and kids make keeping a band together difficult. But even as all of those factors led to the disbanding of FrogChild, the players remain close to this day. 

And just as those personal ties remain strong between members, fans of FrogChild’s music continue to listen to their songs with the same relish now as they did back then. As with all great music, FrogChild’s shows created a shared experience between band and crowd, and that is not something discerning music fans are wont to forget.          ~Jamie Winpenny