Eau Claire, Wis. —
Minneapolis jamband Frogleg was more than ready for its first appearance at Blue Ox Music Festival, which wrapped up its 10th year Saturday.
The fest has tended to book a more grassy and folksy lineup, but it hasn’t shied completely away from jam rock, booking The Big Wu early on, asides from the top jamgrass bands all of these years.
Last year, Phish bassist Mike Gordon and his side band headlined an evening, and this year, it also booked Daniel Donato for the third year in a row, locals Feed the Dog (a band that rides close to the jamgrass genre with a fiddler, acoustic guitarist, electric bassist and drummer) and Duluth’s funky jamband Saltydog.
But back to Frogleg, now more than a decade into its career. They came ready to crush their late-night set, the last one Friday, a slot that begs for hot musical fire. Frogleg supplied both the gas and the electrical spark needed from the get-go, going to their first LP with the song “Little Sleep” that rolled right into “Hoo Doo,” which showcases one of their newest members, the insanely talented saxman Brian “Snowman” Powers.
In a nod to their musical brother, the late Max Graham, Frogleg covered Kind Country’s “Take Me Home,” late in the set. It was a spirited and passionate version performed with love and care. It hit many in attendance in the heart, including at least one member of Kind Country who was brought to tears; Another Kind Country member said it was one of his favorite moments of the entire weekend.
“Hi, this here is a Max Graham song,” guitarist Demitri Rallis said before starting the song.
On “Take Me Home,” Powers delivered the song’s opening phrasing on saxophone instead of fiddle as appears on the original studio recording, and Kevin Dorsey’s organ sounds moved through the tall pines splashed in colorful light like stained glass.
It’s at least the second time in the last year that a band has covered Kind Country as a nod to its frontman Graham, who died tragically at the age of 30 in March 2021 after a struggle with mental health. National touring jamgrass band Kitchen Dwellers covered “Mountains” last November at the Fine Line in Minneapolis. That one also brought out a lot of raw emotions for the beloved Minneapolis mandolinist gone far too soon.
Graham left a mark in many hearts, including the Dwellers’ banjoist Torrin Daniels and Rallis, who delivered the vocals on this one. Like on “Mountains” the lyrics of “Take Me Home” echo the sadness around Graham. Rallis delivered that emotional inflection both in his voice and through his guitar.
“I see no light you know I live in the shadows
I’m gathering dust these days and I can’t turn back
Back to the days when we could be together
My door is open won’t you run on home
And now I sleep with one eye open and a gun under my bed
Know that I forgive you but you don’t know where it went
So you hide behind the sheets at night but the fear still lives in your mind, in your mind, in your mind”
The heart that this was played with can’t be overstated, no doubt a statement to the surroundings, these northwest Wisconsin woods that Graham knew because of this beloved festival.
Thankfully, our archivist brother Tommy the Beard, probably the most prolific taper on Minnesota’s music scene, was on hand to preserve the set. You can listen to all of it here, and I highly recommend you do so.
That wasn’t the only cover in this set. The band also played Los Lobos’ “Kiko and the Lavender Moon.”
Frogleg had a sound monitor go out early in the set on “First Thunder, First Rain,” which the band handled smoothly. They were one of three local jambands in the Blue Ox lineup that faced sound issues in their sets but rolled right through it like the skilled improvisers they are.
Dunn led vocals again on “The Silver Sphere,” a song that gets spacey on the synths and guitars.
Powers spoke of trouble blowing his saxophone during the set, which was played in a high dew point environment. All the average listener could hear from Powers was him playing his heart out.
Frogleg’s next appearance is at another northern Wisconsin festival, the Highbridge Hills Disc Golf Jamboree, which has a more jam-centric lineup with The Big Wu, Mungion, Frogleg, Feed the Dog, Heatbox & the Power Ups, and Chicken Wire Empire, among others July 18-21 in Highbridge, Wis. That is between Ashland and Mellen, Wis.
In a follow up conversation, Demitri said Frogleg has played “Take Me Home,” a few times. He said the idea and rock arrangement came out a side project, the Habitual Line Steppers, which featured Kind Country drummer Chris “Witty” Wittrock.
“He helped arrange that,” he said. “We have more of a rock and roll backbeat on it, put a different spin on it.”
The band first played it at their 10-year anniversary party at Bunker’s near the end of 2022.
“I really wanted to play it at Blue Ox as a nod to Max,” he said.
He said the two of them grew closer as friends “near the end,” the two playing shows together.
“He was super charismatic, a natural-born leader,” he said. “Everyone was drawn to him. He was magnetic. He was a really special guy, a real force of nature.”