Frog Holler, March 21 @ Johnny Brenda's

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Frog Holler, March 21 @ Johnny Brenda's

POSTED: Thursday, March 26, 2009, 2:00 PM

Filed Under: Music Show

Photos | Carolyn Huckabay and Brian Howard

A funny thing happened on the way to the second set.

On Saturday at Johnny Brenda's, Berks County's Frog Holler was in the house. And so were we, at least at first. With a packed house on hand, the Darren Schlappich-led six piece took the state for the first of a promised two sets in celebration of the release of Believe It or Not, the band's first release since 2006's Haywire. The band kicked off with the bitter "WJKS" from Idiots before launching into a steady flow of songs from the band's new longplayer. Songs like "To Turn Back Now," "Fundamental Blues" and "Not Like Us" betray a world-weariness that, while evident if not dominant in the band's earlier releases, is amplified in this current batch of songs.

Lead singer/principal songwriter Schlappich has been through something like a personal hell in the three years since the band's last release ' he lost his father, endured his own health crisis and dealt with the premature birth of his now-healthy son, Eli. It was a stretch that tried the prolific songwriter, and the wear shows on his face. Once a big-bearded sort, Schlappich's face is now clean shaven, the hollows around his eyes and the gray hair peeking out from beneath his trademark knit cap stand as testament to hard times. "Strange Powers," the second song of the set, with its chorus of "believe it or not," seemed to dare the crowd to believe their eyes. "This is a celebration," said Schlappich half convincingly as if regaining his bearings. "So we're gonna play two sets tonight," an announcement that was met with exuberance by the large crowd, a curious mix of locals and itinerant rurals.

The band played the new "Control Freak (I Know, I Know), a playful song that's not too hard to read into as a song about a man looking for a bit of order. They played "Fundamental Blues," which displays Schlappich's curious knack for a superbly crafted metaphor: "sentimental leaves hang on to the trees too long / because when they fall they don't know where they'll go." And "Alibis," with the bluntly burning "you keep using alibis, some of them too many times."

Guitarist Todd Bartolo ripped through a mighty solo on old favorite "One Last Time" from Haywire which led into "Million Good Things" from The High, Highs and The Low, Lows and then into the wary "Not Like Us" from the new album. The band seemed to be acquiring its groove, prepared to jump into the sort of rollicking bluegrass-meets-guitar-pop hayseed hoedown sets they're known for.

And that, good friends, is when I left the show. A freakish incident involving the pint glass i was holding in my right hand nesting in the pint glass I was holding in my left hand ' causing a shard from the latter glass to break off and slice off much of the skin on the palm side of my pinky ' forced my rather hasty and bloody exit from the venue.

So I implore you, good readers of City Paper, to let me know about the second set. What did they play? Did it rock?

Posted by Brian Howard @ 2:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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