Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Jordan Heaney - Vocals, Guitar
Bartek Danel - Bass
Chris Marriott - Drums
Brian Tancredi - Vocals, Guitar
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Frogpile? How long has the band been around?
Brian: The band has been around for about 3 years, but Jordan and I have been playing together in a lot of different bands together over the past 10 or so years (Empire,The Human Spirit). In that sense, it has sort of been an ever-changing lineup, as there’s a larger group of friends who have all been playing together in some capacity for the last decade. Chris and Jordan are currently in another band called Yung Heazy. We’re aspiring to assemble something similar to Odd Future, but for guitar-music.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
Brian: To this day, I honestly still have no idea as to where it came from...I’d have to defer to Jordan on that one.
Jordan: ...
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
Brian: Jordan and I split most of the songwriting duties. From a process standpoint, one of us will come in to rehearsal with an idea, which will then be put through the collective washing machine otherwise known as the band. It is always interesting to see what comes out on the other side.. 9/10 times it is something quite different from the original idea, but that’s the beauty of it.
Jordan: There's a lot of jamming involved and messing with the structure, I think the music I'm most proud of has come out of that process.
We seem to sing about God and the afterlife a lot in our songs, we all have a religious background so I think that's what inspires it. It's a little tricky to talk about if that will change as I feel a lot of the time I'm not in control of what I write about, it comes out as it does and it's rare I'll sit down and have a full plan of what the concept of a song is before I start writing the lyrics.
Brian: The latest EP definitely has a lot of religious undertones, however a lot of it is tongue in cheek. As Jordan said, the majority of the band grew up in religious households, so I think a bit of it is dissecting what effect that has on your life and where it leaves you once you're able to take a step back from it all.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
We’ve all gotten pretty into the Voidz. They are technically still in that indie-rock/guitar scene, but are pushing the boundaries of what that encompasses in a lot of ways. The ability to experiment but still retain a core sound is something that we’ve always admired in bands.
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
We somehow always end up doing an impromptu, botched cover of ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ by the Beatles towards the end of each show, once we’ve all had a few. So that famous rooftop show definitely has a hold over us.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …
In all honesty… probably a few cans of PBR...like any self-respecting band. It’s just as effective as stretching I’ve heard. Loosens things up.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
Opening for Alex Cameron was a big one. We are huge fans of his music. He could also be a full-time stand up comedian if the music thing didn’t work out for him. The guy is hilarious.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
Brian: Motley Crue in the 80s. After reading The Dirt, I would just like to see if it’s humanly possible to keep up. Realistically we wouldn’t even last a weekend.
Chris: Jojo Mayer and Nerve, because their drummer is amazing and maybe he would show me his secrets.. also their shows have so much improvisation.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Jordan: We're writing new music every day! There are more recordings in the works and we're working on some really weird ass material we're very excited to unveil.