“A Whole New World of Sonic Color”: A Chat with Lou of The Frogs and Toads
Interview ★ Kenzie Gay ★ @kenzwrites ★ 5 Minutes
Once upon a time not so long ago, I overcame my everlasting anxiety with new places and faces (at least for one night) and I decided to hit a venue I hadn’t yet been to before - Kilroy’s Garage for an evening with Mac N’ Toss, Alden McCoy, The Westside, and others. It was definitely out of my comfort zone compared to the other established live music spots around Grand Rapids. My first DIY venue, my first local scene show, my first time actually meeting like-minded musicians and creatives face to face. It was definitely a doozy of a night but one I’ll always hold in high regard because of the all around experience. I mean, how many times can you really say you’ve been to a punk/indie show in some random person’s back yard?
Of all the highlights that this experience at Kilroy’s brought me, today we’re going to be talking about a group known as The Frogs and Toads - who played a set that very night. They stuck out to me for their name, of course (If Arnold Lobel has no fans, then I am dead), but also for their much appreciated brightness both in the crowd and while they were actually performing. I didn’t get the chance to chat with them directly but I did jump on the opportunity of interviewing them - how could I not?
Hailing from Kalamazoo, Michigan and composed of multi instrumentalist (bass, lead guitar, vocals, lyricist) Jack Fergusson (he/him), multi instrumentalist (bass, rhythm guitar, vocals, lyricist) Lou Truitt (she/they), multi instrumentalist (bass, organ, vocals, lyricist) Virginia Abbot (she/her), and drummer/lyricist Elliot Krieger (he/him) are, you guessed it, The Frogs and Toads - read below for our exclusive conversation with Lou.
The Frogs and Toads - left photo via Jamie Gruber
Who are some of your musical inspirations?
Lou: I like The Replacements and Twin Peaks, Vee digs Fionna Apple and They Might Be Giants, Jack likes Queens of the Stone Age and Nirvana, and Elliot likes Snarky Puppy and Volfepeck.
You recently played Kilroy’s Garage in Grand Rapids alongside Alden McCoy, Mac N’ Toss, The Westside, and Dream Demon. How was that experience?
Lou: Honestly we walked away from that show being really affirmed we are doing the right thing. It’s one thing to play a great show in your hometown, but to have complete strangers be so receptive to the art we make and to express that with hunger and passion is mind blowing. We started taking our band way more seriously after that gig. Like “wow we have something special going on here.” I remember crying before and after that gig because I felt so embraced and reaffirmed.
You are currently based in the Kalamazoo area, the birthplace of Gibson Guitars and a city with a heavy blues history. How does living here/growing up here influence you as a group?
Lou: It’s hard to live in Kalamazoo and not know a musician. It’s so alive here. There is a hunger today that is only naturally following the footsteps of the great Blues trailblazers. Our little city is one with colorful songs in the air. I think the passion you see from a busking street musician, up and coming Hip Hop artists, passionate Blue Grass lovers, is contagious man. Music is an art form you can express your love, hate, pain, and joy and everyone in Kalamazoo is dying to be heard. Us included.
What genre or genres of music would you categorize The Frogs and Toads as?
Lou: When we started off we were primarily doing Country music, and Folk Rock stuff. Nowadays, we lean towards more Rock n Roll influences like Grunge, Punk, Surf, and Garage Rock among other things. Our sound is very vintage. I used to be the primary songwriter but introducing the other songwriters into the process really introduced a whole new world of sonic color.
What do you guys do outside of music that may or may not contribute to the band’s style and sound?
Lou Truitt : That's a good question! I absolutely love painting. I have been a painter for about 7 years. I find painting and music very intertwined. Sometimes I listen to music to get inspiration to paint and vice versa.
I am also big on LEGO. Real big - like I have been building since Elementary school level big. I run an Instagram page where I show off my builds! I mainly build Fallout related things or Minecraft.
I also like clothes and fashion! I find making music and performing gives me an outlet to really express myself with the way I dress.
Oh, and I am a substitute teacher. If you want inspiration for music, you kind of see a lot of humanity working in education: which is swag.
What do you hope listeners/fans take away from the group’s music?
Lou: I have a few things! Mainly I have a song I wrote called “Dark Night” which we performed at Kilroy’s. It's basically a song about perseverance through troubling times. I wrote it as a message to my friend who took his own life. I wanted listeners to know if they think that their life is not worth living, or that the world would be better off without them that they are absolutely wrong. I also want that song to be a warm hug and a nod a understanding to those who have also lost people to suicide because it can be very isolating.
Other than that, I really just want people to find community and acceptance in our music. A lot of our fans are LGBTQ members and as a band with multiple Queer people in it we want our shows to be a safe haven of expression for them as well as any people who may be struggling to find acceptance.
What are your thoughts/feelings/opinions on Queer representation in art?
Lou: I think that we are at the point where Queer voices in music feel safe to be loud and proud about our struggles, joy, and experiences. Back in the day, Queerness was implied or hinted at often in music because many felt it wasn’t safe to be open. Nowadays - even as it gets more risky to be a Queer person in America - , I think the LGBTQ community does not want to give up the platform and comfort of expression that Queer trailblazers forged for us. At least I’m not gonna stop singing about my boyfriend or having pronouns!
Where do you hope to see the band in ten years?
Lou: We hope to have a good stack of records, many good memories, a feeling we made our community proud, and a lot more shows lined up to look forward to. Haha. We really want to have a manager, a label, and a set of wheels to get us across our little mess of a country.
Are there any solid plans for upcoming projects in the works? (new music, shows, music video, mini tour, etc.)
Lou: YES. We are actually recording our debut EP at this very moment! We are about half way done and hope to release it by the end of this year or the start of next year! We have plans to keep busy in between recording.
We have a Halloween show at the Runoff in Kalamazoo November 1st. That one will be cool. (We’ll be covering My Chemical Romance!. We also have a gig at Papa Pete's in Kalamazoo on November 8th. Probably gonna have a few more gigs in the Winter. Perhaps during this Summer we will take on a Michigan tour? Time will tell.
