Vinnie and The Butchers

Here is a quick post of two songs recorded live in 1994 from Vinnie and The Butchers featuring Paul Angerosa on guitar and vocals, Creamo on bass and Lenny Milano on drums. Another great band that used to play in my area of Glens Falls, NY regularly at that time.  

Vinnie - March 1994

HOLLY AND THE NEW YORKERS - MARCH 1980

Holly and The New Yorkers were another central New York band that was playing the club circuit just as the Frogs were breaking up. I never got to see them play live although they did play numerous times at the Rock n Rye. On the evidence of this recording, I will always regret that! This recording made me a fan and to me they came across as a mix of The Cars and Be Bop Deluxe without the keyboards. This show was from March of 1980 and the leader/singer/guitarist was calling himself Holly Rock although his name was actually Steve Moosebugger, late of another popular central NY band Alecstar. On drums for this show was Kenny "Thunder" Simpson, who later went onto play with Alecstar. On bass, although he isn't introduced on this recording, I am guessing that it's Dave Mickelson.

The band never cut an album that I am aware of but did have tracks included on at least two compilation albums: "WAQX Sound Check" put out by FM95X radio station in 1981 featured the song "Jesus Was A UFO". "Did It Again" was the song included on "The Album, The Acts, The Agency" LP also from 1981.

This tape begins with a fade-in of the first song. There are a couple of quick cuts where it seems like the soundman stopped the tape for some reason thereby missing a couple songs. The final song is abruptly cut after 2 minutes on my cassette copy. I'm trying to see if the master tape has the complete song and will add it here later if that's the case.


Holly and The New Yorkers
Live at the Rock n Rye
March 1980

1. Turn Me On
2. Carrie
3. Oh Please w/ drum solo
4. The Truth And The Jive
5. Jesus Was A UFO
6. Nervous Breakdown
7. Paranoia

Holly & the NY'ers - March 1980

FROGS LAST SHOW

　

Now we come to the end. Frogs Last Show this tape is called. The Frogs were calling it a day and we were there to catch their last set ever at the Rock n Rye. This was another eclectic song selection. "Have You Ever Loved A Woman" features their lights operator Buddy Andrews sitting in on the drums. They play "Brand New Cadillac" and it suddenly morphs into "The Twist"??? I like it! Then instrumental "Peter Gunn" and something we'd never seen before, a drum solo from Larry. Then a lounge version of "It's Not Unusual"??? Why not? They leave us with a trio of classics: "It's All Over Now", "Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers" which is abruptly cut off on our original cassette. Don't know what happened there. Finally, "Thunderbird" closes out the night. And then they were gone as the house P A comes on with some Black Sabbath.

So this is all we have of Frogs recordings at this time. If anything else ever surfaces I'd gladly post it here. Paul was to play in our area again ten years later with his band Vinnie and the Butchers. More of that later. I never heard any news about drummer Larry and if he continued playing. I may have read that Brian had other bands but can't confirm anything. Unhappily, I did run across a Utica, NY messageboard online and they reported that Dick Hoffman, or as he was known to his friends Ritchie, had passed away sometime in the 90's. All were saying what a great guy he was.


Frogs
Frogs Last Show
Rock n Rye

1. Route 66
2. Have You Ever Loved A Woman
3. Brand New Cadillac>The Twist
4. Guitar Solo
5. Peter Gunn
6. Drum Solo
7. It's Not Unusual
8. It's All Over Now
9. Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers(end cut)
10. Thunderbird

                                          

Frogs Last Show

The Frogs - At Rock n Rye 1979



Dick Hoffman

 Another recording from the Rock n Rye, this one from 1979. No date given on the original cassette, only "Frogs at Rock n Rye 1979" is written on the label. I am remembering that this was a Sunday night show and we do hear Dick say that it's Sunday at one point. "This part of the show's usually pretty loose here, so..." Paul says and they pull out some different songs for the occasion such as Foreigner's "Headknocker", The Babys' "Head First" and the Stones' "The Last Time". It gets really wild when they do a version of Steve Martin's "King Tut". Steve Martin was just then becoming huge and he had just played a concert at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center so Martinmania was starting and I think this show was just after that in the middle of August. Before playing "Buffalo Gals", Dick Hoffman is doing his best Steve Martin impression and he had put on a pair of fake glasses where the nose was a penis. You have to keep this in mind when he says "Who knows, though?" and the band all answer back "Dick nose!". After, he's asking the crowd "C'mon girls, would you like to check out my profile?". "King Tut" features a guest vocalist, I think a member of their crew(?) who came out wearing a fake pair of naked buttcheeks. It's nutso and typical of the good time everybody had at a Frogs show.
A marathon 17 minute version of the Frogs song "Let It Slide" contains a bit of "Spoonful" in the middle and much great slide guitar from Paul amid crazy stereo panning in the mix and some twin lead playing at the end. They close things out with their rocking take on "Johnny B. Goode" as the crowd goes wild. Encore time is "It's All Over Now" which starts with some slashing guitar chords and feedback. Love the way they always ended this with everybody taking a short solo or two. On the cassette also was a 4 minute snippet of "Wang Dang Doodle" that I have no idea where it came from but it was on the tape so it's included here.
This turned out to be yet another not to be missed recording. Crammed full of classic moments. All of the between song talk is essential listening right along with the songs.


The Frogs

Live at the Rock n Rye 1979

Disc 1

1. Memphis, Tennessee

2. Big Eyes

Paul Angerosa

3. Movin' Out

4. Headknocker

5. Don't Worry

6. Here I Stand

7. The Last Time

8. Move It On Over

9. Sunday Papers

10. First I Look At The Purse

11. Buffalo Gals

12. King Tut

　



Larry Fanelli



Disc 2

1. Head First

2. Let It Slide

3. Finger Poppin' Time

4. Johnny B. Goode

5. Wang Dang Doodle (partial)

  


Brian Marcantonio



Frogs - At Rock n Rye 1979 - Disc 1

Frogs - At Rock n Rye 1979 - Disc 2



Third Set - December 28, 1978

Here's another great recording. This one was made again at the Rock n Rye club on Thursday December 28, 1978. This is only the third set of that night and you can tell right from the start that they are feeling loose. At the end of the first trio of songs they check out the crowd and the talk from the stage is classic. A guitar frenzy leads into Born To Be Wild after which Brian can't find his Scotch! Then more crowd baiting before It's Only Rock n Roll which breaks into You Really Got Me as done by Van Halen, who were making a big splash with their first album at the time. Some nice twin lead guitarwork on this one! Going back into It's Only Rock n Roll, they end it with one of their signature moves, chugging along faster and faster until dissolving in a series of crescendos and false endings. Encore tune First I Look At The Purse starts out with some tapping and riffage from Paul until they launch into a full on version a la J. Geils Band. Only seven songs here but with constant highlights nonstop. Don't know why we only got this last set of the night but what we have is priceless.

THE FROGS
Rock n Rye, Lake George, NY
12/28/78

1. Sunspot Baby>Come To Papa>Got To Get Another Girl
2. Born To Be Wild
3. It's Only Rock n Roll w/You Really Got Me
4. First I Look At The Purse

The Frogs - Third Set

Schuylerville Theatre - November 22, 1978

Here is a great recording because it features no less than FIVE Frogs original songs! I don't believe I was able to attend the show that night but my good friend and fellow Frogs fanatic, Bill Varnum, brought his deck down to the club and got this soundboard recording. Schuylerville, NY is located about 10 miles east of Saratoga, NY and The Schuylerville Theatre was another club that hosted excellent bands at the time. It has since burned down. We thought nothing in those days of making the 25 or so mile drive to Schuylerville if there wasn't a good band playing in Glens Falls. The year of this recording is somewhat questionable and my cassette copy only has "NOV. 22" on the label. It was either 1978 or 79. The newspaper clipping at left is from earlier, October 5 - 6 & 7 which was Thursday, Friday and Saturday so that would make the most likely year 1978. November 22, 1978 was a Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving and a very popular night to go out to bars.
So to the songs. The Frogs start off with a great original tune, "My Good Fortune". Paul Angerosa later recorded this one as "Fortune" on a solo album of his. "Movin' Out" is probably the Frogs song that everybody remembers. "The Snakecharmer" has lead vocals from "Big Dick" Hoffman who used to wear red platform sneakers on stage to compliment his already over six foot height. "Let It Slide" was a vehicle for Paul's extended slide guitar pyromania. "Don't Worry" and "Back To Boston" always packed the dance floor. Frogs easily had the goods to put a great rock album together with these songs and others they had, I think. The original recording has a fadeout during the last "Guitar Instrumental" which is just Paul playing a really nice solo guitar piece at the end of Disc 2.
FROGS
LIVE AT THE SCHUYLERVILLE THEATRE
Schuylerville, NY November 22, 1978
DISC 1
1. My Good Fortune
2. Ain't That A Shame
3. Sunspot Baby
4. Movin' Out
5. Cheap Sunglasses>I Thank You
6. Gimme Three Steps
7. Move It On Over
8. The Snakecharmer
DISC 2
1. Let It Slide
2. Born To Be Wild
3. Don't Worry
4. Back To Boston>Cocaine
5. Roadhouse Blues>Love Me Two Times>Guitar Instrumental
Schuylerville Theatre - Disc 1Schuylerville Theatre - Disc 2　

A Farewell To Frogs - 6/15/78

Our second recording we called "A Farewell To Frogs" because we thought at that time The Frogs were finished. It was announced that Frogs guitarist Paul Angerosa was leaving The Frogs to join a new band named Sail. He was going out to California to record their album and hopefully take that next step in his musical career. So on June 15, 1978 band and fans gathered at the Rock n Rye for one final blowout and we were there to get it all on tape. This time we filled up two 90 minute cassettes, capturing all 3 sets and we were treated to a couple Frogs original tunes, "The Snake Charmer" and "Movin' Out". Paul's replacement in the band, Steve Edwards, was on hand to sit in on several songs throughout the night. At the end it is utter bedlam as the crowd refuse to let the band leave and they are called back for 3 encores.

THE FROGS
A Farewell To Frogs 6/15/78
at the Rock n Rye, Lake George, NY

DISC 1
1. Around And Around>Rock & Roll Music To The World
2. Cat Scratch Fever
3. Cocaine
4. What's Your Name>Gimme Three Steps
5. The Snake Charmer
6. You're Insane
7. Walk This Way incl. Nighttime In The Switching Yard

DISC 2
1. Hello There>Big Eyes>Downed
2. La Grange>Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers
3. It's All Over Now>One Way Out
4. Lawyers, Guns And Money
5. Statesboro Blues
6. Jumpin' Jack Flash>Wang Dang Doodle(tape runs out)
7. Hotlegs
8. Four Day Creep
9. Movin' Out
10. The South's Gonna Do It Again

DISC 3
1. Rock And Roll Never Forgets
2. Born To Be Wild
3. It's Only Rock n Roll(tape flip)
4. end of It's Only Rock n Roll
5. Crowd Noise
6. Route 66
7. Champagne Toast To The Frogs
8. More Crowd Noise
9. Thunderbird
10. Still More Crowd Noise
11. Johnny B. Goode

Disc One
Disc Two
Disc Three

Frogs - Live at the Rock n Rye 1/9/78

Here is the first live recording of the Frogs that we made in 1978. The Frogs were a four piece rock band from the central NY area. They started playing regularly in the Glens Falls area, first at this club called the Rock n Rye on Rte. 9 just south of Lake George. They quickly became the band to see and their appearances always guaranteed a full house and a great party atmosphere. In those days bands would play beginning on Thursday and go right through to playing on Sunday night to close out the weekend. The drinking age was also only 18 at that time so many more people were able to go out and see bands at bars and clubs. The Frogs, when we became aware of them, were made up of Paul Angerosa on guitar, Brian Marcantonio on guitar, Dick Hoffman on bass and Larry Fanelli on drums. Paul, Dick and Brian all did lead vocals depending on the song and at times Brian would strap on the bass to allow Dick to just be lead singer. After marvelling at how good this band was, we somehow got the idea to try recording them some night. Maybe I set it up with the crew the night before but on January 9 I brought my new JVC cassette recorder to the Rock n Rye and they plugged a feed from the soundboard into it. And that's what we have here, a nicely balanced and mixed recording of that night. This tape came out so well that copies were soon made and circulated among many fans in the area. Since that time I personally have listened to the tapes thousands of times and still continue to this day. Finally with the ability to distribute on the Internet it made sense to get this stuff out there for anyone who would remember those days and appreciate hearing again how it all went down. These tapes are 100% live as it happened with all the between song banter and jokes intact. They're transferred to digital right off of the master TDK SA cassettes.

THE FROGS
Live at the Rock n Rye
Lake George, NY
January 9, 1978

DISC ONE
1. Stones Medley:
Honky Tonk Women
Tumbling Dice
Under My Thumb
Bitch
Star Star
2. Junius Ponds
3. Still Alive & Well
4. Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers
5. All Over Now>One Way Out
6. Arrested For Driving While Blind
7. Thunderbird

DISC TWO
1. Back It Up
2. Round And Round
3. Spanish Castle Magic
4. Rock And Roll Never Forgets
5. Born To Be Wild>It's Only Rock n Roll

The Frogs - Live At The Rock n Rye - Disc 1
The Frogs - Live At The Rock n Rye - Disc 2