NAUGHTY FROG TAKES ON A SPRING TOUR, AS THEY BLEND GENRES INTO COHESIVE COMPOSITIONS

Rue Daniels, Arts and Leisure Editor

Erie, Pa, March 21, 2023 — I recently had the opportunity to interview a local band with a new sound. Naughty Frog is taking on a Spring tour to further share expressive works, stemmed by Miles Crow.

Naughty Frog is a project originated by Crow, vocalist, and bassist of the band, along the coast of Lake Erie. Initially, Naughty Frog consisted of exclusively Crow himself. This was until he began working with Dan Barker as the vocalist and guitarist, Ryan O’ Neil as the drummer, and Dominic Fera as the bassist as of January of last year. It was around this time, that Naughty Frog had begun to perform shows. This was originally at Milkie’s in Buffalo, New York, and any other place that the band could manage to book. The band name itself was accidently stumbled upon by the mother of Crow because of miscommunication.

Each member of the band possesses individual inspiration that contributes to the collaboration of style that defines Naughty Frog. It displays the traits of reggae, funk, punk, and jam musics’ compositional structures. Raised on reggae, Crow  found inspiration through the works of Bob Marley, Sublime, and Slightly Stoopid. This is not to say that Crow strayed away from the punk scene. Barker had a preference towards hip-hop, emo, and jam music. This was all while O’ Neil achieved influence through the grunge scene. This is what would contribute to the heavier, edging percussion of Naughty Frog.

While each member of the band may possess a unique musical preference, they can each find a middle ground through reggae. “I know punk kids, metal heads, and hip-hoppers. So many people and styles blend through reggae. It’s almost less of a music style and more of an atmosphere that surrounds the music being made,” reflected Crow on the impact on and meaning of reggae music.

This year, Naughty Frog has a fresh, new line up of shows, which has the band booked up until July. The band will be playing at festivals including Spring Badfish and Badaxe Music Festival. “We are definitely stepping up our game this year by adding a four piece to our line up instead of the original three piece,” stated Crow when asked what is in the future for Naughty Frog. “We’ve been experimenting. We can’t wait to bring this new energy to everyone this spring and summer.”

If you missed Naughty Frog’s last, local set at Basement Transmissions’ Winter Reggae Fest, be sure to make it to Philly on The Rocks on April 21st. The Show starts at 8:00pm. You will not want to miss it. To find tickets and any further information regarding the Naughty Frog, access https://milescrowlarts4.wixsite.com/naughtyfrog, You can stream Naughty Frog from Spotify or any other streaming platform @Naughtyfrog. Follow @Naughtyfrogband on Instagram to see any updates made. It does not matter your musical preference. As stated best by Crow, “I believe we blend reggae so well with our other sounds that well that you might turn into a Naughty Frog too.”