Getting in the spirit of Bon Frog
Published: Thursday, August 26, 2004
The Jambar.

To truly report something like the Bon Frog festival held at Cedar's this past Saturday, you had to be actively caught-up in its spirit. The Bon Frog festival is a giant ruckus of free-spirited music, art, dance and theater. To truly be ready for this huge, all-out assault on your senses, you had to be psyched about it. The Bon Frog festival, held a few times each year at various local venues, is the brainchild of Simon Kenneally. Simon is a musician who appears in local bands such as Sijupana & The Olympus Mons. Simon created the festival to showcase the creative talent of artists in the Youngstown area. Simon said the goal of the show was to make people aware of the creative artistic force that exists in the Youngstown area. "I believe this city breeds a creative soul in its inhabitants. We seem to have more artistic expression than other cities," said Kenneally. When asked how Youngstown nurtures artistic thought, Simon said "We are creative out of necessity. There's less to do in Youngstown, less to look at. It's more economically depressed than other cities. We, the artists, are relying on one another to lift each other out of the physical environment in which we live. We rely on one another to keep us happy, to entertain us." Entertaining? Absolutely. The first thing I noticed about the festival was just how packed the place was. Not in terms of the audience, but rather in terms of how much was going on simultaneously. People were shifting throughout the entire café and adjoining bar. Intense, focused conversations were happening all around. Whoever wasn't talking was fixated on the performers. All of the people at the festival seemed to be totally concentrated on the central idea of the festival: creativity in its purest, rawest form. And it was amazing. In the café part of Cedar's, Crissie McCree was playing an acoustic guitar, singing soulfully into a microphone. I stopped to watch for a few moments before hearing more music in another part of the bar. I followed it. Another musician, a DJ, was spinning in an adjacent room. He was mixing what sounded like a symphonic version of "Paint It Black" by the Rolling Stones. He was playing to a near-empty room, but he continued his performance with just as much heart as he would if he were playing to a crowded dance hall. I still heard music so I walked into the next room. In the bar, there was a rock trio onstage. The guitarist and drummer were providing the background to a fast, mad bass solo. There was a magician walking through the crowd, performing magic tricks for the audience members. With all of this simultaneous insanity in such a close space, and beer, too, Bon Frog was, at that moment, the happiest place on earth. It was apparent, even early in the festival, that the artists were having just as much fun as the audience members. Lee Boyle, member of the rock group Third Class confirmed this. Boyle's band was not present at this Bon Frog festival, but has played at those in the past. "Simon works really hard to make these festivals a good time for everyone," said Boyle. "It's a rare thing that a local show is this organized and runs this smoothly. That's why it's one of the better local shows. It's just as good for the bands as it is for the fans." The walls of Cedar's were decorated with paintings from local artists. One of the artists featured was Angie Salavito, 24 of Akron. Salavito said she got involved with the Bon Frog festival after attending one in which her roommate's band, Consilience, performed. She stopped a moment to discuss her artwork, saying that she loved the way her paintings were displayed. "I put a subtle message in each of my paintings," said Salavito. "I try to make people recognize the beauty that exists around them." She used a plant as an example. "When most people look at a plant, they see a plant. They just take it at face value. But something even as simple as a plant can be a beautiful, complex thing. If I were to paint a plant, I'd bring out its colors and textures to make people realize that." The next performers in the bar were Ill Element, a Youngstown-based hip-hop group. They performed for almost an hour, barely pausing for a breath of air between songs. Most noticeable was group member Al-burrell. While most members of Ill Element cycled on and off the stage during the performance, Al-burrel was up front almost the entire time. By the end of the set, he was visibly worn-out with sweat dripping down his face. I stopped to talk with the group's manager, a big, friendly guy called Beat Down Brown. He helped me flag down the group for a quick interview. Out of the group, member Dolo fielded most of my questions, exhibiting a keen insight into rap and how living in Youngstown affected his work. He was the type of person you could talk to all night without getting bored or hearing the same thing twice. Dolo and I discussed the lack of recognition that artists in Youngstown receive. "We live in an area where nobody gives a f--k," said Dolo. "Everyone in this city is so used to the bullsh-t around here that we get more hate than love just because we come from Youngstown." Dolo continued, "But they have to taste what's good until they know what's good for them. Why can't Youngstown be a major center in the world of hip-hop? Look at downtown! There ain't nothing here! Most of us have nothing! The nicest building around here is the federal building. I've seen a lot of f-ked up sh-t go down in this city. The rap from Youngstown is as rugged and hard as the city itself. That's what hip-hop needs. Not some of the rap videos you see on B.E.T. by some poser who doesn't know what it's about." After talking to Dolo, I went to the patio to watch Ambrosia, a dancer who accentuates her performance by breathing huge plumes of flame. The night was winding down and I tried squeezing in an interview with Eric Lehman, a.k.a. DJ Gravity. Lehman is from Boardman and has been spinning since 1997. That's all I found out before we were asked to leave the patio because the Cedar's staff was starting to close down. Lehman and I tried to resume the interview in the kitchen of Cedars. "Yeah," Lehman continued, "I try doing a multi-genre sort of-" "Excuse me," said one of the staff members, "you gentlemen can't be in here." Lehman became angry, "The freaking manager said we could finish up this interview in here!" We were asked to leave again. Lehman thanked me and left muttering curse words. I finished the evening by watching one of the final performances. Three women were doing interpretive dance with Slinkys to traditional Spanish music. I decided to end my sightseeing on that note and call it a night. On the whole, the Bon Frog festival was part rock concert, part museum, part circus and part rolling ball of crazy straight from Toontown. It was a fantastic time. Simon is planning a Halloween Bon Frog at Nyabinghi. The event will be held Saturday, Oct. 30, Promising that the event will have a darker theme, fitting in with the holiday. For more information visit www.bonfrog.com.

Release for March 6th, 2004 Festival

On Saturday March 6th Bon Frog Productions will host their Festival of Peers at Cedars Lounge & Cafe in Downtown Youngstown. The Bon Frog organization’s aim with this and the previous festivals is to embody and celebrate the diversity of Youngstown’s artistic culture and original music scene and to bring it all together for one incredible night. Included in the evenings events will be a large multi genre line-up of live original music with acoustic music in the Cafe featuring Crissie McCree, Chris Ahren, Nathan Gillespie, John Burton and more. The music continues in the side parlor as 44 Limited featuring 45 Thieves and Hooty, plus Ill Elements featuring Aarophat supply Rap, Hip-Hop and Club Beats to syncopated videography all night long. The main stage in the lounge will be home to the atmospheric sounds of The Bliss Machine, Country/Rockabilly from the female vocal group The Cockamamy Wailers, modern alternative rock from Sea To Shove, the eclectic hard rock jazz of Consilience, pure improvisational workings from Sijupana and the high energy hard rock fusion of The Olympus Mons Band. In accordance with the live music, an incredible art exhibit will be on display in the Cafe and Lounge with works from some of the areas best artists featuring Jason Van Hoose, Ryan Booher, Sara Tkac, Nick Pantloni, Dylan Weaver, Tracey Prelog and more. Also on hand to add to the experience of the evening will be fire-breathers, modern dancers, magicians, fortunetellers, and more. Bon Frog Productions invites Youngstown to witness how diverse yet unified, our neighborhood can be. Saturday March 6th at Cedars Lounge & Cafe, Downtown Youngstown. Doors open @ 7:30 pm. Contact Tim Gilliand at Cedars @ (330) 743-6560 for more info or visit www.bonfrog.com.

Release for May 31st, 2003 Festival

Bon Frog is an arts collective that has been organizing shows in the Youngstown area for over two years. The Bon Frog events focus on highlighting our areas abundant and diverse talents in a fresh and energetic atmosphere. On Saturday May 31st at Cedars Lounge & Cafe` in Downtown Youngstown, Bon Frog will bring yet another eclectic evening full of great music, art and surrealistic fun that has come to be synonymous with their productions. On tap for the evening are 6 live musical acts that range in style from acoustic jazz/blues/contemporary to atmospheric electronica to searing high-energy modern rock. An art exhibit featuring works by more than 10 area artists will be on display the entire evening. A separate room of the establishment will be transformed into a dance parlor featuring live DJ’s and syncopated live projected videography. Intermingled with all of this is the element of fortunetellers, fire breathers, dancers, contest giveaways, drum-circles and the like. The event kicks off at 7:30 pm on the patio with an acoustic set by Griffin Express. The doors to the art exhibit open at 8:30pm to the soft sounds of The Bliss Machine. The evening steps into full gear on the main stage at 9:30 with Third Class and continues to develop momentum all through the night with The Zou, My Sister the Sun and pinnacles with The Olympus Mons Band. Gravity Powered Sound & Visuals will start their spin at 10:00 pm with DJs Gravity, Sam Snow, Junior D, Maji and Gary-Good. Along with some spectacular visuals by VJs Bumblebee and Liz, the dance parlor is a must visit. If you haven’t been to a Bon Frog production what are you waiting for? With something for everyone you’re guaranteed to experience an evening you won’t soon forget. For more information visit our home at www.bonfrog.com.

Review from ZiotaBlue.com
Saturday May 31st 2003 @ Cedars Bonfrog Festival of Peers II Saturday May 31st was BonFrog time again kiddies. That's right, the most diverse and cultural event that the Youngstown music and arts scene has to offer made another landmark appearance at Cedar's Café on Saturday. As promised, this night had everything an artistic and free-spirited person could possibly hope for. 6 bands were set to rock the bill, a techno room equipped with a giant visualization screen was ready to bounce, acoustic sets were planned to sooth the café, talented artists were prepared to display countless hours of work, and oh yes…the fire breathing vixen was prepared to blow everyone away. What more could you ask for? How about Dollar beer? Well, they had that too…Along with several hundred people. Taking the stage were well-known and not so well-known local acts from all over the area. Reviewing each band and giving them their well deserved credit would unfortunately take an eternity. All the acts were obviously well-rehearsed and provided killer noise on the main stage. The bands in order of appearance were as follows; The Bliss Machine, Third Class, The Zou, My Sister the Sun, and the Olympus Mons Band. I especially dug My Sister the Sun who is always one of my favorites and always delivers live. The sound quality for the night wasn't up to it's usual standards as there was a different soundman (or soundboy) than usual. He didn't seem to really grasp how to run sound for bands like these, but none-the-less the evening's performances overshadowed his poor sound skills. Perhaps my favorite part of the evening was surprisingly the Techno Room. Several DJ's spun all night, but DJ Gravity caught our attention most. Rather than spinning your typical house beats (that tend to be annoying more than dancy) he spun really rockin' industrial dance beats while the huge projector screen behind him flaunted wild visualizations like something from a Windows Media Player only at a size of about 10 feet by 10 feet as opposed to your home computer monitor. And, as always, the BonFrog exhibited a mass display of incredible local artwork. For anyone who's ever claimed there isn't any talent in this town, you obviously haven't been to a BonFrog. From abstract to impressionistic to surreal, every wall in Cedar's was covered with really amazing canvases embracing images of all kinds. If you're a local artist and want some attention for your work, I would suggest getting a hold of the festivals organizers and submitting some pieces. This festival is spreading like wildfire and there are even rumors of it crossing state lines and becoming a national event. One can only hope. Other events throughout the night included fortune tellers, dancers, drum circles, contests and a whole lot more. Bottom line is if you're too poor to go to Lollapolooza this year then you should've been in Downtown Youngstown this past Saturday night. There are other area festivals that have tons of music and tons of people, but there aren't any other events in town that offer this much diversity. Special thanks to the events organizers, Simon and Justin from The Olympus Mons Band and My Sister the sun (respectively) for providing yet another killer evening. Viva la BonFrog!

Article from YoungstownScene.com

The Youngstown Music Scene in my opinion has indeed improved over the last few years, but not by much. I think a main problem is the fact that new and/or experimental bands don't really get much attention. I have noticed that even YoungstownScene.com doesn't usually promote these acts. By promoting, I mean listing their shows on the main page, writing a short article about their music, or conducting interviews with the members. There are a lot of extremely talented bands right under your nose, that you must search for or stumble upon. This is where I come in. I am now going to write for YoungstownScene.com to try to inform the visitors about our scene and do all the searching for you. Here's a great place to start, where you can find information about a group of the obscure type of bands that I'm talking about: Has anyone checked out bonfrog.com? Ever heard of it? Well, if you consider yourself an artist (that includes bands or musicians, painters, poets, photographers, etc.) then you yourself could become a part of this organization. Simply go to the site, submit your artwork, and wait for the results. Anyway, back to the music there. Bon Frog is still in its infancy, but the art and music represented there has the potential to be a great thing in the area and maybe beyond. Working bands include: Third Class who can briefly be described as a unique, uncompromising three piece that melds drums, keyboards, guitar, bass and vocals to create an atmosphere all their own. Next, is My Sister The Sun. Intense and talented, My Sister the Sun nails it with solid grooves and rich textures that lay it on heavy and true. Sea to Shove surges forward with their hybrid blend of new and old. Strongly rooted yet ready and willing to explode at a moments notice, this band knows what it's about. The Olympus Mons Band is a three-piece power house that generates a charge of high energy that seems to drive right through all of our favorite places. And lastly, Consilience is one of those rare all natural bands that offers abstract lyrics, weird time signatures, barbed hooks, and dynamic styles ranging from thick, juicy metal, to silky, manageable jazz. These are just a few of the bands everyone should check out. They are original, rooted in artistic expression, and just plain fucking good. Do your ears a favor and check them out. Also, to those bands in the area who are not getting the attention they deserve from our local music news providers, simply email me : nodiejelly@yahoo.com, and I will try to help you out anyway I can. I will review your CD, interview your band, write an article about you, and eventually start reviewing some shows. Like I said, my mission is to bring the unnoticed (but still good) bands to the forefront of the Youngstown audience's attention. I don't have anything against Oreon, Via Sahara, Alias-X, or December Son, but they just have to share. I got sick of only hearing ABOUT them, and not about these other bands that are just as good. So I am here to bring you all the bands you never heard, and to hopefully make our music scene a little bit of a better place to play (or listen)...

Review from ZiotaBlue.com
Friday Aug 9 2002 @ Cedars Bon Frog Festival By: Rektor

If you were lucky enough to attend Friday night’s Bon Frog festival then you don’t need to read this, because you already know how crazy an evening it was. If you weren’t in attendance, you missed out. You missed out BIG! The festival was held at Cedars Bar and Café downtown. For those who don’t know, Bon Frog is a huge, traveling music and arts event that is put on by Simon, or Si Ke if you will, and Justin Arroyo. Over the course of 5 hours or so, Ziota and I saw amazing local art, 6 incredibly diverse musical projects, local DJ’s and drank $1.00 Drafts. The event was split up into 3 main areas. The indoor stage was occupied primarily by musical acts, the dance floor was owned by the DJ’s and the outdoor patio had things like Tarot Readings, Fire Breathing, and a crazy centripetal force ride. Did I mention there were $1.00 Drafts? Everything was extremely well organized and vastly entertaining. Notable segments for us were The Youngstown Guitar Trio, D'gellic, My Sister the Sun, and Sijupana. The Youngstown Guitar Trio consisted of Simon (the event’s organizer), Paul Bishop and Chris Ahren. They put on an amazing acoustic set that was along the lines of crazy jazz-fusion mixed with a classical vibe and a touch or dirty blues. They finger picked their entire set…I really dug these guys! D'gellic was a one-man, drum and bass artist. Basically it was a kick drum, a snare drum, a handful of cymbals and a crazy synthesizer that were all manipulated by a mad scientist, “guy next door” looking fellow. My Sister Sun was a hard rock, jazzy, alternative to the alternative kind of band and Sijupana was this Sextet of intense chaos that featured a free-style poet, trombone player and once again, Simon and Justin (the event’s key organizers). This was the kind of event everyone always complains never happens in our area. Well, now there’s no excuse. Next time it comes around, get off your ass and support the BonFrog. You’ll be very pleased.