Bullfrog Brown (ESTONIA)
Twelve Live Warthogs
KWAQ0802
© Bullfrog Brown 2008
Alar Kriisa - vocals, percussion
Andres Roots - guitar
Yllar Kart - harmonica (6-12)
Raul Terep - drums (10-12)
An "official bootleg" compiled from two concerts in Tartu, Estonia, "Twelve Live Warthogs" is a decidedly lo-fi, warts-and-all live document that catches Bullfrog Brown working their home turf, completely unaware of being recorded. It's the first time the band's unadorned live sound has been captured on CD, producing what might conceivably be their most alternative release to date.
"A great collection of songs." - Antonio Díaz, FREE! Magazine
"Brilliantly conveyed feeling." - Jani Ekblom, Desibeli.net
"Contains what is certainly to be considered their best work to date." - John Vermilyea, Blues Underground Network '
Combining contemporary, dylanesque lyrics with funky, slide-driven Delta Blues themes and a Jim Morrison-meets-Tom Waits delivery, vocalist Alar Kriisa and guitarist Andres Roots have ensured steady rotation for their songs on blues radio shows on four continents since 2005, while their busy live schedule has taken the little band from Tartu, Estonia to festivals and clubs in Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, France and the UK.
Described as “huge stage presence and a superb band” by British radio DJ Dave Raven, Bullfrog Brown’s live performances have been broadcast on national television in Estonia and in Lithuania, most recently as special guests on the Estonian Eurovision finals programme. The promotional video for “Build Me A Statue”, shot in Greenwich, London by Andy Wicks, has even popped up on MTV Estonia.
In 2006, Bullfrog’s “Uncooked” EP was nominated for the “Deed of the Year” award in the group's hometown and a track from the CD included as the only post-1971 and non-American recording in the “History of Slide Guitar” programme on Radio Melibokus in Germany. In 2007, Bullfrog Brown became the highest ranking blues band in ubl.com's Ultimate Band Competition, placing 6th in a 2-year race with thousands of international pop, rock, and hip-hop bands – a mere fortnight before picking up the first prize from the Blindman’s Blues Forum showcase.
As critics alternate between “more real than the real thing” (René Malines, “Virus de Blues”) and “all of this punk rock blues experimentation has finally been perfected” (Eric Gebhardt, “Blues In London”), Bullfrog Brown feel equally at home backing Mississippi blues legends such as Honeyboy Edwards and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Sweden’s Deltahead at alt.blues events. With their 2008 EP “Mother River Delta” declared Best European Release by Canada’s Blues Underground Network, Bullfrog Brown stand as the best-known Estonian act on the blues scene.
"The new voice and sound of the old blues continues to leap forward with Bullfrog Brown's newest CD "Mother River Delta". Bullfrog Brown once again justifies why they have become my favorite blues band, with their simple unsophisticated approach to resurrecting the Delta Blues to not only an excited but also, a grateful modern day audience. With "Mother River Delta", Bullfrog Brown illustrates with continued consistency that great music doesn't require a lot of bells and whistles to get the point across."
John Vermilyea, Blues Underground Network
"Huge stage presence and a superb band."
Dave Raven, BFBS Radio 2
"Makes me think of Jim Jarmusch movies."
Ted Coe, KCSB FM
"More real than the real thing."
René Malines, Virus de Blues
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