* CDM designed the catalogue for James Grashow’s 20011 epic work of sculpture, “Corrugated Fountain, The Cardboard Bernini.”
“I always respected and admired Chris’s singing and song writing talents. Even as a long time member of the band, I was a fan as well. Jonpaul and myself remain extremely proud of what we all created together back then. I also want to let you know how greatly we appreciated You and Your patience with us and allowing us to blast away up there. I always enjoyed walking into your home and heading up
Chris’ presence when performing and the emotion he conveyed when singing really compelled me to join Das Phrogge when I saw them at a gig in the late 90’s. Brian and I still talk about the musical chemistry we all had together when we were writing and recording those songs; augmented by the environment of the attic.We valued the environment of the attic enough to make the trek from New Jersey twice a week.
Thank you for putting up with the racket for those years! Fernando Estrella was a big part of an early incarnation of the band. He played bass and sang backing vocals, left when Brian joined and then returned to fill the drum chair later on. In the attic timeline, I replaced Fernando on drums and Rob Norris was the guitarist. The photos of the wall were my constant view from the drumset while this lineup of the band rehearsed. Seeing it again has brought back some really fond memories of a prolific period for Das Phrogge as well as the realization that it was fostered in large part by Chris’s curation of the space itself.
– Jonpaul Pantozzi, 9.23.2021
Lyrics from the song “You’re Sleeping“ from the Body & Mind album. I recall this song being played on Q104.3 Jonathan Clarkes radio show Out of the Box.– Brian Smith
