FrogHollow Band built with varied personalities

ROYAL CITY – There's more than music to the FrogHollow Band, which will command the main stage Friday, July 11, at the annual Royal City SummerFest.

The FrogHollow boys are good enough to open for the likes of The Oak Ridge Boys. They are down to earth enough to wrestle steers and uptown enough to be rockers.

The FrogHollow Band will begin at 5:30 p.m. Royal's Got Talent will provide entertainment during the band's breaks. It will all coincide with the annual community barbecue, and fireworks will top off the evening.

Tickets for the BBQ by Mike and Lisa Christensen's Saddle Mountain Supply friends and family are available at Royal City

Harvest Foods. Pre-sale tickets sold by end of day Tuesday, July 8, will be eligible to win an all day pontoon boat rental worth $250 at the Mardon Resort.

This is the second edition of the FrogHollow Band. Kit and Ty Lane were founding members of the original FrogHollow Band.

Originally playing bass guitar, Kit is now on rhythm guitar. Born and raised in eastern Oregon, he grew up performing in a family band and has played country music most of his life.

During the 1980s and 90s, as member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), Kit was also a champion steer wrestler.

Ty started playing rhythm guitar for the group as a freshman in high school in 1994. He left the band in 2000 and moved to Portland, Oregon to attend College.

Returning to Walla Walla in 2005, Ty began putting The FrogHollow Band back together. After working with multiple drummers, bass players, and singers, a solid lineup was finally established in 2012.

Ty is also the primary song writer of the group. He has written all of The FrogHollow Band's original material on its latest album, "Days Like These".

Jim Pearson, originally from Waitsburg, has a heavy metal background. He has performed in multiple metal groups throughout his career, one of which was called "DuckButter".

“Country music may be at the bottom of Jim's playlist, but when it comes down to it, Jim enjoys performing all music,” Ty said. “With Jim and Brian Richards having heavy backgrounds in rock, they work together as the FrogHollow Band's rhythm section, creating a different style all their own.”

Hailing from Bellevue, Richards has played music most of his life. Inspired by drummers like Neil Peart of Rush, he enjoys adding complexity to the standard "boom chuck" beat of a country song. A rocker at heart, Brian also enjoys Americana and roots rock such as Steve Earl and James McMurtry.

Jerry Yokel, a fixture on the Walla Walla Valley music scene for more than two decades, hails from Kentuckiana, an area in southern Indiana known for its close relationship with its neighbors to the south. He plays mandolin, fiddle, banjo and harmonica.

Yokel performs with celtic, country, bluegrass, contra and rock and roll bands such as the Bards of the Moor, Ryegrass String Band, Condor Conspiracy, Swing Set, Bing Bang, The Rogues, and The FrogHollow Band.

Shane Ugalde, from the wide open spaces on the Oregon-Nevada border, grew up working cattle, fixing fences, and hunting. At the ripe old age of 23, Shane relocated to Prescott in 2012, just as the Froghollow Band was looking for a new lead vocalist.

“Having previously performed for only 10 or so people, Shane stepped up and began working on his performance capabilities,” Ty said. “For the last two years, Shane has been a cornerstone of FrogHollow.”

This summer, FrogHollow will be opening for The Oak Ridge Boys, as well as Phill Vasser. Check the Website for the full schedule at www.thefroghollowband.com