DB- I remember when I spoke with Jimmy Herring a few months ago he said that New Haven [Toad’s] was his favorite show of that tour.

BT- Toad’s was fabulous. When we walked off stage that night, I was talking to Oteil about it, and he said, “You know we might get something else, but I don’t think so.” The only reason we didn’t use the whole night, is there’s this one instrumental we do , which until Edwin makes me stop doing it I’m calling “Eddie’s Got A Boyfriend.” At Wetlands, Derek and Jimmy got into this thing, it was like a couple of old women nattering at each other, they went back and forth and then they ended up together. It’s the damndest thing I’ve ever heard. I’ve never heard sounds like that coming out of guitars. And then for them to tie it together in unison to end it. I can’t listen to it without falling off the floor laughing, it is just so cool. So I had to use that cut from Wetlands.

DB- When will that come out?

BT- We’re looking at an early June release for the Slip, late June release for Frogwings and July for Schleigho.

DB- Will Frogwings tour? I would imagine it is hard it is with so many active people in the group who are all over the place. Plus you’ve had two separate vocalists [Edwin McCain, John Popper], who will come out if the band does play?

BT- Frogwings has had and perhaps always will have a different vocalist every time we go out. I just don’t know. Right now Popper is still really into it, it’s just matter of whether or not he can make time for it. He’s working on a lot of projects of his own. He keeps saying he wants to do it but we haven’t been able to clear any time when we all could do it. Frogwings is a very instrumentally-oriented band and we may just find the best singer we can find at a given time. There may be some surprises the re too.

DB- I’ve heard Susan Tedeschi mentioned as a possible candidate.

BT- We’ll see, we’ll see. She’s hard working too. But I do think that would be fun.

DB- Her profile is certainly on the rise.

BT- She’s a Goddamn Grammy nominee (laughs).

DB- Couldn’t pull it off though [Tedeschi was nominated as Best New Artist]. Christina Aguilera took the honors.

BT- I couldn’t believe that girl won. I figured that what’s her name, Britney Spears, had a lock on that from day one.

DB- That whole event is real weird.

BT- Listen, we won a Grammy. When we won it, we were rehearsing . Someone came in and said, “You won,” and I don’t think anybody even looked up. It means nothing. Dickey said, ‘Well I got a new doorstop.” I’ll tell you the first time we were nominated, a long time ago, was for best rock instrumental. Our competition was Dixie Dregs, Frank Zappa and Paul McCartney. Guess who won? McCartney. For best instrumental. He’s up against the Dregs and Zappa. McCartney’s a great singer and songwriter but he ain’t no player. It kind of put it all right into focus.

DB- Since you mentioned the Allman Brothers, let me ask, the band has worked up a number of new songs, for the Beacon run, right?

BT- Well we have two brand new songs along with a few old blues songs that we’ve rearranged and some songs we haven’t done for a while. We spent the first week of rehearsal just working on new material. We’re doing a Little Milton tune. There’s a new instrumental that Dickey just wrote. We’re doing a tune of Dickey’s off his solo record, Atlanta’s Burning Down. We’re also doing Every Hungry Woman, which we haven’t played that in twenty, twenty-five years.

DB- What’s that experience like?

BT- That’s so much fun. When we were working up Every Hungry Woman in rehearsal we kept saying why in the hell haven’t we been playing this? It’s one of those that we’ve brought up three or four times in the past but it always came up right at the end of rehearsal and we never had time to finish. This year right at the beginning of rehearsal I said “Dammit, we need to start playing this song again.” I just realized now we’re playing every song off our first record.

DB- Speaking of records, I hear that you may be recording as well.

BT- Well it looks like we’re gong to be doing a live CD. Possibly a Peakin’ at the Beacon kind of thing. Maybe a little bit of Warren, a little bit of Jack, a little bit of Derek. We’re still not sure exactly what, but it’s going to be a live CD.

DB- Let’s move back to Flying Frog. How many bands do you intend to sign?

BT- No more than twenty. I’ve looked and looked at labels, and once we’d get beyond that point we’d become that thing that we hate. And we’ll only get twenty if I think there are twenty worth it. There really is a philosophy to this. It’s only going to be bands that can play. I’ve already looked at two or three bands that could probably sell a lot of CDs that I just don’t want on the label, they just don’t fit what I’m talking about. They just don’t have that whole vibe of getting down, knowing how to play, settling into a groove, and getting the spontaneous jams going.

DB- So after these three records come out in June and July, what else is planned?

BT- It looks like before that happens in May we’re going to have an IPO. We really hope that a lot of people out there decide to become stockholders. We want to welcome in as many people as possible. In May we’ll have that prospectus ready to go. There’ll be an announcement many places. We’ll do it through your site, and we’ll do it through the Allman Brothers site and we’ll do it through our own site. We’re setting up www.flyingfrogrecords.com, which should be up and running within the next couple of weeks. Actually there’s something up there now but it’s still under construction as they say. But as for the future we’re definitely planning gigs and tours featuring Flying Frog acts. Once I get a break from Allman Brothers touring, I’d love to do a few nights at Irving Plaza with all of the bands. That’s a definite. And who knows, that may even turn into a week-long event.

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