Frogpond

In 1994 guitarist and vocalist Heidi Phillips launched the alternative pop-rock and post-grunge band Frogpond in Warrensburg, Missouri, a college town near Kansas City. What started as casual performances of original material among friends gradually turned professional once the lineup, which changed repeatedly in the early period, improved its instrumental skills. Local appearances throughout the Kansas City and Lawrence region earned support slots with the Toadies and Everclear, which in turn secured a contract with TriStar, a Sony subsidiary. Art Alexakis of Everclear produced the debut album Count to Ten, released in 1996 by a quartet consisting of Phillips, bassist Justine Volpe, guitarist Kristie Strmel, and drummer Megan Hamilton. Strmel departed soon after the record appeared, and in 1998 Megan Hamilton was succeeded by Billy Johnson, the first male member. The group devoted much of that year to tracking its follow-up, Safe Ride Home, which surfaced in 1999.