Rebecca Best at Honolulu Harry's. Photo by Amy Veen Frazier.

It’s finally arrived!  The new single from Rebecca Best and Christopher Frazier, “Second Street Blues,” is now available for download on iTunes.  We’re excited about the sound and energy in the song, a soulful track that harkens back to some of Stevie Wonder’s greatest hits from the late 60s.  If you’re wondering what the rest of the album will sound like, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

To coincide with the release of the single, I’ve also updated the website’s look with some of the artwork we’re planning to use in the upcoming album.  Most of all, the site should work better on some computers that it has in the past.

We want to thank everyone who has supported us this far with encouragement and kind words.  We can’t wait for you to hear the song, so grab your copy (it’s only $.99!) and head back over here to let us know what you think.

Thanks so much to everyone who came tonight.  It was a blast to get to sing through our album for a group that was so into it and willing to be part of what was happening.  Rebecca did a fantastic job in spite of the fact that I left our lyrics at home (she used Evernote on my iPhone to get them).  The kids had a blast too, dancing up at the front of the room.

I think we’re just about ready to take this show out.  There’s still a lot to do to get the whole show tightened up, but I think we might have something worth sharing.  More to come!

Los Caballeros (Practice Track)

What do you remember about the summer of 1966?

Walk on By (Practice Track)

In preparation for the gig, Rebecca and I knocked together the vocals for Second Street Blues – our first single!  I’m working on getting some discs made to hand out at the event, so if you want to get your first taste of the full-band experience, make sure to come by and pick up a CD.  I’ll include a couple of bonus tracks on the CD as well, so I know you’ll want get your hands on it.

See you on Saturday!

Shine Out Bright for You (Practice Track)

Want to see us perform live?  We’re playing a 30 minute set to support Steven Wesley Guiles at Acoustic Highball, an acoustic show at Honolulu Harry’s in Chino.  Come check out even more of our new songs and couple of old favorites:

Date: Saturday, June 5, 2010
Time: 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Location: Honolulu Harry’s in Chino
Street: 12206 Central Avenue, Chino CA, 91710

Photo by Amy Frazier

Last weekend I holed myself up for two days (about 20 hours) and recorded 11 of 13 tracks for the new album, finishing out the instrumental work.  Over the next few weeks I’ll be adding vocals, which should be fun, and mixing, which should be grueling.  It’s amazing listening to everything come together, with the sound of album becoming clearer as I add little embellishments here and there.  Probably the most fun has been recording my mom on violin.  She’s on two tracks and her playing really makes the songs come to life.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the rough tracks for the album on my February Album Writing Month site, you should.  And while I’m working on finishing up everything, here’s a little something to give you an idea of how the album is coming…

Second Street Blues – Instrumental

"The children, our sweet children..." from "Keep Me Wanting More."

Wow!  This has been a month.  While I’ve written literally hundreds of songs throughout my life, I’ve never taken the time to write a complete, coherent album on my own.  Not only that, I’ve never written this much music in a single month.  So far I’ve got 12 songs written (about 45 minutes of music), two fairly complete ideas to use still, and three studio tests which I’m really proud of.  I’ve begun working out the final album structure, moving songs around and listening to how all of it fits together.  It’s really interesting to see how these songs are beginning to relate to one-another as I look for ways to connect the dots.

One interesting theme that keeps popping up is peace and reconciliation.  One reason why I started writing a Motown-ish album was that I had learned Stevie Wonder’s “Heaven Help Us All” to play for the Songwriter Showcase and I was so impressed at the feel and message that I wanted to keep working in that same vein.  While I’ve stuck to many of the pop themes that classic Motown songs used (love, heartbreak, city living) I also keep coming back to the struggles people live with today: a military wife waiting for her husband to come home, a kid growing up in East L.A. with gang life all around him, the tragedy of Haiti, and the poverty and apathy in our own neighborhoods.  I didn’t want to write a political album, but as I dove into the library of Motown music from the mid 60s and early 70s, I couldn’t help but pick up the undertone of discontent in regards to civil rights, the war in Vietnam, and the breakdown of urban communities.  The stories I’m telling aren’t the stories of black America from that time – they’re my own and they’re relevant to here and now – but they’re also timeless in the sense that the situations we’re living with right now are so similar.

Amy and I are working out some way for me to record the album in the next few weeks.  I think we’ve come to a deal that will get the album finished with the possibility of an album release party soon.  Stay tuned for more!

There were a couple of new musicians that really surprised in both their talent and age diversity.  I think that’s one of my favorite things about the showcase – it’s truly an intergenerational sort of thing.

There was less of a FAWM orientation than I expected.  I think Steve and I were the only people playing songs from our FAWM work, but that makes sense.  I mean, if you’re writing an album in a month, you probably want to make the most of every weekend you’ve got.

I ended up performing “Little Bird” with Rebecca Best on lead vocals (holy moly, that woman has pipes!) and then “Caballeros” with various percussion playing in the room.  Amy had suggested I play “Caballeros” and while I wasn’t sure at first it was the best song to play, I’m convinced now that it’s not just one of the best songs from FAWM so far, but it’s also one of the best for live performance.

Here are the video and photos from the performance.  It was pretty dark, so some of the video is hard to see, but the music came through well.

I wasn’t surprised to find them in the guitar.

Anyhow, you may be wondering what’s been going on with the songwriting.  I’m keeping up with the process and have 8 songs that I’m really proud of recorded to the iPhone and in constant rotation during my drive home.  ”Post them!” I hear you say.  Well, not yet, and here’s why:

I had the feeling that “Just Three Minutes” wasn’t getting across the feeling I wanted when I recorded it.  I remember playing it for Amy and thinking, “This sounds more like ‘I’m Walking on Sunshine’ than The Supremes…”  So when Jon Shoemaker said more or less the same on Sunday I decided to head back to the drawing board and rework my effects and instrumentation to get more of the sound I was looking for.

Fortunately, this has left me with more time to actually write music rather than just track it, and I feel great about what I’ve pulled off so far.  Here’s a list of the songs I’ve written and generally what they’re about:

1. Little Bird
2. Walk on By
3. Just Three Minutes
4. Falling in Love – A Four Tops style stomper written around something our preacher said during his sermon.
5. Keep Me Wanting More – Alternating between sweet ballad and bouncy pop, this is a love song to my wife and kids.
6. Los Caballeros – With a little bit of a western feel, this sultry song is about the men who raise and train the horses along and in the San Gabriel river.
7. Jubilee – A slightly angry call and response about debt relief and the people of Haiti.
8. Wisdom of the Fool – A sappy breakup song with images of Balboa Island and the days when Amy lived right on Newport peninsula.  Good times.

I’m expecting to get some tracks recorded before too long here, so hopefully I’ll have something up here for people to hear soon.

This is song number three for February Album Writing Month (FAWM).

Just Three Minutes

Just Three Minutes

So you slipped into the front rowAnd the stage lit up your smile
And the way you caught my eye, baby
Made me think you’re worth the while

And you think you’re something special
Ya you think you’ve got the goods
And girl, I’m more than happy
To treat you like I should

Just three minutes, ooh, ooh (4x)

I’ve got three minutes to tell you
Yes, I’ve got three minutes to say
Oh, I’ve got three minutes left now
So I better start right away

Just three minutes before I’m done
Just three minutes to sing
Just three minutes to tell you baby
That to me you’re everything

Well the song is halfway done now
And I got my eye on you
But I got the feeling, baby
That you’ve got some things to do

Like maybe call you mother
Or you need to wash your hair
But you look like when I’m done up here
You’re gonna head right up the stairs

Just two minutes before I’m through
Just two minutes to say
Just two minutes to let you know
That I need you right away

Just two minutes before I’m done
Just two minutes to sing
Just two minutes to tell you baby
That to me you’re everything

Instrumental Interlude

Well I sang another chorus, baby
And I sang another verse
How I wish this song was longer
But the band just won’t rehearse

And I think my time is up, girl
Ya, the big ending’s done and gone
I wish I knew just what I did
That made it all go wrong

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… tick tock, tick tock…

Well the crowd is going crazy
But you’re headed out the door
Maybe there’s one thing to do
To keep you wanting more

The band is at the ready
And the beat just hit the floor
So I think it’s time to bring it back
Girl, it’s time for the big encore, and I’ve got…

Just three minutes before I’m through
Just three minutes to say
Just three minutes to beg you girl
Oh please don’t go away

Just three minutes before I’m done
Just three minutes to sing
Just three minutes to tell you baby
That to me you’re everything

"Snack Time" by Amy Frazier

While planning for February Album Writing Month (FAWM), I came up with a bunch of strategies to help me keep up with writing a new song every other day.  I researched genres (deciding to go with soul / mid-60s Motown), studied album structure, song titles and topics, collected links to rhyming and famous quote sites… yes, I geeked out hard on the prep.  But I always had this niggling sense that when it came time to write, nothing would happen.  I’d sit down with my guitar and the laptop and… nothing.  Nada.  Zip.  No ideas.  Amazingly, the opposite has happened.

I’ll admit, the iPhone memo recorder trick has played a huge part in helping me capture ideas when I have them (which is more or less all the time now) and has forced me to avoid the trap of trying to produce a completed song while writing, but I think the inspiration has been less tech oriented and tied more deeply to the fact that I’ve owned up to the fact that I can write songs.  Period.  I’m a songwriter and I can do this.

So the last three days have been a pretty cool ride.  Each time I sit down, I work through a number of the ideas I’ve collected on the phone, playing them over and over (with headphones), singing possible lyrics on top of bare beats and bass lines, jamming with the guitar (side note: when I’m just singing, I sing in F#.  Always.) and working up possible hooks.  And then it just comes.  The whole song writes itself in about 30 minutes or so, I play through what I’ve got with Amy and see if it makes sense, head to the bedroom (the closest thing in the house to a sound booth) and record a couple of takes to the phone for listening.  And it’s done.  And it works.

So I’ve got two more songs written (I’ll track them and anything else I write this weekend) and I’m really not worried about being able to knock out 10 more.

(Niggling voice in my head…) Hopefully this keeps up.

Walk on By

Walk On By

Girl I pray for rain
Just to hide these tears
And I pray that the pain
Will go away with the years

And I know that this hurt means nothing
To your wicked heart my dear
So just walk on by, my love
Just walk on by

When you walked away
You said it’s cause I couldn’t change
But ever since that day
My whole life’s been rearranged

But I guess I just can’t keep trying
To be more than the man I am
So walk on by, oh girl
Just walk on by

Interlude

Walk on by, oh baby
Walk on by

So when you see my on the street
And I turn away
It’s not because I’m weak
But I learned the hard way

That a boy once bitten, baby
Is bound to be twice shy
So I’ll walk on by, oh girl
I’ll walk on by, my love
I’ll walk on by, bye, bye
I’ll walk on by…

When you walk on by
Won’t let you see me crying
When you walk on by
Cause my heart is dying

Little Bird

Little Bird

Little Bird
I hear you singing through my window
I hear you singing out the song I’m feeling in my heart now
Sing it, Little Bird

Little Bird
You got a melody so sweet
You know you got me moving to the rhythm of the street now
Sing it, Little Bird

And it’s the same song speaking to the sinners
And the same song calling to the saints, so
Sing it, Little Bird

Everyone I meet
Seems to know that something’s changing
Seems to know there’s something moving deep inside my heart now
Sing it, Little Bird

Interlude

Every time I hear you singing
Hear you singing through my window
You know I gotta sing the song I’m feeling in my heart now
I’m singing, Little Bird

And it’s the same song speaking to the sinners
And the same song calling to the saints, so

So sing it, everybody
So sing it, everybody

So sing it, all you children
So sing it, you sinners
So sing it, all you people

In the past, when I’ve written songs, I’ve started out sitting at a keyboard playing around with progressions and percussion programming.  I’ll usually record 10 or so 8 bar ideas before I hit on something that becomes a song.  While getting myself ready for FAWM, I realized that I was learning a lot about production and recording with this process, but I wasn’t really writing songs.  This left me with almost nothing to show for my work.  I needed to change my process.

Yesterday, while updating my iPhone, I flipped to the first page of apps and was reminded that the phone has this cool memo recording app.  I’ve used it at concerts to record songs I really liked (FREEBIRD!!) but I’d never thought of using it to get down ideas for songs.  So this morning, while getting ready before work, I tried recording a the tune I’d been playing around with for the last couple of days.  I tried out a couple of hooks and hit on one.  The song writing process began!

On the way home from work, in the car, I just left the recorder running and sang through a couple of ideas I’d had.  I was experimenting with different progressions, hooks, lyrics, and I was moving through them really quickly.  While walking the dog I ran through the recordings and the ideas continued to develop.  When I finally sat down to write, I knew exactly where I wanted to go with the song and just needed to fill in the details.

Because it was so easy (and because I didn’t want to have to drag out the mics) I ended up recording straight to the phone again.  I’ll be able to listen in the car, on walks, in the office, all the time figuring out how to refine the song and build out the final arrangement.

FAWMing?  There’s an app for that.

Well… now I feel a little better about the whole incident.  In fact I feel a little proud that my teacher would think enough of a 5th grader (yes, 5th grade) that he would give that 5th grader one of the most important operatic / jazz tunes of the 20th century to play for his first time out.  I’m not going to pretend I was all that good… I just think that my teacher thought I might “get it,” which is very cool.

This version came about for a number of reasons.  First, recording other people’s songs is a great way to get ready for writing your own, and I’m all geared up for FAWM.  Second, I’ve been listening to a ton of Sam Cooke over the last few days and his version has stuck with me.  Finally, this actually started out as me trying to play “Oops, I Did It Again” which then became Summertime and then “Fever.”  Perfect medley for the Dan Band.

I’ll probably revisit the vocal, but I need to get used to putting stuff out as quickly as possible.  So here it is: Summertime.

Summertime

Sunday morning was incredible, with Wendy Hinkle singing with our little group of players.  We ended up doing a very cool, black gospel version of “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus” that cooked.  It almost didn’t happen that way, but when I went looking for a suitable arrangement of the old hymn on Rhapsody, all I could find was a terrible live recording of some church doing it up right with organ, bass, piano, more percussion than any reasonable person would use, and a leader that knew how to get a crowd going.  Needless to say, we ditched the original arrangement and tried to do our best to rock the socks off that old hymn.  I think we did pretty well.

Rebecca Best was incredible on “Take Me Home” – which isn’t supposed to be a gospel tune, but has eventually become one as Steve K’s taken to blowing the solo section off the rails and straight into Glory Land.  Yes, I just typed “Glory Land.”

I spent some time listening to Sam Cooke’s old gospel records this weekend.  As a musician, I know better than to conflate the lifestyles of the artists with the music they sing, but I can’t help but consider Cooke’s death when listening to these old spirituals.  The man was singular talent – one that I wish I had the chops to emulate even a tiny bit.

Also, if you haven’t checked out Raphel Saadiq’s performance on Conan O’brien, make sure to do so.

Photo by Amy Frazier

So I’ve been working on getting a new studio setup in place for FAWM and it’s coming together really well.  I ended up selling off all of my mobile gear (the mixer I posted about and the breakout box) and getting a much smaller, far more versatile setup.  It turns out that Sweetwater has absurdly great deals (be careful, not everything is cheaper) and free shipping, so I purchased a 4 channel Lexicon USB audio box that works like a champ.  The preamps are clean and the whole thing feels sturdy, which is impressive considering the size.  I also picked up the Sweetwater studio mic starter kit which comes with a nice array of condenser mics, one of which is designed for mic’ing amp cabinets or drums (YAY!).

After a ton of research and testing I ended up purchasing Logic Express from Apple.  Since our family has moved to all Macs I’ve become something of a fanboy, but I like to think that I had a clear mind when purchasing the software.  I’ve been really impressed at how clean the interface is and how easy it is to get recording work done.  The pedal-board UI is rockin’ cool too.  I’ve been able to get some great sounds from my electric – something I’ve never really been able to do with my older gear.

I still need to pick up a pair of quality monitors (any suggestions?)  but fortunately I still have enough cash from the sale of my older gear to grab something decent.  Not perfect… decent.  Hopefully I’ll have everything together in time to start recording in earnest by February 1st!

Oh… one last thing.  I had a cool set put together for the Songwriter Showcase but I ended up getting sick and sleeping through it all.  I might end up recording one of the songs and posting it up here before FAWM starts.  We’ll see.

We used this as “sweetener” at our New Years Eve party which had a very interesting effect.  When people feel like they’re not the only ones singing, they sing louder and better, so the whole party joined in with the recording (which they didn’t know was playing) and sang their hearts out.  It was pretty magical.

New Year’s Eve Pals – Auld Lang Syne

Lullaby of London

This was recorded before “In The End” and is my first attempt at getting a rock and roll sound down.  You can tell by listening to the track that the electric guitar was added well into the recording process.  I wasn’t willing to let go of the folky acoustic and so the electric keeps fighting for a place in the mix.  I do like the bass line, though, especially when played by my friend Kris Cain.

Lyrics

I thought forgiveness was a crime
I found you guilty time after time
I thought I couldn’t use your love
Turns out you can’t use mine

I found myself recalling you
I never took the time for two
I couldn’t do the things you do
I guess I’m stuck recalling you

I asked you, “What if I could change?”
You said, “It all ends up the same.”
So you walked right out my kitchen door
While I slid down the drain

Chorus

But if I promised everything I had
Could you see right through the haze, right past the bad
Would you take me for your own
Or maybe call me on the phone
Oh baby, please throw me a bone
I’ll take your scraps

I saw you walking out downtown
He held your hand, I choked it down
Ya, I jumped ship for distant shores
And on the way I drowned

Chorus

Recalling You

The refrain is simple: “I love you.”  Nice, huh?  My sister, Sharon, and our dear friend Wendy Hinkle were singing backup during the song (how cool are they for doing that?!?) and each time we sang this refrain they declared their love for Amy… and giggled.

I’m not going to post the lyrics.  They’re just for Amy and don’t make any sense if you’re not her.

Close My Eyes

MOTU 2408 MKII

The MOTU 2408 MKII is a rackmount unit that includes the cross-platform PCI-324 card for connection to Mac or Windows computers. This computer-based recording system provides 24 independent inputs and outputs, including 8 balanced analog inputs and outputs with 24-bit converters, 24 channels of ADAT optical I/O, 24 channels of TDIF I/O, plus stereo S/PDIF I/O with an additional S/PDIF stereo output. The 2408 MKII supports 16- and 24-bit recording at 44.1 or 48kHz, digital dubbing among S/PDIF, ADAT, and TDIF-compatible devices. Connections are provided for ADAT sync input, word clock in and out, and MOTU Control Track input for sample-accurate Digital Timepiece synchronization.

• Includes PCI-324 interface card
• 24 independent inputs and outputs
• 8 balanced analog inputs and outputs with 24-bit converters
• Configured with +4 “line-level” analog inputs (easily switchable to -10db)
• 3 banks of ADAT optical I/O (24 channels),
• 3 banks of Tascam TDIF digital I/O (24 channels)
• Stereo S/PDIF in/out with an extra S/PDIF out
• Balanced quarter-inch main outs

Yamaha 01V

If you’re ready for your first digital mixer, or if you could use a rack-mountable, full-featured programmable digital mixer with 24 inputs to tidy up an elaborate music system that’s not as flexible as you’d like, then you’re ready for the Yamaha 01V Digital Mixing console.

The awesome offspring of the ProMix01, 02R and 03D line – the world’s most popular family of digital mixers – the 01V is an enormously powerful digital mixer in its own right, featuring a wealth of professional-level signal routing, processing and mixing options, as well as crystal clean sound with 105dB dynamic range – and even the capability to easily link another 01V for 48 input channels – all at an enticing entry-level price.

The 01V is the ideal digital mixer for project studios, broadcast, private studios, live sound applications, and more. Simply the most flexible digital mixer available for the money, the 01V will let you take your music wherever you want to go – and deliver it in style.

24 input channels, including 16 built-in analog inputs (with +48V phantom powering on 12 channels), plus 8 optional digital inputs (ADAT, TSCAM, AES/EBU formats available).

• Yamaha 01v Brochure (pdf, 934KB)
• Yamaha 01v Manual (pdf, 4.9MB)

Written using Cakewalk (back when it was called Cakewalk), a Peavey DPM3se, a Korg 05r/w, and my Turtle Beach Tropez, this was supposed to be the last track I used the octave Moog bass trick.  It wasn’t.

Mother

Check out the video Amy shot of the Songwriter Showcase where I lead the group in a rousing chorus of Jingle Bells and then finish with the first public performance of “Sing Hallelujah.”

Songwriter Showcase – December 2009

Pearl’s Wedding (mixsub2)

Pearl’s Wedding

Lyrics

Verse 1
Just like the set-up for the punchline
Another Christmas comes along
I’ve found myself standing in my darkness
Expecting everything that’s wrong

But your not here with me
And baby that’s what I need

Chorus
You’ve got your lights on your Christmas tree
You’ve got your favorite songs
I want whatever it is you got
Cause I can’t see the peace, love and joy but maybe
You can see enough for me

Verse 2
Spent years just holdin’ out for somethin’
But nothin’s all I’ve got to show
I should have asked for somethin’ different
Now I’m just stuck ‘neath miles of snow

Can you see through this flood?
Can you do me some good?

Chorus

Bridge
This year I think I’m letting go
I can’t believe it’s just for show
So show me everything you know…

Chorus

Chorus 2
Sing Hallelujah everyone or
Just sing your favorite songs
It’s time for peace, love and joy and maybe
That’s the best we’ve got for the moment
Try to find yourself just one single moment
Where you find your self just there in the moment
Maybe that’s enough for you and me

Sing Hallelujah

Date: Saturday, December 19, 2009
Time: 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Description: A Winter Wonderland Performance of Epic Proportions featuring Totem Maples
Location: Homebrew Coffee – 601 W Arrow Hwy, San Dimas, CA 91773-2912

This is a completely remastered version, shared for the first time.

Holiness

Lyrics

All of these words are token
One million hearts, all left broken
But I know that in the end
I’ve got you, dear

Full of regret, penitence chides me
Stole all your tears, drowned deep inside me
But somehow I know that in the end
I’ve got you here

One more ghost in this house
Haunting my dreams
You breathe my choleric sighs
And burst at the seams

I’ll poke and I’ll prod ’til I’ve found this cancer
Just one more prayer left to be answered
And somehow I know that in the end
I’ll find you here

In The End

Lyrics

I feel like I’m losing
Feel like I’m treading water, trying harder to
Find some great conclusion
Some way to break these chains off, all this grey off and

You take my confusion, after my fall
Forgive my intrusions, after it all
I still taste smoke in my mouth but you’re dragging me out to the rain
Oh you’re dragging me out from this pain

Am I like some sort of addict
Feeling I need to tear at the bonds we share, I don’t
Know what I was thinking
Like this anger could heal all the hurt we feel, but

You take my confusion, after my fall
Forgive my intrusions, after it all
I still taste smoke in my mouth but you’re dragging me out to the rain
Oh you’re dragging me out from this pain
Oh you’re dragging me out to the rain

Oh I feel it’s comin’ down now…
Ash streams down from my eyes now…
Can you see the burning fire you pulled me out from
Expectations, desperation, self-control I can’t control at all and…

You take my confusion, after my fall
Forgive my intrusions, after it all
I still taste smoke in my mouth but you’re dragging me out to the rain
Oh you’re dragging me out from this…

Fire

Synths used: Korg 05r/w, Peavey DPM3se, and lots of VTSis in Cubase.

Vicious

Lyrics

Staring into the fire
I’m being made brand new through your love
Somehow I knew this desire
Was leading me to your love

So I give up all of my madness
So I give up all I’ve held dear
All I have left is your forgiveness
And no moment’s wasted when you are near

I never believed you couldn’t love me
But still I withdrew from your heart
I know that you were there right beside me
You opened my eyes and I woke from the dark

When You Are Near

This recording is a demo I made after the first time we played the song.

Rockabilly

Anyhow, if you’d like to pick up the songs automatically, make sure to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes.  Each day you’ll get a new song downloaded directly to iTunes for free.  You’ll also get song notes as well – think of them as the director’s commentary to the track.

Confidence – Acoustic

Confidence – Electronic

Broken Down in Tulsa

There might be some glitches along the way, but I’ll definitely be doing my best to make sure that the whole site works in the simplest way possible.  Thanks for your patience!