FRAZE GANG

Coming out of the ashes of highly praised melodic rock legends Brighton Rock is Greg Fraser (vocals/guitar) and Stevie Skreebs (bass) new project Fraze Gang, and oh boy did I enjoy this debut which the boys have released themselves. Even though Brighton Rock did reform a few years ago releasing a "live" CD, the band never put out a new studio CD and promptly left their label due to lack of funds, which is unfortunate, as a result Fraze Gang came into fruition.

The melodic hooks are all still there in this new chapter and hats off to the band for not following trends and going modern us, sometimes the sound can sound a little dark but that adds weight to the character of the songs as it's very much a melodic album. Vocally you can hear David Coverdale oozing out of the seams, and basically if you like Brighton Rock you will love this, only the songs are a little more mature but in no way modern.Nicky Baldrian recently caught up with Greg and fired the following questions at him...

What happened with Brighton Rock, why did the band split up?

We thought that our record company and management had taken us as far as they were capable. So we asked to be released from our record contract with the hopes of signing directly with a US label. We also fired our manager with the hopes of signing with a major management team. In both cases nothing happened. So we new that we were treading water. We went our separate ways hoping that things might change but the whole grunge thing took over and the writing was on the wall. We did not want to be a band that fizzled out. Looking back I think we did the right thing.

I thought the band had reformed a few years ago and signed to Z Records and were going to put a new album and tour, what happened?

We were initially approached by Z Records to do a live record to get our name back out there. It was a really small budget with not even enough money left over to master the finished product. We knew that doing a studio record would be extremely difficult the way things were going so we decided to back out. Although I would like to thank Z Records for showing the initial interest because nobody else was knocking on our door.

Did this lead to the break up of Brighton Rock?

We broke up 10 years before this. If things would have happened properly with a decent budget I'm sure we would have gotten back together on more of a permanent basis. We will not get together unless things are on a professional level. We would hate to put a record out that was not up to par with our previous work. 

How Did Fraze Gang come about?

I got tired of sitting around writing for myself. I missed having my songs out there. I missed playing original music live. I finally made a move to forge ahead and make something of some of these songs that were sitting there collecting dust. I called up Stevie Skreebs (Brighton rock bass player) who I've know since I was 15 years old and also local drum extraordinaire Phil Epp and they were itching to get something going too. The chemistry was immediate once we starting jamming. It's so much fun being back in the thick of things again.

Tell me about the debut?

The debut was a collection of songs that was put together on a CD with the thought of selling at shows and to be kinda of used as demos to send to record companies thinking that if we got signed, we would go back in the studio and record everything again with a big budget. Once we set up a website  www.frazegang.com   the CD took a life of it's own. It's now selling all over the world with no record company or management behind us.

Did you write all the material yourself?

I wrote about 90% of the record myself and Stevie & Phil helped out on the writing of a few songs also.

How has the general reaction been to the album and which label is releasing it for Europe?

The reaction has been phenomenal! Totally exceeding my expectations. We sold out our first run of CDs on our site in less than 3 months without even doing an official live show. As for a label release, we haven't really approached anyone yet. We do have some help with distribution, but that's about it. So if there is any labels in Europe that might be interested, feel free to let us know!

Do you have a favourite song?

Probably 'Blow Me Away'. It's just perfect for the concert stage, and is such a blast to play. It's seems to get a consistent great response from all of our CD reviews.

Are you playing live at the moment and if so do you include Brighton Rock material too?

We've did a couple of benefit shows but not official Fraze Gang shows yet. We are currently breaking in a second guitarist to help fill out the sound live. The goal is to do a CD release party before Christmas and then start playing anywhere that wants us. We can't wait.

Growing up who were your inspirations?

Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, Michael Schenker, Eddie Van Halen, Jeff Beck. There's too many to list. My most inspirational group would have to be Led Zeppelin. After all these years I still find them captivating and I never get tired of them.

What has been the highlight of musical career so far?

This whole Fraze Gang thing is definitely a highlight! But when Brighton Rock did our first big tour opening for Triumph, that was unreal. Every night we played in front of huge crowds who loved us, it was a dream come true. It was really an exiting time and experience.

Do you have any interesting stories to tell from your days in Brighton Rock?

I could write a book on all the stories from that band! I remember the first time that we toured the USA ... we were playing in Florida and the opening band and road crew were treating us like shit. They were determined to blow us off the stage. This was their turf and they weren't going to let a bunch of Canadians show them up. They were laughing at the way we looked because off stage we dressed simple and comfortable. Meanwhile they looked like Rock Stars all the time. We were always very humble off stage. After their set they were all standing side stage with their arms folded with a look of 'Okay, let's see what you got'. Well we went out and just crushed! By the second song they were front row rocking with us and after the show they were asking for autographs! I remember the first time we played a biker bar run by Hells Angels. As we pulled up to the club they were taking somebody out who just got stabbed with a ice pick! The owner say's "Welcome to my club" (like nothing happened) That was a nice introduction. I could go on and on. Maybe in the future we could do another interview with just road stories and I'll get each guy in Brighton to tell their favourite.

What can we expect next from in the chapter of Fraze Gang?

You can expect a band that will never quit and will continue to top ourselves with each effort. We will never settle for second best and will always strive for excellence. We're just getting our feet wet with this release. Now that we know people around the world like our music it has given us a boost of confidence that will carry us to the next record. We can't wait to get out there and play live for you and party with you. We feel like kids again!

Overall Fraze Gang is a damn good album, they have put it together without any label backing and the sounds is good and I cannot see why any label cannot put this one out to maybe help finance a brand new Brighton Rock CD - and that's good news that the guys don't rule out any Brighton Rock records in the future if they can get the backing. In the meantime Fraze Gang will do nicely and hopefully we'll see some gig action in Europe soon if the demand is there for the band. The reviews over the internet have certainly been in favour of the band. Check them out at www.frazegang.com  and www.myspace.com/frazegang