Hi Greg… Welcome back to music business. Although I feel that you have never left but you were just away from the music industry for years. Why did it take you so long to get back in action?

G: I needed a vacation. And that vacation lasted 10 years! I was on the road with different bands including Brighton Rock for 16 years and needed to stop, and refocus. But after awhile, the urge to record new songs got so strong that I had to get back in there and take another shot.

So, I suppose that after a lot of thinking you decided to go on your own way by forming Fraze Gang and not continuing with Brighton Rock… Did you ever though of re-unite with Brighton Rock and to release a new album? (I mean except from the tour that you did lately).

G: It would be great to reunite the band and do a new record, but in reality it will never happen unless some record company shows an interest and can make it happen.

I’m not going to ask how Brighton Rock split up… but I wanna know if grunge music really brought many trouble to bands like yours and finally forced you to call it quits? Now that have passed so many years… what do you think? Do you believe that it worth the waste of time and money on behalf of the music labels in order to promote this kind of music that tried to kill rock?

G: People want something new. The 80’s stuff was getting very predictable and safe sounding and people wanted something different. The grunge stuff was all about rebellion and kids need to rebel and not play it safe sometimes in order to find themselves. The 80’s music became un-cool and everything dried up for us. I don’t know if it was worth the time and money but record companies do what they need to do to survive and will always continue to do that.

Fortunately you (rock in general) are alive and all those “trendy” 90s grunge bands have gone for good… and we go on to 2006… rock (melodic rock, hard rock etc) is having a second youth don’t ya think?

G: I can feel it. People are really into having fun again and that's what the 80’s to me was all about. Fraze Gang is all about having fun, and that's why we’re doing it. There is definitely a buzz in the air with melodic rock and how people are hungry for it again. A lot of kids are rediscovering the 80’s and finding out that it wasn’t all about image, and seeing that there really is a lot of talent there that I find is lacking in a lot of today’s music. It’s starting to sound fresh again.

Before we go on to Fraze Gang tell me which Brighton Rock album do you consider as the best and why?

G: I’m really too close to them to answer that. I think our last record “Love Machine” was the best as far as musicianship is concerned. Our second record “Take A Deep Breath” sold the most, so in the publics eyes maybe that's considered the best. But if I have to pick 1, I guess it would be our first “Young Wild And Free” just because that put us on the map and started everything for us. When ever I hear anything off that record, it brings back memories off all the excitement and craziness, as things were starting to happen for us.

Now let’s say a few things about Fraze Gang and your debut album. Firstly why did you name the band Fraze Gang… it is just your “gang” or it was the first thing that came on your mind?

G: My close friends have always called me Fraze, and when I was putting this together I thought it would be cool to get a gang of friends’ together and record stuff. I was going to get different drummers and bass players, and singers for each song. So Fraze Gang is really supposed to mean, a gang of my friends. But once I started jamming with Phil and Skreebs, it felt so good that I didn’t want to change a thing. We might add more people to the Gang in the future, but right now everything feels perfect.

Please tell us some things about each one of the song? Just a line or two…

G: “Blow Me Away”: About being blown away by someone. The way they look, the way they move, the way they talk... Everything about them blows you away.

“Savior”: An Underdog. Someone who really came through when it mattered. A hero in every sense of the word.

“Broken Hero”: About someone who used to work for Brighton Rock. Someone the 5 of us trusted and believed in. And later finding out, we were betrayed.

“Sugar Daddy”: About a girl who preys on guys with money and sucks them dry.

“Rainbow Eyes”: Looking into a girl’s eyes and making a connection. Seeing her eyes sparkle. Almost being hypnotized by them.

“ Paradise ”: Chasing that dream of having it all.

“High Life”: Somebody that has it all. Somebody who plays by their own rules and has pure confidence in their self. Living the good life. “Stylin’”! The high life.

“Stand Alone”: Searching for a place to call home and realizing that home, is inside your head. If you can find peace within yourself, than you are home. I’m going to live my life my way!

“You Had It All”: Someone who had it all, and blew it. A fall from grace.

“Stargazer”: Reaching for the stars, and not letting anything stop you. No matter what’s in front of you, nothing will stop you.

“Roll With The Punches”: Not letting life get you down. Trying to stay positive while your mind is playing tricks on you. Trying to win an uphill battle.

“Hot Rod”: About letting loose with the guys and racing hot rods.

The debut album was written and produced by you. Did you use any “old” Brighton Rock demo songs on it or you just wrote new songs?

G: They are pretty much all new songs. Brighton Rock broke up over 10 years ago, so I've written a lot of songs in that time. The songs written prior to the recording of the CD just felt fresh, so that's what we used. I still have a lot of killer stuff on file that we might dip back into for raze Gang 2.

Why did you decided to release the album on your own? Is this something that gives you more freedom in doing things the way you like or a label could have been a true helping hand for the band? Are you looking for an appropriate contract with a music company right now or you do not care about that?

G: We’re introducing ourselves on this CD hoping to build up a foundation of fans around the world to have as ammunition so when we do approach record companies, they will see that we know what we’re doing and we've already laid the groundwork for them. Even without record company support we are selling way above our expectations. Being new to the computer world, I had no idea the power the internet really does have on today’s music.

Why did you decide to sing in this project? You just couldn’t find a good singer or you preferred to do things your way this time? I think that your voice fits this kind of music… it’s just more in your-face rock music…

G: I did try different singers. And some of those singers were technically way better singers than myself, but they could not feel my songs like I could because they didn’t write them. The technique was there, but the emotion wasn’t. So, I did some ghost vocals and we liked what we heard. I started to build more confidence with each song. As time went by I realized that I’m really starting to like this, and now there’s no stopping me. I can’t wait to sink myself into Fraze Gang 2.

I do not want to flatter you but your guitar playing is simply wonderful! I’m a guitarist myself and I was impressed by your style… I think you are more mature now than in the past. The guitar is just all over in this album! Great work!

G: Thank you very much for the kind words, and thank you for noticing. I’m a lot more relaxed with my playing now and I have really started to approach the guitar as a vocal instrument. I have no desire for guitar Olympics anymore. I would rather tell you something than show you something, and hopefully I’ve accomplished that.

What inspires you in general in order to write music? Are there any boundaries on your musical horizon?

G: I’ve got music in my blood. My mother married a radio personality who was a local celebrity with his own Radio and TV show. From the day I was born, we would listen to my Dad on the radio and from then on music always stuck with me. Once I started to create music I was hooked. And I'm still hooked. Everything around me inspires me. If I haven’t played my guitar for a few days and then pick it up sometimes that will create a spark. Different moods will create different inspirations. I'm always looking for that next song.

Are there any details about the album that you would like to share? Funny stuff, way of recording it?

G: When ever we get together it’s a laugh fest. Half the time we rehearse the other half of the time we are laughing our heads off. We love to bust each others chops every chance we get. Even when someone would record a good take the other guys would say it sucked just for fun. Whenever anybody is around us they all comment how much fun we always have together and it becomes very contagious.

Some have written that you play 80’s hard rock music… I do not think that your music sound so 80’s as some say… it rather has a fresh sound with some 80’s-90’s touches but in now way can be characterized as retro. What do you think?

G: You can call us whatever you want, because we could not care less. We will never change our style to fit in any category. And we are going to continue to explore different avenues of music instead of staying on that safe road. We want to see where some of these other roads might lead but at the same time, kicking your ass!

So, as I have read on your official site (www.frazegang.com) you are planning to do some live shows. I’m sure that you are going to play some Brighton Rock songs as well… right?

G: We are talking about doing some Brighton Rock songs and also some other old favorites that we have a blast doing. When we’re on stage it’s not a concert anymore, it’s a house party. We could play all night just jamming our favorite songs, and a lot of times we do that. Anything goes at a Fraze Gang show!

What are your plans for the future as it concerns Fraze Gang??

G: The plan is to start playing in some of these countries that are buying lots of our CDs. We are currently looking for representation to make this happen. But ultimately the plan is to spread the Fraze Gang word and see where it takes us.

And some weird Questions now!!! How difficult is to survive and to succeed in a music world that is ruled by irrelevant people that promote shit-wannabe-good pop music all the time… without caring about music’s quality?

G: It is tough to survive to in today’s world of music. But do you know what? If you can carve your own niche and keep gathering fans to your music, like we are trying to do, than sooner or later people will start to take notice. We are in it for the long haul. It’s just a matter of finding a company that is on the same page as us and believes in our music.

Which are the things that piss you off from today’s music industry?

G: How disposable everything is. Unless you’re a hit right out of the box, you’re considered a failure without ever getting a chance to develop like the old days. It’s hit or miss. So, Fraze Gang stays inside our own little world, and you are more than welcome to visit!

Do you believe that internet has helped the bands to become more popular or has caused many problems?

G: It’s helped bring attention to bands that would never have got noticed 10 years ago. The exposure can be huge with Myspace and everything. But the free downloading has killed the record industry. I don’t think it will ever recover. It really is a mixed blessing.

What was the first song you ever played on guitar?

G: When I first heard “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple I was blown away. It sounded huge and powerful to me and I was determined to learn it. After that there was no turning back.

Do you believe that is so easy for a band to differ in today’s music industry than in the past? And if yes what shall it do in order to achieve it?

G: I don’t think that is easy for a band to differ now because anybody can record a CD in their bedroom now which has flooded the market. Everybody has a CD now. In the old days you had to have talent in order for the privilege of record company support. So, the recording market was a lot smaller and a little easier to get noticed. In order to achieve it now, it’s the same as always. Write good music. Styles and fads will always change but a good song will stay with you.

Have you listened to a very good album lately that surprised you?

G: The Killers first album and Jets first album were a nice surprise. Skreebs lent me his copy of Eddie Money “live” which is just great. I like some of Krokus new stuff.

Which is the most overrated band today?

G: Probably some of the “American Idol” winners. Other than Kelly Clarkson nothing has lived up to all the hype. I still get sucked in every year to that TV show, but usually am disappointed at the finished product.

Imagine that your wife is selling your whole album-collection just to buy for herself an expensive ring. How would you react? J

G: I think if anybody sold my record collection, my reaction would not be good! I have about 300 vinyl records and a lot of those you still can’t find on CD. Some of the stuff was crucial in my learning process and has very much become a part of me.

That’s all for now Greg... Thanks for everything!! Please leave a note to Grande Rock readers… Take care!

G: Thanx to all our fans for being there for us. Let your local promoters know that you would like to see Fraze Gang in your country because that will help get the ball rolling. Check out our website at: www.frazegang.com, and also check out our myspage page at: www.myspace.com/frazegang. We are new to myspace, so don’t be shy. Check us out and say hi!

Cheers!

Greg Fraser.

by Thanos "Casanova"