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!
Here’s one last track from our practice sessions: Los Caballeros. It’s a song about the horsemen who run their horses down in the dry bed of the San Gabriel River, east of Los Angeles. It’s also about a changing Los Angeles that often has little connection to its past.
I’m doing some prep for the show on Saturday, getting together some details about the summer of 1966 – the summer when “You Can’t Hurry Love” was released by The Supremes and became an international hit. My parents always told me that the mid to late 60s were a hard time, both personally and for the country as a whole, and you can get a sense of that looking at what was going on: Vietnam escalation was in full-swing, race riots in Lansing, Dr. King getting beaten. Major cultural shifts were going on everywhere that forced people to reconsider long-held traditions and beliefs. But then again… England did win the World Cup.
Rebecca and I have been practicing for weeks, now, getting ready to play Honolulu Harry’s on Saturday night (June 5), and during practice I keep turning on the recorder on my phone to give us an idea of how we’re sounding. This is one of those recordings – “Walk on By” – and it shines a light on the creative process as Rebecca and I play with different vocal lines and harmonies.
Have I mentioned that we’ve got our first real gig coming up on June 5th down at Honolulu Harry’s in Chino? Come hear our friend Steven Wesley Guiles at 7:30pm and stay for Rebecca and I at 8:30pm. It’s going to be a blast. No cover, but please come hungry and thirsty – we want to support places that support live, independent music.
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.
For Memorial Day, here’s a practice recording Rebecca and I did of “Shine Out Bright for You,” a song about the very personal wars going on in the hearts and homes of the families of servicemen and women throughout the country.
The FAWM Over Party was over a month ago (April 17th) and I’m finally getting this great video from JD up here for everyone to check out. I’m accompanying Rebecca Best on “A Little Wine,” a new song from our upcoming album.
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:
It looks like the venue where the Songwriter Showcase happens has shut down… for good. Unless I hear something different, it looks like there will be no showcase tonight. If something does come together, I’ll post here.
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…
I’m doing some prep for the 
Have I mentioned that we’ve got our first real gig coming up on June 5th down at 
