I love me the good old rock. Great playing, solid vocals, memorable songs. Some People Change delivers all that and more! Frontman John Frazier graciously consented to take us through the album track-by-track...
Track 1: The Rod & The Cane
JF: The original inspiration for The Rod & The Cane was from watching an important person in my life who found themselves constantly struggling in life with no ultimate reward. It hit me hard and this song embodies my empathy for the hardships endured throughout. It surprised me how effortlessly the song came together -- once the idea popped into my head, it all poured out in the purest way. I absolutely adore the way the guys played on this track, which was done in one take. John Cowan's harmony vocals are a dream come true! I guess this song was quick to write, a joy to record, and if every song I wrote and recorded were as smooth and fun as this one I'd get a lot more done! Which is, ironically, almost the total opposite of what the song is about.
Track 2: Mother Nature’s Son
JF: I’ve always been a Beatles fan, since I was about 10 years old listening to Help. The albums that really stuck with me through the years are Let It Be, Abbey Road, and the White Album. When I was in the pre-production phase of this new FrazierBand album, my manager challenged me to find a cover that we could do in a unique way that would fit with the scope of the band and the sound that I was after. I have always loved the song and I actually think of it as a country song, particularly the lyrics. Working on the arrangement, I found a way to put a country/train beat behind it so that it would groove, and also a fiddle solo in the middle. I’m really happy with the way it turned out, and especially with the interplay between the vocals, fiddle, and flute. I feel lucky to be able to record it, and if Sir Paul is ever listening and digs what he hears, tell him I said “thanks and call me anytime.
Track 3: Tell Me (Moving Along on the Water)
JF: I wrote this song a couple of years ago with Travis Book (Infamous Stringdusters). It’s the only co-write on the album, so that aspect is pretty cool. It started out as more of a troubadour song: just played and sung solo with an acoustic guitar. Adding the intro and instrumental sections to it was a nice challenge, and I was pleasantly surprised to feel so comfortable with the result. I owe a lot of that to the guys in the band, who fell into the groove and played so beautifully on the session. To me, the instrumental support of the song itself reflects and enhances the questions asked by the lyrics, and creates a singular compositional inquisition that is beyond what I imagined possible with what was, originally and essentially, a simple song.
Track 4: Still
JF: A fun work of fiction about a very naughty man, and what he does with some of his time. Boogie your heart out!
Track 5: On That Day
JF: This is an old, old song. I wrote the music over a decade ago, and started on the lyrics more than five years ago although I didn’t finish them until right before the session. The only all acoustic treatment we did on the album, Jim can be heard playing cajon (box-drum), and the track feels incredibly intimate and exposed in the best ways.
Track 6: Chillin
JF: This is fusion music, and I truly don’t know what to say about it, or how to explain it. All that can be done with this song, in my opinion, is to listen to it.
Track 7: Been All Around This World
JF: This is an old country/blues/folk song from the public domain that I have been singing in various arrangements since high school. This cut is one we have done on the live show for about a year, and actually was intended as a sound check tune in the studio, but it came out with such great feeling we decided to put it on the record.
Track 8: Fall Down/Rise Up
JF: Fall Down/Rise Up is semi-autobiographical, and I hope listeners will find their own pertinence for its lyrics and message.
Track 9: Pie In The Sky
JF: Probably the most fun song on the album, and one of my favorites to play at the live shows.
Track 10: All Together Now
JF: A get-down instrumental that is intentionally divergent from the palette of typical mandolin based instrumental music. I met the Kansas Bible Company Horns playing soccer, fell in love with their band and their sound, knew I wanted them on this track, and the session with them was way more fun than I ever thought I would get to have making an album. Blow boys, blow!
Track 11: Flesh & Bone (Heart & Soul)
JF: A gospel-like song about the human condition and some of its particulars, including but not limited to spiritual and terrestrial life, human interaction, and objectively kindness towards one another. It features my dear friend and inspiring supporter Travis Stinson, whose voice is so perfect for this song, that I am almost anxious that if he starts singing it, no one will like my version anymore. I count having added the choir to the studio recording of this song among the top highlights of my 20-year career.