By Kody Ford
Editor

Bryan Frazier has evolved. A staple on the Little Rock music scene for eight years, he has played solo and with bands such as Flash LaRue.  However, his new project The Alpha Ray shows a different side of his music on Follow the Ghost. The record, released by Little Rock’s Thick Syrup Records, features a very textured sound and pays homage to one of music’s most glorious decades—the 90s—without sounding trite or recycled. Some of the standout tracks include “Berlin Rainbow,” “Minnesota Radio” and the instrumental “Follow The Ghost.”

The Idle Class recently caught up with Frazier to discuss The Alpha Ray.  Here’s what he had to say:

You’ve been in the music scene in LR for a long time.  How have you grown as a musician?

“I have been playing in and around Little Rock for about 8 years.  I got involved with Travis McElroy and Thick Syrup records in 2006.  I have grown immensely in those years.  My lyrics are much more diverse, my voice is stronger, more consistent and confident.  I’ve also learned so much from the amazing musicians I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with.”

How did The Alpha Ray come about?

“The Alpha Ray is a different take on my solo project.  I wanted to stray away from the “solo singer-songwriter” stimulus. I was working more closely with other musicians crafting the songs and the sound, so it just made sense to have a project name. It just doesn’t sound like a “singer-songwriter” project anymore. These songs are stronger, more interesting in content and much, much louder.”=

How does The Alpha Ray differ from your previous projects?

“I’m still very proud of my solo work, but The Alpha Ray is just so fresh to me right now.  These songs have depth that the solo stuff doesn’t have.  The Alpha Ray is reflective of what’s happening in my life right now instead of a collection of songs that has reflected the past few years of my life.  I love the immediacy of it.”

Do you prefer being in the spotlight, playing a supporting role in a band, or both?

“I like this question because I want to talk about how much I love both in different ways.  There’s nothing like being in the spotlight for obvious reasons, but playing bass and singing backup (Flash Larue) There was way less pressure and I was able to enjoy the shows in a different way.”

Tell me about the writing/recording process for the album and how you got hooked up with Thick Syrup Records.  

“Travis McElroy and I met in 2006.  He asked me to put my song ‘Love is an Orange Tree’ on his first Thick Syrup Arkansas compilation.  From then on we worked together on every release.  For Follow The Ghost, we tracked drums with Barry Poynter at his studio in North Little Rock.  We tracked everything else at my home studio in Little Rock.  Then I sent 9 of the songs to Ken Stringfellow (Posies, Big Star, REM) in Paris, France to be mixed.

“Ken was a huge part of this record.  He not only mixed those tunes but tracked keyboards and backing vocals as well as added some atmospherical effects. Travis also hooked us up. The remaining 3 tracks were mixed by my good friend Jason Magnusson who worked with Poynter in the 90’s recording and producing The Juliana Theory.  I think it’s also worth mentioning that Jason went on to work with Three 6 Mafia in Los Angeles a couple years ago before returning to Little Rock.”

What are your plans for the future regarding The Alpha Ray or any other projects?

“My plan is moving to Nashville to pursue all things music and film.  I not only want to further pursue The Alpha Ray, but alos write and publish songs for TV and film as well as other artists.  This year I had a song placed in the movie 45RPM (directed by Juli Jackson) that was shot and produced in Arkansas.  It was a great experience and I’d love to continue working in that field.”

Do you have any favorite songs from the album?

“I’ve always loved ‘Berlin Rainbow’ and ‘Never Feel.’  ‘Berlin Rainbow’ is about my favorite artist David Hockney.  It’s one of the first songs on the record that I really branched out of the “love song” genre and started writing about other things in my life that I love.  ‘Never Feel’ was the first song written for this record and got the most attention from fans.  We just finished the video for ‘Never Feel.’”

To download “Follow the Ghost,” visit The Alpha Ray Band Camp site.  Click the links to watch the videos for “Never Feel” and “Angelene and The Alpha Ray” (which won Best Music Video at the 2010 Little Rock Film Festival).

 

 

 

 

 

 

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