Tony Scott: 0:13

Welcome to The Jay Franze Show, a behind-the-curtain look at the entertainment industry, with insights you can't pay for and stories you've never heard. Now here's your host, Jay Franze.

Jay Franze: 0:42

Well, hello, hello, hello and welcome to the show. I am Jay Franze and this is your Backstage Pass to the Music Industry. This week we get to talk with a country music recording artist. We get to talk with Brian Frazier. We'll talk to him about his signature song, put Me in a Bar, what it was like playing at the iconic Bluebird, and we'll talk about his time opening for Phil Vassar. Now, brian is not only a great songwriter, he is also a great guy, funny as hell, and I can't wait to talk with him tonight. So if you would like to join in, comment or fire off any questions, please head over to jayfranze. com. Now let's get started, all right. Well, let's jump into the music a little bit here. I know you got a new single coming out, but before we touch on that, let's talk about some of the stuff in the past, particularly some of the songs that seem to become an anthem of yours. So let's talk about Put Me in a Bar.

Bryan Frazier: 1:38

Yeah, put Me in a Bar has kind of been my party anthem of the. You know, you never know what's going to hit. I would play that one live a lot. That's kind of the ending of the show, the encore type of thing. When I do live shows I had that title. It's just like you said, I'm a fun going guy. Party songs are hard to write. I think they're harder to write than you know deep, you know breakup songs or something, because they can be corny very quickly with those type of songs. And that one just struck a chord, definitely in like 2021, when TikTok was kind of blowing up. That one kind of took off for me and got me some followers and some fans. And still to this day people come up and they're like you're gonna play, put me in a bar. I'm like, just wait, it'll happen.

Bryan Frazier: 2:16

I was in key west and this dude we go down there for a songwriters festival every year and this guy was like we were down here but I came from north carolina to here, put me in a bar and I was playing like all these songs we had like seven songs to get through and he just kept screaming.

Jay Franze: 2:31

Mike put me to bar and I'm like I'm going to play it, don't worry.

Bryan Frazier: 2:34

But that's one of my favorite songs. It's always. It's just a fun one to play. Pretty much all of it's true, a lot of it. I mean. We wrote right what you know. It's got a ridiculous stuff in it. I know how to play Wonderwall a little bit, I know that you know, and all the stuff. It's just kind of tongue-in-cheek and fun stuff. I wrote that with Dawson Edwards and Mark Oriett and they're two great writers and they just kind of took what I had and then made it ridiculous and fun. It's still it. It's just one of those songs that's stuck around and I'm glad I have it in my pocket because especially writers' rounds we play in town, we get deep, but sometimes you want to get a little fun. Just get the bar up. It sells beer on the road. I'll say that too. That's a plus.

Jay Franze: 3:16

Do you feel it's become your signature song?

Bryan Frazier: 3:19

Yeah, definitely. I would say it's definitely one of them that one gets requested the most. Like I said, I had a guy from North Carolina, basically in Key West, come and be like I sought you out just to hear this song. So it's funny, when you see or hear those things you're like that song. I mean I love it. Don't get me wrong, but it's always you don't get to pick which one they love. You put it out and then you know it's out in the song world. But uh, I would say that fits me. I have different, different sides because I have those deep songs, those breakup songs and and things you know. A little more substance, you would say. But that's me to a core of just laughing, having fun. We're going to have a good time, drink some beer, party with some friends.

Jay Franze: 4:00

Well, I think anybody who follows you at this point can tell that you're that fun guy Kind of have that Brad Paisley feel to you a little bit with you know where. He's just constantly goofing around and having fun.

Bryan Frazier: 4:07

Yeah, he was actually one of the first concerts I ever saw. I think I take after him a lot. He was actually one of the first concert divers, so I think I take after him a lot. He's from West Virginia. I went to college in West Virginia so I've always I've grown up being a huge fan of his. Can't play guitar like him, but yeah, the whole tongue-in-cheek joke stuff and then he can kind of pull out the real stuff. That's deep too. I envy it. I definitely try to copy some of that stuff.

Jay Franze: 4:28

Yeah, he definitely has talent. So the song itself. Let's go a little deeper. You talk about how you wrote it and lyrics that are within that song, that they all tie back to you in some way or another. But where did you record it?

Bryan Frazier: 4:40

So I recorded that at Saxman Studios. My buddy Alex Maxwell produced it. He's went on to kind of produce some bigger artists Chase Matthews, a couple other dudes but Grady Saxman is a professional drummer session guy and he runs a studio out in Mount Julia, tennessee. Yeah, we recorded out there, kind of had all the session guys. It's one of those things. They run through it like 40 minutes and then we kind of add our own things. Alex kind of can play every instrument too. So we kind of what we do the more affordable way I mean, we get help because I've known these guys for so long Go in and we'll cut it.

Bryan Frazier: 5:15

They'll put about 45 minutes of the bass track. We'll have the meat and bones of it. Then Alex would add on all this crazy stuff. We'll see. The more crazy the better. I like to hear the mix and then dial it back halfway, meet in the middle. A lot of it was Alex Maxwell. He's one of my best friends, amazing producer, just brought that to life. I knew it was going to be decently big. My buddy Trey Lewis you know the Trey Lewis of Dick Down in Dallas he called me when he heard it and was like that's a hit, brother, you got to put that out and that was one of those things where I'm like, well Trey's thinking it's fun, I guess I got to do something with it. That's kind of the process.

Bryan Frazier: 5:53

I mean we wrote that song. That was one of those things. When we wrote it it came out in 35, 40 minutes and it was just hitters and you can try to copy it. We've tried to write that type of fun stuff. It's just very hard to get one that hits it.

Jay Franze: 6:05

It's fun and it still has some meat to the bones, I guess you would say you would say Well, you mentioned a couple of things in there I want to make sure we touch on First of all. You said it was in your friend's studio. Is it a commercial studio?

Bryan Frazier: 6:22

So Grady Saxman's is a commercial studio he's built out on his house it's just called Saxman Studios, and so we use that to do the session kind of work for the base. And then my buddy, alex has a studio in his house, a smaller one. You know, that's kind of what's going on with the independent world today. Right, everything's done in a bedroom almost. It's insane the amount of stuff you can do with Pro Tools with the right person who knows what they're doing. I mean we recorded vocals for that just pretty much in a bedroom studio. I mean he has a pretty well-done bedroom studio, kind of like yours. What I'm seeing there, still in a bedroom in a house, which is the wild part. I don't think a lot of people know the amount of huge songs that come out of that type of stuff Because unfortunately what's happened in Nashville? A lot of the bigger studios have just been taken over. It's a sad thing but I've had the opportunity to record in some of them but it's pretty much gone and you pretty much end up in houses.

Jay Franze: 7:14

I mean Grady saxman studio is a legit studio but it is a house oh yeah, all of music row was like that music row before the condos and apartments were all houses that were just studios and record labels and publishing houses. So I get that for sure. Now you said you used the studio session, guys, and a lot of times what happens for artists like yourself is you'll go in and share time. Did you share time or did these people come in specifically for your song?

Bryan Frazier: 7:40

Yeah, to save money we would share. I was able to Grady kind of would help with Alex and I and kind of just fit us in when we needed it and that's kind of how I've done singles with him through the past is just kind of fit us in when we can and it's a great way of doing it.

Bryan Frazier: 7:56

Yeah, I mean, makes it a little bit more affordable. Like I said, once you start telling people how much it costs to even make music, even in a small part, it's, it's, it's still expensive. And the players that you can get in Nashville as you know being in Nashville when you lived here like it's, it's the coolest thing, because living in Northern Virginia like I did a little EP when I was in college and like it was good, but like the amount of talent you can get in an hour here is insane and it's just the coolest thing to have here. I think that's what makes us unique is still to this day, you can go in and show them a work tape or a small demo and they're just like oh yeah, we get it, this is the vibe you tell them like three things they listen to like 10 or 20 seconds of your song and they go in the other room and three minutes later it's done I'm used to it now, but every time it's still special.

Bryan Frazier: 8:42

When I see it I just smile and laugh. I'll be in the in the booth and be like, yeah, this is just another one. They do it so easily and effortlessly.

Jay Franze: 8:49

It's insane no, I had the pleasure of working with a guy named bob bullock, a big producer in town, and I got to work on a lot of the big sessions and every one of them was equally as impressive as the last time I got to see it just one after another don't stop.

Bryan Frazier: 9:05

Yeah, it's another world that I think deserves respect. That doesn't really get it because they're the guys behind the scenes. Most of the time they're just lunch pill dudes. They show up, yeah, put in eight hours a day and they're just making people's songs sound cool I like that lunch pill.

Jay Franze: 9:17

I like that a lot. So let's go back to alex for a second. So alex produced it for you, right? Yeah so what kind of producer is he?

Bryan Frazier: 9:26

he's produced about six of my singles. He did not want to produce songs at first. We we've just kind of grown up in town together. And my first single with him was called last I heard. It was just a song we wrote and I was like, hey man, can you just help me? Just why don't you record it? Like you're doing all these demos just graduated belmont, you know what to do. And he was like man I don't know, I kind of got.

Bryan Frazier: 9:46

I got forced him, not forced him, but he was like, okay, and now he's getting to the point where he's becoming a very well-known producer and, uh, definitely a wanted man in that world and it's he said he worked with chase matthews as well yeah, that's who he's producing now, uh, mostly, and some um younger artists named like colin style and um, a few other people somewhat works with me.

Bryan Frazier: 10:10

I mean we write a lot. He doesn't produce. Now. My newer stuff is, uh, actually one of our best friends because, kind of handed me off, we, we um, a guy named chris upley is a newer producer of, uh, some of the last three singles. Wasn't any bad blood, alex just got too busy in a good way. My best friend having so much success, so proud of him. It's just uh, yeah, that's the way that works, but he got into that and I mean it's.

Bryan Frazier: 10:34

You need a producer because I can tell these studio musicians certain things but there's just lingo when you're in the room that a person like that with the music background can really I'm a songwriter artist. I can't tell them to be like, hey, do the four a little bit, one four, five, let's. Uh, hey, how about you do this solo a little different? I can give little things, like I would say I'm a 50 producer, but I love having a guy in there to kind of always hammer out stuff and I respect anyone who's an artist who just solo produces, because it's still really hard. It's tough, yeah, it's really tough and like you need someone there to kind of speak their language, because it makes those guys easier too. They deal with some people where they're like you don't know what you're talking about, I'm just gonna play, and then that doesn't come out right, so you gotta have someone on your side.

Jay Franze: 11:19

A producer like that's always needed so when you you talk about this and you mentioned, chase, matthews is roughly the same age range as you are and do you? Consider yourself to be part of that class of musicians in Nashville now.

Bryan Frazier: 11:33

I mean songwriter-wise. Yeah, I'm not as big as Chase Matthews. I've been in town.

Jay Franze: 11:37

This will be 10 years in November, so not as massive as 10 years, 10-year city right 10-year city, 10-year town.

Bryan Frazier: 11:44

So we're almost there, I'd say like medium level. I mean at this point, artist-wise, I'm still a small medium-level artist just grinding every day trying to put out I'm independent. I still do everything myself. I mean I have some friends that help me, like Alex, like Chris, and a lot of good writers and stuff helping me out. We co-write and come out with these stuff, but anything you see, media-wise it's all me. Still, it's a lot of it.

Bryan Frazier: 12:13

And that's why you see my touch on it and stuff. Well, that's why it resonates. I would thank you and I think it does. You see that there's not fakeness. It's everyone's always like be real, if you like me or not. I just just want to have fun. We want to laugh, and then I want to want to hit you with a song every once in a while. That makes you feel something. That's why we all get into it. That's why I got into it. I'd say like I mean, we're getting there. I've slowly in the past three years I feel like I've had more success, gotten more gigs off of it. Tiktok's definitely helped. Streams have definitely gone up and up. You know it's. It's a good thing to start seeing everything culminate after 10 years of work. But it never stops is the thing you're always.

Jay Franze: 12:48

You're always on to the next thing you know, well, you know, no matter who you talk to a younger artist that's just coming up or a seasoned artist that's just winding down they all say the same things. I mean the stories are still the same, no matter how far in your career you go. You talk about Chase Matthews and you say you're not quite as big or as far as he is at this point, but he's still brand new himself. I mean he's not headlining shows yet, he's still opening act. I mean he's great, I love him. I mean don't get me wrong at all, I follow him, I love his music, but he's still new and I think you know you're right there with him and I don't think it would take much for you to fill those shoes here in the next year or so.

Bryan Frazier: 13:33

Yeah, I appreciate that hey need those compliments.

Jay Franze: 13:36

You gotta keep it going. It's the money that you gave me earlier that got that.

Bryan Frazier: 13:39

Yeah, yeah, yeah, the PayPal cleared.

Jay Franze: 13:41

Right, paypal went through. We can milk it up a little bit. So yeah, as far as the music goes, I one of the things that I I enjoy about your music is it's truly got a little bit more power to it. It's a little bit more aggressive. Do you do that on purpose?

Bryan Frazier: 13:57

Yeah, that's just kind of uh, kind of how I grew up in music. I mean, I I've always liked country music. That's been the first thing. But I grew up with 2000s rock and all the stuff that's becoming repopular now and I love it. I think it's hilarious Cause I was always about it. The power chords, chords my voice kind of is, I think, more shown and in those type of situations the way I write songs and the way my vocals when I start to learn them, it just kind of pushes. That way I have more of a tendency to do that type of singing and stuff. That's what I naturally do, so more in your face kind of uh stuff. But uh, yeah, it's the kind of like you know, jason aldini rocking stuff that I mean I've always loved that. That's what I grew up doing and naturally you kind of do it without even noticing because that's just the way I sing right, that's who you are right I'll have buddies when we're in the writing room.

Bryan Frazier: 14:47

Be like well, this is a brian frazier song you're about to do. Okay, we get it, because when I first moved to town, you didn't, I did not know. They always say you'll find something, you just think you're the coolest kid. Oh, I know what I'm doing. It's like no, I had no clue. No, no, you don't singing open mics and just trying to figure out how to. Really I could sing, but like, find your voice. Truly, that is what I think I've finally, in the past couple years, found my voice, just exactly what you were saying as power chords, and we try to get a little different in those mixes, and Alex and Chris have both. I like being creative, because they always are like is this too crazy? And I'm like no, I want it to sound a little different, but still have an avenue with it, and I think we've accomplished that. Love a good B3, though, I'm glad you mentioned that you got B3 all over the place.

Jay Franze: 15:31

I love it.

Jay Franze: 15:31

It's one of my favorite instruments. We used to have Charlie Judge come in and play B3 on all the stuff that I would produce. It makes things more rocking versus just having a piano. But, like you mentioned having a rock background, I mean I grew up in Boston it was all about rock music and when I moved to Nashville, that's when country came into my life, because that's what I was working on. When I got to finally produce records of my own when I wasn't working for somebody else, they always had a more rock edge to them, similar to what you're doing.

Jay Franze: 16:06

I enjoy the heavier style stuff in the country music and I say that because your voice you know you say your voice lends itself to that. But it's got a gravel feel to it. And even when you do your cover tunes I see you do a lot of cover tunes on tiktok and instagram. You did one that I liked which was kryptonite, three doors down. So that's what made me start following you in the first place. Is I connected to it because it was a unique version of it? But are you choosing to pick rock songs purposely?

Bryan Frazier: 16:35

Yeah, I mean those are just the songs. When I was in high school I would play around campfires and we would all love. So I've just always known those songs and it's just funny they've become more popular as we've gone through it, because even when I do headlining gigs or opening sets like Kryptonite, that's always my song. I'm always going to play that like. It's always fit my voice. I love that song. I'm a huge three doors down fan. It just fits and it just hits I mean when they hit and they're just fun to do acoustic. I mean doing creed, doing nickelback, the three doors down, all those songs are just fun to do acoustic. Now everyone's on the bandwagon though, so I guess, guess, I got to find a new genre.

Jay Franze: 17:13

I like when people do that, when they put a twist on a different genre.

Bryan Frazier: 17:21

Yeah, I think it's unique. I mean there's definitely. I like doing deep cuts. Sometimes they don't do as much numbers as I'd like, but I'm a fan of different stuff, like the fray has gotten, you know that type of stuff, even Lewis Capaldi and stuff like that. Anything that's just kind of piques my interest. That's how I pick them. I think if it's a cool song and it's got a cool melody, it's. It just hits me. I'm going to try to do a cover of it, especially those songs that I just have good memories with hanging with my buddies riding around like, oh, that's the song. Yeah, I should do that acoustic.

Jay Franze: 17:47

Can. Can you tell us how the video came about?

Bryan Frazier: 17:50

Yeah, the video came about. One of my best buddies. He's a content guy for a lot of different artists. His name is Trey Bonner and I've kind of come up with him too. He's become more successful, he's gotten some great gigs and stuff and he always helps me out things like that. We kind of did it just you know the very old school bootstrapping it again Like we. Just he has the cameras and the camera work and knows how to do things, but try to do it as cheaply as possible and just as fun as possible.

Bryan Frazier: 18:18

We ended up having a boat. I had a buddy that was out on a Lake and met this guy who had constructed a boat during the pandemic from nothing but things he got at home Depot like jobs. Right, I would put it all together and he he asked him. He's like could you be my buddy's music video guy was like hell, yeah, I tried to pay this guy, he wouldn't. He was like no, just, you don't have to tag me, you can just use my boat. So that's kind of the main start of it.

Bryan Frazier: 18:43

We were like this would be funny, just to have this ridiculous boat right goes back to your humor yeah, and you'll see that and just try to toe the line and uh, just to have to some media for it to where it just is fun. I mean, we were on a football field we weren't supposed to be on. We did everything without permits, like the uh, independent way is. So, uh, some of the shots are actually at this night we put on two times a year called butt rock night the co-founder of this thing, with my buddies at raise rowdy, where we we kind of do a a rock night, two thousands rock night. We get all the country singers and singer songwriters to come out and play their favorite hits with some session guys behind us, and that was.

Bryan Frazier: 19:23

There's some clips from that night that we kind of were able to use in the put me in a bar video. So it's really pieced together in the wildest way, but I think it worked out. It kind of fits the mood of the song. It's just fun. The boat, if you see it, it's the most ridiculous thing. That guy really just built it himself and he just took us out on percy priest here and let us film with a drone and stuff, and so you got some funny clips with that and just fits the crazy redneck vibe I was going for Just here to have fun man.

Jay Franze: 19:50

Well, that's what it is. Like I said it fits your humor. I think it works out really cool.

Bryan Frazier: 19:54

That's the independent way I've been on. My friends Like Trey has had a video where he had all the permits and stuff, but it was funny to be on one. That's actually where they're doing it right. We're just showing up and just trying to not get the police call on us at this point.

Jay Franze: 20:07

Yeah that's what it's about, all right, well, let's talk about another song of yours this Side of the Dirt. I bring it up because it's a duet, so can you talk about the person you were doing the duet with and then tell me about the song itself?

Bryan Frazier: 20:21

So I did this song with a buddy of mine named Mark Auriette. He's also one of the guys who wrote Put Me in a Bar and one of my best friends and co-writers on a lot of my songs. That song specifically came out of a co-write with. It was a four-way with me, mark Oriett, eli Locke and a guy named Cody Parks. It just came out of one of those where it just hit and you're just like, did that just happen? We kind of we weren't even supposed to be in a four way, people just double booked and we were like, let's all just write together.

Bryan Frazier: 20:50

Cody had this idea called this side of the dirt. We didn't know where to take it exactly and I kind of I've had a friend pass away when I was like 18 from bacterial meningitis real random incident ended up passing and we kind of went down this hole. Like you know, everyone's had someone that they've loved that really just left earth too soon and um kind of just spit that whole idea out really quick. And the weirdest part is mark mark didn't want to say anything but um, that morning a friend of his who had passed five years earlier the dad called him before that co-write and was like hey man, I'm just checking in, just just seeing what you're doing.

Bryan Frazier: 21:28

And then when basically it was like hey, he'd love what you're doing, man, he said he would be proud of you talking about this individual. And Mark didn't want to discuss that till after the write Cause he was like I don't want to mess this up. When we were in it we wrote that song quick too, probably like in two hours. It's just a real meaningful song. That is one of my favorite songs to play live, because, again, I think everyone has lived that. You have people that literally get gone too soon. And it's close to my heart because every time I play it I think about this person and Mark does too. And it kind of became a thing where I love Mark. Mark's a great artist too.

Bryan Frazier: 22:03

Look up Mark Oriett and it was one of those things where I was like man, we should this as a duet. I love your voice on this. I think it would be cool. It's kind of like you know, rising tides float all ships here like I. Let's try to get both of our fan bases into this. And um, just cool to have your best friend on something.

Bryan Frazier: 22:19

And he had a part of this song and he has his own story and I have my own story, but it's the same thing and that's kind of why I think it relates to so many people, because it's like we all have that story, put it out and did pretty well, and again I'd still have people come up and kind of tell me their stories that they've had happen of people passing too soon or something in that song. The wildest part is when, as a songwriter, you get someone to actually have an emotional reaction and that song every once in a while gets an emotional reaction and it still gives me an emotional reaction. So that's what you love about music and I love this side of it. Derek, that's still one of my favorites.

Jay Franze: 22:56

You mentioned a couple of things I want to make sure we talk about. We don't let them pass. One of them is you said there was a four-person co-write there.

Bryan Frazier: 23:08

When you're dealing with that many songwriters do you feel that they're all contributing equally? Yeah to me, when it comes to four ways, it really just depends who you're with. I, um, sometimes you'll get put in rooms, um, and I, if it's a person I don't know, I would rather not be put in a four-way. I've been put in five ways. It's honestly oddly the both five ways. I've gotten songs cut I don't know, just like the one you can make money on. You're like thanks, man, but uh, those are with my best friends and like this one was with people I have all collectively written probably like 150 songs with. So it kind of comes easy. But if it's a new person I just met, that I hardly have never written a song with.

Bryan Frazier: 23:45

It's a little harder and I wouldn't say it's easy to contribute because you don't know what your job is. There's always with a four-way there's going to be someone doing the melody, there might be someone, someone might take it over and be like this is what we're doing and it makes it a little harder to put your spin on it. But if everyone's comfortable with each other it really brings out kind of the best. But it can go south too. That's why a lot of people want to keep it to three, because sometimes you can have too many cooks in the kitchen and it just doesn't come out right. That one specifically is probably one of the best four ways I've had, but yeah, it's different every time.

Bryan Frazier: 24:19

That's the funny thing with co-writing and stuff. But when you know you have people like that, like Mark and I write every other week so, and cody too, and eli all of them I I have monthly rights with, so it's easy to go about, but new people it's. It's definitely hard to stake your claim in the in the co-writing room. If you're doing four ways or five ways, it just gets difficult. I think that's why we do keep it to three most of the time. It's usually the sweet spot of creativeness and not every like one, two people take over and then you're like well, I didn't do anything with that song. I've been in those rights too, where you're just like I don't think I did much other than give them the title. I don't know. I was trying, but you know, best line wins, best melody wins always.

Jay Franze: 25:01

But it's an interesting thing we do in nashville though, yeah it really is, and that's one of the things I was just going to ask you too is when you go into these co-writes, are you looking to team up with people who specialize in a particular area, like maybe in a lyricist or somebody who's good at crafting a line?

Bryan Frazier: 25:18

oh yeah, sometimes depends what we're writing for you. Every day is different sometimes. If I'm like we're trying to get a song for me, it definitely helps too. In in Nashville, my producers, alex and Chris Utley Alex Maxwell, chris Utley they're both songwriters but they're also track guys. They're able to bring a different element to that, to where they already have a vibe and a song on a track that we can write to. That's a whole different level. I like doing that. Sometimes I don't like doing it all the time, but like it does bring creativeness once you get stale just sitting on the guitar the whole time. But it's it's different every time. I feel like and I know that's it's a weird answer, but it's always different and it just depends who it is. There's certain people you can vibe with and certain people you don't, and I've had people I've known for years and we get in the room and I'm like this isn't working.

Jay Franze: 26:06

I wish it would. The way it works, that's all right. Those days happen too, yeah, so which one of the guys produced this song?

Bryan Frazier: 26:17

It was Alex Maxwell. That's another one of the Alex Maxwell cuts he got.

Jay Franze: 26:20

All right. So was it Alex or was it the drummer who came up with the idea to start the song with a loop?

Bryan Frazier: 26:29

That was Alex, so we had the rhythm up, rhythm up high and that always every time we played that live was kind of a catchy thing we would do in the verse or the kind of post-chorus thing. And he's the one that was all his production type of stuff. He was like what about this? I'm like that is awesome, let's do that Just a creative thing. And that awesome, let's do that just a creative thing. And that's why I love having a producer like that. I would not have thought of that and he thought of that and he's like you think it's too crazy? I'm like, no, put that in there. That makes it to me because that's just the catchy thing, the ring and the meaningful part of it well, it's definitely air candy too.

Jay Franze: 27:00

And then when the drums do finally kick in, it's more full sound and you can hear that verb on the snare drum and stuff. At that point it really adds a little bit more feeling to the song, in my opinion. And then you reintroduce the loop or he reintroduced the loop, so I mean it was really a really cool touch, but the song is a little slower, so it adds a little bit more of that feel because I mean the subject matter is a little heavy that's the thing with a, with a heavy song like that we didn't want to get too.

Bryan Frazier: 27:27

It's just. You know, it's hard to keep people's attention for that. Not everyone wants to hear a song about their friend dying. That's why the the one part would raise them up, because that's what we always did, for my buddy and mark always said that to you. Like this one's for them and pour one out and be around a bonfire or anything and just think about them and I think the ear candy makes it to where you're just like all right, it's still. You don't want to kill yourself, you don't want to do it, but you're, you're, you're. You're wanting to look back and think it's a tribute. Yeah, think about the good times and everything, everything you've had your life absolutely that.

Jay Franze: 28:00

No, let's lighten it up a little bit yeah your next song. I want to talk about damn bna. You have a connection with cracker barrel. How did that come off?

Bryan Frazier: 28:08

yeah, so that that is one of my favorite songs. I love that song so much and alex produced that one too and he killed that track. But yeah, marketing wise you know it was the middle of the pandemic, we were just trying to get something going and, uh, just came up with this idea. I like going to cracker barrel. I always have wanted what I call a cracker barrel cut where I get one of those cds, the Cracker Barrel it's usually gospel albums and stuff, so I don't have that. But I kind of got my wife to go and then film us looking crazy just on an iPhone and just was like, hey, just going to go see my new single, cracker Barrel. Then we walked in, go to the CD rack and I'm like, actually they don't have it. Please proceed. My song. It's one of those bits you think of the last minute.

Jay Franze: 28:48

It was funny.

Bryan Frazier: 28:49

It was a cool thing to do it's always the bits that you, uh, don't spend any time on, really, that people just go oh, that's creative, heck.

Jay Franze: 28:56

Yeah, the ones you spend hours on they're like no one cares because those are the ones that everybody does when you're doing this little off the wall thing at cracker barrel. Nobody does that, nobody's do that.

Bryan Frazier: 29:06

It's a funny thing that modern artists have to do now. I always have liked doing it, but sometimes it gets a little much. But it's funny. You got to create these little skits and stuff and just try to keep people's attention in a crazy world of reels and TikToks just continually going.

Jay Franze: 29:22

So did you write this song with the same group of people?

Bryan Frazier: 29:29

So I wrote that with it was a three-way me mark oriat, neil I lock and um, I had had that title for a long time. No one really wanted to write with me. I I get why they would. It was a weird title, damn dna. I'm an aviation nerd, so I was just like airport songs and it sounds weird, but um, relationship songs, mixing them together. And then I actually got that title off of an Instagram.

Bryan Frazier: 29:53

There's a girl I know I won't put her name out, she doesn't even know this and she just was stuck at B&A for some reason, like in the TSA line. She was like damn B&A. I just wrote it down one day. It just kept being like a weird, like if we could spin this right, and then Mark finally was the one that's like all right, let's just make it, you know, like I've had a girl move away like that, not to that extent, but let's make it about a girl leaving Nashville and just going to LA and the only thing you can blame is that airport that took her away. And it's been a funny thing, because anytime people get stuck at B&A they just tag me in the song. So it's like an odd marketing thing I didn't even expect, but I'm proud of that song, the production on that, I love it.

Bryan Frazier: 30:30

Putting the airplane in the thing was my idea but Alex killed that. It just has a. If there's a like, put me in a bar is my party stuff, the Dan B&A would be my. You know. Soulful like heartbreak. I love a heartbreak rocking song. It's like, yeah, she's gone, she ain't ever coming back. I just can't get enough of those type of songs. That one's hit. I love it and I love the album. Cover was done by a guy named Steve Meckler and he came up with I wanted to do the Nashville carpet but he was like I might get sued for that. So he came up with the idea to put a airplane ticket and make it the whole thing and it's been cool. I love that song, yeah.

Jay Franze: 31:06

That's awesome. So you mentioned writing with your buddy and you wrote it with Mark, so you seem to have a consistency with Mark in all of this, so I'm sure you guys have a very tight relationship. So tell me about some of the things that have gone off the rails, some of the behind the scenes stuff that's happened with him that we might not typically get to see.

Bryan Frazier: 31:27

I've met him another. This is another key west situation, since we go down there every year for this bmi songwriters fest. I met him in like 2016.

Bryan Frazier: 31:35

I was just playing this random bar, I had this song. I still play it randomly. It's a fun song. It's just an older one, it's got, it's not out. Um, it's called booze tubing just about tubing on the river, you know, having some beers.

Bryan Frazier: 31:47

And he came up to me afterwards and was like I think we're going to be buddies, man, I love that song. And then, literally, we've been best friends since and it's just one of those writing relationships where you click and you're like you get me, I get you. His vocals are a lot like me, so it's easier to write with him melodic, wise. Sometimes I'll be in rights and you know if we're writing for me, specifically if it's in a different key or something that we're forcing it, it's just easier for me to. He has the same vocal tendencies too, so it's easy to just get some songs and he's just one of the best writers I've been around and just very creative and he'll take my dumb ideas and make it better. That's the greatest thing about co-writing. He argued creative and he'll take my dumb ideas and make it better that's the greatest thing about co-writing.

Jay Franze: 32:35

He argued with me over that damn vna for a long time.

Bryan Frazier: 32:36

Then he goes all right, I get it. I think I think we can do this. So tell me something crazy. So, uh, I don't know if we can legally do it. Uh, what else? He likes shooting fireworks when he's drunk at me a lot.

Bryan Frazier: 32:43

We were we were playing um roman candle baseball a couple months ago when we were at his house. That got a little wild. My wife and his wife did not like that, so but you know, duck here, duck here. We got out on skates, thankfully. We just have a lot of fun together. We're always, always. We play a lot of rounds in town. He's one of the main guys I'm actually playing. Well, next month I'll be playing the Bluebird with him the 25th.

Jay Franze: 33:09

Let's talk about that for a minute. I mean. Bluebird iconic place. I mean anybody who's written a really great song has played at the Bluebird and it's one of those venues where it focuses on songwriting. I mean they want you to be quiet, they want you to focus on the writer. So what was it like the first time you played there?

Bryan Frazier: 33:28

Scary as hell. It's like being in someone's living room with 90 people just like this. But it's the coolest thing on earth because it's a listening room. They have to be silent. People are there because they care about songs so you're able to play songs that you know. Sometimes you get influenced if you're at a bar having to do a set and you're like, all right, I can't play this deeper one. Sometimes people need it. It's easy to play. Just good, you can have a whole set list of good songs that you're just like heck, yeah, they're listening to every lyric and it's just such a weird uh it. They call it the mother church of songwriting because, like the mother church of country music's the rhyming and it is that that place is in a strip mall in green hills 1982. It's been the same thing and it it's been a huge help for my career. They have helped me immensely.

Bryan Frazier: 34:14

I've been put on big writers rounds in key west here at third and lindsley they do a thing.

Bryan Frazier: 34:19

I got to play with some people there, but it's a venue unlike any other and, like I said, it's, people come up to you after the show and they're just talking about lines and oh, that bridge you have like things you don't get in a normal show.

Bryan Frazier: 34:31

Usually they're there for the song writing and as a songwriter from the start, like I'm an artist, but songwriting is why I moved to town. It's the coolest venue you can ever get the opportunity to play and you kind of got to work your way up to get to the point where you get these these rounds actually, because I played their open mic and then you have to audition for a sunday writers night and then you have to play that four or five times and they rate you on that and then you finally get your own round, so kind of put in the work to climb the ladder there and, uh, they've been nothing but great to me. They're very supportive of the songwriting community and it's so neat to just have a place like that to go to and play people listen right, who's running it these days?

Bryan Frazier: 35:11

is, uh, erica wallen nichols. She's the genius, she's an amazing woman, she's. She's helped me a lot through the years and put me in things they didn't have to put me in, but, uh, they like me some reason. I don't know.

Jay Franze: 35:23

Yeah, I don't know why you get a new single coming out, wild girl tell me a little bit about that I'm pumped for this one.

Bryan Frazier: 35:30

I've been, uh, it would been. I don't know why you got a new single coming out Wild Girl. Tell me a little bit about that. I'm pumped for this one. I've been working on some music with my newer producer, Chris Utley. I'd say it's just a wild or something like that.

Bryan Frazier: 35:40

Everyone had one of those girls back in the day that you didn't marry, but you had some damn good crazy times with her At least I did, and I think most people can relate having a summer with a girl where you Probably shouldn't be with her, but damn, that was fun. That's the whole song. It's got some tongue-in-cheek stuff, some funnier. I feel like it meets in the middle of the Put Me in a Bar and kind of like a love song in a way, but it's 100% me.

Bryan Frazier: 36:05

I wrote it with my buddy, Jonathan Bradley, and I had that hook, Wild Girl, and I didn't know what to do with it really. And that's another one that came out quick and I didn't know what to do with it really. And that's another one that came out quick, probably in two and a half hours. Not too bad, and it's just it talks about she had a red skin, this hat her daddy gave her. I mean, I can picture this girl. I'm not going to say her name, she might track me down, try to show up at my house, but I can picture the girl right now that I'm talking about. So it's pretty real reel.

Jay Franze: 36:34

what does your wife think about it?

Bryan Frazier: 36:35

oh well, she's on the album cover, so that's how I got her to like it now. We thought it was fun. It's one of those things where my wife's fully supportive, but I don't put out songs that she doesn't like uh you're wouldn't be a good singer, songwriter, husband, if you're like she's still gotta, it's gotta go through the process of things, but uh I was trying to be creative.

Bryan Frazier: 36:54

She still has to bless it yeah, basically a little bit like I'll be like, hey, I really like this song, but what do you think? And she'll, she'll tell me, when they don't, they're not good or they suck. You need someone to tell you like, hey, that ain't it, man, it's not like you know, grandma being like every song you write's great because they're not all good. But uh, the album cover is a girl wearing a redskins hat and uh, with some aviators and it's actually an illustration of her. So like, uh, that's the funny part that we got going. I have a guy outside of texas that does these really cool illustrations and I was like I basically just got my wife in the hat and the glasses and was like I need to take a picture real quick.

Bryan Frazier: 37:30

It's like you're gonna be an album cover wait, so I think that's why she's okay with it too. But she also is like yeah, I understand, I was a wild girl at one point too. Oh boy, all right.

Jay Franze: 37:41

Hope she's not listening tonight. I laugh because my wife is like that for me. You know, my wife is very talented. I met her working in the music industry when I was recording records. She was a photographer and a graphic artist, so she would do all the album artwork and photos for these artists that we were working with very creative, very good at what she does.

Jay Franze: 38:01

But, holy cow, can that woman critique everything that I do? And I can't argue because she's typically right? I wouldn't, I won't tell her that, but she's typically right same here.

Bryan Frazier: 38:11

I know you gotta have one to keep you in your place, especially when you're in the arts creative world. You know, like I, you don't want them being like. We love you. You're amazing. Everything's great. Sometimes they do go a little over the line. You're like I get it. It's not good All right?

Jay Franze: 38:25

Well, we've talked about you going in and writing songs. Let's talk about the approach you take when you're writing a song. Do you take lyrics or music first?

Bryan Frazier: 38:33

So that's another thing that's different. Sometimes, I mean, I always have ideas. I never go to a right without I have a hook book of and I'm always writing it. If I'm at a bar, a coffee shop, any weird event, something comes to me. Someone said something. I'm writing it down in my iPhone notes. So I have a thousand titles and, um, kind of comes from that. I try to start with that.

Bryan Frazier: 38:55

Usually we all come in with an idea. Hash it out, see who has the best idea, what we're feeling that day. If we're writing with Alex or Chris those producer guys that I'm talking about they sometimes have a track and I'm like well, what about this idea to that track? This kind of sounds like like you say, a rockin' love song or this is a breakup song, this would be perfect for that. And just try to have a kind of a roster of ideas really ready to go, because the worst thing you want to be in a right is just coming in with nothing and being like I don't know what you guys have, because I've been on the other end of that where I'm like am I bringing everything to this? I don't really like being the only person writing this right now. I'm trying to weed those people out quickly. When you're writing with those type of people, but it starts.

Bryan Frazier: 39:36

It starts usually with the lyrics, I'd say because it's the title. I usually I'm a title guy I'm like or an idea at least not a title but kind of the hashed out idea. I'd say that's like 60 of the time, 40 of the time I'll have a lick or something. I'm not the world's greatest guitarist. I can get through things. I'm decent enough to play live and stuff. I have other buddies that will come in with a lick and just be like we're like, we're writing that today because even like the this side of the dirt kind of we had that title mark starts strumming, that pattern going from a dg like doing this little walk-up thing, and I was like that's it, let's write to that.

Bryan Frazier: 40:11

And sometimes I'll bring in a little chord, structure, riff thing that we'll write off of. But most of the time it's the lyrics. I'd say I know it's different for everybody and it's different every time, but I'd say the lyrics always start, because it's got to start with a good idea, to where you hash it out and you're like all right, I get this. We can kind of, can we, can we switch this and make it cooler? Can we kind of make this a basic idea? It seemed put me to bars pretty basic idea, can we? Can we really turn it around and be like heck.

Jay Franze: 40:40

Yeah, that's different. I can see that too. I mean, when I first moved to nashville, it was in 99 and the very first person I met was a guy named jim cristaldi um, great songwriter, great musician. I mean plays just about every instrument and I worked with him producing records from that point till this point. I mean, he's just amazing, one of the most underrated musicians I've ever met in my life. But it was the friendship that came, like you're describing with Mark. So when it came time to write songs or do things, it was good to work with somebody like that. So I could definitely see how you would take that approach with somebody. But the next thing I wanted to touch on real quick was one of the very first projects I got to do when I moved to Nashville. I wanted to work in a studio. I wanted to record and work with producers that were making big records that you would hear on the radio. But the first gig I got was working live sound and it was for a guy named Phil Vassar. Oh yeah.

Jay Franze: 41:36

And Keith Urban opened up for phil vasser. So I mean, that's how far back this was wow, but you had a chance to open up for phil vasser. Can you tell us a little bit about that? I?

Bryan Frazier: 41:47

did open up for phil vasser. Yeah, it was an awesome opportunity. I've been, I mean, being a virginia boy. He's one of the biggest artists to ever come out of virginia, singer, songwriter wise, and uh, I'm from Winchester Virginia in northern Virginia and, uh, there's a town next to it called Leesburg. There's a venue there called Talio and I got the opportunity to kind of scheme my way in to kind of get for a lot of my the early bookings have been me faking an agent and just trying to get in wasn't through Phil's people or anything. I was just like is this a way I can meet Phil Vassar? Please, I'll open, I'll do whatever, and I ended up getting lucky enough. He said it was okay because they have to say yes to these opening acts, just kind of the venom which I get. It was an awesome experience to see him live and meet him afterwards.

Bryan Frazier: 42:29

He's so gracious, just the nicest human being and just one of those talented singer-songwriters. It's insane and the hits he has and the amount he's still, the way he can perform, still even. I mean he's been doing it for forever, but I mean it's insane to see and his band is still he's that you know a good artist too, like this. He's had the same band for a long time. It's like his main lead guitarist is the same guy and you know that's just to mean something if they don't leave like that. So it was just an awesome experience Got to play my songs, got to, you know, have him be like hey man, you won't keep it on just to hear some kind words from a fellow Virginian. There's not a lot of us honestly down here doing it and he's kind of the the goat, all the fame guy from from our area that's doing it and it was. That's probably one of the coolest experiences opening for an artist that I've ever had, because it's just was so meaningful. He's a songwriter first too.

Jay Franze: 43:26

Oh yeah, he was a songwriter for years before he went off to be an artist. I like the stuff he did with jody messina oh yeah, a fellow bostonian, I have to mention her, yeah, but no I. Those songs were great. You know, his songs are always great and I think he's very underrated, not only for his songwriting, which is amazing and great storytelling, great chord changes, great musicianship behind it, but man, he's an amazing piano player. I mean, what a great talent. I then was producing an artist in Connecticut and he came to the casino in Connecticut and played a show there and the artist I was producing was opening up for him. So I got to reconnect with him. Then. I mean, like you said, he was just the nicest guy. It was really cool.

Bryan Frazier: 44:12

Yeah, it's cool when you meet your heroes and they're actually. You know, sometimes you never want to meet your heroes.

Jay Franze: 44:18

I've had it go both ways.

Bryan Frazier: 44:20

Yeah, you meet them on sometimes a bad night. I understand, you know you play on the red. Sometimes you're like, hey, they're not mean, but they're just like pass by, like hey, and when you meet your heroes and they're exactly who you thought they were, it's an awesome thing. So love you, phil. Please take me on tour, phil Vassar.

Jay Franze: 44:36

Right, let's give him a call right after this, right? Yeah, no, I mean, he was always great and, like you said, I have worked with both, so I've seen it go both ways.

Bryan Frazier: 44:45

Yeah, it's amazing. So he's the goal of anyone. I feel like, yes, he's playing smaller venues, but there's still 1,500, 2,000 seat caps and like he can do that forever and that is awesome.

Jay Franze: 44:57

I would rather see a show like that.

Bryan Frazier: 44:59

A hundred percent. It's a little more. His type of show broke down with that piano and everything in a small room is it's, it's amazing.

Jay Franze: 45:06

All right, sir. Well, we do this thing here we call unsung heroes, where we take a moment to shine the light on somebody who works behind the scenes or somebody who may have supported you along the way. Do you have anybody you'd like to shine a little light on?

Bryan Frazier: 45:16

Oh yeah, I'd say I mean it's probably stereotypical, but my mom and dad and they've been there from the start, from the moment they bought me my first real guitar when I was 13,. They gave a Martin D 16 to a 13 year old and then I don't know if they knew what was going to happen, but this is what it turned into into. But they've been the most supportive people on earth, still are and, um, they just could not be. You know a lot of people. This is a crazy dream to be on ride and the support and things they've done to get me to this point even are astronomical and you just can't get better parents to support people, and some people in music industry don't have anyone to really get them. They're all all on their own and it takes a tribe. It really does. My wife would be another one. I mean, she's dealt with ups and downs, but my parents have been there from the start and I don't think they knew what they were doing. They got me addicted to country music early on, with an Alan Jackson concert and an Alabama concert, so it's all been going up from there. They're been, uh, going up from there and they're they're definitely my unsung heroes because till this day, if I'm in virginia, they'll drive five or six hours just to be front row, just to just to be supportive and, uh, anything they can do, even till this day, just to keep the music going. That definitely will support.

Bryan Frazier: 46:29

And they've never once said like you're not gonna go get a real job or something like you know it's insane. I mean, I graduated college. They made sure they were like, if you're not going to go get a real job or something like you know it's insane. I mean, I graduated college and they made sure they were like if you're going to do this, you need to get a degree. I got a business degree and then they were like all right, I think it's time you need to go to Nashville and we'll figure this out. So my dad was the one that like stepped me aside and was like I think you need to try Nashville, which is, I think, the opposite. Usually for most people. Your parents are usually like what are you doing?

Jay Franze: 46:59

A big thanks to Brian for taking the time to share his stories with us, and thank you for taking the time to hang with me here, as always. I really do appreciate it. If you know anyone that would enjoy this episode, please be sure to share it. You can do that and find the links to everything mentioned over at jayfranze. com/ episode 92. Thanks again for listening and I'll see you next week.

Tony Scott: 47:25

Thanks for listening to The Jay Franzy Show. Make sure you visit us at jayfranze. com Follow, connect and say hello.