Written by Ian Blechschmidt


Who is Fraser Dean? A dry wit? A giving-up-the-straight-goods songwriter? In a word: yeah. But hey, see for yourself...

Your Indiesoundz bio says there’s an "unconcealed honesty" about you. Would you say you’re an honest guy?

Yeah especially in my music. Because at the end of the day I have to look in the mirror. Whether my music goes somewhere or not, what will always be is my integrity. "Or you could end up like Elvis."

On your website, you say that "nothing can stop you" now that your awe-inspiring abilities have been unleashed. The question, then, remains: will you use your powers for good? Or for evil?

" Hear ye hear ye, for it is I Fraser Dean , I've come to do good." Ladies if you buy my CD, when you put it on it will make your man want to clean the house!

If you had Spider-Man’s super powers, would you use them for good? Or for evil?

I do have his powers and I want better stage lighting now. LOL. My lightbulb just burnt out.

Why is it important for your music to be like nobody else’s? Is it something you do consciously?

I don't like the idea of someone coming up to me and saying "hey you sound just like so and so." So I mix my pot of stew really good — thus you get Fraser Dean. Very consciously.

Your original music is a lot different than the KISS stuff you covered a while back — how is it different playing your current tunes than playing the more stadium-rock type music?

Hey I'm stadium rock, LOL , all the millions just don't know it yet! Hey hunny you in the red.....there you go

What prompted you to make the switch?

Well you know when you're a kid and you have your tennis racket doing rock star in front of the mirror, then you hit your teens — I was still in front of that mirror so I said to myself "it's time for a change." Thus I grabbed the chop sticks and pots and pans. LOL. God bless Mom for letting me keep it up! Behind this drummer is a good Mother. R.I.P.

How is the experience of playing your own music different than playing songs other people wrote?

When I'm writing my own music it's just a flow, doing my favorite drum rolls, my favorite guitar licks, favorite beats and so on. When I'm learning someone else's song, I don't go note for note anyways, which I find alot of people do, and when they try and write an original song they come out sounding like that artist. There's a lesson there, boys and girls.

You play most of the instruments on all of your songs yourself. What’s the hardest part about that? The best part?

The hardest part is doing the drums when I'm in the recording studio. Not the playing technically, but where to put the drum rolls and where to put the cymbal hits, because I have the vocals and the guitar going in my head all the time. The best part is the reaction I get from people — a lot of people can't believe that I'm doing all the instruments at the same time . And it's definitely getting to the people, thanks to indiesoundz.

Your promo material (e.g., www.fraserdean.com) has some pretty funny stuff on it — especially the quote about the guy’s girlfriend, that’s just gold. Your music, however, seems a bit more introspective. Are there multiple sides to Fraser Dean? And do you try to keep them separate?

There are a lot of different shirts in my dresser so to speak. I play guitar , I play drums and I'm a dog groomer, I've been an icerink guard, I'm into martial arts the list goes on. Hey I'm an artist, I'm a little left of center. But I'm not the only one, these days you have the white guy with the dred locks with a Japanese girlfriend driving an American car going to a Britney concert by way of Metallica. So you see I'm not the only one.

What do you want people to take away from your music when they listen to it?

When they're listening to it, I wrote it, it's about me; but when they're listening to it, it's about them. Like my song says ("Remind You Of You"). And to see the truth. To feel real.

Who are your big musical influences? I hear some Bob Dylan, maybe some Smashing Pumpkins — am I close?

That's funny, I have neither one of their CDs. I guess sometimes the pitch of my voice can be like those guys, but hey, that's my voice. Last Saturday my neighbour was having a party, he's playing Reggae music, on my way to the corner store there's a car playing Hip Hop, I get into the store and the owner is playing Korean music, I get home and my girlfriend is playing Country music, "Tear In My Beer." I remember 20 years ago if you were depressed you put on a Country song - that's what my Mom did, now it's go on Dr. Phil and give your three part misery story, "can't forget the commercials." So you see the people I see, "the people I become."

Is there anything big coming up for you that you’d like people to know about?

A video.

Quick — name your top 5 albums of all time

Van Halen 2, AC/DC Back in Black, Asley Macisaac('s) 2003 CD, Johny Cash Greatest Hits and last but not least fraser dean. By the way, Ashley Macisaac is my 4th Cousin.

What’s in your CD player right now?

System Of A Down, fraser dean, and Foreigner.

Bonus Question: what’s better, vinyl, CDs, or MP3s?

CDs make you want to go out and travel the City, while an MP3 says the hell with it I'm staying home and I'll just download it. I guess CD.