Australian musician Jay Fraser owes much to the influence of a drunken sailor. Being called upon in primary school to perform the ancient sea shanty was the first time he remembers paring D-chord melodies with sobering lyrics.
It was watching a Nick Drake documentary in 2004 though that spurred him to start putting his owns chords to paper. Today he is among a new wave of young Australian singer-songwriters gaining national and international recognition.
Fraser’s music is born from his exploits and travails as a modern-day travelling troubadour – and part-time accountant. Matching crisp guitar work with honest vocals, he has earned acclaim and airplay in high quarters.
In 2007 Fraser released his debut album ‘Losing Home’, followed in 2008 by ‘3 Days, 7 Lovers and the Philistine’.
Since ‘Losing Home’ he has found a new one in London. Here, more than 17,000 kilometres from childhood, he recorded his third studio album. Called ‘Buildings of Dreams’, the album captures in song Fraser’s escape from what he describes as the “quicksand years”. It charts his route from Launceston to London, from false love, and the backwater towns and dead-end jobs he took to get there.
Nine months after the release of the colourful ‘Buildings of Dreams’ and Fraser found himself kneeling before the alter of the blues for the release of ‘Sketches of a Renegade’ EP. The 4 tracks capture Fraser’s solo performance live off the floor at Wavelength Studios in Doncaster (UK) and were intuitively engineered by renowned folk/roots producer Keith Angel (Kate Rusby, Martin Simpson, John Boden, In Fear Of Olive). Fraser says of the EP, “the songs are dark and gritty, and I love that about them”.
Wherever he finds himself, Fraser impresses with his out-loud laugh and warm, considerate manner. Although he’s come a long way from Tasmania and the sea shanties, he’ll always fondly remember those drunken sailor roots.
Written by Sam Davies – an Australian writer & journalist based in Paris.
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