When Aaron Frazer first began singing as a teenager, he was embarrassed of people hearing him practicing.
“I learned to sing while listening to Black Keys albums in my ’98 Honda Civic in high school because I was too embarrassed to sing in public. I thought maybe I had good pitch, but when you’re a kid, it’s embarrassing to sing,” Frazer says in a Zoom interview.
Frazer eventually got over his stage fright, and in the last decade the 33-year-old Baltimore native has spearheaded the retro soul revival alongside collaborator and bandmate Durand Jones. In a full-circle moment, Frazer’s first album, 2021’s Introducing…, was produced by Dan Auerbach, one-half of the Black Keys.
Now, the falsetto crooner is about to embark on his first solo tour to promote his second album, Into the Blue. The work is a time capsule of R&B/Soul, exploring the peaks of love and the lows of heartbreak. Produced by Alex Goose, the album has songs you’ll want to dance with your friends to; go for a drive in the car with; and others that you’ll want to float alone in your room with. “Time Will Tell” sounds Fleetwood Mac-ish, while “Fly Away” is reminiscent of ’90s R&B. “I Don’t Wanna Stay” evokes boulevard night rides in your car shedding a tear over a lover.
GT caught up with Frazer to talk about writing sad songs, finding your home away from home and discovering authentic Mexican food.
Good Times: How are you feeling for the upcoming tour? Is this your biggest solo tour to date?
Aaron Frazer : It’s my only solo tour to date. This is my first, so I’m so excited! I’ve been working really, really hard getting the show together, not just the music, but the performance of it itself. I’ve spent my whole musical life behind the drum kit, and so on this tour, I’ll be up front for probably most of the show, going back and forth.
We’ve come to Santa Cruz with Durand Jones and the Indications a bunch of times over the years—I think we’ve done The Catalyst twice. I feel like California audiences are truly some of the best in the entire world, and that includes Santa Cruz. The engagement from the fans just makes it feel electric.
GT: Into the Blue is very personal and explores the highs of love and lows of heartbreak. What was the writing process like for you and what state of mind are you in now compared to when you wrote the album?
Better now for sure. When I started (writing) I was definitely in kind of a very low place, just feeling very sad. The intention, originally, was to move to California with my partner at the time. So I arrived in a new city alone, and the Indications weren’t touring, we were taking a year break because we had just toured like crazy. Even that stability wasn’t there.
Originally, I was trying to avoid writing sad songs, honestly, just because I feel like a lot of people know me for these kinds of very tender, loving happy songs. But as soon as I allowed myself to start writing sad songs, the songs started flowing, yeah? And I also was able to go back and write some of the happy ones and appreciate the good times and the “highs of love.”
How has the album been received?
Great. I think this is an album that’s a little different for me. I still think it feels very much like me, but I just wanted to show growth, maturation. As a producer, as a songwriter, I wanted to bring all of my influences together, and I feel like I’ve really done that on this record. I think people are getting to see more dimensions of who I am as an artist, which makes me happy.
Musically, this album feels like a time machine taking you through various decades of R&B and soul. Was this on purpose?
It did come naturally. I’m a really eclectic music fan and music student, and I think that some people might look at these different genres and be like, ‘Oh, they’re too far apart, they’re too different.’ I think you can reach a point in your musical journey… it’s like you see The Matrix. That’s how it feels. It’s like you can see The Matrix, and when you get to that point, you realize that the distance between these genres is so small and a lot of times arbitrary.
You can very easily draw lines. It’s like, “Rapp Snitch Knishes” by MF Doom is a sample of a soul/jazz cover of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.” I think all records are in conversation with other records, and so that’s what this album is. You can hear a musical conversation, and you can see what my record collection is through this.
Your lead single is “Dime,” featuring Chilean/Mexican artist Cancamusa. How did this collaboration come about?
I am a big Mon Laferte fan, and I found Natty (Cancamusa) through Mon’s Instagram page. At a certain point, Natty was featured on her Instagram and I was like ‘This is a super dope drummer, and she sings too,’ which is a very uncommon pairing. We connected the internet; I had written demos with a couple friends here in LA, and I knew I wanted to feature a Spanish-speaking artist on the track, and I love Natty’s voice. And I also just think it is really special to have two singing drums on one track. I honestly can’t think of another song that has that. It’s probably happened, I’m sure, but I can’t think of one.
It was nice to be able to do that together and we really dig into each other’s company. The love that you see in the “Dime” music video is really real. We really care about each other a lot. So, yeah, she’s great.
What’s a track you’re looking forward to playing live?
I’m really excited for people to hear “Fly Away” live because we have a special horn arrangement that’s not on the recording. That’ll be cool, to bring that to life. I think “Play On” has emerged as a fan favorite. It’s the one you never expect, the one people respond to. “Easy to Love,” also, because there’s just so much energy. It feels really good.
On this tour, I’m doing covers that people have wanted me to do for a long time. I’m playing some covers—some most-requested and some obscurities. It’s going to be a little bit of everything.
How do you like California and how is it inspiring you musically? Are you a fan of lowrider culture?
I’ve been so embraced as a solo artist and with the Indications by the lowrider communities all up the West Coast. All over the country, really, but especially on the West Coast and especially in California. Even though I’m not from here, it does feel weirdly like this is a musical hometown for me. It’s really one of the greatest honors of my life to be welcomed into the culture here in California and the lowrider scene. When that crowd rocks with you, they rock with you.
I’ve spent this year mostly in the studio, so I still feel like I’m laying down roots, in a way. But being here has skewed my point of reference for Mexican food! California just allows you to access a lot of different kinds of dimensions of life, and I think you can hear that on this record. There are so many different dimensions being represented. So, this is definitely a California record.
Might this record open you up to a new audience?
Yeah, that’s the hope. I feel like for my core listeners, it’s there for them. It knocks; it’s smooth; it’s sweet. But I do think that this record could also work in the context of other people’s musical universes that don’t know me yet. On digital streaming platforms, like Spotify, it’s been cool to see where these songs have ended up in terms of playlists. It’s in these interesting playlists with the Black Keys or a bunch of pop artists. I’m a music person who can kind of fit into any room. And I like to make music that can kick it with everyone.
The live show is really something that you can share with people. Of course, bring a lover, but also bring a homie; bring your mom; bring your dad; bring your kid. I’m making something that we can share together. And in these times when we are divided in a lot of ways, and we don’t always see eye to eye, it’s really rare when we can come together and share.
Headliner Aaron Frazer and opening act the Tailspins play at 9pm on Friday, Sept. 6 at the Catalyst, 1101 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, 831-713-5492. Tickets: $27/advance, $32/door. catalystclub.com
