We spoke to Performance student Fraser Comrie about his experiences so far, upcoming releases with his project ‘The Flaming Cowboys‘ and other future plans…
Tell us about your upcoming release…
My music is released under the name ‘The Flaming Cowboys’ which has a country/classic rock feel to it, so my upcoming release is a song about a poker game. The title of the song is called ‘Runaway Cowboy’, it is about a game of poker between two cowboys in which one of them doesn’t have the best hand and is losing, the other guy seems to be think he is going to take everything from the losing guy; however, the luck switches around and the loser gets all of the luck and ends up teasing the other cowboy to give in and leave while he has money.
I have also released two instrumentals, one called ‘A Walk In The Park’ The other called ‘Desert Road Driving’ These two songs as I say are instrumentals, however show emotion through the songs and show a bit of skill.
Tell us about your own musical background/influences…
I haven’t always been into music, however throughout my childhood my dad always played CDs in the car that I loved, Artist’s like; Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits and more! All of these musicians and bands are those that I still continue to listen to, and I love their music. As a guitarist, I love the style that Mark Knopfler plays, he is my main musical aspiration, along with David Gilmour from Pink Floyd and Billy Gibbons from ZZ-Top.
How would you describe your music?
I would describe my music as a mix between Country and classic rock. I have been using Dire Straits and Pink Floyd as inspiration for the techniques for solos that I have been playing, and I’m utilising these skills to make my own music. On top of this, I also listen to some country music, from artists such as Johnny Cash, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Rogers, and many more. These artists I have listened to for quite a while, and I have looked into the stories behind songs to see if I could create my own music using similar topics for the story.
How has the Music Performance course helped you – what skills/knowledge/classes have been the most useful for you?
The music Performance course has really taken me out of my shell. I have noticed my confidence improving and my personality has been showing itself. I also have found my own unique style and sound that a year ago, I probably wouldn’t have thought about, but now that I’m studying this course, it has allowed me to be myself and play music that I love to play. Adding to this, my skills on the guitar have skyrocketed. I am able to improvise a solo from nothing, which adds to the songs that I am writing just now and being able to create my own songs within a short time feels amazing.
Why did you want to study at Riverside Music College?
I wanted to study at Riverside Music College as throughout high school, the music department was like a second home to me, before school, I was there, at break and lunch time, I was there. Playing the guitar, helping the staff with any guitars needing restrung or even fixing an amp. However, I wasn’t the best at music theory, so I knew I needed to improve on that. I was beginning to realise that music is what I wanted to do with my life. I found out about Riverside Music College through one of my high school friends, Euan Coote, who is a former student. I would ask him about the course he was taking, and he really sold it to me. I loved the sound of everything he was saying about the course and knew that I needed to apply for it.
What are your future plans?
I definitely want to make more instrumental music, possibly for a film or something similar. I am also going to carry on working on my music and releasing more songs. I love being creative with songs, so being able to create music is a big portion of my plans for the future. I would also like to become a music teacher, or a guitar tutor, depending on how things work out, but my main priority is to release music. I would also like to travel the world and use the landscape and different places to help spark my imagination for songs, sort of like how Paul Simon created the album ‘Graceland’. I definitely have quite a bit more inspiration in me for future songs as I lived in New Zealand for 8 years, so could definitely make a few songs about my life over there and challenges I have faced through the years.
I am going to be focusing on my musical persona that I have created, ‘The Flaming Cowboys’ which is the artist name that I am releasing my music under, so there will definitely be more to come for the future.
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