S.T.:  First of all I want to congratulate you for your awesome album. As you can read in my review I really love your music as well as I loved BRIGHTON ROCK in the 80´s! Can you tell me a little bit about how FRAZE GANG came together?

Gregg Frazer: FRAZE GANG came together as a result of 3 guys who wanted to get back to the challenge and satisfaction of creating music. I had a bunch of songs that I wanted to hear with real drums & bass instead of the drum machine crap I was used to hearing when I would record at my house. When Phil & Skreebs laid down the foundation to these songs, they came to life! So once we had enough songs together we recorded a cd on our own and put it up on our site. Since then it's been a steady climb, and we haven't looked back!

S.T.: You have released this album on your own without help from any record company. Does this mean some freedom to you or would you prefer to get a record deal as well?

G.F.: If the right deal came along that would be great, but you can't beat the feeling of total freedom. We love not having to second guess our writing and worrying if the record company will like it or not. Ideally it would be nice to have a company behind us who trusts our judgment and are into the same music as us. You still need a company behind you to get you to the next level.

S.T.:  Your CD sounds like the good old stuff. Why did you decide to make a classic Rock´n Roll album, not a “modern” one, perhaps with the chance for bigger success?

G.F.: We don't care if we're current or not! In North America the stuff that is successful is Rap, R&B, Country. That's who is winning all the awards and we are definitely not going down that path! "Modern Rock" today is so fabricated that it's lifeless to me. We like the older stuff because it had more soul & character and we're hoping FRAZE GANG will bring that to the table.

S.T.:  Can you tell me something about the rock-scene in Canada? I live in a small town in Bavaria and I have a handful of friends to talk about rockmusic or to go to a rock concert. What's it like in Canada?

G.F.: The live scene is not as vibrant as the 80's but it's still cool. Where we live is an hour away from Toronto which is the biggest city in Canada and we are also on the border of the USA with New York state being our neighbors. So we get the best of both worlds and are exposed to a lot of different music which can be very exiting. Having toured North America in the 80's & 90's I would say that Canada is almost a mirror image of the USA but it still has it's own identity in a lot of ways and we will always be proud of that.

S.T.: You wrote about the loyalty of the German fans. Do you think there is a chance to see FRAZE GANG live on stage in Germany? Are there any plans to go on tour for example in your home country?

G.F.: We have been getting the most response from Germany with sales and emails since the cd came out. It might be since we are such huge Michael Schenker & Scorpions fans that it shows in our music. We would love to play in Germany for all our fans and there might
be a chance in the coming future but we have to see how things work out. As for touring in Canada, we are in negotiations with some different agencies and basically just seeing what makes the most sense. Canada is such a huge country in size that it is a lot harder & costly to hit all the major markets because it is so spread out. We are trying to create a package of a few Canadian bands and do a co-headlining tour which would be a lot of fun. We're basically just going with the flow!

S.T.:  In the 80´s all things were so big. There were tons of money to make a record or to make a tour, nowadays the music industry is still big but nobody gives rock bands a chance to make a great deal. My opinion is, you can sell any kind of music if there is enough promotion. What do you think about?

G.F.: I think your right in a lot of ways but I must say that all the promotion in the world will not buy you loyalty. Once the public see's that there is no substance in that music you rammed down their throat they turn on you and look elsewhere. That's why you see so many one hit wonders today. "Here today, gone tomorrow!" The kids of today in a lot of ways do not like to be told what kind of music to like and would rather discover it on their own, and that's why they go underground and find something they can relate to and call their own instead of following the corporate trend of the day.

S.T.: Do you think that rock music could grow up again like in the 80´s?

G.F.: I think it already has in a lot of ways. People are tired of being reminded of how much their life sucks and are searching for a spark of positive energy, and that's what the 80's was all about and that's the spirit that FRAZE GANG is living and moving forward with.

S.T.: We´ve met through myspace.com as you know. What do you think about the internet and the new ways to spread your music?

G.F.: I think if you don't embrace it you will be left behind. Technology is moving so fast that you if you don't keep up you will never forge ahead. I'm getting turned on to a lot of new
underground, unsigned bands that might never see the light of day but are making new fans including me everyday because of the internet. We love it!

S.T.: Before BRIGHTON ROCK was found your band was called HEART ATTACK. Had you ever released any songs with HEART ATTACK?

G.F.: We released one song called "Breakin Down The Barricade" in the early 80's as part of a Toronto radio station called Q107's annual local homegrown talent search. 1000's of bands entered songs for this contest & the winners got their song on an record which was huge at the time. We were lucky enough to be included on the record which was great exposure and also lead to us getting signed to a major label. Once we got signed we changed the name (somebody else already had it) to Brighton Rock and the rest is history.

S.T.: Why did BRIGHTON ROCK finally break up?

G.F.: Out with old, in with the new! Once the grunge movement kicked in we were starting
to be considered old news as far as the music industry was concerned. Our core fans stuck with us but it was not enough to sustain the onslaught of bad vibes when being labeled an 80's band. The support was not there any more from the record company because of
personal transitions. The new guys wanted to make their mark and wanted to start fresh and basically ignored us because we were already established and did'nt need any extra attention. We tried to go elsewhere and start fresh but by then we were considered used goods. We decided to take an extended vacation that never ended!

S.T.: You did some shows as BRIGHTON ROCK in 2001/02, for example the Z-ROCK Festival in Germany. Is there a chance to hold a new BR CD in our hands some day?

G.F.: I would like to think yes! But circumstances have to present themselves. We would never do a studio record that is second rate. We would never like to diminish the history of what we accomplished. If we were given the opportunity to do a new cd with a half decent budget I'm sure all the guys would be in. But if it's half ass, count us out! We would never want to live off the name. Integrity is everything to us.

S.T.: Are there any plans to re-issue the BRIGHTON ROCK-albums, perhaps as Remaster or with some Bonus Tracks, are there any leftovers?

G.F.: Warner Canada released a greatest hits collection a couple of years ago called "Essentials" which I think you can also get on the website www.brightonrock.ca and I'm not sure if they plan on re-issuing anything else at this point, but if they do, there is a few songs that never made the cut that would cool for the fans to hear.

S.T.: You have toured with HELIX for 4 years. Which impressions can you tell about this? I mean, HELIX are another Canadian heroes. How did you get together?

G.F.: When Brighton Rock broke up I was in limbo and trying to figure out what I was going to do next. Daryl Gray ("Helix" bass player) who I met prior when Brighton Rock & Helix did shows together called me up and asked if I might be interested in filling in on guitar in for his weekend band "Scurvy Dogz" with ironically "Phil Epp" on drums! That's where I first met Phil, and it's been a nightmare ever since!! I was not doing anything at the time so I ended up joining Scurvy, and then Daryl mentioned that there might be an opening in Helix and I ended up joining and toured with them for almost 4 years. We did some great gigs together and had a lot of fun but after a while I realized that I needed to find my own way instead of living somebody else's dream.

S.T.: Now, after releasing your debut with FRAZE GANG, what are your plans up next?

G.F.: We are in the process of repackaging our cd and releasing in hopefully July. Ralph Alphonso "Bongo Beat Records" is taking the reigns and distributing Fraze Gang all over the world. When we originally released it on our site it was with the intentions of building a little buzz around our area and then maybe a record company would eventually sign us and then maybe we could go in and do a real record with a real budget. But what happened was the record started getting attention from around the world and Ralph said, "Let's do a proper release with a better cover and packaging but keep the recording the way it is because people are digging it! So we are in the process of redoing the cover, adding a booklet with new photos and getting it out there.

S.T.: . What are your dreams for the future?

G.F.: Our dreams are to plant the seed and spread the word with this release and then record a second cd and continue to build a body of work that we all could be proud of. And also to get on that stage and kick your ass!

S.T.: OK, finally you have the chance to say some words to the German fans.

G.F.: Once again we would like to thank all our German friends out there who have embraced us from the start and continue to blow our minds with their loyalty. We can't wait to get over there and Rock with you guys and have a party together. But until then check out our site
www.frazegang.com for all the latest news and also www.myspace.com/frazegang for all the other crazy things that can happen in the FRAZE GANG world! So in closing, let me just say, "Live Long," "Rock Hard," and "Pass The Puck!"
Cheers!
GREG FRASER