The Eighth Note is 8 quick Questions with Wellington Musicians. A chance for us to catch up with people & see what they’re up to, or introduce you to a new musician/band and their music.
Up next is Dylan Frater, who has just released his debut long player.
Who are you? Tell us a bit about your music:
I’m Dylan Frater and I primarily make singer/songwriter music with an ejection of ambient, folk and rock. It’s kind of cinematic and dramatic (but I’m pretty chilled person in real life!)
What have you been working on lately?
I’ve just released my debut album . It’s a 10 track album that I’ve been working on for the past 5 years. It’s been such a thrill to have it out and hearing people tell their favourite song or what they’re enjoying about it. When you’ve been listening to a project for so long it can kind of end up loosing it’s effect on you. Your reminded of why you wrote the music in the first place when you hear the connection it’s having with people.
Where is the best place people can follow you or listen to your music?
I have link tree set up for From Winter to Winter. The other places are Facebook, Instagram & YouTube.
What are three most influential albums to you growing up?
First one that comes to mind is Paul Simon’s ‘Graceland’. It just feels like home when I listen to it. The lyric writing is Simon at his best, there has been very few albums that I’ve liked more and more as I’ve grown up. Second one would be MJ’s ‘Dangerous’. I think I was always pulled in by the power of the songs and the energy of the performances. This was probably my first introduction to music with a Rock/pop influence too. The first album I ever heard that made the hair on my arms stick up was Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’. It was the power of the Dave Growls drums, Kurt’s potent lyrics and the catchy pop sensibility of the writing. I have hooked on guitar pretty soon after.
Which other Wellington musicians (s) would you like to work with?
You know, Wellington really has some badass talent! I think it would be cool to colab with a DJ. I see a lot of sick DJ’s performing at places like Laundry bar and feel a colab in the that vain would be pretty cool.
What’s your favourite Wellington venue to play in?
A lot of my favourite places to play in have closed unfortunately. My personal favourite was Caroline, that place was dope, it had a very warm indie vibe. Reminded me a little of of the legendary Mighty Mighty. Currently, I really like San Fran, Moon and The Third Eye. My dream gig would be ParrotDog Bar or The Opera House.
In your songwriting or composing, how do compositions and songs take shape?
I usually take a long time to write a full song, sometimes a few years. There’s usually an initial spark, which might just be a melody or hook. I then carve away, making drafts in my lyric book. I have a huge selection of lyrical ideas in my phone that I pull out whenever I’m stuck. But every song has it’s own thing, not one song is ever written the same exact way. Sometimes I’ll write backwards from a title and try and imagine it already being a song. I 100 percent believe songwriting is a craft like any other musician skill and needs training, practice and dedication.
When/where is your next gig?
The Third Eye bar, November 6!