Fraser & Girard

http://fraserandgirard.com/reviews - Fraser & Girard

Somewhere in the middle of next week’s Smales Pace reunion concert, there’s a lovely love story.

Folk heroes gather on Friday at Aeolian Hall to honour the late Ken Palmer, London Music Hall of Famer with the Dixie Flyers and former artistic director of the Home County Music & Art Festival.

A Palmer-worthy lineup graces the event at Aeolian Hall, with a Dixie Flyers all-star band among the stars. It will be the season’s first chance to honour Palmer, with Home County adding its tribute in July at Victoria Park.

Still, this Palmer admirer is also touched at Friday’s revelation of a new Toronto-based folk duo, Fraser & Girard, an incomparable couple on and off the stage.

“It’s brought joy back to my life and grace in a very intimate way. . . . If that were to pass I would still want to work with Marianne,” Canadian folk star Allan Fraser said this week of his partnership with Delaware-raised Marianne Girard.

“I’m afraid it’s all dimensions,” said a laughing Girard of their relationship.

It took a while for Fraser & Girard to become a duo.

Her first gig was at Western’s The Hub in 1972.

Fraser had already been recording as part of the Canadian duo Fraser & DeBolt, who wowed crowds at Mariposa and critics at the New York Times before Fraser and the late Daisy DeBolt split up.

Fast forward from the Canadian folk glory days of the 1970s to much more recent times in Toronto. It had first been Girard’s base since the late 1970s and she returned there more than a decade ago. Fraser moved to Toronto after spending 35 years in Montreal.

The two had crossed paths many times over the decades in the Canadian folk world.

Then, on an evening in August last year, they met again over tea under a Japanese maple tree on College Street in Toronto.

A new duo bloomed under that tree.

Since their tea-for-two session, they’ve advanced from playing what were billed as Girard gigs with Fraser joining her on guitar to a new duo identity as Fraser & Girard.

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By James Reaney, The London Free Press

Friday, May 23, 2014 6:52:00 EDT PM - The London Free Press

“… a wonderfully intimate evening sharing their music... With a gutsy, country... voice, (Girard) delivers heartfelt, ... moving lyrics... lumps in throats all around... (Fraser's) poetic lyrics... run from quite obtuse symbolism to very simple conversation... He puts me in mind of Cohen, Townes Van Zandt, yes and even Mick Jagger when he gets down and dirty using shouts and falsetto...

So how do they mesh? Wonderfully! ... They're magic...

There is a lovely interplay between them on stage in their banter and eye contact and some tasty guitar work weaving, picking and strumming, back and forth. Vocally, they move from simply beautiful... to tingly shivers... their voices intertwine hitting some neat, jangly minor harmonies... I was reminded of Bert Jansch... (As with Ian & Sylvia) there is that same excitement in the combination of male and female voices of great but different quality. Yes! Again the crowd summed it up. “Wow!”

- Bob Cunningham, The Beat magazine (Jun 19, 2014) - The Beat Magazine

Allan (Fraser) & Marianne (Girard) put on a wonderful show here at London Music Club this past June. Their wit and passion shine through with every word and every chord played... we look forward to having them back here @ LMC. This is world-class singer-songwriter, folk-roots entertainment!”

- Pete Denomme, Club Owner, London, ON - Pete Denomme

On Fraser and deBolt, April 18, 1971 :

New Rock: Pure as Spring Water
By JAMES LICHTENBERG

April 18, 1971,

, Section arts and leisure, Page D30, Column , words



"...IN the last few months two surprising, special records have come over the hill, titled with the names of the artists, Ry Cooder (Reprise) and Fraser DeBolt (Columbia). Cooder, from California, and Fraser DeBolt, from the Canadian Mid-West, have in common a musicianship that leaves most rock in the dust, an inspired craziness of personal expression, and a vision of people as feeling individuals, not a ticket-buying festival mass…As in gypsy theatre, their songs are performances and their lyrics are as dramatic and direct as finely spoken folk tales. …With this range of feeling, dense imagery and unexpected depth, their words may well find a place in the oral tradition of poetry...”

- James Lichtenberg, The New York Times (Dec 01, 2011) - The New York Times

Toronto, Feb 2014 - “Marianne Girard and Allan Fraser performed as a duo last night at Winterfolk. Their set showed all the magic that can occur when two gifted singer-songwriters join forces. Both have great songs. Both have everything it takes to completely satisfy an audience on their own. Together they offer an abundance of riches. And while each of them complements the other’s songs in ways that reflect their own strong musical identity, both are focussed only on the song at hand. The resulting musical chemistry unfolded in spontaneous and unpredictable ways, creating one moment after another of unexpected grace and joy.

The good news is, they plan to make this a regular partnership. Yay! As they said from the stage, the only thing left to sort out is, will they perform as Girard & Fraser or Fraser & Girard? That’s a happy problem.”

- David Hines, Toronto musician - David Hines

Submitted by cashbox on Fri, 06/22/2012 - 00:04

Concert Reviews
News

Story: Don Graham

Allan Fraser (one half of the iconic folk duo Fraser & Debolt of the 70’s) appeared last night at Donald Quan’s Musideum in downtown Toronto. The folk/rock icon was accompanied by a stellar lineup of A Team sidemen, Bob Cohen on guitar, David Woodhead on bass, Joel Axler on piano and special guest, fiddler, Ian Guenther. Guenther was a big part of the Fraser & DeBolt album on Columbia Records. The reunion resulted in an amazing evening of music and memories.

Fraser & DeBolt were the springboard Fraser needed to get his music heard by the masses. After showcasing as an opening act to Tom Paxton at New York’s famed Fillmore East, the duo was signed to the giant label Columbia Records. They recorded their debut album in Toronto with Craig Allen handling the production and fiddle whiz Ian Guenther accompanying them. The album was a critical success getting rave reviews in the New York Times, Maclean’s Magazine and the Los Angeles Free Press among others.

Allan and Daisy, capitalizing on the momentum, created by the first album were soon back in the studio recording the follow up ‘With Pleasure’ album. The pair stayed busy and in 1974 they were chosen to represent North America in The International Song Festival in Sopot, Poland. Fraser & DeBolt broke up not long after that and although they never quite made it as big as predicted, forty years later there is still a buzz about them and the songs. More importantly there is still a buzz about Allan Fraser.

Many artists have recorded his songs, including Tom Russell, the Duhks, Cal Hand with Leo Kotke, Penny Lang and Cassell Webb and John Oates of Hall and Oates fame.

Fraser has continued to perform and on Tuesday evening June 19th , he took to the stage at Musideum in downtown Toronto, backed by the aforemened group of musicians.

“We’re a group and not a band,” Fraser explained from the stage. “If we were a band we’d need a name, but we are a group,” he joked. Cohen, Woodhead, Axler and Guenther meshed tightly on the original songs that Fraser performed. The audience was there to soak up th Fraser vibe and were respectfully attentive and were thrilled when Fraser opened with his signature song ‘Dance Hall Girls’ The rest of the set was a great blend of Fraser’s eclectic collection of originals, including ‘We Shall Be Delivered.’

Allan Fraser is definitely not your cookie cutter artist and there is no mistaking his original sound and style. If he is performing anywhere near you make sure you get out experiencing this truly original artist and his work, and visiting his Reverbnation site to give a listen. You’ll be glad you did ! - Cashbox Canada Magazine

Greg Quill writes:

“Pirate Days is a revelation. Marianne Girard, those familiar with Canadian song craft know, is a proven a songwriter capable of great sensitivity, insight and truthfulness. But this time out, she's taking no prisoners. The vivid song stories on this album are alternatively bold and tender, the tunes clever and memorable, the production tasteful and the ensemble musicianship of the finest order. But on Pirate Days it's the vocal performances that stay with you. They're warm, inclusive, commanding. The confessional, occasionally ribald tone of the songs is served exquisitely by a voice that's unequivocally pure and joyfully unrestrained...”

- Greg Quill, The Toronto Star - The Toronto Star

Pirate Days “This second CD by the veteran Canadian singer-songwriter is filled with compelling, insightful songs. Girard is at her best stepping outside herself to sing from the perspective of older people – like someone who worked on the levee in 1933 only to see it fail in 2005, or a hermit who lived an isolated life after avoiding serving in World War II. She also writes poignantly about the passing of her mother and with compassion about a woman who is self-destructing via drugs. A fine singer, Marianne’s songs are well served by her acoustic-oriented arrangements and the clean production of Douglas Romanow. ”

- Mike Regenstreif, Sing Out! Magazine (Sept 2010) - Sing Out Magazine

Pirate Days – “Sure wouldn't want to be a singer/songwriter these days. The competition is staggeringly fierce. Can't imagine being as talented as Marianne Girard, who has it all: exceptionally interesting voice, great songwriting talent and who has recorded a disc as impressive as this, with backup from a hot guitar player like Rick Fines among others, and have to try to get the attention of frankly jaded critics like me, who hadn't heard of her before.

It's tough to stand out among the dozens of other well-made discs we get every quarter. Well, I've heard of her now and all I can say is, “Wow!” Not likely to forget about this one. She DOES stand out. Big time! I’m impressed as hell and will be watching this Toronto-based singer’s career with interest from now on. Great Stuff.”

- Barry Hammond, Penguin Eggs (Canada‘s Folk, Roots & World Magazine) - Penquin Eggs

A group of 50 or so people is gathered in the living room of a home south of Calgary. Friends, neighbours, new acquaintances, they nibble on the selection of food and talk amongst themselves. New arrivals are greeted at the door and welcomed into the excited atmosphere. Yes, indeed, there is an undertone of anticipation. Everyone knows they are about to be treated to a special night.

At the appointed time, all assembled are ushered into the basement. A few make a last minute circle of the dining table while others top off their glass or fill their coffee cup. Never the less, in mere minutes, everyone has gathered in the basement sitting, waiting eagerly.

A light comes up and the hostess appears and says
“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Marianne Girard”.

Marianne takes the stage comfortably. It is an intimate setting and Marianne immediately begins to establish a rapport with her audience. “Can you believe this place?”, she says, only half asking for she is sure they must have heard that before. “It is so great.” Marianne eases into her first, appropriately chosen song. When she is finished, the audience response tells her that she has a knowing and appreciative crowd who are already warming to her performance. Marianne introduces each song with a fitting story. Sometimes short, sometimes personal as when she tells us the inspiration for Amanda On The Train. Those who have listened to Marianne's multi-tracked studio recordings briefly wonder if she can represent the songs as well here in this setting but Marianne's mastery of the guitar and her incredible voice very quickly put any concern to rest. The songs and the stories flow. Pirate Days makes us believe in Marianne's indomitable spirit, The Levee reveals to us her thoughts on the tragedy of hurricane Katrina. If I Had Wings, Constantinople, The Cuckoo, the variety is delicious and each offering receives our profound appreciation. It is obvious that the audience is hooked. She shyly announces she'll be flying to Ottawa overnight for her nomination at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. The audience is thrilled and genuinely excited for this woman who has already won their votes and their hearts.

There's an intermission, more food and then more fine music. My Mother's Blanket touches many, each in different ways while Train Of Love offers hope to those who need it. By now, we are all one with the music, the stories and the stories within the music. For a brief moment, before the applause, you could hear a pin drop when Marianne finishes Angel In The Snow as we absorb the meaning of that to which we have just listened. All too soon the concert is over. The audience retreats to the upstairs, some to seek more food or a cup of coffee and some to find their way to the door. Marianne is gracious. She joins the crowd, answers questions and bids a fond farewell to people as they leave. One thing is certain. Everyone has just witnessed a very special concert, in a little theatre in a basement. No one will soon forget.”

- Bill Towsley, Home Routes concert presenter, Calgary, AB. - Bill Towsley, Home Routes House Concert Presenter