Canadian musician Fraser Wayne released his Demonology (Fishbum Records) LP this past June, and today he returns with a self-directed video for his cut “Be Good.” The Montreal resident founded the garage rock outfit The Fuzzy Undertones, and after several years of touring and a rotating cast of members in the band, the musician has currently moved on to his new project as a solo endeavor.
Wayne, who also founded the not-for-profit community label Fishbum Records, reports that Demonology was a home-recorded effort. As the album’s provocative title may allude to, the record is the result of some difficult times. But, instead of running from these challenges, the artist has courageously chosen to embrace them as a means of moving past them.
Dancing with the big man downstairs definitely has its dangers, so “Be Good”‘s admonition comes from a fellow well-schooled in the Dark Arts downside! While “never say never” might provide one path to the Palace of Wisdom, Wayne’s opening track seeks a less shadowy route to self-discovery. Along the way, though, he gives the devil his due unleashing a reeling dose of psychedelic garage rock. As a fiery antidote to what ails, it’s just the cure we needed.
Below, you can watch Fraser Wayne’s self-directed video for “Be Good.” Additionally, the artist recently took time out to answer a few of our questions regarding his project, the Demonology LP, and new video. Don’t miss the interview after the video embed…
LETV: You seem to have a bit of a storied history in Canada’s underground rock scene, give us a brief history for those of us new to you, and tell us what inspired you to go solo?
FW: I grew up in the countryside, about an hour north of Toronto, near a town called Barrie. In high school I made beats for some rappers in the Barrie / Toronto area, but I never really played any instruments growing up. After high school, I was involved in the DIY Arts Collective in Barrie, and we had a cool building where we threw low key concerts and art shows. I started writing music in 2012 after I bought an acoustic guitar and an audio interface. I recorded a few albums in Ontario before I came to Montreal on tour in 2014 and fell in love with the city. I ended up moving here 2 weeks later haha.
Since my arrival in the city, my main focus was my garage rock band, The Fuzzy Undertones, which was a continuation of what I was doing in Ontario. There were over 40 people that played in that band at some point or another over the past 5-6 years. That’s part of the reason why I decided to go solo.. Because it’s so hard to keep a band together, especially when it’s your own creative vision. It just made more sense to channel everything into my own project, where I can record at home as much as I want, and continue to release music on my own; but at the same time be able to jam with my friends and put shows and tours together. I’ve got a sweet line up right now that I would actually like to record a full album with!
But yeah, other than that, I started Fishbum Records back in 2016-2017, which has mostly been a DIY not-for-profit community based label. We have released a lot of bands from Montreal and Toronto including Vypers, The Fuzzy Undertones, Crazy Bones, and Light Bulb Alley, but we have also done a few international releases including Lake Of Fire (Austin, Texas) and Unholy Sights (Baltimore, Maryland). We also did a limited edition custom lathe-cut double vinyl pressing of King Gizzard‘s “Polygondwanaland” back in 2017!
I throw an annual festival here in Montreal called “Fish-Fest,” and I have thrown these events in other cities including Toronto and Barrie. Not sure if we’ll be able to do Fish-Fest this year due to the virus, but I’ve got my fingers crossed that we can pull it off in one way or another!
LETV: The “Be Good” video is a great mix of psychedelia and almost an 80’s version of futurism. How does this track specifically fit into the album?
FW: Yeah I guess the video is a psychedelic look into what mental illness feels like. I’ve been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, so I wanted to kinda try to create a visual representation of what it feels like to be in my mind some days haha. Everyday is an emotional roller coaster! Be Good is the opening track to Demonology, which is an album I wrote last year during a really rough time in my life, when I ended up in the hospital twice due to my mental health. I think this track follows a lot of the same themes as the rest of the album. There is a lot of pain, but there is also a lot of hope! It’s all collectively about healing and overcoming those inner demons. Looking for ways to be better. Be Good is kinda like a mantra.
LETV: In such uncertain times, what are you most looking forward to, and what gives you hope as a musician? How has 2020 changed you as a person
FW: I’m most looking forward to being able to play shows and festivals and go on tour again haha. I think everyone is. I’m looking forward to watching the civil rights movement grow and I’m looking forward to the music industry playing a bigger role in it. I’m looking forward to all these new kinds of DIY shows that are gonna start springing up due to bar restrictions. It’s an uncertain time for sure, but there’s a lot of hope.
2020 has given me time to pursue a lot of artistic endeavours that I usually keep on the side. I’ve gotten back into drawing and painting, I’ve been teaching myself graphic design, and I’ve been working on some other videos projects too. It’s been pretty decent. 2020 has also given me a lot of time and space to get my mental health together. I finished 15 weeks of therapy earlier this year and I’ve been working on mindfulness and self awareness and learning better ways to cope with my BPD. I’m feeling healthy and I’m maintaining healthy relationships and I’m really looking forward to the future 🙂
