Stephen Fryrear has moved from one music city to another bringing his Acoustic/Pop songs to new ears. And with a recent spotlight on Music City Unsigned Stephen Fryrear is becoming a familiar face in the music scene.
Austin, TX
United States
Genre: Acoustic / Pop / Soul
Album(s): Texas to Tennessee, Heartstrings EP
Website: http://www.myspace.com/stephenfryrear
Matthew: You are originally from Austin, TX, The Live Music Capital of the World. What persuaded you to move to Music City?
Stephen: When I graduated High School I always knew I wanted to study music, but all the music programs in the Texas universities were all classical music programs, and that really wasn’t the direction I wanted to go. Belmont was always my number one choice, but I got a good scholarship to go to school in Jackson, Tennessee, so I was halfway to Nashville. I studied there for two years, then made the transfer to Belmont because of their commercial music degree. When I got there, I knew I finally was exactly where I needed to be. The talent and ambition from so many instructors and students there were inspiring and really pushed me to be as creative as I could be. And let’s be real, Nashville couldn’t be a better place to study music
Matthew: When you released your debut, Heartstrings EP, late last year you stated, “It’s been a long time coming, but I wanted to release a product that was genuinely me”. How does the album showcase you as a songwriter & performer?
Stephen: The first few times I recorded some demos, I would get intimidated by the people recording me because I knew nothing about the equipment, and it was difficult to get “my” ideas across. The more I recorded, the more comfortable I got with the whole recording process. I recorded Heartstrings EP with my friend Nate Baldwin, and we spent a lot of time making sure that we got the sound that we wanted. As a songwriter, I feel that I put my best work out there. The most important thing to me is that the song has to be honest, when its honest is when people can relate and feel it. I also tried to show some versatility in the style of songs, from rocking with heavy electric guitars in “Follow Me Down,” to softer, acoustic love songs like “Heartstrings” and “Harmonies.” As a performer, I think this album is a good representation of the real thing. We really worked on not using auto-tune, and trying to keep the recordings honest.
Matthew: How did you meet the musicians you write and record with today?
Stephen: Big surprise, I met all the guys I write with and record with at Belmont. There’s just such a talent pool at that school that you really don’t need to look any further than the people in your class. What’s exciting now is to watch all those guys now living the dream, they’re touring and playing all over the country. My drummer was just on The Jimmy Fallon late night show just a few weeks ago and it was awesome to see him doing his thing on national television.
Matthew: What are some of your favorite venues to perform at while in Nashville?
Stephen: My favorite place to perform in Nashville by far is 3rd and Lindsley. I’ve had some incredible nights at that venue not only playing but also seeing some incredible artists there. The sound is always killer and its perfect size for an intimate or pretty decent crowd.
Matthew: Have you toured with any musicians that you’ve met while at Belmont?
Stephen: Besides all of the guys in my band, I’ve toured with my friend Steve Moakler, who I met while hanging out in Pembroke hall and later we were roommates. He’s a stud songwriter and an influence to me and my writing.
Matthew: What are your musical aspirations for the next few years?
Stephen: Man, my musical aspirations are to keep playing shows and to try to keep writing good songs. I’m going to keep touring and try to make it you know, its a hard thing to do but I’m going to keep giving it my all and hopefully enough people will dig my music to keep me going… if not, that will be alright too, I’m in love with music.
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