dominique fraissard - 6 and 12 string acoustic guitars, mandolin, sitar.
melissa cox - violins, keys and backing vocals.
matthew hall - bass and backing vocals.
syd green - drums and percussion.
assorted friends and colleagues for sessions on various instruments on albums.
Influences
the old folk rockers + ani difranco, iron and wine, the indigo girls. a constant flow of subliminal influences including turin brakes and, lately, hip hop.
View dominique fraissard's EPK
Sounds Like
love child of cat stephens singing, ani difranco writing and dave matthews band performing.
“…just great, I think you'll be hearing more of him really soon. He just gave me his cd at the Woodford Folk Festival and I really liked it, it really inspired me.”
- John Butler.
"Getting the 'why the hell isn't he huge?' asterisk is Dominique Fraissard. Coming somewhere between the rock of Mick Hart and not as histrionic as iOta can be, Fraissard has voice, songs and a touch of the weird to be really compelling".
- The Drum Media.
"Dominique Fraissard is simply one of the most amazing solo performers on offer. A bit of a male Ani Difranco, Dominique is well on his way to becoming one of Australia's premier songwriters and performers".
- The Drum Media.
“...with rousing concision, where originality and a refreshing elegance took
precedence, was revealed Dominique Fraissard. A quest of alternative guitar tunings and a deep soothing vocal tonality Fraissard strolled the stage painting enchanting stories… here was an addiction that the whole world should indulge in.
- Revolver.
NEW!!! Here's a vid for you from our Tabula Rasa album launch, more to come soon.
“ i grew up in the mountainous Canadian woods and i guess that's where my music comes from. those mountains occupy my mindscapes when i hear or play the music that gets to me. i have memories of my mother driving through the hills, windows down, yodelling at the top of her voice. once, she picked up a hitchhiker who had been travelling around playing the bluegrass festivals. he'd met a girl and was en route to meet her when he heard that while she had been hitchhiking, a car stopping to pick her up had been rear ended and shunted into the girl, killing her. i was about seven and too young to understand the implications of life's intensity, but when he played his acoustic guitar in the cedar grove encircling our house, there were visions on the chords and those images have never gone away".
dominique fraissard is an admired songwriter/musician in the folk/acoustic genre with a very original twist of urban transfer to his work. since his first performances in 1997 at the chalkboard venues of Woodford Folk Festival, he has been in ever increasing demand.
basing himself in Sydney in 1998, dominique gigged prodigiously there, making forays to Melbourne, Brisbane, up and down the East coast, New Zealand and Canada. he recorded an eponymous 1st album in 1998 and followed up with 2001’s Catharsis, released on his own label, Drink From the Trees and distributed by MGM.
dominique has been called on to support international and local acts including rock and roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn (the Byrds), Rory Mcleod, Andy White, George, Elixer, Denvar, Penelope Swales, Matt Walker and Ashley Davies, Stella One Eleven and many others. signaling his status among folk/roots royalty, fraissard has more recently supported the Waifs, Jack Johnson and the John Butler Trio – John himself calling to invite Dominique after receiving a copy of Catharsis at the Woodford Folk Festival where Dominique had performed in the Chrysalis Series for emerging artists.
other projects include his version of Nick Drake's 'Three Hours' for Um & AH Records' tribute to Nick Drake - Jeremy Flies, live original tracks taken for Club Acoustica’s Basement Showcases and original guitar compositions to accompany the work of indigenous poet Romain Moreton for an SBS documentary. his work has been heard on JJJ, 2SER, ZZZ Brisbane, FBI, ABC radio’s ‘the planet’, Doug Mulray FM, Qantas inflight and tracked to independent film.
following performances at the 2006-07 Woodford Folk Festival, commercial release of the newly mastered first album, a West Coast Canada tour and release of the long awaited 3rd album Tabula Rasa, Fraissard now resides in Nelson B.C. Canada and divides his time between music and the creative arts.
“ everyone has joy and pain but not everyone feels they can articulate it. music is a language that can bring us to the brink of our senses. it reaches usin a way that connects our humanity to others - the universality of experience, helps me, helps us, feel hopeful ”
his guitar playing and a writing style that is rare in a male artist are dominique’s trademarks, from traditional folk pieces to more urban grooves. “ folk is my natural genre for its appeal to the deeper parts of me. it is evolving, as all things should. the troubadors place on a shrinking, yet intensifying planet, remains pertinent. for me, folk music has broad, yet concise, perameters. it is 'the peoples, music in a way that other genres aren't. it seems to be the dialogue, the oral history that we of anglo/european descent have forgotten. it's about confronting the truth socially, politically and personally and saying that we are much more similar than different”.
just noticed that you have a string of shows ahead. i'm trying to plan a trip to vancouver - so maybe the dates will match up and i can come see you play. that would be looovely!
hey dom (or dom's webmaster) i'm making a push to reconnect a bunch of ties i've lost through my own carelessness, i'd love to get in contact with you my friend.
Hi dom, how are you going? where are you? still in Australia? i'm still in madrid, trying to set up a music festival in Granada in march next year, a kinda sustainable spring rock fiesta. I was wondering if you could be interested. well, I was wondering if you would like to come to our house and play your beautiful music. it is just an idea, it could be a nice stop on a trip to Europe. If you like the idea, i can give you more details. If not, don' worry, i just hope i'll have the chance to see you play once again. I hope you are fine and full of good energy. really. kisses to you, wherever you are. Elodie ps: I'm looking for your albums, i only have the first one. do you know where i could buy them?
Hiya :) thanks so much for the add :) A friend of mine put me on to your music early last year and you have become a firm favourite of mine, thanks again and all the best, kristen
hope all is well in your world and your music is being played to the masses.. i've uploaded a couple of new tunes.. would love to hear your feedback on them man... when you have time... Jan is the EP launch. pumped mate
hi dom! how are you doing? i don't know why i'm thinking of you those days... I hope you are fine and full of light. of your beautiful light. I never told you that it has been great to share a house with you. your music flowing in the corridors. une petite pensée pour toi aujourd'hui. J'espere que tu vas bien. Elodie (bronte housemate / 08)
Yo! it was a pleasure meeting you, I take so long to figure out myspace and I apologize. I believe we met at the ship. I appreciate the advice that you gave.
Wow, last night was wicked! Having heard the album take shape it was a most excellent evening watching you all play together. There were heaps of highlights...suffixes was probably my fave but all the songs shone. Your voice is just divine! See you guys soon!
Thanks for adding to the great vibe last night. Really good music, audience, etc. I tried to google the guy you mentioned in Victoria but couldn't find him. Have you got an email for him? Have a safe trip home to Oz.
