An Interview with Mr Charlie Frazier, Lead Vocalist and Harp Player of Blues for Breakfast

One of the top classic blues bands in the northeastern United States has been chugging and chooglin' since 1991 and sounds better than ever in 2007. The name of this band is also the name of a popular Burlington, Vermont area radio show, which broadcasts on Sunday mornings on WIZN 106.7 FM. Blues For Breakfast (the band) is a boogying,five-piece outfit from the Champlain Valley area of Vermont. Blues For Breakfast (the radio show) is hosted by the lead vocalist and harp player for Blues For Breakfast, the band.

Started by disc jockey Mr Charlie Frazier in 1991,Blues For Breakfast has built a reputation of being one of the most diverse and entertaining live blues acts on the East Coast of the United States. With a repertoire of over two hundred songs,including a large number of Grateful Dead tunes,this band is dynamically versatile and incredibly tight,or in-sync with each other,musically.Known in Vermont as the "House band of the Champlain Valley",Blues For Breakfast has headlined concerts for Burlington,Vermont's First Night celebration,played for the Plattsburgh Mayor's Cup and regularly packs clubs across northern Vermont,New York and New Hampshire.Blues For Breakfast's first CD release "Fries And Gravy" quickly sold-out its first pressing and the disc is now considered a "classic" in the Vermont area.The band has also donated tracks to several blues compilation CD's,to benefit children at Camp Ta-Kum-Ta,a camp for child cancer patients in Colchester,Vermont.

Although Blues For Breakfast regularly performs several original songs in their repertoire,they also feature a huge songlist of very tasty cover tunes that many of their fans enjoy dancing to on a regular basis. Some of the cover tunes played by Blues For Breakfast include; Walkin'Blues by Paul Butterfield,Hidden Charms by Howlin' Wolf,The Thrill Is Gone by BB King,It Hurts Me Too by Elmore James,Flip,Flop And Fly by James Cotton,Aiko Aiko by the Neville Brothers,El Paso by Marty Robbins,You Win Again by Hank Williams,Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash,Dead Flowers by the Rolling Stones and Jet To The Promised Land by Elvis Presley. Additionally,they perform over thirty Grateful Dead songs.

Through the years,Blues For Breakfast have opened shows for Johnny Winter,Jeff Healy,Koko Taylor,Son Seals and Junior Wells,among others.For fans of top-shelf blues music,with some Grateful Dead and Reggae added for spice and variety,the band Blues For Breakfast is highly-recommended as an act very much worth seeing and hearing perform live,if the opportunity presents itself.By going to their well-put-together website bluesforbreakfast.com,music fans can download many of their songs in MP3 format.Also on their website are photos,information,a list of upcoming live shows and videos.Presented here,is an interview conducted in March 2007,of Mr Charlie Frazier,lead vocalist,harp player and percussionist of Blues For Breakfast.

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An Interview With Mr Charlie Frazier, Lead Vocalist And Harp Player
With Blues For Breakfast

By Thomas J McCabe

A) Blues For Breakfast is a great name for a band. Is there a story behind the name ?
I'd always done weekend radio for WIZN in the am, so I could have days free. I tried for Breakfast in Bed with the Grateful Dead, but I had already secured the Grateful Dead Hour(we were one of the first 10 stations in the country to sign on for that show) for Sunday nights, so I said how about a blues show for Sun am? Hence, BforB was born. That was 16+ years ago, and still going strong(it can be heard at www.wizn.com Sun. 9-11) Awhile later I formed a new band, so I decided to name the band the same, so I could shill for it on Sundays mornings.

B) Where are you based, geographically ?

We are based out of Burlington, VT.

C) How long has the band Blues For Breakfast existed ?
16+ years.

D) How many current members are in the band, and what are their names ?
"Mr. Charlie" Frazier--vocals and harmonica, Gary Wade--drums and vocals; Brian Wade--guitar and vocals; Dave Hyman-bass and Chris Kave--keyboards

E) How many original members are still in the band ?
I am the only original, as people have moved or left for family reasons, etc. Some members have had multiple runs with the band. Someone once joked that a family tree of who HASN'T been in the band might be easier to draw up!

F) Your band has a phenomenal playlist, consisting of a well- balanced mix of tasty rock and classic blues songs, with a healthy assortment of Grateful Dead songs. How many songs do you guys play ?

In Vermont, you have to be able to wear several hats musically. So we try to mix the Dead and the broad range of stuff they covered with Motown, blues, a little reggae, and some originals. That allows you to please a lot of people, especially if you want to do weddings, which is where the real money is. And we can do weddings without "selling out" and doing "Mony Mony" or "Old Time R & R"!!

G) Are you playing live shows in 2007 ?
We have a number of shows booked for '07 with more being added all the time. Check the website, or email mrcharlie@gmavt.net to get on our news list.

H) Can you name some memorable shows that the band has played ?
We've gotten to warm up Johnny Winter, Junior Wells, Son Seals, Koko Taylor(Koko floored me by calling out to have me come up and play harp with her!). Jeff Healy, and members of Phish, Strangefolk, Suvivor and Jefferson Starship have jammed with us. Every year on August 9th, we do a Jerryfest show to remember Jerry Garcia and his music, and we've had lots of local musicians come up to add their 2 cents, and one year, T. Lavitz from Jazz Is Dead/Dixie Dregs, played all night with us. At a wedding in the middle of nowhere in the Adirondacks, the drummer for King's X sat in, so you never know what to expect. We love getting musical input from other bands/musicians.

I) How would you define the type of music that Blues For Breakfast plays ?
A little of everything, with the potential for it to spin off its axis, maybe to never return!

J) Are you guys making political or social statements ?
The guys are always trying to get me to tone down, but I think the stage is a great pulpit to at least enlighten people about an issue they may not have facts on. We played for Howard Dean, John Kerry and other candidates in the past and will do so in the future.

K) Can your music be compared to anyone else's ?
Even though we are a "cover band" mostly, we try to do the music a little different and in varying combinations. We never use a set list so the music can go where it wants. That wqas the cool thing about the Dead--you never knew what was coming next or from which gendre, which kept it fresh.

L) Do you guys ( band members ) have distinct musical- influences ?
We like everything from Miles Davis to Frank Zappa, Johnny Cash to Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan to Bob Marley.

M) How is the live- music scene in Vermont and New Hampshire in 2007 ?
The number of clubs and the pay seem to keep getting smaller, so you have to really love doing it. My saying is "9-5 buys the bread, and playing music buys the butter. You can live on bread, but not butter, but they sure taste good together!"

N) Your original songs are very good, how do live audiences react to them ?
Audiences in the Northeast seem to be really good about letting you play your own stuff. While they may be there for the stuff you cover, they are appreciative of your original music.

O) Is there a future for rock music ?
I sure hope so. Today's kids sure seem to like the rap and hip-hop, and downloading has replaced the record store, but NOTHING takes the place of a good rock band in a live setting. Who knows, maybe it'll all be on youtube in 20 years and you won't have to leave home. I don't own a cell phone and only use a computer for email and sports scores, because to me they've led to a new form of isolation even though they make life easier.

P) Do you guys play any Britney Spears songs ?
She should play some of ours and she wouldn't need rehab! Music is the best medicine for whatever ails you!

O) Any future goals for Blues For Breakfast ?
We'd just like to keep doing our thing, having smiling faces dancing in front of us, and to make a few bucks on the side. It would be great to expand further around New England, but clubs are reluctant to hire/pay bands they haven't heard of. So it becomes a catch 22 unless you're willing to drive all night and play for 10 people for no money to build up a fan base.

P) When you guys are practicing, do you have favorite foods or beverages that you like to eat or drink ?
We've done things like a band "pot-luck" or pizza, with a few cold beverages. But practice time is so precious and short we try to spend as much of it playing as we can, and then actually go home with "homework".