Sitting in his Seattle-area home, Casey Frazier quickly changes the albums on his record player. Switching from Pink Floyd to Ernest Tubbs, it's obvious his influences reach far and wide. He settles on Hotel Chateu from Elton John, whom he calls "a truly great player."

One album into his career, Frazier has given breath to an engaging batch of well-crafted songs, made complete with his easy, upper-register lilt. Frazier is currently working on a new ream of songs in his home studio to record this spring as the followup to his album debut, After Autumn which was released in 2006.

In the vein of the classic troubadour, After Autumn features songs like Elysian Fields, Me, Myself and I, and the very personal Crazy (City Lights) that hint at the potential and the future.

"I write songs for people who love music, for people who love to just listen," Frazier said. "I never want my records to be two radio hits and a bunch of throwaway songs. Each one, to me, is its own complete work."

Growing up in rural Colorado, Frazier started playing the drums at age 3 before moving on to the guitar at 5. Soon he was writing songs in between his studies and learning popular favorites to fill out his acoustic-prone local gigs.

"I've really gotten away from the girl-broke-my-heart songs," Frazier said. "I mean, it still happens, but how much of that can you sing about in one life?"

"I'm really focussed on coming up with a story in my songs. It definitely spins more from what I've been through in my life, approaching experiences and things I want to reach for."

Before Frazier decided to shoulder the mantle once carried by Woody Guthrie and Tom Waits, he spent a season in Nashville, honing his chops amidst the city's best. Even after working with various producers, and songwriters, Frazier spent many a night simply playing his songs in smoke-filled rooms.

But instead of being swept up by the tide of Nashville, Frazier eschewed the Country-music fast track in an effort to be true to his artistic nature. Casey has since returned to Nashville several times to write and record, and insist on using "The tools that come with the city".

"I did my share of long sets in Nashville," Frazier said, "and I can give you 3 hours of tunes... if you want! But one thing I know: you can't just release a CD and expect people to hear it. But, I believe things aren't how they used to be, and we're in an age of instant change. We live on the internet, so I might as well use it!"

With After Autumn, already under his belt, Frazier is anxious for the next step. He'll always be at home flipping sides on the record player from Freddie King and Jerry Reed, but he'll also be waiting for the right time and setting to work out songs for his next record, each one a part in building a career based on songcraft and a love of music.



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