Simple Guidance - Fraser Anderson
Our next LCM featured artist Scottish singer-songwriter Fraser Anderson will be in London on Sunday as a special guest of Katey Brooks at The Camden Assembly. If you like Ross Wilson of Blue Rose Code, then you really need to check out Fraser's music as well. After a spell in rural France, travelling troubadour Fraser has is now made his home in sunny Bristol. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is the excellent 'SImple Guidance' taken from his last album 'Under The Cover Of Lightness'. Please let us know what you think of the song and hopefully see you at Sunday at the gig.
Anderson’s relationship with music began when as a young teenager he witnessed the tragic death of a wonderful man he had met hours before, to whom he spoke about the profundities of life- and death. At a loss as to how to process the extremity of the experience, he took to writing- at first poetry, then lyrics and songs. His musical talent, stage presence and confidence as a performer were obvious from the beginning. His musical influences were broad, experimenting early as a teenage jazz fusion hip-hop performer, drummer, keyboardist and bassist. Soon after graduating music college Anderson was spotted by venerable Scottish Folk institution Dougie McLean, who invited him to branch into the folk world; he took up the challenge and ran with it, and hasn’t looked back. He recorded his first album, ‘and the girl with the strawberry…’ in his friends bedroom, which his local newspaper the Perthshire Advertiser proclaimed “a masterpiece of a debut album”.
Anderson then moved to rural France, where he lived and raised his family for many years. His isolated expat existence became an unexpected and somewhat miraculous launchpad for his career. In between labouring jobs, he penned songs he performed at local village
concerts, to a community that adored him and his music. Unbeknownst to Anderson, this support would soon after propel him to launch his second, studio recorded album, ‘Coming up for air’, and begin to tour across the European continent. His loving and loyal international fanbase was confirmed by two successful crowdfunding campaigns that funded his third album, ‘Little Glass Box’, and the latest album, ‘Under the Cover of Lightness’. Fraser returned to the UK in 2013, making the musically diverse and vibrant city of Bristol his new home.
Anderson’s support tours include the great Joan Armatrading, The Low Anthem, Pete Doherty, revered Italian artist Nicolo Fabi, and the legendary Chuck Berry who said of his music “two thumbs up”.
He has headlined UK dates and appearances at European festivals including Celtic Connections and Reeperbahn. His second album, ‘Coming up for air’, was picked up and celebrated by BBC Radio 2’s Bob Harris, and features the musician Greg Lawson. The success of the album lead to his current publishing deal with Metisse Music Publishing in Paris. His third album, ‘Little Glass Box’, also received well by critics, features the instrumental work of Danny Thompson.
Anderson launched his fourth and most experimental album to date, ‘Under The Cover of Lightness’, in 2016, which has met with critical acclaim. Described as a “masterpiece” by MSN and voted album of the week by BBC Radio Ulster, this latest offering presents the most powerful songs he’s ever written, and follows up the rave reviewed album, “Little Glass Box”. Already well known across Europe, Anderson is a gem now being discovered across anglophone countries like his native UK, and Canada. With a strong BBC Radio 2 following and repeat requests to perform across the UK, his fanbase is assuredly growing and sees him cross the Atlantic to North America regularly throughout 2017.