Robin Frederick

Music:

Member Since: 10/25/2007
Band Website: http://www.robinfrederick.com
Band Members: All keyboards, synths, and vocals by Robin Frederick. Guitars: Grant Geissman, Mike Simms, Marty Rifkin, and Dan Marfisi. Rhythm tracks: Roy Campanella III, Mike Sims, and Robin Frederick. Drums on "You Are Here" Tom Walsh. Bass on "Water Falls Down," Angel, Cover Me," and "Married to the Muse": Dave Marotta.
Influences: NICK DRAKE has had a profound influence on my writing but it took a while - about 25 years - for me to appreciate what he was doing. When I first met Nick in 1967, we were both living in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. I was already writing songs and I had a few gigs around town. Nick was playing covers of folk songs and blues, mostly the songs that are on the Family Tree album. He never played any originals for me during the time I knew him. Later I found out he was just starting to write songs at that time. One evening after he failed to show up at a cafe where I'd agreed to meet him, I went home and wrote the song "Sandy Grey." I didn't really know anything about Nick so the song is just my impression, a folk song, about someone elusive - a grey shadow slipping away like sand through ones fingers.

A few years later, when I was back in California, I found Five Leaves Left in the import bin at Tower Records and bought it. I was amazed by what Nick had done. Songs like "River Man" and "Three Hours" were simply beautiful! I didn't notice until much later just how musically sophisticated, how finely crafted, how unusual and ahead of their time his songs really were. I just enjoyed them for a long, long time. But eventually, as a songwriter, I grew curious and I started looking more closely. I saw that Nick was playing with the relationship of melody to rhythm and I began to use some of those techniques in my own songs. "Married To the Muse" and "Angel, Cover Me" are two songs I wrote that are based on the melodic style Nick developed back in 1969 when he was just 20 years old. I am only catching up with him now - a little bit.

It's been a great pleasure to be invited to contribute to the album notes for both Family Tree and the reissue of the Fruit Tree box set. I listened deeply to all of Nick's songs and tried to let him tell me what he wanted to say. I relied on the music more than the words. Words can lie but the music never does.

For more, read "Nick Drake: A Place To Be" originally published in Mojo Magazine. You'll find links to more articles and information there. - Robin Frederick 10/29/07
Sounds Like: Norah Jones, Sade, a little bit of Dusty Springfield mixed with Enya.
Record Label: Sound Experience
Type of Label: Indie