Dan Frechette & Laurel Thomsen get your heart pumping with their new single and video Make Me Come Alive — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
A highlight of their new album After The Fire, Make Me Come Alive begins with a storm of violin and guitar before organizing into an easy, rockin’ groove. Manitoba-born Frechette sings the lead, telling us about an exciting woman who’s caught his fancy, while California’s Thomsen punctuates the song with shimmering vocal harmonies and deft, elegant violin.
Though some of the songs on After The Fire were written as far back as 1993, it was a 2020 storm — and then a fire — that sparked the making of the long-time collaborators’ new album. Dan and Laurel had been creating music in his home studio under California’s Covid-19 stay-at-home order; they were wrapping up the recording process when a heat wave, followed by an unusual lightning storm, caused a rapid forest fire.
“Dan’s little studio burned the morning after he’d rescued the rough tracks, studio equipment, and a range of instruments we play, yet rarely have the space to bring with us on the road,” Thomsen shares. “When trauma is over, how does one restore faith and pick up the pieces?”
Living at a friend’s home with nothing to do but wait for news, they decided to continue recording, adding new material inspired by their situation and using rescued instruments they don’t often play. Each of the 10 original songs deals with a facet of the journey from setback to reclaimed hope: Make Me Come Alive tells the story of finding faith in the possibility of love, while the comfort of home is explored in Beale Street. Together Again and Money Shouldn’t Talk That Strong emphasize the importance of community, while the need for personal strength and fortitude are explored in If A Wave and Hey, It’ll Be OK.
Meeting in 2012 via YouTube and fueled by a once-in-a-lifetime musical chemistry and friendship, Frechette and Thomsen are “prodigious players with songwriting that sets them apart.” With soaring violin, diverse guitar styles, compelling storytelling, a dash of harmonica and humor, and unique vocal rapport they deliver a dynamic, engaging, polished performance. Their third album Between The Rain hit Top 10 on Canada’s campus radio roots charts for 2016. They have toured North America extensively, and played in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, France, and Germany.
Watch Make Me Come Alive above, listen to After The Fire below, and keep up with Dan Frechette & Laurel Thomsen at their website, Twitter, Facebook and Instragram.
