In the spring of 2012, music and modern technology transpired to bring together two artists with captivating musical synergy, despite their living 2,000 miles apart. As Manitoba-based singer-songwriter Dan Frechette and California-based violinist Laurel Thomsen — who visit Creston’s Snoring Sasquatch on June 22 and Crawford Bay's Junction Creek Hub at 2 p.m. June 23 — were drawn together, there was no question of why, only how.
Ardent and down-to-earth performers, both Frechette and Thomsen enjoyed early success in music as teens. By young adulthood, each had turned away from such temptations as music scholarships and major label publishing contracts, choosing instead paths as independents comfortably supported by their musical talents.
In the years to follow, Frechette’s songwriting took off, with numerous compositions covered successfully by many artists, among them, the Ploughboys, Dervish, Emma Cloney, Jessee Havey, the Duhk, and the Buccaneers.
Frechette is a prolific songwriter with over 1,300 songs across a wide variety of genres, inspiring steady praise from critics, fellow musicians, and appreciative fans, making comments such as, “I never met a Dan Frechette song I didn’t like,” and a Sing Out Magazine writer saying he is “one of the best songwriters I’ve heard in a long time.” He has toured many miles, performed many festivals, and sung every song in the book. He has recorded over a dozen albums of his original material, showcasing the fine distinctions of his vocal, multi-instrumental, and genre hopping abilities as well. When Frechette discovered via YouTube how Thomsen expressed emotion, he knew the next musical direction he hoped to explore.
Thomsen’s path led her from Bach partitas and Beethoven sonatas to improvising, arranging and recording for assorted bands and singer-songwriters. Whether dropping in to play a set with electric guitarist Tom Ayres and cowboy rocker Mike Beck, setting the historic Alta, Calif., 1840s town hall ablaze with her fiery renditions of 1900-1950s classics or stunning audiences with her recent songwriting debut, this diverse violinist hits the mark. From backstage meetings with Neil Young to being recognized on the front-page of the New York Times for her online teaching via Skype and the 2013 release of her first solo EP, Light & Shadow, Thomsen’s star is on the rise. Still making time for serious violin and viola students in her private studio, Thomsen is also the creator of the Violin Geek Podcast, and an author and educational video luminary for Strings magazine.
In March, Frechette and Thomsen met and performed their first tour throughout California. At every tour stop, audiences experienced the thrill of this fresh musical partnership forged on the Internet. But while technology brought them together, it is not tech assistance that delivers in these performances; it is the old soul authentic sounds of violin, guitar, and voices honed over two young lifetimes.
Advance tickets to the Snoring Sasquatch show are $12 at Kingfisher Used Books and Black Bear Books, and $15 at the door, which opens at 7 p.m. for the 8 p.m. show.
—SUBMITTED