At year’s end, Bluegrass Situation published ‘Looking Back: Our Top Picks of 2013.’ “…Rebecca Frazier’s ‘When We Fall’ is the best bluegrass album of 2013….Frazier easily stands in the ranks of Alison Krauss and Rhonda Vincent, and her compelling lyrics transport us through the pain of loss, love’s disappointments, and the hope of healing….Every song on this beautiful album reveals a facet of Frazier’s musical brilliance.” ~HC

Engine 145, 12/27/13

“Best of Bluegrass (and Its Offshoots)” Top 25 albums of 2013. Surprised shock when we scrolled down and found ‘When We Fall’ at #9! “This thunderbolt of simplicity reminds us how powerful music can be when you focus on, well, the music. Frazier confidently avoids frills and fuss, allowing us to bask in shining vocals, crisp, inventive instrumentation and intelligent songwriting. Nearly all of the 12 songs onWhen We Fall are originals, but Frazier’s… [songs] pack more than enough hook to knock down genre barriers.” –PW, Engine 145 

2014 is here. Fabulous! A few moments stand out from a blessed ’13.

1. In February, I signed a contract with Compass Records for ‘When We Fall,’ my first nationally released solo project. What an honor to be affiliated with this fine group of talented music professionals.

2. In March, we began performing with banjo man Kyle Tuttle. What an ace! He’s a spirited, hard-working person…and a pretty dang good musician to boot. Yay.

3. Also in March, Shari Lacy of GoodStuff PR signed on to promote ‘When We Fall.’ What a find! Features in Bluegrass Unlimited, Bluegrass Today, Engine 145, and many more; cover of Japanese ‘Moonshiner’ down to feature in the University of Michigan LSA Magazine and reviews in every possible publication….She’s brilliant.

4. In April, the great Brad Paul (formerly of Rounder) kicked off the ‘When We Fall’ radio campaign. Success by all measures! #6 on Bluegrass Today monthly chart and #3 in Roots Music Report Bluegrass chart–both spin count based. Brad also had success with Americana and Folk formats for this record, and I was blessed to appear live on Sirius XM, numerous nationally syndicated radio shows, radio tours and phone interviews (and am still doing them!). Go Brad!

5. On May 28, ‘When We Fall’ hit the streets. Thanks to fans across the country and a spirited pre-sales campaign, the album scored #16 on Billboard Soundscan TOP BLUEGRASS ALBUM CHART! Right next to Punch Brothers & Steel Drivers (15) and Claire Lynch (18) & Gibson Brothers (17)!  Really?!

6. May 28 also kicked off the Rebecca Frazier and Hit & Run Southeast Album Release Tour with Coffee, Country & Cody right here at WSM 650 AM in Nashville. We found smiles on faces of fans –old and new– in TN, GA, SC, NC, and VA!

7. June 14 brought our full-house CD Release show at Station Inn (and an awesome Top Pick article in the ‘Nashville Scene’–-plus the beginning of our run with Brian Arrowood, fiddle champ with chops that make us grin!

8. July was sunny with radio tours, local festivals, and an awesome 8-day Colorado tour-complete with Gold Hill Inn CD Release Party and 3 festivals, & 2 concert series. Back in Nashville, we received a “great Hit & Run” shout-out at the Ryman Auditorium (Grand Ole Opry with Ralph Stanley) from Jim Lauderdale! What?

9. September’s highlight: our appearance on Music City Roots in Nashville, alongside Jim Lauderdale Bluegrass Band (and cool cluster-plucking grand finale…) earning us the quote “East Nashville Real Deal Bluegrass” from the respected journalist Craig Havighurst.

10. October! Fabulous DC/Southeast Tour (including WAMU Bluegrass Country-we were the first band in their BRAND NEW studio!), Song of the Mountains Nationally Syndicated PBS Taping, and auditioning insanely talented bass player, Royal Masat. He’s in!

11. Also in October-a LOVELY interview on Sirius/XM with Kyle Cantrell “Track by Track” for Bluegrass Junction, AND a California tour, including feature on renowned ‘Folk Scene’  on KPFK and Citybilly in Los Angeles, plus KSON Bluegrass Special in San Diego.

12. In November, we joined forces with Steel Drivers, Abigail Washburn, Brad Folk, and others to support Lyons Musicians Relief Fund at 3rd & Lindsley. Thanks, Robby Hecht, Annie Klaver, AJ Trott for this!

13. December Joy! We performed on Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour in Lexington KY: a nationally syndicated broadcast that will potentially reach millions of homes…and released our Video EPK which was featured in Bluegrass Today on December 5! Quite a feat after collecting video footage all year long.

14. New Year’s Eve: Meantime, I found out that ‘When We Fall’ had been placed at #9 on the Top 25 Albums of the Year for Engine 145. Blown away to learn that Bluegrass Situation printed in ‘Looking Back: the Best of 2013: “Rebecca Frazier’s ‘When We Fall’ is the best bluegrass album of 2013.” The album made “Best of 2013” Lists of DJ’s across the country, like David Smith’s ‘Red River Ramble’ on North Dakota Public Radio and Judith Burnette’s Blue Ridge Country Radio, Galax VA.

Music & family (& friends like you): what else could make a person feel more blessed? 2014 is kicking off, as tour dates are getting confirmed for a great year. We’ve joined forces with Crescendo Artists of Boulder, Colorado, for our booking, and we are excited to see you somewhere in the country! Thank you for reading. ~RF

Is it possible to live up to this? December brings (overly) kind words from Maverick Magazine, UK’s leading independent country music magazine. “This woman’s voice is a nearly perfect bluegrass instrument—both powerful and delicate…I’d never heard her before and she is in a league of her own with a voice that falls somewhere between Alison Krauss and Rhonda Vincent without sounding at all like either.” Thank you, Maverick!

Today I traveled to Lexington KY with the band for our appearance on Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour. We had a great time getting to know Michael Johnathon who was insightful and so passionate. Enjoyed picking with special guest Vickie Vaughn on bass!

Friends…a fun evening of ‘grass & roots THIS Thursday night at 3rd & Lindsley Nashville with The SteelDrivers, Abigail Washburn, Rebecca Frazier and Hit & Run, Bradford Lee Folk & the Bluegrass Playboys, Robby Hecht & more for a cause close to the Fraziers’ hearts: Planet Bluegrass and Lyons Musicians Relief Fund for Lyons, CO, home of John’s father & step-mom, our booking agent Brandon Mann, and many of our closest friends. Some of moved back into their homes, but many are still stranded and need our assistance. Hope you can make it out. 🙂 If not, please consider a direct donation to the Wells Fargo account # 3868653936. Every little bit helps.

Hard to believe “Darken Your Doorway” is on the bluegrass charts: so far #13 on Bluegrass Today Charts. #19 this week. Also the new album, When We Fall, is holding steady at #5 on the Roots Music Report national chart, and still at #1 on the Roots Music Report Colorado Chart.

John Frazier & I had the pleasure of a duo tour in Southern CA in mid-October. Our first stop was KSON Studios in San Diego with Wayne Rice, longtime host of Bluegrass Special on Sunday nights.

Next stop was in Los Angeles, where we did a taping for Folk Scene, an awesome program on KPFK founded by Roz Larman and her late husband, Howard, in 1970. Here we are at the Long House with Roz…she’s a compelling interviewer with a true voice of her own. We loved her!

Next stop: Citybilly with Rene Engel on KCBX. Rene was so much fun. Full of heart, full of laughs. Glad some Californians caught our folky duo treatment of this ‘grass on the airwaves. Looking forward to hopefully seeing CA next summer!

Full Article Here. “Into the Heaven-Sent Light” by David McGee

“But if we’re talking about gifted musicians we might as well start with Rebecca Frazier herself. One of the most celebrated flatpickers to emerge in recent years–she gets the highest praise from the likes of Bryan Sutton–Frazier steps out at select moments here (notably on three of her self-penned instrumentals), at which points the album’s wow factor increases about tenfold. The first exhilarating taste of what she can do comes four songs in, on her original instrumental “Virginia Coastline,” a rousing bluegrass toe-tapper she kicks off with a few bars of precision speed picking that veers ever so slightly into blues before it gives way to a high stepping, driving fiddle solo.”…

The reference at the outset of this review to “spiritual reconciliation” refers directly to the final, magnificent song, written by Rebecca and John, “Babe in Arms,” the album’s one explicit reference to the child the couple lost in 2010. Understated and hymn-like, with John’s mandolin chops and Cobb’s soft, weeping fiddle the dominant instrumental voices, Frazier sings in a clear but wounded voice of the family’s loss and of fitful efforts at making peace with the absence of a loved one she thought she would spend her life with…

As much as it is a musical achievement, When We Fall persists in memory for its flesh and blood humanity. Rebecca Frazier will be heard from by dint of her artistry as a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist but the heart informing her music makes all the difference. It also explains the weird light bathing her on the cover–it’s Heaven-sent.”

Headed out from Nashville after Billy Block show for a jam-packed tour–7 shows in 3 days! First stop was Richmond, where we visited 2 schools and performed a concert at In Your Ear Studios for JAMinc. This was an awesome, intimate downtown studio, where our crowd was full of ‘grass lovers. Thanks to Tim Timberlake & Wally Thulin for making this happen! St. Christopher’s School was so kind to us, and nothing beats a crowd of Mary Munford kids!

Next stop was Washington, D.C. We had the distinct honor of being the first-ever band in WAMU’s brand new studio! Lee Michael Demsey did an awesome job interviewing us for “Bluegrass Country,” and the staff at WAMU couldn’t have been nicer. (Thanks for pic, Katy Daley!)

Later that evening we performed our fave concert of the tour: Corner Store, hosted by Kris & Roy Swanson. If you haven’t been there yet, please check it out. An historic venue with fantastic vibes and a deliciously happy crowd.

Really enjoyed our late-night trip back into the mountains of Southwest Virginia. We woke up much too early in Staunton and trucked on to Marion, where we soundchecked at Lincoln Theater, and then moved on to Abingdon, where we got to see Frank Solivan tear it up before our set at Crooked Road Music Fest. Post-set, we lay on the grass and enjoyed Blue Highway before heading back to Marion for our set on the PBS-syndicated “Song of the Mountains” TV Series.