Paula A. Frazer (born April 24, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter. She grew up in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

and moved to San Francisco in 1981. Her music is frequently described as melancholic

alternative country Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...

, but with an eclectic mix of folk, blues and pop, among other genres. She first came to notice by fronting the band Tarnation in the 1990s and has appeared on recordings and in concert with many bands and solo artists including

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Frightwig Frightwig is an all-female punk rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1982 by Deanna Mitchell and Mia d'Bruzzi. The current lineup of Frightwig consists of Deanna Mitchell, Mia d'Bruzzi, Tina Fagnani, and Rebecca Sevrin. Histor ...

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, and

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. Before forming Tarnation, Frazer played with numerous SF bands, such as Cloiter, Virginia Dare, Frightwig,

Trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...

, and Pleasant Day. Tarnation MK1 featured Brandan Kearney, owner of the SF NufSed label. Kearney didn't stay in the band for long, but he gave Frazer the chance to release Tarnation's debut. That first Tarnation record was called ''I'll Give You Something To Cry About'', and initially appeared in an edition of only 1,000 copies. In 1995, 4AD released ''Gentle Creatures'', an album featuring several songs off the previous album.

Warn Defever Warren Defever (first name often spelled Warn; born April 30, 1969) is a musician and producer, originally from Livonia, Michigan, and now based in Detroit. He is most known for his chameleonic project His Name Is Alive, though he is active in num ...

(

His Name Is Alive His Name Is Alive is an American experimental rock band/project from Livonia, Michigan. After several self-released cassettes, they debuted on 4AD Records in 1990, starting a long run at the label. Throughout the band's long history, leader Wa ...

) helped in the production. ''Mirador'' appeared in 1997. One year later, Frazer dropped the Tarnation name and continued as a solo artist. In 2006 Frazer revived the Tarnation name and released her seventh record, ''Now It's Time'' in March 2007 under the name of Paula Frazer and Tarnation. Frazer is also a professional

weaver Weaver or Weavers may refer to: Activities * A person who engages in weaving fabric Animals * Various birds of the family Ploceidae * Crevice weaver spider family * Orb-weaver spider family * Weever (or weever-fish) Arts and entertainmen ...

. She was one of the temporary vocalists of

Faith No More Faith No More is an American Rock music, rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before September 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/rhythm guitarist ...

sometime in between 1983 and 1984. At the time the band only played shows, and often asked new people to step in. Frazer was asked due to her acquaintance with

Roddy Bottum Roswell Christopher Bottum (born July 1, 1963) is an American musician, best known as the keyboardist for the San Francisco alternative metal band Faith No More. He is also guitarist and co-lead vocalist for the pop group Imperial Teen, best know ...

Discography

As ''Tarnation'' * ''I'll Give You Something To Cry About'' (1993; Nuf Sed Records) * ''

Gentle Creatures ''Gentle Creatures'' is a 1995 album by the band Tarnation (Paula Frazer, Lincoln Allen, Michelle Cernuto and Matt Wendell Sullivan). It was released on 4AD 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under ...

'' (1995;

4AD Records 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name Axis Records by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD after the release of t ...

) * '' Mirador'' (1997;

Reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any re ...

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

) As ''Paula Frazer'' * ''Indoor Universe'' (2001;

Birdman Records Birdman Records is an independent record label based in South San Francisco, California, that was founded in 2000 by David Katznelson, former A&R vice president of Warner Bros. Records. History Birdman Records is the flagship label of the Bird ...

) * ''A Place Where I Know'' (2003;

) * ''Leave the Sad Things Behind'' (2005;

) As ''Paula Frazer and Tarnation'' *''Now It's Time'' (2007;

) *''In Some Time (EP)'' (2014; MRG Recordings) *''What Is And Was'' (2017; New High Recordings)

References

* * * * *

External links

Review of Indoor Universe
at Dusted Magazine
Paula Frazer Myspace page

Skystone Myspace page

MRG Recordings

New High Recordings profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frazer, Paula 1963 births American alternative country singers American country singer-songwriters American country guitarists American post-punk musicians American women country singers American women singer-songwriters Living people 20th-century American guitarists Birdman Records artists 20th-century American women guitarists 21st-century American women