When he’s not playing drums for the world-renowned Denver-based folk band The Lumineers, Jeremiah Fraites is feeding his creative soul through other outlets, which most recently is his rekindled passion for playing the piano. Earlier this summer, Fraites released the second of two classical piano albums, both of which overflow with nearly decades-worth of instrumentals featuring a solo Fraites on his first-love instrument, the keys. Aptly named Piano Piano and Piano Piano 2 because of not just their literal English meaning but for their Italian translations of “little by little,” Fraites credits the albums for simultaneously making him a better solo artist and band member.
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Fraites explained the transition from piano to drums and back as organic and seamless. About 20 years ago, when The Lumineers were being founded in a house in Denver, Fraites was a pianist-turned-drummer. In all that time, however, he never let go of the pianist side of himself and, rather, kept it quite close. Fast forward many years, and his world-touring, Grammy-nominated band was wrapping early on a tour due to COVID. With his “inspiration” and executive producer of a wife, Francesca, Piano Piano came to fruition. As described by Fraites, the album “was the greatest hits of close to a decade of all these piano songs.” Looking back at that process as a “full circle moment,” he remembers having had so much fun and feeling so much encouragement that he “did it again with Piano Piano 2.”
From the songwriting inspirations to the honing of creativities to the recording processes, these side projects of Fraites have long been mutually beneficial to his work with The Lumineers. While touring with the band, Fraites laid down much of the music for the two solo albums, oftentimes directly pulling influences from wherever he found himself on tour and bringing them into his piano work. At the same time, Fraites has always felt as if the solo projects “fed his individual” and allowed him to fully hone his musical sensibilities — or in the words of his bandmates, to be “switched on, creatively.” From Brazil to India, to Singapore, and across six continents, Fraites strived to and succeeded in creating songs that “connect” and “say something,” even with the “lack of human voice.”
The dichotomies not only between piano and drums and solo work and band work, but of Fraites’ dual residencies in Denver and Turin, Italy, have all worked in graceful conjunction and beautiful collaboration to make Fraites Piano Piano 2 yet another masterpiece in his musical catalog. Just like the move to Denver all those years ago that gave him and band co-founder Wesley Schultz the opportunity to play anonymously at open mic night at The Meadowlark, moving to Italy four years ago to build his family gave Fraites the opportunity to explore a new and exciting place. Both of his home bases have “inspired insight into the creative brain,” and Fraites expressed gratitude for having had different cultures at his fingertips.
Most impressive about this latest album is that Fraites utilized and played not one, but seven pianos during the recording of the album. “You’ll hear everything from very clean and big and almost cinematic to very noisy,” said Fraites of his sophomore piano project. “I like that distinction. I think it gives a richness or depth to the albums.” While, as of yet, there’s only one Italian gig on his piano-performing schedule, the music seemingly never stops for Fraites, who is currently relishing some R&R at home with his wife and children. Until the next tour, in whatever capacity that may be in, Fraites is looking most forward to the next show in “the place he calls home” — sweet Denver.
Listen to Piano Piano 2 on Spotify here.