Barry brings Secret Smile to faces of US rock band

Sound Production lecturer Barry Frame and friend Ian Whitfield captured the attention of US rock band Semisonic.

US rock band Semisonic – who had a world-wide hit with the 1998 song Secret Smile – contacted a Forth Valley College lecturer to congratulate him on his own rendition of the track.

Sound Production lecturer Barry Frame – who also records his own songs and gives guitar lessons – has been posting some performances on social media during lockdown recently to entertain people.

He decided to record the song Secret Smile with his friend Ian Whitfield from Denny,  as they were both big Semisonic fans and they were shocked when Jacob Slichter, the drummer in the band, got in touch to say how much he and his bandmates had enjoyed their cover.

Barry saw an opportunity and asked if Jacob would be up for a general interview and he agreed, but also used his chat to tie in with a Sound Production course unit relating to 90s bands releasing music in 2020.

As it turns out Alternative rock band Semisonic who had three studio albums in the late 90s early 2000s, have just released their first single in nearly 20 years called ‘You’re Not Alone’, with an EP of the same name to follow in September this year.

The interview has now had more than 2,500 views on Facebook.

Barry, said: “My friend Ian and I have always loved Semisonic and heard they were releasing new material, so we thought we would cover one of their best known songs and put it up online. Little did we know that they would get back in touch and for them to comment so positively on the version we did has just blown us away.

“I took a wee chance and got back in touch with Jacob Slichter and asked if I could set-up an online interview with him and he agreed. Personally I was really chuffed, but I also had one eye on how it could benefit my students, so I asked him about various topics such as musical background, Semisonic’s creative process pre and post digital, how has technology changed the way in which music is recorded and released and how it has changed them. I now can’t wait to incorporate it into our course when we return after the summer holidays.

“I can’t thank him enough and maybe I’ll ask him to come into our studios at the Stirling Campus to chat to our Sound Production students if ever they are touring in Scotland in the future.”

To watch and listen to Barry and Ian’s cover version of Secret Smile click here.

To watch and listen to Barry’s interview with Jacob Slichter from Semisonic click here.