St. Catharines, Ontario-based FRAZE GANG, featuring BRIGHTON ROCK members Greg Fraser and Stevie Skreebs, drummer Phil Epp, and new guitarist Derek McGowan, have been holed up in the studio in the last few months writing songs for the upcoming new CD, entitled Fraze Gang 2. According to an update, the album is due to be released within the next couple months via Bongo Beat Records.

A video for the first single is currently in the works. The CD will be mixed by famed producer Beau Hill (ALICE COOPER, RATT, WARRANT).

Fraze Gang frontman Greg Fraser recently commented on adding McGowan to the line-up: “Derek is the real deal as far as up and coming guitar heroes go, he can shred with the best of them and is a welcome addition the group.”

When asked about joining Fraze Gang, McGowan offered the following:

"I am a huge fan of Brighton Rock I have been since I was 8 years old. Take A Deep Breath is still one of my favorite albums of all time. In fact, the first riff I asked my guitar teacher to show me when I was 11 was 'Power Overload'. Their music is very much a part of my childhood and teen years. In 2002 Brighton Rock was asked to reunite for the ZRock Festival in Manchester, England. Greg Fraser was unable to attend. Instead of declining the gig, drummer Mark Cavarzan asked me to fill in for Greg and I literally went nuts! By bringing me into the fold, it brought me the opportunity to play with Fraze Gang years later. It was a dream come true. Brighton Rock treated me so great and the fans were unbelievable! I am very lucky to have had that opportunity to play with them. I spent a month of rehearsals with BR at Stevie's house and I kept pinching myself.

The sessions for the new Fraze Gang album have been awesome. Playing guitar alongside Greg has been not only exciting but a great learning experience. The songs rock! I can't wait for the new release. Greg wrote riffs that are permanently embedded in my mind, music that spoke to me as a kid growing up. It is an honor to play on his new music and write ideas together. I'm a lucky guy."

As previously reported, Fraze Gang issued a three song EP entitled Don't Call Us via iTunes in 2009. It is now available via CDbaby.com as a digital download. Click the following links to check it out:

CDBaby.com

iTunes

All three tracks - 'Don't Call Us', 'Rampage' and 'This Is It' - are now available for streaming on the band's official MySpace page.