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Chaz Chambreux, the lead singer for Frequency Fun House, said she loves to dance and mingle with her band’s audience. But in the days when she practiced singing alone in her parents’ laundry room, she wasn’t so interactive.
“I love singing. It’s the one thing that makes me truly the happiest,” she said. “But I had to fight getting shy, and I think I somewhat accomplished it.”
Chambreux said she had been in other bands before Frequency Fun House. Her shyness on stage affected how the audience perceived her.
She said she finally broke free from her stage fright when she fronted for The Horse You Rode In On from 2002 to 2004.
“I don’t know why I got out of my shell in that band,” she said. “I think they were just real open, like ‘We love your voice,’ and they kind of nurtured me.”
Chambreux said she and keyboardist Michael Keyz formed Frequency Fun House in September 2011 for a one-time performance at a birthday party. The two later recruited guitarist Sam Fulton and named themselves Frequency Fun House.
“We knew we wanted ‘frequency’ in the name,” Chambreux said. “There was already a band called Frequency, and so one night when I was driving home I said ‘What about Fun House?’ and everyone liked it,”
She said Frequency Fun House was mainly an electronic band until drummer Chris Linville joined in 2013.
Linville said his choice of instrument was a matter of supply and demand.
“Everybody I knew played guitar,” Linville said. “There was a few singers, a couple bass players, but everybody played guitar.
Around the school I went to there was only like two or three drummers total.”
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The Band has been described as ‘indie electro rock’ because none of its members can pin down a specific genre to classify their music. Nor are their influences specific to any genre, among them being Ella Fitzgerald, Steve Vai, Genesis keyboardist Tony Banks and Bad Religion.
Chambreux said even if they’re difficult to categorize, and don’t fit in the “heavier” or “bluesy” New Mexico music scene, they know they have good music and are determined to begin playing at new venues while staying an underground success with a core audience, though the members don’t mind being bigger than that.
“This is the year that we’re looking to try to get outside of Albuquerque, get more exposure gigs and hopefully have people hear of us,” Chambreux said.
One aspect of Frequency Fun House shows is audience participation, which involves Chambreux walking into the audience and dancing, handing out bubbles for people to blow and light-up rubber balls.
“I don’t like to be trapped on stage,” Chambreux said. “I don’t like to be trapped with a mic cord. I want freedom. I like to dance. I want people to interact with me and so, if people are going to sit on their butts, then I am going to go to them.”
To hear Frequency Fun House, visit soundcloud.com/frequencyfunhouse
