Dreaming of being trapped in a cellar would be ghastly nightmare for most. For singer/songwriter/pianist James Wilson, this dream proved revelatory. It inspired him to create a character which he named his band after, Frightened Seller, and write the song, âFrightened Cellar.â

The band, which is comprised of James, bassist Jude Kim and drummer Ben Roberts, plays melodic, narrative post punk rock. Benâs driving beats draw a balance between Jamesâ hauntingly, beautiful piano melodies and Judeâs growling bass lines. Their sound is rounded out by Jamesâ narrative lyrics, which meander from the fantastical realm to scenes snatched from his own life.

The cellar he dreamt he was trapped in contains elements of both the fantastic and real. Though the cellar was imaginary, James says it represented the problems and doubts he was hiding from in his own life. âWhen I wrote the song âFrightened Cellar,â I was at a point in my life where I was letting fear control me. I was worrying about things I ultimately had control over, yet doing nothing to change them,â he explains.

It is hard to believe this classically trained musician, who has played at famed New York venues like CBGBâs and The Knitting Factory, would have such doubts. And yet, these fears are echoed in lines from the song.

âAnd I wanna lock my face inside of a time capsule/and I wanna lock my voice inside of a time capsule/cause they are fading faster than I thought they would,â James croons in the opening lines of âFrightened Cellar.â

Writing about these fears was Jamesâs way to confront them, and to affect a kind of opening the cellar door.

This opening of the cellar door has led Frightened Seller to make some other changes. After two years of working with Just Listen Records, the band recently parted ways with the label. The addition of drummer Ben Roberts followed the split with the bandâs former drummer.

Frightened Seller has also started collaborating with producer Lior Magal. The veteran producer has worked with artists like Nelly Furtado and Kristin Kelly. Currently, James and Lior are recording a 4-5 song EP, A Collection of Late Successes. The album also references the bandâs fears, specifically their lack of progression, as well as their determination to move forward. In addition to the EP, Frightened Seller is recording a full length CD with producer Lior.

Lior was drawn to Frightened Sellerâs music because of the darkness, sensuality and emotion expressed in it. Put simply, âI easily connected with it,â Lior says.

Like Lior, Jude says he was attracted to Jamesâ music because it was easy to relate to. âI liked the realism of his lyrics,â Jude explains. âI could really imagine the situations he was singing about.â The Sonic Arts major had previously played in predominately punk bands, but liked the idea of challenging his musical scope with Jamesâ more simplistic, jazz-infused indie rock.

Ben, who is the most recent addition to Frightened Seller, isnât new to the music scene. The drummer, who plays five other instruments, has been playing in bands since he was in high school. The newcomer has already proven his prowess.

âWhen the trio is piano, bass and drums; there's always the risk that the drums will overpower everyone else,â James explains. âBen is aware of that and he's able to play a full sound without drowning everything else out.â

A Collection of Late Successes is due out in January. The band is also recording a video for the song âFrightened Cellar.â It will be followed shortly after by a full length album.

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