I'll be playing this Thursday at the Phog Lounge as part of a fundraiser for Engineers Without Borders. Show starts at 9:30 and costs $5. Alex Carruthers & The Rhythm Brothers will be opening! For more info, please visit the event page on Facebook.ARCHIVES - November 2010
November 29, 2010
I'll be playing this Thursday at the Phog Lounge as part of a fundraiser for Engineers Without Borders. Show starts at 9:30 and costs $5. Alex Carruthers & The Rhythm Brothers will be opening! For more info, please visit the event page on Facebook.
A review of Darling, Darling came out today on blog Grayowl Point! Click here to read the article, or see below.
Review- "Darling, Darling"- Crissi Cochrane
Posted on November 29, 2010
reviewed by Michael
While Gamma Gamma Rays, the super energetic band from Halifax, is no longer together, Crissi Cochrane is and showcases some great songwriting and musicianship with Darling, Darling.
Cochrane is more than just a singer-songwriter with an acoustic guitar- with the big number of guest musicians on the record she is successfully able to vary her music to include an orchestral sound in certain parts.
The overall feeling one gets from listening to this is a kind of blissful calm- all of the melodies on the album's eight songs are soft and pretty. This is even further enhanced by Cochrane's soothing voice.
The musical arrangements are mostly of the slowed-down and mellow variety- nothing is ridiculously dance-y (much like Gamma Gamma Rays was) although "Lonely For Me" does pick up tempo a little bit.
What I admire more than anything about this work is how it is able to seamlessly work in other instruments without anything sounding forced. For example, in "Elevators" (which is one of the strongest songs on the album) there is almost an entire orchestra backing her midway through. This sounded completely natural.
The only criticism I can make here is that by the ending song, "Darling, Darling" the album gets a tad bit repetitive. However, the orchestral instruments add a great deal to this album, as do some of the lyrics, particularly "I haven't got the time so let's go out and try to find it" from "Kinda Late."
Crissi Cochrane just radiates gentleness.
Top Tracks: "So Far Apart"; "Elevators"
Rating: Strong Hoot (Good)
November 25, 2010
I'm enjoying a bit of downtime now that my show schedule has lightened a little bit! Last weekend was wild.
Thank you to Ricky at blog Here Comes Everyone for posting such a glowing review of "Darling, Darling". Check it out below or click here.
Darling, Darling by Crissi Cochrane
Written by Ricky || Posted on Monday November 22 2010
Some may know Crissi Cochrane from her role as vocalist and mandolin player in Nova Scotian indie outfit Gamma Gamma Rays. Now that the band have gone their separate ways Crissi has relocated to Ontario and has provided us with a delightful collection of songs that revisit and recount her life, youth and love.
"So Far Apart" takes you candidly into a lament for the emotional casualties to distance and separation, avoiding an obvious mournful tone. Every track on Darling, Darling is a vehicle for Cochrane to display her exceptional talent for accompanying quirky and canny lyrics with beautiful musicianship, melodies and just the right amount of accompaniment to allow the song to be really, really heard.
The feel of "Mexico" is oddly lively yet static - it feels almost observational but ultimately there is a steady pace and energy that can move your feet, and slap a sincere smile on your face. As "Coming Home" and "Separate Cities" can attest, Darling, Darling is one for the sentimental and the nostalgic, but not for those who wish to dwell. If there was a motto for Darling, Darling then it would be "look back fondly, it was great".
The album is available to buy from Crissi's website and can be delivered to your door for $20CAD (that's just 12.30 sterling!)
November 20, 2010
Had a wonderful time at Phog last night! The place was at capacity. I've never been in there when it's been so full, but at the same time I didn't know many people there at all. Lots of people came out to see Justin, who was very charming and polite, and performed his last song unplugged in the crowd for a big sing-along. Wonderful!
Bola Rahman of the University of Windsor's Newspaper, The Lance, wrote a lovely article after an interview we did earlier in the month. Check it out!
Ok, I admit it, before today, I'd never heard of Crissi Cochrane, but after listening to her new album Darling, Darling, her name is forever etched in my mind.
She has a smooth, clear voice coupled with soulful guitar work that rivals the likes of Corinne Bailey Rae and Sade Adu.
Originally from Nova Scotia, she began playing the guitar at the age of 10. Cochrane began performing her own songs at 16 and in her senior year of high school, she released The Bathroom EP, a five song demo recorded in the upstairs bathroom of her family home.
This album, released four years ago and produced by Mike Kinsella, speaks volumes to how much Cochrane has changed. With percussion, a string quartet, and some guitar, Darling, Darling is beautifully composed - each song offering a grace and calmness that captivates from the first track to the last.
The album is a snapshot of her life as of now, highlighting key moments - from moving away from her family in Nova Scotia to Windsor, to love-life, and simply finding herself as she grows into an adult.
The eight songs on the album define the 21 year-old as a very talented artist. The first track, "So Far Apart" is a tribute song to her parents. The song delivers efficiently the nostalgic emotions that inspired the song itself. "Mexico," originally featured on The Bathroom EP, couldn't have sounded better with Cochrane's addition of the quartet and percussion.
Cochrane goes on to the subjects of love, heartbreak, and maturity, and in no way makes the subjects cliche, tiring, or boring. The songs come to life at her fingertips, strumming the guitar.
What's certain is that Cochrane has taken a very audacious step into the industry with this album and guarantees that she is here to stay. The album is definitely something to pick up if you haven't already, even as the perfect gift especially for the holiday seasons.
Darling, Darling speaks volumes of a personality that is dedicated to her work, and pays very close attention to detail and is willing to literally write and sing her heart out.
Who knows what the future holds for this talented and unique artist? Life, love, family and the future at large are all inspirations for Cochrane.
Catch Cochrane with PAINT at Milk Coffee Bar (68 University Ave. W.) on Nov. 20. For more information and more show dates, visit www.crissicochrane.com.
Tonight at Milk, I'll be playing with Paint (from Toronto) and local pop-punk boys The Classix. I'll be on last around 11:00pm. It's an all-ages show and only $5, so if you're downtown, come wander in! I'm looking forward to this one. Last night I was super anxious and high-strung, but tonight I'm just going to relax and hang out!
November 17, 2010
Last night at Phog was incredible. Ramona Cordova and Space Ghost Cowboys are great people and great musicians. I think that was my favorite show that I've played so far in Windsor (maybe tied with opening for the opera at the Willistead earlier this month).
Tonight I'll be making an appearance on CJAM 99.1FM in Windsor/Detroit and playing some tunes between 5:00-6:30PM. You can tune in online at cjamlog3.cjam.ca. While on CJAM I'll be sure to mention my next show: this Friday, November 19th with JUSTIN RUTLEDGE at the Phog Lounge. This is bound to be a pretty damn good show. Admission is $10, or you can save yourself three bucks and pick up an advance ticket now at Phog.
November 16, 2010
TONIGHT: I'm opening for Ramona Cordova at Phog. 9pm, $5.
"There must be a secret hiding place in Ramona Cordova's torso. A space where his voice finds life and gathers force; a small springboard on which it launches itself. How else could it project so strongly, so easily from this puny body? Ramona had a T-Shirt that must have been meant for an eight-year-old, it was so tight. Ramona had a straw hat and a delicate handshake. But in the tunnel of an abandoned railway, his guitar in hand, Ramona roared like thirty-five gypsies. Prepubescent gypsies, little-nephew gypsies, maybe. But little-nephew gypsies who are every bit as fiery as their uncles. Good God, he tapped his feet on the stones, spread out, yelled - and all around us there was nothing but an endless, black tunnel."
From blogotheque.net
November 5, 2010
Tonight, I'm opening for Der Schauspieldirektor at the Willistead Manor (1899 Niagara Street) in Windsor. The production is a comic opera by Mozart for three singers and a string quartet.
Tonight's show is the last showing, so don't miss it! Tickets are $7.00 at the door, and I'll be on at the start of the show at 6:30 sharp.
This Sunday I'll be hosting the Open Mic at the FM Lounge. Not sure what baked good we'll be having just yet, but I'll be announcing it on Twitter soon! If you aren't following me, you'd better get on that! @CrissiCochrane
xo!