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After a whirlwind of musical activity in her East Coast hometown, Crissi Cochrane was not content to play the local clubs forever, and packed it up for Windsor, Ontario; sister city to Detroit, the spiritual home of Motown Soulsters, Juggalos, White Stripes, and Stooges alike. Inspired by the buzz of a new town, Crissi has been prolific in her many pursuits lately, including amazing performances on stage and on video, and boldly adding her own original voice into the mix.

Cochrane’s wonderful voice and sweet guitar are like a breath of fresh air ’round these parts. She has special qualities honed from her years on the East Coast, which puts her years ahead of artists her age, Cochrane exhudes a quiet confidence onstage that is impressive.

Filmed By Christina Ienna

Far from being a mere wallflower in a new scene, Cochrane has come to proudly represent her adopted hometown, as reported in the influential Windsor Zene, and of course, the always excellent N2D S2W.

CIAMM speaks with her next, to find out a bit more background about this rising talent, and to learn of  her next moves in the music business. She  most assuredly has the talent, ambition, and smarts to take it as far as she wants, and we wanted this opportunity to feature her during this calm moment, a calm before the storm, if you will,  before the rest of Canada takes notice, and we make her a National Star.

Crissi Cochrane: I’m really happy you took a liking to that Goodbye To Halifax video, I had a lot of fun making the art for that and trying not to sit on slugs in my backyard while we were shooting it (I have a horrible fear of slugs).

CIAMM: How do you find the music scene around Windsor to be to new faces, such as yourself?

Crissi Cochrane: Windsorites are incredibly friendly and welcoming. Where I’m from out east, the music scene can be really dense and competitive, so it’s really refreshing to come to a place where musicians have no ego – they’re just doing it for the love of music, and to make people happy. It really reminds me why I do this.

CIAMM: Do you have a recording studio at your beck and call, or is it an effort to record in Windsor?

Crissi Cochrane's LP Darling, Darling

Crissi Cochrane:

CIAMM: How long have you been playing guitar and songwriting?

Crissi Cochrane: Forever! I picked up the guitar when I was nine, although I didn’t take it very seriously until about seventh grade, when I realized that boys liked a girl who could play guitar. I used to write songs all the time for fun as early as elementary school, secretly singing all of my ideas into the tape recorder in my bedroom. My first fully articulated guitar-and-voice songs started in about tenth grade, and I began performing shortly after that.

CIAMM: What are the advantages of being a singer-songwriter, compared to the life of being a band-mate, and working collaboratively?

Crissi Cochrane: There’s much more to be nervous about, being a solo performer! You’re up on stage alone, you’re totally responsible for the noise that people hear. “Singer-songwriter” seems to be a bit of a dirty word these days, so sometimes it feels like you need to prove yourself right from the start. In a band, you get to share all those responsibilities. On the other hand, I think it does a lot for your confidence and your personal development to have your own musical identity, but I believe you can always learn things from other musicians, even if it’s sometimes learning what NOT to do.

CIAMM: What is your next project?

Crissi Cochrane: I’m really looking forward to working on some new recordings this spring! I think my ideas about song structure and instrumentation have been getting better, so I can’t wait to see what I can do. A new EP might not be too far off.

yellowbird handmade by Crissi

My CD (as well as the occasional handmade goods, like sewn birdies) are available on my website at www.crissicochrane.com.

I’ve also got a show coming up on March 4 at the Taloola Cafe (396 Devonshire Rd) here in Windsor, ON. I’ll be playing an unplugged set from 8:00-9:00PM, and admission is pay-what-you-can!