[Bcma-l] Coco Love Alcorn & Christa Couture at AGSO March 25

Sat, 17 Mar 2007 18:58:07 -0800

--=====================_12300816==.ALT
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

NEWS RELEASE

For immediate release

March 17, 2007

Contact: Paul Crawford, Director/Curator
The Art Gallery of the South Okanagan
199 Marina Way, Penticton, BC
Phone:  (250) 493-2928
E-mail: agso_curator@shawbiz.ca

Coco Love Alcorn and Christa Couture in Concert at AGSO

What better way to relax on a Sunday evening than to enjoy two talented,=20
young songbirds in concert in a casual, art-filled setting? This is what=20
you=92ll find when Coco Love Alcorn and Christa Couture take the stage,=20
beginning at 7 pm on Sunday, March 25 in the main gallery at the Art=20
Gallery of the South Okanagan, 199 Marina Way, Penticton.

Coco Love Alcorn was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia where her parents,=20
Grace Anderson and John Alcorn, met while performing in a high school=20
musical. Much of her childhood was spent living with her mother in=20
Vancouver, but she travelled occasionally to Toronto to be with her father,=
=20
a renowned jazz pianist and composer.

Had it not been for the year she spent in Grade 11 at North Vancouver=92s=20
Carson Graham secondary, Alcorn may not be where she is today =96 on the=
 cusp=20
of stardom.

Alcorn attended Carson in 1991-92. She sang in the jazz choir, formed a=20
vocal quartet, and played trumpet in the stage band, and sousaphone and=20
guitar in the concert band.

Her fondest memory of Carson was overcoming nervousness to sing the jazz=20
standard, I Remember Clifford, in her first solo performance.

=93My knees were shaking, and because my knees were shaking I guess it came=
=20
across that I was really emotional and into it,=94 she recalled. =93I was=20
freaking out, but it was fun. I still have a recording of that, actually.=94

She finished high school in Toronto and took advantage of a scholarship to=
=20
Boston=92s famed Berklee School of Music during the fall of 1993.

She recorded an independent, self-titled album in 1996, featuring jazz=20
standards and her own compositions. She followed that a year later with an=
=20
EP called Happy Pockets. During a performance at a bar on Toronto=92s funky=
=20
Queen Street, she caught the eye of Ani DiFranco, who became an instant fan.

=93She saw most of the show and was going =91yeah, encore!=92 at the end. I=
=20
didn=92t know who it was until I got off-stage. Funny, because during the=20
show I had met eyes with her a couple of times. In every show there=92s=20
always one or a few audience members that you meet eyes with and kind of=20
get energy from. She was the one that was giving me that. It turned out to=
=20
be somebody whose work I really admired.=94

The folk icon was so impressed with Coco=92s performance that she hired Coco=
=20
on the spot to go out on a US tour as her opening act.

Around the time the tour with DiFranco ended, 54-40 was recording Since=20
When. Sarah McLachlan=92s back-up singer, Camille Henderson, joined the band=
=20
in the studio for several songs, but she had her own touring commitments in=
=20
1998. When it came time for the band to tape a TV special at the=20
Planetarium, Coco got the call.

After singing and touring with 54-40, opening for artists such as Chantal=20
Kreviazuk, Ani DiFranco, and Jesse Cook, playing Lilith Fair and The=20
Stardust Picnic, and making videos with Kinnie Star, Coco has been a unique=
=20
and powerful Canadian musical force for over a decade. Coco Love Alcorn is=
=20
an artist whose time has truly come.

=93I love making so many different types of music,=94 says Alcorn. =93Funk,=
 jazz,=20
pop, whatever. It=92s nice to be able to do those things and enjoy them.=94

Christa Couture gives up all her lovely and messy bits to a blend of folk,=
=20
quirk and bark.

A formidable talent armed with a haunting voice and a quick-witted,=20
poignant turn of phrase, her performances are energetic and moving. It is=20
in this context that Christa=92s work is at its spontaneous best =96 fueling=
=20
her attentive audience with candor, wit and passion.

=93She sings with an intimacy that feels like you are being let in on a=20
secret=94 (The Province, BC) and indeed you are.  =93With a wide-eyed and=20
inviting tenderness=94 (Edmonton Sun), this childhood cancer survivor speaks=
=20
honestly about illness, loss, and uncertainty; spinning heartache, fear and=
=20
hope into passionate and compelling music and lyrics.

Fell Out of Oz, released in Canada in 2005, is the followup to her EP=20
Starter.  With Starter hot off the press, and full of wanderlust, Christa=20
and her guitar moved to England to play in many a smoky pub =96 including=
 the=20
legendary Hope & Anchor in London. After Christa=92s year of gigging=20
extensively in England, and with increasing radioplay back home and online,=
=20
Starter quickly garnered praise and devoted fans from across Canada, the=20
United States and the UK. Christa=92s song, day 4, was chosen as the first=
=20
track on the fundraising compilation CD entitled Peace Songs for a Better=20
World (for the UNESCO-endorsed project, New Songs for Peace), which led to=
=20
an invitation to play at Winterfolk III in Toronto (February 2005). Thus,=20
Christa finally made her way back to Canada.

Recorded live off the floor, Fell Out of Oz demonstrates Christa=92s=20
expanding maturity as a songstress and captures the =93in the moment=94=
 emotion=20
that lends her songs a raw, yet subtle intensity.

Tickets for the Coco Love Alcorn and Christa Couture concert are available=
=20
at the Art Gallery of the South Okanagan; $10 for Gallery members and=20
students, or $15 for non-members. Tickets are limited to 50, so please=20
reserve yours in advance. To arrange a media interview, reserve tickets, or=
=20
for more information, please contact Paul Crawford at the Art Gallery of=20
the South Okanagan, (250) 493-2928.

http://www.cocolovealcorn.com

http://www.christacouture.com

                                         - end -

--=====================_12300816==.ALT
Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<html>
<body>
NEWS RELEASE 
For immediate release 
March 17, 2007 
Contact: Paul Crawford, Director/Curator 
The Art Gallery of the South Okanagan 
199 Marina Way, Penticton, BC 
Phone:&nbsp; (250) 493-2928 
E-mail: agso_curator@shawbiz.ca 
Coco Love Alcorn and Christa Couture in Concert at AGSO 
What better way to relax on a Sunday evening than to enjoy two
talented, young songbirds in concert in a casual, art-filled setting?
This is what you=92ll find when Coco Love Alcorn and Christa Couture take
the stage, beginning at 7 pm on Sunday, March 25 in the main gallery at
the Art Gallery of the South Okanagan, 199 Marina Way,
Penticton. 
Coco Love Alcorn was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia where her
parents, Grace Anderson and John Alcorn, met while performing in a high
school musical. Much of her childhood was spent living with her mother in
Vancouver, but she travelled occasionally to Toronto to be with her
father, a renowned jazz pianist and composer. 
Had it not been for the year she spent in Grade 11 at North Vancouver=92s
Carson Graham secondary, Alcorn may not be where she is today =96 on the
cusp of stardom. 
Alcorn attended Carson in 1991-92. She sang in the jazz choir, formed a
vocal quartet, and played trumpet in the stage band, and sousaphone and
guitar in the concert band. 
Her fondest memory of Carson was overcoming nervousness to sing the jazz
standard, I Remember Clifford, in her first solo performance.
 
=93My knees were shaking, and because my knees were shaking I guess it came
across that I was really emotional and into it,=94 she recalled. =93I was
freaking out, but it was fun. I still have a recording of that,
actually.=94 
She finished high school in Toronto and took advantage of a scholarship
to Boston=92s famed Berklee School of Music during the fall of 1993.
 
She recorded an independent, self-titled album in 1996, featuring jazz
standards and her own compositions. She followed that a year later with
an EP called Happy Pockets. During a performance at a bar on
Toronto=92s funky Queen Street, she caught the eye of Ani DiFranco, who
became an instant fan. 
=93She saw most of the show and was going =91yeah, encore!=92 at the end. I
didn=92t know who it was until I got off-stage. Funny, because during the
show I had met eyes with her a couple of times. In every show there=92s
always one or a few audience members that you meet eyes with and kind of
get energy from. She was the one that was giving me that. It turned out
to be somebody whose work I really admired.=94 
The folk icon was so impressed with Coco=92s performance that
she hired Coco on the spot to go out on a US tour as her opening
act. 
Around the time the tour with DiFranco ended, 54-40 was recording
Since When. Sarah McLachlan=92s back-up singer, Camille Henderson,
joined the band in the studio for several songs, but she had her own
touring commitments in 1998. When it came time for the band to tape a TV
special at the Planetarium, Coco got the call. 
After singing and touring with 54-40, opening for artists such as Chantal
Kreviazuk, Ani DiFranco, and Jesse Cook, playing Lilith Fair and The
Stardust Picnic, and making videos with Kinnie Star, Coco has been a
unique and powerful Canadian musical force for over a decade. Coco Love
Alcorn is an artist whose time has truly come. 
=93I love making so many different types of music,=94 says Alcorn. =93Funk,
jazz, pop, whatever. It=92s nice to be able to do those things and enjoy
them.=94 
Christa Couture gives up all her lovely and messy bits to a blend
of folk, quirk and bark. 
A formidable talent armed with a haunting voice and a quick-witted,
poignant turn of phrase, her performances are energetic and moving. It is
in this context that Christa=92s work is at its spontaneous best =96 fueling
her attentive audience with candor, wit and passion. 
=93She sings with an intimacy that feels like you are being let in on a
secret=94 (The Province, BC) and indeed you are.&nbsp; =93With a
wide-eyed and inviting tenderness=94 (Edmonton Sun), this childhood
cancer survivor speaks honestly about illness, loss, and uncertainty;
spinning heartache, fear and hope into passionate and compelling music
and lyrics. 
Fell Out of Oz, released in Canada in 2005, is the followup to her
EP Starter.&nbsp; With Starter hot off the press, and full
of wanderlust, Christa and her guitar moved to England to play in many a
smoky pub =96 including the legendary Hope &amp; Anchor in London. After
Christa=92s year of gigging extensively in England, and with increasing
radioplay back home and online, Starter quickly garnered praise
and devoted fans from across Canada, the United States and the UK.
Christa=92s song, day 4, was chosen as the first track on the
fundraising compilation CD entitled Peace Songs for a Better World
(for the UNESCO-endorsed project, New Songs for Peace), which led
to an invitation to play at Winterfolk III in Toronto (February 2005).
Thus, Christa finally made her way back to Canada. 
Recorded live off the floor, Fell Out of Oz demonstrates Christa=92s
expanding maturity as a songstress and captures the =93in the moment=94
emotion that lends her songs a raw, yet subtle intensity. 
Tickets for the Coco Love Alcorn and Christa Couture concert are
available at the Art Gallery of the South Okanagan; $10 for Gallery
members and students, or $15 for non-members. Tickets are limited to 50,
so please reserve yours in advance. To arrange a media interview, reserve
tickets, or for more information, please contact Paul Crawford at the Art
Gallery of the South Okanagan, (250) 493-2928. 
<a href=3D"http://www.cocolovealcorn.com/"=
 eudora=3D"autourl">http://www.cocolovealcorn.com 
</a><a href=3D"http://www.christacouture.com/"=
 eudora=3D"autourl">http://www.christacouture.com 
</a><x-tab>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</x-tab><x-tab>&n=
bsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</x-tab><x-tab>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</x-tab><x-tab>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbs=
p;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</x-tab><x-tab>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp=
;&nbsp;</x-tab>-
end - 
</body>
</html>

--=====================_12300816==.ALT--