Chris Colepaugh
Encyclopedia
Chris Colepaugh and the Cosmic Crew is a rock band formed in 1996 from Moncton, New Brunswick
, Canada
.
” in 10 hours at “Alta Studio” in Dieppe, New Brunswick
and launched the album.
After a year of touring the Maritimes, Chris Colepaugh and the Cosmic Crew won an east coast talent search and went to Halifax, Nova Scotia to record their next album Mazes and Mirrors live off the floor with producer Kevin Scott McMichael. Prior to this, Craig Watson had left the band to attend Bishop's University
and had joined the band “Clay
” with Nick Hamilton, Chris Frost and Eric Finkle. Sitting on drums for Mazes would be Cameron Murphy who had toured extensively with the band. The album earned them rave reviews and allowed them to expand their touring base to Quebec and Ontario.
In 1998, Cameron Murphy left the band to pursue his own music, and so started the influx of drummers that would make up the Cosmic Crew. Kevin Macintyre and Danny Bourgeois were the regular drummers during that year, and a fourth member was briefly added: Andre Leblanc on keys.
to British Columbia
and down to California
and all the way back for their final stop at the 2000 East Coast Music Awards for a performance and album nomination in Sydney, Cape Breton
/ Nova Scotia, Canada. Reviews and accolades for the group’s prowess and incredible energy were accumulating, and so was their skill from constantly performing.
, played the House of Blues
, were finalists in CBC’s Great Canadian Music Dream and played for over half a million people on the East Coast Music Awards. They were nominated for an ECMA that year, and the song “Bookmark” was breaking ice on radio stations across the country.
in Sudbury, Ontario
with Craig Watson and met future drummer Shawn Sasyniuk.
In late 2004, Chris accepted an offer from a friend to stay with him in San Francisco. For the month of October, Chris played the clubs in San Francisco. It was in this beautiful environment that he wrote the music and lyrics for all but three of the songs of what would be “In Your Backyard”.
Early 2005, plans were underway to record the next album and demos were in the process of being made. In March, Chris suffered a severe gallbladder attack and was rushed to hospital. He had immediate surgery for its removal and had an extensive stay due to complications. It was very tough on him, his family and his band and recovery was lengthy. That fall, with Shawn Sasyniuk comfortably filling the drummers position, the band returned back on the scene to tour the Eastern United States and Canada.
to work under the mentorship of Gordie Johnson
at Willie Nelson's
Perdanales Studio for two weeks on the new Grady
album. He returned in September to get the final masters on the album, and “In Your Backyard” was released in the fall of 2006.
“In Your Backyard” drips with thick electric guitars, Bonham-esque style drums, massive bass, and soulful songwriting and lyrics. From the heavy guitar-soaked-rocker-single "Caught Up To You" , to the acoustic guitar/mandolin picking of "Don't Want You 'Round No More", "In Your Backyard "is a guitar-intense, southern jam rock album. Fans loved it, critics admired it and the album secured Chris Colepaugh as a formidable talent in the Canadian Music scene. The album accrued more praise and credentials on its own than his entire previous discography combined. Chris signed an endorsement deal with Gibson Guitars, Sennheiser
Microphones and Traynor Amplifiers
, and signed a deal with his Management Company and Fontana North
Distribution. Also, Chris won the 2007 Contact East Touring Award, was a finalist in the 2008 International Acoustic Music Awards, won four Toronto Exclusive Music Magazine awards and was nominated for two ECMA awards.
Though he lives in Ontario, Shawn Sasyniuk continues to play drums with Chris Colepaugh. He shares his duties with Maritime based Danny Bourgeois and the two of them keep CCCC constantly on the move.
's camp and was asked to join them on tour of France, Belgium and Sweden for several months over the year. Chris accepted, and was joined by CCCC drummer Shawn Sasyniuk.
The group was twice honoured during the 2011 East Coast Music Awards, winning Rock Album of the Year for "Missed a Page", as well as the Fan Choice Entertainer of the Year Award.
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
History
Chris Colepaugh and the Cosmic Crew first started in 1996 with Chris Colepaugh on lead guitars and vocals, Lynn Daigle on bass and Craig Watson on drums. Craig Watson, Chris’s long-time friend from high school, was the major lyric writer for Chris at the time. Chris and Lynn recorded “GalaxyGalaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
” in 10 hours at “Alta Studio” in Dieppe, New Brunswick
Dieppe, New Brunswick
Dieppe is a Canadian city in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.-Geography:Dieppe is located on the Petitcodiac River east of the adjacent city of Moncton...
and launched the album.
After a year of touring the Maritimes, Chris Colepaugh and the Cosmic Crew won an east coast talent search and went to Halifax, Nova Scotia to record their next album Mazes and Mirrors live off the floor with producer Kevin Scott McMichael. Prior to this, Craig Watson had left the band to attend Bishop's University
Bishop's University
Bishop's University is a predominantly undergraduate university in Lennoxville, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Bishop's is one of three universities in the province of Quebec that teach primarily in the English language...
and had joined the band “Clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
” with Nick Hamilton, Chris Frost and Eric Finkle. Sitting on drums for Mazes would be Cameron Murphy who had toured extensively with the band. The album earned them rave reviews and allowed them to expand their touring base to Quebec and Ontario.
In 1998, Cameron Murphy left the band to pursue his own music, and so started the influx of drummers that would make up the Cosmic Crew. Kevin Macintyre and Danny Bourgeois were the regular drummers during that year, and a fourth member was briefly added: Andre Leblanc on keys.
16 Second Solace
While Chris Colepaugh and the Cosmic Crew continued to make headway in to the Canadian Music scene, lyricist Craig Watson moved back to Moncton and took up the drummer’s throne with CCCC once again. In the spring of 1999, Chris Colepaugh, Lynn Daigle and Craig Watson recorded 16 Second Solace at Staccato Studios with producer John Maher and embarked on a five month tour from New BrunswickNew Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
to British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and down to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and all the way back for their final stop at the 2000 East Coast Music Awards for a performance and album nomination in Sydney, Cape Breton
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
/ Nova Scotia, Canada. Reviews and accolades for the group’s prowess and incredible energy were accumulating, and so was their skill from constantly performing.
Trip
In 2001, the band made a bold move and had Chris Colepaugh record all the instruments himself. They returned to Staccato and work with John Maher again to create Trip with fifteen songs plus a bonus track. In addition, Chris Colepaugh expanded his writing and wrote a third of the lyrics on the album. With the release of Trip, the band enlisted Danny Bourgeois and Remi Bourque as drummers and toured countless times across Canada. The band played dates with the North Mississippi AllstarsNorth Mississippi Allstars
North Mississippi Allstars is a Southern rock/blues jam band from Hernando, Mississippi, founded in 1996. The band is composed of brothers Luther Dickinson and Cody Dickinson , and Chris Chew...
, played the House of Blues
House of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
, were finalists in CBC’s Great Canadian Music Dream and played for over half a million people on the East Coast Music Awards. They were nominated for an ECMA that year, and the song “Bookmark” was breaking ice on radio stations across the country.
In Time
At the end of 2002, Remi left the band and Chris returned to the studio to record “In Time” in early 2003. Considered a slightly darker album than the rest, Chris Colepaugh again worked with friend John Maher at Staccato Studios and also wrote just under half of the lyrics. CCCC continued to tour the album nationally, received airplay and were nominated for and ECMA award. It was also in July 2003 that CCCC played the Northern Lights Festival BoréalNorthern Lights Festival Boréal
Northern Lights Festival Boréal is an annual folk festival in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's oldest music festival, in continuous operation since 1972...
in Sudbury, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
with Craig Watson and met future drummer Shawn Sasyniuk.
In late 2004, Chris accepted an offer from a friend to stay with him in San Francisco. For the month of October, Chris played the clubs in San Francisco. It was in this beautiful environment that he wrote the music and lyrics for all but three of the songs of what would be “In Your Backyard”.
Early 2005, plans were underway to record the next album and demos were in the process of being made. In March, Chris suffered a severe gallbladder attack and was rushed to hospital. He had immediate surgery for its removal and had an extensive stay due to complications. It was very tough on him, his family and his band and recovery was lengthy. That fall, with Shawn Sasyniuk comfortably filling the drummers position, the band returned back on the scene to tour the Eastern United States and Canada.
In Your Backyard
With plans already behind for the new album, 2006 was a year of change. Colepaugh decided that it was time for him to produce the new album himself at his own studio. Having never produced a full length album, Chris had a large learning curve. During the summer, Chris Colepaugh wrote all the music, performed all the parts, produced, recorded and engineered the entire album. On the last day of his recording, he left for Austin, TexasAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
to work under the mentorship of Gordie Johnson
Gordie Johnson
Gordie Johnson is a Canadian musician, best known as the front man for the reggae-rock band Big Sugar, and later southern rock band Grady.-Biography:...
at Willie Nelson's
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
Perdanales Studio for two weeks on the new Grady
Grady (band)
Grady is a cowboy metal band based in Austin, Texas.-History:Grady originally consisted of Canadian vocalist and guitarist Gordie Johnson , Canadian bass guitarist "Big" Ben Richardson, and Chris Layton on drums...
album. He returned in September to get the final masters on the album, and “In Your Backyard” was released in the fall of 2006.
“In Your Backyard” drips with thick electric guitars, Bonham-esque style drums, massive bass, and soulful songwriting and lyrics. From the heavy guitar-soaked-rocker-single "Caught Up To You" , to the acoustic guitar/mandolin picking of "Don't Want You 'Round No More", "In Your Backyard "is a guitar-intense, southern jam rock album. Fans loved it, critics admired it and the album secured Chris Colepaugh as a formidable talent in the Canadian Music scene. The album accrued more praise and credentials on its own than his entire previous discography combined. Chris signed an endorsement deal with Gibson Guitars, Sennheiser
Sennheiser
Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG is a private German audio company specializing in the design and production of a wide range of both consumer and high fidelity products, including microphones, headphones, telephony accessories, and avionics headsets for consumer, professional, and business...
Microphones and Traynor Amplifiers
Traynor Amplifiers
Traynor is a brand of bass amplifiers and guitar amplifiers, the first brand formed by Yorkville Sound. The Traynor brand, named for founder Peter Traynor, began in 1963 with the Dynabass bass amplifier, a rental product. Traynor first became popular in Canada by providing less expensive versions...
, and signed a deal with his Management Company and Fontana North
Fontana North
Fontana North is a Canadian record distribution company and represents the Canadian wing of Fontana Distribution. It is a joint venture between Canadian-based MapleCore and US-based Fontana Distribution. The company was established by MapleCore in 2004 as MapleNationwide, and in 2006, it partnered...
Distribution. Also, Chris won the 2007 Contact East Touring Award, was a finalist in the 2008 International Acoustic Music Awards, won four Toronto Exclusive Music Magazine awards and was nominated for two ECMA awards.
Though he lives in Ontario, Shawn Sasyniuk continues to play drums with Chris Colepaugh. He shares his duties with Maritime based Danny Bourgeois and the two of them keep CCCC constantly on the move.
Roch Voisine
In early 2009, Chris Colepaugh received a call from legendary Canadian icon Roch VoisineRoch Voisine
Joseph Armand Roch Voisine, OC better known as Roch Voisine, is a Canadian Acadian singer-songwriter, actor, and radio and television host...
's camp and was asked to join them on tour of France, Belgium and Sweden for several months over the year. Chris accepted, and was joined by CCCC drummer Shawn Sasyniuk.
Burning
In September 2009, Chris Colepaugh and the Cosmic Crew released their first live album, "Burning". This live album consisted of songs recorded over their annual series of Boxing Day shows in Moncton, New Brunswick, and was released to excellent reviews. After touring, Chris Colepaugh returned to tour France with Roch Voisine for three months.Missed a Page
In 2010, Chris Colepaugh and the Cosmic Crew released "Missed a Page", their 7th studio album. As with the last few studio releases, Chris wrote the music, played all the instruments, recorded and produced the album himself and shared lyric-writing duties with Craig Watson. The record was released to excellent reviews.The group was twice honoured during the 2011 East Coast Music Awards, winning Rock Album of the Year for "Missed a Page", as well as the Fan Choice Entertainer of the Year Award.
Members
- Chris Colepaugh - lead vocals / guitar
- Lynn Daigle - bass guitar
- Shawn Sasyniuk - drums
- Danny Bourgeois - drums
Discography
- Galaxy (1996)
- Mazes and Mirrors (1997)
- 16 Second Solace (1999)
- Trip (2001)
- In Time (2003)
- In Your Backyard (2006)
- Burning (2009)
- Missed a Page (2010)
External links
- Official Site
- Chris Colepaugh on Sonic Bids