Chris Colepaugh and The Cosmic Crew might have snagged an impressive six nominations for the upcoming Music New Brunswick Awards to be held in October, however there is one category in which he was not nominated: Hardest Working Musician in Metro Moncton.
No such category exists, of course, but if it did, Colepaugh would arguably be a shoe-in to take that award home. Not only does he fill his schedule with session work for several artists as well as solo and band performances, but he is also a member of Roch Voisine’s touring band which is where he has spent the bulk of his time over the past year.
As far as Colepaugh is concerned though, the timing of joining Voisine on the road in 2009 couldn’t have been better timed.
“When the job offer from Roch came along, we were at the end of the touring cycle of the last Cosmic Crew record anyway,” he says.
“I couldn’t really turn down an opportunity like that, to get some experience playing with someone else and have the chance to bring that to what I do within my own band.
“The Cosmic Crew tends to stick close to home in the winter time, playing shows here in the Maritimes but not really doing a lot of travel otherwise. I spent the bulk of last winter overseas in Europe touring, so again, the timing was perfect.”
Colepaugh will be on stage with Voisine when the latter performs at Casino New Brunswick next month. However fans of Colepaugh hankering for some new music from him and his group need only to get out to their local record store on Sept. 28 to pick up the band’s latest record, Missed A Page.
If you’re seeking a preview of the new record, you can check out the Cosmic Crew Saturday night at the Moncton Coliseum where they will share a stage with The Stanfields, Two Hours Traffic and The Trews. The show has been moved from downtown Moncton up to the Coliseum due to expected rainfall. The show is still free.
Incorrectly pegged as a collection of B-sides by some, Colepaugh explains that the new Missed A Page album gives a home to songs that just hadn’t made the final cut on other records.
“We have always felt extremely proud of these songs. Every one of these songs had been in contention for being on records in the past but had just never made the final track listing.”
In addition to the release of Missed A Page, Colepaugh tells the Times & Transcript that a new studio record is in the works but he does not yet have a specific release date narrowed down.
“We have written a lot of new material over the last year. We have a bunch of songs already done and expect that after Christmas, will get back to working on finishing that record up for release in 2011,” Colepaugh says.
“We let a four-year span go between Missed A Page and our last record so we aren’t necessarily going to rush to get another new record done,” he laughs.
Despite the gap in getting new music out to consumers, Colepaugh is one who takes nothing for granted and is grateful for the opportunities that music has presented him with thus far.
“I feel truly blessed to do what I do. Roch will say to me ‘Colepaugh, you’re always smiling on stage!’ and it’s like are you kidding? I’m getting to travel the world and play music for living, why shouldn’t I be smiling?”
Article published in September 23, 2010 edition of the Times & Transcript