CocoRosie is a musical group formed in 2003 by sisters Bianca "Coco" and Sierra "Rosie" Casady. The sisters were born and raised in the United States, but formed the band in Paris after meeting for the first time in many years. Their eclectic music has been called "freak folk", and incorporates elements of pop, blues, opera, electronica, and hip hop.
CocoRosie was originally a duo, with Sierra singing, playing the guitar, piano and harp, and Bianca singing and manipulating various children's toys, electronic and percussion instruments, as well as other exotic noisemakers. In recent years they have appeared with various backing musicians at live shows, usually a bassist, synth player and beatboxer. They have been a very active touring group, playing across Europe, the United States, and elsewhere. As of 2009, they have released three full-length albums.
History
Background
Sierra Casady was born in Iowa, and Bianca was born in Hawaii. When Sierra was about 5 years old and Bianca 3, their parents separated. The girls lived with their mother, Christina Chalmers, an artist and singer of Native American and Syrian ancestry who grew up in Iowa. They moved to new towns, art studios, and schools almost every year, living in Hawaii, California, New Mexico, and Arizona. Because their mother believed that the girls would learn more doing art in the "real world" than in school, neither sister finished high school. Chalmers nicknamed her daughters "Rosie" (Sierra) and "Coco" (Bianca), from which the musical act takes its name. Their mother now tours with them regularly, sings and composes.
The Casady sisters are now estranged from their father, an Iowa farmer who became interested in Native American religion. As children, the sisters spent summers with him, while he visited Indian reservations and took part in vision quests. The girls did not enjoy these experiences at the time, but later came to appreciate some of the things that interested him.
In 1998, at about age 18, Sierra moved to New York City. Two years later, she moved into a tiny apartment in the Montmartre district in Paris, France, to pursue a career as an opera singer, studying at the Conservatoire de Paris. During this period, Sierra lost contact with Bianca, who was living in New York City. Bianca studied linguistics and sociology, and pursued her passion of visual arts and writing. She also collected a variety of tattoos, and was known to attend controversially "ironic," white-held "Kill Whitey" parties in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Debut album
In 2003, Bianca was growing restless and decided it was time for a change. She left her apartment in Brooklyn to travel the world. Unexpectedly, she showed up at Sierra's apartment in Paris.
Over the course of the next two months, the women spent nearly every waking hour in Sierra's bathroom, chosen as the most acoustic and isolated room in the apartment. Soon, they had completed their debut album La maison de mon rêve .
Originally, La maison de mon rêve was only intended to be distributed among a close circle of friends. However, by 2004 the lo-fi album was released on independent label Touch and Go Records, who had obtained a copy of the CD and had uncharacteristically pursued signing the artists. Since the creation of their first album, the Casady sisters have been virtually inseparable.
Subsequent work
CocoRosie released their second album, Noah's Ark , in 2005. The album includes collaborations with Antony Hegarty from Antony and the Johnsons ("Beautiful Boyz"), Devendra Banhart ("Brazilian Sun"), and French rapper Spleen ("Bisounours"). The album was recorded in a variety of locations as the sisters traveled. The album's cover, a drawing by Bianca of three unicorns having sex while one of them vomits, was selected by The Guardian and Pitchfork Media as one of the worst album covers of all time.
In 2006, Sierra started a new band, Metallic Falcons, with friend Matteah Baim; they are signed to Voodoo Eros Records, a new label started by Bianca with business partner Melissa Shimkovitz. Bianca also opened the Voodoo Eros Museum Of Nice Items, an art gallery and performance space in New York City (123 Ludlow St) most recently home to an exhibition of Bianca's art Red Bone Slim VS. Itself: an Exhibition of Drawings .
CocoRosie's third full-length studio album, The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn , was released on April 10, 2007. It was produced by Valgeir Sigurðsson, Björk's longtime collaborator. The songs are about the Casady sisters' family and their deceased brother. It was recorded at their mother's farm in the Camargue region of France. The album's cover is a photo by Pierre et Gilles that features Sierra, Bianca, and Bianca in drag. In a 2008 interview with AfterEllen.com, Bianca expressed surprise that many people do not realize she is gay, given that she frequently performs in drag.
In May 2007, while touring in support of The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn , the band was involved in an incident which resulted in the cancellation of the remainder of the North American leg of the tour. No official explanation was released; vague and unconfirmed reports claimed that unidentified members of the band were arrested and deported while crossing the US/Canadian border.
On May 13, 2008, CocoRosie released a new single entitled "God Has a Voice, She Speaks Through Me". The song was released digitally and as a 7" picture disc single (limited to 3000 pieces). The b-side of the 7" features a short and untitled song, which merely consists of noises. Though the picture on the b-side of the vinyl has lyrics from the song Hairnet Paradise , which was previously only performed live, the actual song on the recording is very different.
The status of their relationship with Touch and Go records is unknown, as Touch and Go announced they may not be releasing any new records after spring 2009. In the meantime, a self-released EP entitled Coconuts, Plenty of Junk Food was made available for sale exclusively at CocoRosie shows on June 3, 2009. A fourth full-length album is planned for a 2010 release.
CocoRosie was named the 16th most influential artist of the decade by betterPropaganda in 2008.
Notable appearances
In late 2006 they appeared as a featured act at the Touch and Go Records 25th anniversary block party at the famed Hideout club in Chicago along with a reunited Big Black, Scratch Acid, Killdozer, The Ex, Uzeda and many others.
In 2007 they appeared at the annual Coachella art and music festival in California.
On April 29 , 2008 CocoRosie performed together with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
They played at Poland's Open'er Festival in July 2008.
Byblos Festival - Lebanon - July 2009
Openluchttheater Caprera - Bloemendaal, The Netherlands - 16 June 2009
Kulturzentrum Tollhaus eV Karlsruhe - Germany - 31 July 2009
Westfalenpark, JuicyBeats Rave - Dortmund, Germany - 1 Aug 2009
Paradiso - Amsterdam, the Netherlands - 7 Aug 2009
Commercial use
CocoRosie's music has been used in various perfume advertisements including Kenzo's Amour which used "Good Friday" as well as Escada's Into the Blue which used "Not for Sale" in recent advertisements. Both use aspects of romance and slow speed motion film.
In 2005, Frederic Sanchez used "Brazilian Sun", "Not for Sale" and "Good Friday" as part of the soundtrack he created for Miuccia Prada's spring 2006 show. The piece was called "Coco Rosie Through the Looking Glass".
In 2008, music by CocoRosie was used in a Swedish rendition of Shakespeare's Hamlet at the Royal Dramatic Theatre (Dramaten), with Jonas Malmsjö playing Prince Hamlet. The song Werewolf is repeatedly sung by Ophelia and Hamlet throughout the play.
By now CocoRosie composed two complete scores, in 2005 for the French movie Frankie and in 2007 for the German movie Haus der Wünsche (international: "Paperbird").
In 2007, their song "Candyland" was used in the film Anna M. by Michel Spinosa.
The songs "Bear Hides and Buffalo" and "Houses" are featured in the gay zombie film "Otto; or Up with Dead People" by Bruce LaBruce, 2008
Discography
- La maison de mon rêve (Touch and Go/Quarterstick Records, 2004)
- Noah's Ark (Touch and Go/Quarterstick Records, 2005)
- The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn (Touch and Go Records, 2007)
- Beautiful Boyz (EP, Touch and Go/Quarterstick Records, 2004)
- God Has a Voice, She Speaks Through Me (single, Touch and Go Records, 2008)
- Coconuts, Plenty of Junk Food (EP, self-released, 2009)
References
- ^ Laura Sylvester, "An interview with CoCoRosie", Junkmedia , August 29, 2005. Accessed November 15, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g Fernanda Eberstadt, "Twisted Sisters". The New York Times Magazine , July 6, 2008. Accessed November 14, 2009.
- ^ a
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