Christine Fellows

Hammering rain and breakneck winds didn’t stop fans of Christine Fellows and the Weakerthans’ John Samson from tucking into the Great Hall to see what the Winnipeg power couple can do with a chamber ensemble… By the end, we were left swept away by the program’s variety, seamlessness and, most of all, beauty. - Carla GIllis - Now Magazine, Toronto

Before cinema, the Victorians entertained themselves with magic lanterns…That vintage medium became new again on Tuesday evening at the Gardiner Museum, where visual artist Shary Boyle used an old overhead projector to make visible the songs of Winnipeg musician Christine Fellows…Fellows is a terrific partner for this kind of work because, like Boyle, she mingles light and dark, the sweet with the disturbing…[her] songs were hugely magnified by these efforts, though they’re not at all skimpy on their own. For her final number, the apocalyptic Not Wanted on the Voyage, she stood up in front of the illuminated screen and accompanied herself on ukulele, pausing only a moment as Boyle flung a sheet over her head. It was a touching display of trust, and purposeful silliness, from a pair of enchanting performers. - The Globe and Mail

"... easily her finest {work}, with 14 tracks of sublimely natural elegance and inspired craftsmanship that are as intimate as love letters, as literate as short stories, as poised as poetry, as homespun and unique as birds' nests." **** CALGARY SUN

- Calgary Sun

"... the disc is filled with perfect miniatures as finely wrought and layered as a New Yorker short story, with an inviting first line and an eye for detail... A perfect record in nearly every respect, Paper Anniversary is easily one of the best albums of the year.” VANCOUVER COURIER

- Vancouver Courier

Christine Fellows
Nevertheless

Like Mother Goose with an English degree, Christine Fellows writes songs that are wordy, whimsical and a little disturbing. Kids might sing along, but they’re certain to miss the subtext. Her latest album seems innocent enough, what with its chamber-pop strings, playful banjos and rhythmic piano chords, but behind the lace curtains, there lives a cast of strange and tragic characters. Fellows treats these people—mostly old ladies and lonely bird enthusiasts—with great affection. Her child-like voice signals sympathy for their situations, and her detailed narratives reveal her to be a kind and interested observer, not merely an exploiter of broken lives. On “Cruel Jim,” Fellows learns that her rugged prizefighting neighbor has painted his walls “robin’s-egg blue.” She’d love to know why, but she’s an outsider among outsiders. Her songs are stolen glances, all worth a look. —K. Partridge

FOR FANS OF:
The Decemberists – Her Majesty
Jill Sobule – Jill Sobule
Feist – The Reminder - K. Partridge, Performing Songwriter Magazine

You've got to love a woman who's gained success in the male-dominated music industry by doing whatever the hell she wants... A colorful lyricist with a knack for cobbling a fantastical landscape, Fellows creates a time and place that is well worth a visit. - Sara Graham, Bust Magazine

After an exhaustingly hot and sticky weekend full of great performances, Christine Fellows politely stole the show, closing out Sunday night with one of the most remarkably beautiful spectacles Hillside has ever witnessed. Toronto visual artist Shary Boyle accompanied Fellows and her band by creating astonishing artwork, which she displayed with an overhead projector. Whether literal or abstract interpretations of Fellows’ songs, Boyle’s work perfectly complemented the multi-layered music, which itself was bolstered by the likes of Weakerthans John K. Samson and Jason Tait, and Hylozoist Paul Aucoin. Truly stunning.

- Exclaim! Magazine

**Wryly literary "spinster" unveils a mesmerizing song cycle**

Though Christine Fellows' fourth solo disc appears prim, even haughty - a page of acknowledgements cites numerous artists and poets - an impish impropriety pervades her music. Like a one-woman Decemberists, she loves anachronism and swooning orchestration: "The Goddess of Macrame" hilariously paints the '70s with dark shadows, while "The Spinster's Almanac" bobs happily through a mournful story of loss. Each succeeds, like most of Nevertheless, by being slyly unpredictable, rarely self-serious, and unabashedly tuneful. - Josh Modell - Spin Magazine - Nevertheless 4-star review, Feb 2008

"... mad and wonderful, a work of enigmatic magnificence and ghosts, richly textured and untethered to genre or era ... the record feels like going through an old house, room by room, stuffed with privately precious objects. Ukulele and piano provide her base, along with her sing-song, bell-clear voice, and she conjures a dreamy orchestra of strings, glockenspiel, bass, banjo, found sounds and other voices at will ... Nevertheless is an impeccable classic of a canon all her own." - Vue Weekly, Edmonton

"... Richly textured and lovingly played... words and music that will fire imaginations."
- Uptown Magazine, Winnipeg

“For her fourth album, Christine Fellows has made the year’s best dance record, yet without beats... magical and poignantly dramatic... It gets better with each play; Nevertheless, it is adorable immediately.” l - The Globe and Mail

“Remembering back to Dawson City Music Festival 2006, the highlight for me would have to be a beautiful performance at the Palace Grand Theatre by Christine Fellows and her band. During the show, graphic artist Shary Boyle made cut out shadow art projected on an overhead projector while the band played. During the tune Migrations, she created a beautiful image of a flying boy that circled our heads as the band hit the uplifting chorus. I cried like a baby.” – Grant Lawrence - CBC Radio 3