Mimi Cross
Asbury Park, New Jersey, United States | SELF
Music
Press
"Captivating vocals sung over an experimental
jazz/folk mix." - CMJ MUSICFEST, NYC
"With a lovely liting soprano, Mimi Cross puts
forth memorable original songcraft." - The Village Voice, NYC
This is a full professional production and I have to admit I'm completely addicted to it! A touch of Pop, pure, beautiful, touching, no boring trad Folk, no punk Folk ...this is really simply MIMI CROSS!!!" - Lord Litter -- TAPEDEPARTEMENT RADIOSHOW, produced for and broadcasted via the eurowide RADIO MARABU
"Cross inhabits the same musical and emotional terrain as Ani DiFranco, Joan Osborne and
Alanis Morissette." - The Press of Atlantic City, NJ
"One of the Shore's most delightful female solo
artists (and most primal soprano) will play..." - The Aquarian Weekly, NJ
Local Musicians Shine At Clearwater Festival
ASBURY PARK - The Monmouth County Friends of Clearwater held their annual Clearwater Festival this past weekend in Sunset Park. This year's edition marked the 33rd year for New Jersey's oldest and largest environmental music festival. And while I cannot tell you how Saturday's efforts turned out, I do know that Sunday afternoon was chock full of outstanding performances...
Next up was a trip over to the west stage to checkout local singer/songwriter Mimi Cross. For Mimi (acoustic guitar) it was her first time back at the festival in past few years and the local standout didn't disappoint. Performing an interesting mix of new material as well as songs from her 2005 release I Slept...., Mimi easily won over the crowd with heartfelt renditions of tunes like "The Best Weapons Don't Shoot" (big 60's vibe/put a flower in the muzzle of that gun soldier), "Sunday Morning Lullaby" (Mimi hits her stride on this moving co-written by Kurt Marks), "High Wire Heart" (interesting take on this self proclaimed work in progress), "Breathe" (strong vocal effort on this gem from her first CD, Monkey Trap, "1st Kiss" (from lust to labor/the great tug of war/big crowd favorite) and "Satisfied Life" (penned right after 9/11 in appreciation of life). However, Mimi's best effort came on what I considered to be the most important song of the day, a brilliant piece of songwriting entitled "Golden Hour." The song concerns itself with the story of a young American soldier who is seriously wounded during the war and a medical team's feverish efforts to save him. "Golden Hour" deals with a most precious 22 minute time span in the life of this Midwestern soldier, that crucial time when everything is touch and go and life, death and survival all hang in the balance. "Golden Hour" is the type of song who's subject matter isn't even talked about, let alone written about lately. At this time in America, in this political climate, it takes courage to write a song like this and Mimi Cross should be congratulated and celebrated for it. - TWO RIVER TIMES
"Mimi splashes mellow jazz on her rock 'n' roll canvas. A cross between the folk-jazz of Joni Mitchell and the plugged-in wordbeat of Suzanne Vega, Mimi has a little bit of everything for anyone more interested in music than noise." Bob Makin -- The Aquarian Weekly, NJ - The Aquarian Weekly, NJ
"Don't be fooled by the title: Mimi Cross' Demos is no stripped-down trial run, but a fully realized piece of work. Mostly songs on relationship themes, with some subtle but engaging hooks, somewhere between Shawn Colvin and Patty Larkin without being imitative of either. The standout is the leadoff track, "Last Time", where deft vocals unearth buried treasures of emotion from a deceptively simple song. "You Can Never Love Me Enough" cleverly plays wistful lyric against a sprightly melody to good effect." Mike Hagen -- Fast Folk Musical Magazine, NYC - Fast Folk Musical Magazine
Discography
Two full length CDs:
"I Slept..."
Mimi opens "I Slept..." with a cover of the George Harrison hit "Dark Horse" setting an intimate tone for this beautiful recording with songs produced by Kevin Salem whose electric guitar playing shines throughout.
"Monkey Trap"
On "Monkey Trap" Mimi co-produces her songs with several other artists so that they are set to a diverse mix of acoustic based tracks, live band and solo performances with computer generated samples and loops.
The music of Mimi Cross can be found on itunes, Amazon, cd baby and lots of other sites that offer digital downloads. She can be heard on NJ college stations like 90.5 The Night. Google her.
Photos
Bio
Grammy award winning artist Rosanne Cash describes the unusual music of singer/songwriter/guitarist Mimi Cross: "Mimi fuses delicacy and power, heart and gut. Her writing and singing are inspiring, evocative and refreshing. It's a pleasure to have discovered her work."
Mimi Cross says that when Rosanne Cash called her an artist, she knew she could finally call herself one. Mimi has studied classical guitar and vocal jazz, receiving a BM from Ithaca College and an MA in music education from NYU. Born in Toronto, Canada Mimi lives just outside of NYC in Atlantic Highlands, NJ. Mimi has played throughout the tri-state area, mostly at Manhattan clubs like The Living Room, The Bitter End, CB's Gallery and The Mercury Lounge, but she feels that her musical home is Asbury Park, where she first began performing. She says "The Saint in particular makes me feel like I'm playing at my own house." Although she has had many performance experiences over the years, it is still writing that intrigues her most. '" Mimi laughs, "I relate to the song, not the audience. The audience is allowed to eavesdrop!"
Mimi does, however, have a great appreciation for her audience and feels that her fans describe her songs better than anyone else can.
Here's what a few of them had to say about her latest cd "I Slept..."
VERY MOST FAVORITE FAN QUOTE #7
"...2 Clay Feet refers not only to human fragility, but also to the Twin Towers. It's a fine vocalist that can get away with singing such a charged lyric. A song like this could become incredibly hokey and annoying in the wrong hands. This artist carries it off and manages to touch the listener instead of making them recoil in embarassment...I am incredibly touched. It compares favourably with Laurie Andersons' response to the same events."
Jasonbern from Bern, Switzerland
VERY MOST FAVORITE FAN QUOTE #1
""Pray" is a "Jeremy" for the Columbine generation. This song is really sludgy; reminds me of Hole, or the Butthole Surfers. It seems really wierd to have a pretty-sounding, Liz Phair-inspired female singer sing over it. ... grungy verse and the atmospheric-melodic chorus...the lyrics could possibly be the best part; clever and topical."
Dangermart, Seattle, Washington
VERY MOST FAVORITE FAN QUOTE #3
"PJ Harvey on e? A shivering shimmer of a song. A strong, stretching vocal with a lot of range and a lot of resonance. Like a more melodic Polly Harvey. In fact, the song itself could be described that way. But whereas, increasingly, the PJ Harvey sound is one that's cruising bruised, this always sounds like it's a tale spun by people who see the beauty in the shadows. The guitar textures are the perfect example of this. Rather than scratch or slash behind the voice like the rest, the guitarist weaves a bewitching and subtle backdrop with some sparkling stringwork. I love it."
FrankandNancy from London, United Kingdom
VERY MOST FAVORITE FAN QUOTE #5
"Femme fatale. Is the chorus 'I slay you?'... Because if it is, you'd normally have to tell a wicked good joke to slay me. Otherwise, you're just killing me softly with your Goth-esque song...This should do rather well. And I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I can totally see this is the theme to the next James Bond movie--complete with naked silhouettes of femme fatales and blowy uppy things ... especially helicopter blades, eh?"
Univibe Wolfeboro, New Hampshire
VERY MOST FAVORITE FAN QUOTE #2
"Fever. This is like some all night binge with Blondie and PJ Harvey. Fluid production, attention to very specific sonic details - and that voice, damn.
Love the lonley guitar lines a la old Mazy Star-deep production - you should go play the CMJ in N.Y.C., You need to be out there."
TokyoMachine Orlando, Florida
Ok, TokyoMachine - here you go!!
CMJ MUSICFEST, NYC had this to say about Mimi Cross: "Captivating vocals sung over an experimental jazz/folk mix."
"Asbury Park has more music happening than ever" says Mimi, but her focus right now is "on writing more than performing." She smiles, "I love to sing - but right now I'm doing lots of writing - listening to my muse who has weirdly enough decided to dictate a YA paranormal romance/thriller."
Mimi's most recent show was in January of 2010 when she played in Asbury Park at the Light of Day Benefit Concert. Go to http://www.lightofday.org to learn more.
Links
