Somewhere between the plains of North Dakota and the rocky coast of Vancouver Island, Charlotte Cornfield is counting Joni Mitchell's "white lines on the freeway" and watching the sun come up from the window of a greyhound bus. Just another night Cornfield will spend on the road on an epic 45-date tour of Canada and the US. She's crossing the landscape with nothing but a guitar and a backpack, bringing her poetic folk rock tunes to the small clubs, cafes and taverns of America. Barely legal, 20-year old Cornfield doesn't know what she's gotten herself in to.
Fast forward two years later and Cornfield has under her belt enough experiences to write some of the most emotionally raw, beautiful songs this country has heard in years. She has mastered her potent blend of soulful vocals and stylish guitar playing and it's no surprise that The Montreal Mirror has named her "The next it-girl of folk-rock." What makes it all the more enchanting is the innocent pop sensibility that somehow rears its head beneath it all, making her tunes catchier than the new Justin Bieber single, always in the most surprising of ways. Cornfield's two debut EPs have received critical acclaim and her tunes are staples amongst the CBC listenership and Canadian campus radio. "Cornfield's got something luminous about her," scribed Maisonneuve Magazine. Seeing her perform or listening to her recordings, it's hard to miss.
Born and bred in Toronto, Cornfield escaped to Montreal in 2006 to study jazz drumming. She finished her degree in Spring 2010 and hit the road as the drummer for several bands, including Bent By Elephants, Takk, The Keys (Fr) and Panoramic & True (US). In the fall of 2010 she returned home and buckled down for 4 months in an east-end studio to track her debut full-length effort, Two Horses, released Oct. 25th, 2011. The record, a fleshed-out, conceptual tour de force, reflects the duality of Cornfield's musical influences: the deep lyricism and raw emotion of Mitchell, Dylan, and Young, mixed with the intense energy and hookiness of late-70's New York rock and roll.
Cornfield has been handpicked to play festivals such as Hillside Festival, Mariposa Folk Festival, The Montreal Jazz Festival, Ottawa Folk Festival, Pop Montreal, and more. She has shared stages with the likes of The Sadies, Thao & Mirah, Mary Margaret O'Hara, Ron Sexsmith, Dead Prez and Amy Millan.
These days Cornfield calls Montreal home, and in the midst of her hectic touring and recording schedule she can be found poring over her notebook and a coffee in one of Mile End's many cafes. She is a rock poet, through and through.
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Charlotte Cornfield in the Media:
The Montreal Mirror:
"The next it-girl of folk rock."
The McGill Daily:
"Cornfield's raw musical talents are varied and authentic: a unique voice, proficiency on too many instruments to mention, and an undeniable skill for songwriting."
roverarts.com:
This [Two Horses] is one of the richest collections of contemporary folk songs out there, featuring commanding arrangements and lyrics that sparkle with the perspective of a young woman who has grown wiser, sharper and more confident with age and experience.
spillmagazine.com:
No matter the musical style, Cornfield's lyrics have a narrative form, taking you on a personal journey with every passing song.
Le Voir:
Two Horses est placide, rustique et feutré, oui, mais affiche aussi de surprenantes et convaincantes teintes indie rock, blues et soul. La pimpante Construction on the Street évoque Juliana Hatfield, mais avec If You Don't Pursue et Arc Blues, la demoiselle tombe dans une atmosphère langoureuse et vibrante que ne renierait pas Joni Mitchell, voire Timber Timbre.
