Back to Abnormal and Bringin' Abnormal Back! (at the end of Feb, 2023)
BOOKMARKS AT THE VICTORIA FRINGE (AUG 25 – SEP 4)
CORIN RAYMOND AT THEATRE SKAM (A VICTORIA MUSIC SHOW, MON SEP 6)
My Favourite Tour Poster Yet (by Winnipeg's Nick Luchak)
BOOKMARKS (AN OFF-THE-RECORD REVIEW BY TOR LUKASIK-FOSS)
LIVE-ZOOMIN' my one-person show The Great Canadian Tire Money Caper!
ZOOMIN' LIVE THURS JUNE 24th!
ZOOMIN' LIVE THURS MAY 13th!
I've Started a Patreon
Previous events
Come grab you some Red-Velvet Twilight. The music is warm and wooden; the community is generous and welcoming and happier by the song; the room is cozy as heck (who ever went wrong with Christmas lights and booze?). The Sundowners are: Brian Kobayakawa on upright/electric bass / Mike T. Kerr on lead acoustic guitar / Treasa Levasseur on squeeze and keys / or some incarnation of the same. No cover: we pass the hat, which is how you turn your money into love. No matter what shape you're in, this long-running matinée will set you right.
A special Alley Concert featuring Corin Raymond w/ Mike T. Kerr and Matt Coldwell. 7 pm arrivals / 8–10 pm show / $30 For tickets please contact Peter Kraiker at pkraiker@gmail.com
Corin will perform a solo set, and you now know as much as he does.
Two Sets of Corin Raymond with the irrepressibly-talented guitarist Mike T. Kerr! Doors 7 pm / 8 pm show / $20 / for reservations please call the Moonshine at 905.844.2655 or email them at moonshinecafe@cogeco.net
Two sets from Singer/Storyteller Corin Raymond, who'll be accompanied by the irrepressibly-talented guitar player Mike T. Kerr. $30/adv. $35/door. Seating is Limited.
$30 (plus small fee)
Corin Raymond performs his show BOOKMARKS followed by a set of songs.
Tickets are $30 and will be on sale very soon / so mark the date...
About BOOKMARKS:
From the creator of Bookworm comes a joyously-poignant healing spell, and spoken-word love letter to the books we’ve loaned and lost, and the secret paths they travel in the world to find us. Monologue, memoir, feast of words; a deep-hearted treat for bookworms or for anyone who's ever lost someone or something they loved.
From the Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg Fringe 2023: Toronto singer-songwriter Corin Raymond returns to the fringe with another stellar one-man show, again revolving around his love of reading. A decade ago his solo spoken-word show, Bookworm, delved into stories read to him by his father as a child; Bookmarks explores the many books he’s loved, loaned out, lost and (sometimes) found again while on the road. The 60-plus-minute monologue is broken up into five- or six-minute stories — almost like an album, or chapters of a book — with Raymond fondly (and sometimes funnily) reminiscing about books that have helped him through difficult times, including coping with the loss of his mothers (to understand why it’s plural, you’ll have to see the show). Raymond’s got a beautiful, poetic delivery and dynamic stage presence that works brilliantly with his reminiscences — it all pulls at the heartstrings in a big way. ★★★★ 1/2
Corin Raymond performs his show BOOKMARKS followed by a set of songs (with guitar-accompaniment by the inimitable Mike T. Kerr). $30/adv (plus wee fee) / $35/door (if there are any tickets left).
About BOOKMARKS:
From the creator of Bookworm comes a joyously-poignant healing spell, and spoken-word love letter to the books we’ve loaned and lost, and the secret paths they travel in the world to find us. Monologue, memoir, feast of words; a deep-hearted treat for bookworms or for anyone who's ever lost someone or something they loved.
From the Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg Fringe 2023: Toronto singer-songwriter Corin Raymond returns to the fringe with another stellar one-man show, again revolving around his love of reading. A decade ago his solo spoken-word show, Bookworm, delved into stories read to him by his father as a child; Bookmarks explores the many books he’s loved, loaned out, lost and (sometimes) found again while on the road. The 60-plus-minute monologue is broken up into five- or six-minute stories — almost like an album, or chapters of a book — with Raymond fondly (and sometimes funnily) reminiscing about books that have helped him through difficult times, including coping with the loss of his mothers (to understand why it’s plural, you’ll have to see the show). Raymond’s got a beautiful, poetic delivery and dynamic stage presence that works brilliantly with his reminiscences — it all pulls at the heartstrings in a big way. ★★★★ 1/2
Corin is thrilled to be included in the 2024 Provocation Ideas Festival, the theme of which this year is: The Stories That Define and Shape Our Lives.
Monologue, memoir, feast of words; a deep-hearted treat for bookworms or for anyone who's ever lost someone or something they loved.
From the Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg Fringe 2023: Toronto singer-songwriter Corin Raymond returns to the fringe with another stellar one-man show, again revolving around his love of reading. A decade ago his solo spoken-word show, Bookworm, delved into stories read to him by his father as a child; Bookmarks explores the many books he’s loved, loaned out, lost and (sometimes) found again while on the road. The 60-plus-minute monologue is broken up into five- or six-minute stories — almost like an album, or chapters of a book — with Raymond fondly (and sometimes funnily) reminiscing about books that have helped him through difficult times, including coping with the loss of his mothers (to understand why it’s plural, you’ll have to see the show). Raymond’s got a beautiful, poetic delivery and dynamic stage presence that works brilliantly with his reminiscences — it all pulls at the heartstrings in a big way. ★★★★ 1/2
Corin Raymond performs BOOKMARKS followed by a set of songs for which he's accompanied by guitarist Mike T. Kerr. 7 pm doors / 8–10 pm show / $30 / Seating is Limited. For seats, please contact Mary and Michael at concerts@altdesign.ca
Two sets of Corin Raymond, accompanied by Matt Coldwell on upright bass. What more do you want in a drugstore? For tickets/reservations/further info please contact Paul and Jane at pfortune66@gmail or call 905.536.3495.
The vibe is communal and cozy; the music is warm and wooden; the hearts are generous. This is a very good Toronto time. We pass the hat, which is how you turn your money into love –– or how you turn your love into money –– it's an alchemy which even modern-day science cannot explain. Come snack on the Red-Velvet Twilight; the Sundowners –– Corin Raymond / Brian Kobayakawa / Mike. T. Kerr / Treasa Levasseur –– or an alternate incarnation of the same –– will do the rest.
6- 8 pm. No cover. We pass the hat, which is how we turn our money into love. The music is warm and wooden. It's a room full of good people. Corin sings songs he wrote as well as songs by pals from across the country. Brian Kobayakawa on upright bass. Mike T. Kerr on lead acoustic guitar. Always a chance of the great Treasa Levasseur. Each Thursday happens only once. Join us in the Red-Velvet Twilight. Grab you some honey.
6- 8 pm. No cover. We pass the hat, which is how we turn our money into love. The music is warm and wooden. It's a room full of good people. Corin sings songs he wrote as well as songs by pals from across the country. Brian Kobayakawa on upright bass. Mike T. Kerr on lead acoustic guitar. Always a chance of the great Treasa Levasseur. Each Thursday happens only once. Join us in the Red-Velvet Twilight. Grab you some honey.
6- 8 pm. No cover. We pass the hat, which is how we turn our money into love. The music is warm and wooden. It's a room full of good people. Corin sings songs he wrote as well as songs by pals from across the country. Brian Kobayakawa on upright bass. Mike T. Kerr on lead acoustic guitar. Always a chance of the great Treasa Levasseur. Each Thursday happens only once. Join us in the Red-Velvet Twilight. Grab you some honey.
6- 8 pm. No cover. We pass the hat, which is how we turn our money into love. The music is warm and wooden. It's a room full of good people. Corin sings songs he wrote as well as songs by pals from across the country. Brian Kobayakawa on upright bass. Mike T. Kerr on lead acoustic guitar. Always a chance of the great Treasa Levasseur. Each Thursday happens only once. Join us in the Red-Velvet Twilight. Grab you some honey.
6- 8 pm. No cover. We pass the hat, which is how we turn our money into love. The music is warm and wooden. It's a room full of good people. Corin sings songs he wrote as well as songs by pals from across the country. Brian Kobayakawa on upright bass. Mike T. Kerr on lead acoustic guitar. Always a chance of the great Treasa Levasseur. Each Thursday happens only once. Join us in the Red-Velvet Twilight. Grab you some honey.
Corin Raymond kicks off this inaugural event for The Yukon Gold Folk Club series, produced by Braden Phelan. Two sets of songs and stories.
Claire McElhinney presents: BOOKMARKS written and performed by Corin Raymond. $30 / 7 pm doors / 730 show. BOOKMARKS is 60 min. After a break, songs. FOR TICKETS PLEASE CONTACT CLAIRE at clairemce@yahoo.com
About BOOKMARKS:
Two reviews which might give you a better sense of what you're getting into:
The Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg Fringe 2023:
Toronto singer-songwriter Corin Raymond returns to the Fringe with another stellar one-man show, again revolving around his love of reading. A decade ago his solo spoken-word show, Bookworm, delved into stories read to him by his father as a child; Bookmarks explores the many books he’s loved, loaned out, lost and (sometimes) found again while on the road.
The 60-plus-minute monologue is broken up into five- or six-minute stories — almost like an album, or chapters of a book — with Raymond fondly (and sometimes funnily) reminiscing about books that have helped him through difficult times, including coping with the loss of his mothers (to understand why it’s plural, you’ll have to see the show).
Raymond’s got a beautiful, poetic delivery and dynamic stage presence that works brilliantly with his reminiscences — it all pulls at the heartstrings in a big way. ★★★★ 1/2
Hamilton Fringe review, gonzo-style, by writer and storyteller Tor Lukasik- Foss:
I’m a sucker for good storytelling, but I’m also finicky—I don’t like it when stories are told in a way that feels acted, I don’t like it when stories have been polished to a high precision, and I don’t like it when stories are delivered solely for weightless amusement. I do like it when the craft of the storytelling is so hidden within a conversational delivery that I don’t notice it—when the teller seems to be speaking casually and only when I’m knee-deep in their narrative do I realize that I’m enmeshed in something that is both poetic and precisely crafted.
This is why Bookmarks, written and performed by Corin Raymond, currently on view at the 2022 Hamilton Fringe, whalloped me as much as it did. It starts off so unassuming, and then in small, deliberate increments builds to a finish that is equally emotional and revelatory. No small feat for a play whose premise suggests nothing more than ‘books are cool”.
Through a succession of 5 or 6 monologues (I wasn’t counting), Raymond alternates between alliterative tributes to the tactile, talismanic quality of books and key biographical moments where his attachment to them has been forged. Within the weaving of these pieces is a seemingly inconsequential tale of losing a Helen Garner paperback in an Australian airport, and Raymond’s subsequent overreaction to the loss. This moment soon becomes a toggle switch for a more foundational trauma.
Normally, I think I might write it off as a storyteller’s trick to take a slight moment and then extrapolate on it so that it can talk to bigger and more elemental themes. But in Bookmarks, the sheer ferocity of Raymond’s conviction, and the urgency and vulnerability of his telling erase any notion that he is either contriving or being clever. By the end of the piece, it is evident that books are not just books for Raymond; they are tools essential for his survival. And those things that give us solace and stability should never ever be taken for granted; indeed, we should take time to recognize and venerate them.
And this is what Raymond has done.
Hobo Jungle Fever Dreams: Coffee Table CD
The physical album package is 80 pages of beauty, featuring liner notes, chords and lyrics to the songs, as well as 19 paintings by Travis Charuk (like the one you see of Corin on the cover). Gorgeous design and layout by Pearl Rachinsky.
Coffee Table CD - SOLD OUT
This "coffee-table CD" consists of a 144-page hardcover book and two CDs. 20 songs by songwriters from across Canada (including Corin himself), stories about where the songs were found and who the artists are, the words and chords to every song, and 57 pictures. Basically, liner note heaven.
There Will Always Be A Small Time: CD
Corin Raymond's 2009 of release There Will Always Be A Small Time went to #5 on the Roots Charts in the States, was nominated by the Independent Music Awards for Best Story Song ("Blue Mermaid Dress") and won the People's Choice for Alternative Country Album. The album features songs like "Better Him Than Me," "I Wish I Was In Love," "Paid To
Corin Raymond's 2009 of release There Will Always Be A Small Time went to #5 on the Roots Charts in the States, was nominated by the Independent Music Awards for Best Story Song ("Blue Mermaid Dress") and won the People's Choice for Alternative Country Album. The album features songs like "Better Him Than Me," "I Wish I Was In Love," "Paid To Party," and the anthemic title track, "There Will Always Be A Small Time."
Doghouse Dreams: CD
Acoustic songwriting duo, draws from American Blues, R&B, Gospel, Ragtime and Country to create their own brand of of Canadian "folk music theatre".
Cherry Wood Stein (20oz) - 7 Left in Stock!
Gorgeous handcrafted 20 oz stein, bevelled and finessed together seamlessly from twenty pieces of cherry wood. Stained and finished with hemp oil. Each order comes with a bottle of hemp oil, for future upkeep, along with stein-care instructions. Album title burned into the wood, with "Album Release 2016" on the underside.
Initialled by Alex Ferri,
Gorgeous handcrafted 20 oz stein, bevelled and finessed together seamlessly from twenty pieces of cherry wood. Stained and finished with hemp oil. Each order comes with a bottle of hemp oil, for future upkeep, along with stein-care instructions. Album title burned into the wood, with "Album Release 2016" on the underside.
Initialled by Alex Ferri, of Mystic Wood, the maker of these little vessels of beauty.