Chicago-based Scottish Alternative musician Chris Connelly has released his new album Eulogy to Christa: A Tribute to the Music & Mystique of Nico, a massive 24-track offering arriving via Shipwrecked Industries in the USA and Easy Action in the UK. It pays tribute to Nico of The Velvet Underground as “one of the most unique, tragic and misunderstood female artists in the history of music”.
Along with the album release, Connelly has revealed new video for “Femme Fatale” created by Iain W. Mutch / Walkerandwilliam in Scotland. Originally performed by Nico with The Velvet Underground, this song was written by Lou Reed.
For the album, Connelly purposefully adopts “the personas” of Nico, Lou Reed and John Cale, and even Andy Warhol makes a cameo.
Since his days with Fini Tribe in Edinburgh, Chris Connelly has created over 20 solo releases. He frequently collaborates with other musicians, including notable projects like Ministry, The Revolting Cocks and Pigface, while contributing to newer projects such as Cocksure and The Joy Thieves. He has also published four books, including poetry and autobiographical and fictional narrative.
The album was, in part, inspired by the book You Are Beautiful and Your Are Alone by Jennifer Otter Bickerdicke, who contributed to album liner notes, writing:
This is a record to be played at full blast, all the way through, as a commemoration not just to Nico the person, the musician, but to art for art’s sake, for making something because it is important and needs to be done – an idea that is as rare and precious as Nico herself.
Eulogy to Christa is available via Bandcamp, as well as Apple Music and Amazon. The CD version will be released on December 4th, 2022.
