04/26/2010
Noted California acoustic guitarist Colbie Caillat will perform a benefit concert for Haitian orphans on Friday, April 30, at SUNY Cortland.
Presented by the College’s Student Activities Board (SAB), the performance begins at 8 p.m. in the Corey Union Function Room. Tickets are $5 for SUNY Cortland students and $10 for the public and may be purchased through Friday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. in Corey Union, Room 406.
All proceeds will go to the Haitian Orphan Rescue Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation.
The SAB also will accept gift baskets from clubs and organizations to be auctioned off at the event along with raffle tickets to be sold for $5 at arm’s length or $1 per ticket.
Individuals interested in donating a gift basket or making a monetary gift should contact Lauren Zuber, SAB co-music coordinator.
Armed simply with her dusky vocals and acoustic guitar, Caillat and her homespun music continue to resonate with listeners and win new fans.
Little more than a year after the release of her nearly double platinum debut album “CoCo,” she quickly made such an enduring impact that USA Today declared her a vital part of “a new wave of troubadours luring fans of all ages into a peaceful, easy feeling.” The national newspaper puts her in the company of other platinum plus artists like Sara Bareilles, Caillat’s musical hero Jack Johnson and her good friend and duet partner, Jason Mraz.
“My songs are optimistic and bright,” Caillat told USA Today. “I grew up in southern California and Hawaii. The lifestyle was laid back and I listened to mellow, positive music, like Bob Marley and Jack Johnson. So I think that’s all inside me. I’m happy, and that gets expressed in my music.”
Her recordings also include the “CoCo - Deluxe Edition,” which features two very special collaborations: Bob Marley’s legendary backing band, The Wailers, duet with Caillat on a lilting, reggae remake of the Dusty Springfield classic “Brand New Me,” and Colombian superstar Juanes joins Caillat on her remake of his gorgeous “Hoy Me Voy.”
Caillat’s Web site notes she is the first true myspace.com discovery. With no marketing push and only the power of the music behind her, she became a sensation on the social networking site starting in 2006 when, upon the advice of friends, Caillat began uploading her songs to her page.
As she focused on songwriting in her late teens, Caillat discovered an innate talent for observing and capturing significant moments, such as that first blush of love or passage into adulthood.
She also found a great collaborator in producer/songwriter Mikal Blue and singer/songwriter Jason Reeves. Together, they crafted the songs on “Coco.” “CoCo” debuted at No. 5 on Billboard’s Top 200 albums chart and remained in the top 20 of the chart more than half a year after the CD’s release.
“Bubbly” spent a staggering 14 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Top 40 chart and four weeks atop the Adult Contemporary chart. “Bubbly” has also been certified platinum, based on sales of more than 2.6 million downloads. Second single “Realize,” about a friend who was secretly in love with Caillat, was also a huge hit. And the third is proving to be the charm as “Little Things” is following the path of its predecessors.
Since the album’s debut, Caillat has been a constant fixture on the road in the U.S., Europe, Australia and Asia. She’s alternated between headlining her own sold-out concerts and opening for such artists as John Mayer, one of her major influences.