Cry Baby

Cry Baby

Cry Baby is a shoegaze and grunge duo from Nashville. The group is also linked in the available material with hard rock, alternative rock and soundtrack tags, and it appears to be an active project rather than a solo act.

Background

One set of details describes a short-lived rock outfit from New York that issues a single 7-inch release, Criminal Love, in 1984. Another account describes a later line-up taking shape in autumn 2005, when the name Cry Baby is chosen before the first performance of a new song called “Lose”.

That 2005 line-up includes Dennis “Carlos” Balakirev on vocals, Dmitry Tochilov on guitar and backing vocals, Dennis Riemer on drums, and Anton Kvasov on bass. After the first show, Kvasov leaves and Tatiana Korneva, returning from the United States, joins on bass guitar and backing vocals. The group then rehearses with the revised line-up and builds up new material for a full album.

Recording and releases

By early 2006, Cry Baby has a studio album in progress and is performing locally in clubs. The first album is completed in the summer of 2006, then later pressed in Almaty and released as a self-titled album, Cry Baby. The album becomes available online and some tracks receive radio play and webcasting support.

After further live activity in Kazakhstan and beyond, the group begins work on a second album, 9 Songs, in autumn 2008. Recording takes place at Z-studio in Moscow with sound engineer and producer Arkady Navajo. The album is released in March 2009 with support from VYSTRELproduction. Several songs enter playlists on regional radio stations, including Radio-TEX and Our Radio Karaganda.

Live activity and recognition

Cry Baby tours in Kazakhstan and plays concerts in local clubs and other cities. It also appears on local television projects, with a first live video broadcast on air. The group performs in Astana, Pavlodar, Balkhash and Almaty, including a bikers’ festival in Balkhash and a presentation show in Karaganda at The Fifth Corner.

In 2008, Cry Baby becomes a laureate of the A LIVE MUSIC AWARDS in two categories: Best Vocalist and Best Actress. It is also named the best party band at the Asbis Beer Party that year and appears as a headliner at the Second Festival of Bikers in Balkhash.

Style and later approach

Later recordings include acoustic arrangements, with the band shifting from its usual set-up and replacing bass guitar with a second acoustic guitar in some performances. This period is described as an experiment that changes the sound of several songs and leads into new writing.