Fu Fu Chi Chis bring decade of harmony to first full album

Most choirs sing about God, grace and gratitude: outfitted in century-old house dresses, Winnipeg’s Fu Fu Chi Chi Choir sings heartfelt odes to drunk dials, diss tracks to booty calls and romantic murder ballads with maggot-coated codas.

Formed in 2015 by Michelle Boulet and Sarah Constible — best known for their work in local theatre with Shakespeare in the Ruins — the choir started because Boulet couldn’t stand working alone. For two years at the Gas Station Arts Centre’s Girls Girls Girls fundraiser, the pair performed as a duet.

“It was kind of theatrical and a bit humiliating,” says the pink-haired Boulet with a laugh. “Then, in the third year, we decided to share the humiliation. We invited 13 women to get up and sing a spiritual about friends who backstab each other, and it went over gangbusters.

“So then we went, ‘That’s the key. More is better. More women is better.’”

Soon came gigs through the Winnipeg Comedy Festival and the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, and the choir’s cabaret act expanded to include live instrumentation: accordion, washboard, banjo, ukulele, bass, guitar, cajon and glockenspiel lent the group a barn-dance, kitchen-party sound that earned the choir a devout local following.

It certainly helped that Boulet and Constible’s talented recruits — Dora Carroll, Laura Olafson, Jan Skene, Claire Thérèse, Jane Testar, Liz Quesnel, Alissa Watson and Melanie Whyte — were drawn from the city’s extensive pool of musical theatre talent.

Another boon: each member can sight-read sheet music, which makes rehearsals a breeze, says Boulet.

Now, with a decade of harmony under its belt, the Fu Fu Chi Chi Choir is releasing its first full-length album, Chimes at Midnight, a wild trip of a record about greasy high school crushes, one-night stands and the long-lasting relationships that sustain us through our most trying moments.

Inspired by a quote from Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part II, dedicated to friends found and lost, the album is about sipping beers and pouring out emotions in the wee hours of the night.

“The vibe of this album is all about coming together,” says Carroll, who joined the Fu Fu Chi Chis in 2016.

“It’s been a long journey for this group of women, and we’re in each other’s corners through life, thick and thin. It’s really about who you’re here with.”

With pitch-perfect harmonies and crystal-clear production (by Collector Studio’s Art Antony and Will Grierson), Chimes at Midnight is bursting with witty, reflective lyrics about looking forward, looking backward and looking around at those who stick around.

The Fu Fu Chi Chis, who appeared at last year’s folk fest as wandering minstrels, sound as if the Roches adopted a few more sisters, crafting catchy, often raunchy, always stompable tunes that listeners across generations can enjoy.

“A good choir makes your nose sting and then you tear up,” says Boulet, who credits her middle school teacher Mrs. Cousins for inspiring her love of choral music.

The Fu Fu Chi Choir takes the stage Saturday at the West End Cultural Centre with support from local singer-songwriter Amby and the Lady Lumps, the comedic singing duo of Jenny-Lynn Sheldon and Danielle Kayahara. The album will be available to stream or purchase at fufuchichichoir.bandcamp.com.

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