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4- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday January 27, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com www.oakvillebeaver.com & Make Your Home Comfort More Affordable Cochrane eager to tour Continued from page 3 LENNOX SALE CENTRAL AIR & FURNACE ® Up to $ 1000 * Instant Rebate *10 Yea rs Parts & Labour Warranty NO PAYMENT! Financing Available *Call for Details NO INTEREST! As Low As $ 3995 /month FOR 6 MONTHS AND O.A.C. *OAC NO DUCTS · NO PROBLEM Save $350 on ductless air conditioners W E S T 7 locations to serve you better! 905-849-4998 www.aireone.com 1-888-827-2665 SPACE AGE SHELVING The Storage Specialists after Cochrane's last record, Xray Sierra. "I don't have to make a record, but I wanted to make a record, and it had to be the right record," he said, explaining the nearly eight years between albums. "I didn't want to clutter up the airwaves with something I didn't feel was a real strong, creative effort." No Stranger, which features hits like The Party's Not Over, Cochrane says, is just that. "I'm very proud of this record ­ I had to get it off my chest. It was time to make a record, instinctively. It was just time to do that." And after three years of producing, recording and writing ­ much of which was done at his Oakville home ­ Cochrane is "itching," he says, to hit the road and perform his new tunes. He's now gearing up for a tour to start either in April or May to promote No Stranger. Dates aren't set yet. "I'm ready to do the fun stuff, which is to get out and play," he said. "To me that's the most essential part of being a writer of music and that's when those songs come to life is when you get them in front of people." Cochrane doesn't have a favourite tune on the album, but says he's "I'm ready to do the fun stuff, which is to get out and play. To me that's the most essential part of being a writer of music and that's when those songs come to life is when you get them in front of people." Tom Cochrane proud of No Stranger as "a body of work." "I'm very proud of the songs and the quality of the songs and more importantly, I guess, the intent of the songs." One of 12 tracks on the record, Rough And Tumble is partly inspired by a trip Cochrane took to Afghanistan to visit Canadian troops. In Home Consultation Apa me s Ap rtments par men Hom Offi es Home O fice ome fi Pant y Pa try at Garag Garage ra Laundry La nd y a C set Clos ts & Mirror Doors t Mr Mi ror 3350 Fairview Street between Walkers & Guelph Line 905-333-1322 2555 Erin Centre Mississauga 905-542-0353 www.spaceageshelvingburlington.com www.spaceageshelving.ca PUBLIC AUCTION HERITAGE AUCTIONEERS INTERNATIONAL CANADIAN GOVERNMENT CERTIFIED N.W.T. CANADIAN DIAMONDS 15.00ct Diamond Tennis Bracelet 15.50ct Diamond Necklace High value cargo seized by customs, 45 magnificent pieces of jewellery now ordered sold. 100's of other consigned diamond jewellery and Rolex watches from other contractual parties added DIAMONDS, EMERALDS, RUBIES, SAPPHIRES PEARLS, TANZANITES, OPALS, ETC. ROLEX - CARTIER - PIAGET - OMEGA - GENEVE - PATEK Sunday January 28th, 2007 Auction at 2:00 P.M. Viewing from 1:00 P.M. Oakville Conference Centre 2515 Wyecroft Road ( South East Corner of Q.E.W. & Bronte) Photo I.D. required upon registration.All sales final. Terms: Visa, M.C., Interac, Cash, Certified cheque. 15% Buyers premium to be added. Some reserves will apply. Sale subject to additions, deletions, errors & omissions. Heritage Auctioneers International. "It touches on that experience a little bit. Courage and what courage means, and kind of the masculine component in courage and how men deal with that and boys deal with that," he said. It's one of many of his songs that have been influenced by his humanitarian trips. Cochrane's biggest hit and the four words that have become synonymous with his name ­ Life is a Highway ­ was inspired by his first trip to Africa, back in 1990. That East Africa voyage ­ to Ethiopia, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Mozambique ­ left the biggest impression of all. "It was very powerful," he said. "Mozambique left a huge impact on me. They were still at war ­ I was actually shot at, at one point." Although it was 17 years ago, Cochrane, a father of two, talks about parts of that trip as though they happened yesterday. "A woman died in front of me and her daughter was looking up at me," he said of a time in a feeding tent in a small village in Mozambique. "I looked at her and I saw my daughter in her eyes. That left a pretty big impact on me. "It's always powerful. You know, I think the first one always leaves a particularly powerful impact on you and that kind of spawns your interest, and galvanizes your resolve to carry on helping with the particular organizations that do great work." Cochrane has also done some of that "great work" on his own ­ he spearheaded the Canada for Asia telethon in 2006, which raised more than $4 million for tsunami survivors. As President and CEO of World Vision Dave Toycen put it, "Tom's willing to walk the walk." "Not only does he speak freely about his compassion and concern for children, but he puts his personal time into it," said Toycen, who met Cochrane back in 1988. Toycen has been on four or five humanitarian trips with Cochrane, including to Sri Lanka in 2006 to help with rebuilding efforts after the tsunami. "I think we're blessed to have Tom as a special ambassador for us at World Vision," Toycen said, adding Cochrane's daughters and wife, Kathleene, are also great supporters of the cause. "He's someone who's been in the music scene, respected in the music scene for some time. Tom's involvement with us has said to people that if Tom gives his blessing to something, it must be a credible and reliable cause." Cochrane is looking forward to another trip with World Vision in 2007, and although he'll be busy touring, he's also toying with the idea of writing a book. As Cochrane put it, "The party's never over."