'This Little Bird', Allison Crowe, Flies to West Coast for Concerts July
27 & 28 ~ 8 p.m.

Internationally acclaimed musician Allison Crowe has been making an annual migration to our coast. This Summer she returns for a pair of vocal/piano concerts: on Friday, July 27 in Ukee (at the Ucluelet Secondary Band Room - a fundraiser for USS Global Ed), and, on Saturday, July 28 at Tofino's lovely Clayoquot Sound Community Theatre. Special musical guests for these island dates are Del Crowe & Mo Christensen.

"Allison Crowe has a voice to fall in love with," says Record of the Day, the UK's essential music industry news service. A perennial concert favourite across Canada and Western Europe, Crowe's eclectic repertoire fearlessly fits originals alongside The Beatles, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Ani DiFranco, Rock, Jazz, Broadway and more.

"The first thing you notice about Allison Crowe is her voice. Rich and dark, it seems to come from a place most singers can only dream of accessing. Then there are the songs. Filled with raw passion and accompanied by Crowe's eloquent piano playing," observes writer Clodagh O'Connell. "Elton John meets Edith Piaf?"

"Treat yourself to one of the mightiest talents on the singer-songwriter scene today," says Bob Muller of JoniMitchell.com. "I mean, it takes a lot of self-confidence to tackle Aretha's version of 'I Never Loved a Man...' but Allison does and nails it just as good as the Queen of Soul herself. Her piano playing is equally exquisite."

A true grassroots success, Allison Crowe's music unites genres and generations. Since launching an independent record label in 2003, she has released five albums - each of which has been a critical and commercial success. Her newest album, 'This Little Bird', has landed on top-ten lists from the USA to Sweden.

"Allison has a special gift that is so very rare in musicians today. She is true to her mind, heart and spirit. She also has a most wonderful humor which envelops her audience," says Ross Hocker, long-time public broadcaster with NPR affiliate WGTE. Hocker, whose taste embraces Thelonious Monk, Bela Bartok and Charles Gounod, calls a recent performance by Allison Crowe "the most honest, heartfelt, and directly intimate concert in my entire life."

The concert in Ucluelet is the inaugural fundraiser for an exciting and ambitious new program at USS - Global Education - designed to give students an overview of current global issues and to help them become more active and responsible global citizens. It's a thrilling, and hectic, time ahead for the enthusiastically committed 10 member class and stewards, Global Ed teacher Miss Pope and USS Principal Carol Sedgwick. Their goal is to reach Peru during Spring Break '08 to volunteer services to an orphanage outside Lima. Allison Crowe's concert for Global Ed, at the start of Ukee Days, will help kick off the drive that will follow with bottle drives, bake sales and other community happenings.

Advance tickets for each Allison Crowe concert are $15 General, $10 Students/Seniors (Door $18/$12). Advance tix are available @ Crow's Nest, Words End, Beaches, Common Loaf, Wildside & Enchanted ~ and through Global Education participants.