2005:  Saturday, December 31 ~ Sunday, January 1

 

As we ring out the old, and ring in the new, year, Allison is enjoying a rare break from performing and recording. 2006 promises a new, studio, album, a return to Europe and lots more concert dates in Canada and the U.S.

 

Wishing you the best of health and times!

 

We started the last tour of 2005 in Dublin, Ireland. Our kind hosts, Alastair and Merlé White, included with their farewells a copy of Thomas Cahill's book, "How the Irish Saved Civilization". That book opens with a quote from Reinhold Niebuhr, the iconoclastic American theologian (who profoundly influenced Martin Luther King Jr.). The words seem fitting to close and begin our year:

 

"Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore
we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good
makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we
must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be
accomplished alone; therefore we must be saved by love."

Slán agus Beannachtai

 

Effortless mp3

Thursday, December 22, 2005 ~ Tidings in, and on, the air

 

Best of this season and of all the seasons to everyone near and far...
may the New Year and those years to come bring you joy, contentment, the
best of what you want, and the clarity of who you are...

Alley :o)

 

 Silent Night mp3

Tonight, Thursday, December 22, at 21:00 ~ across Canada, Tidings, Allison Crowe's one-hour seasonal tv special, will be broadcast on CHUM's A-Channel Network. Originating stations include: A Channel Victoria/Vancouver (Channel 53 -Cable 12 in B.C., ExpressVu satellite channel 256, and Starchoice ch 389 elsewhere in Canada); A-Channel Barrie/Toronto; A-Channel Ottawa and the National Capital Region; A-Channel London; A-Channel Wingham, and A-Channel Windsor. The Tidings broadcast will also be carried via satellite and digital networks coast-to-coast in this great land. (Confirm air times and channels with your local tv listings.)

In B.C. the Tidings show will be broadcast again on Saturday, December 24, Christmas Eve, at 19:00.

"In a season known for mistletoe and mulled wine, Ms. Crowe is herself becoming a Christmas institution... " observes Tom Hawthorn in a feature published in yesterday's Globe and Mail newspaper. (Read the full article here: "Tradition with a twist: Soaring voice brings glad tidings")

This marks the end of the concert year for Alley, and it was a sensational one - filled with adventure and excitement, and many wonderful moments of music, friendship and fun in North America and Europe.

Here's to more of the same in 2006. And thank you for your interest and support in 2005.

Happy holidays ~ Sláinte Mhaith!

Allison plays the honky-tonk, Paris - photo by Billie Woods

 

Allison's back, home on Canada's west coast, following concerts before intensely appreciative audiences in the European cultural capitals of Dublin, London, Munich, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris.

French chanteur Charles Aznavour tells us to "drink all the wine, sing all the songs" for "the happy days are here and now" - and surely, that was the case on this tour for Alley.

Wonderful people were met, and the best of times were had - some of which are captured in the images of photographer/musician Billie Woods, who's started to post pics in a Tour Gallery.

Post-Europe, in Ontario, Canada, Allison performed a pair of seasonally-themed concerts to aid the Women's Centre of Grey and Bruce Counties, before speaking and performing at the invitation of the Canadian Studies Centre, Bowling Green State University in Ohio, USA.

Ross Hocker, veteran public broadcaster (and radio host with NPR affiliate WGTE these past fifteen years), attended this last show before Allison flew back to the Pacific Ocean. Ross, whose musical taste embraces Thelonious Monk, Bela Bartok, Charles Gounod and more, shared some universal feelings in his personal posting to Alley's guestbook.

"I saw Allison at Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio on December 6th, 2005. It was the most honest, heartfelt, and directly intimate concert in my entire life. I have been to hundreds of concerts of all sorts of music, but nothing like Allison Crowe! She is fantastico! and so very sweet and marvelous to behold. She brought a singer with her named Billie Woods. She was excellent!. 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. Thank you for being on this earth, dear Allison Crowe."

 

Thank you, everyone ( :

And, now, Allison wraps up her concert year with a series of special "Tidings"
dates in Victoria, Vancouver and Nanaimo, British Columbia (details are on the Tour page).

Peace.

Sunday, November 13 ~ Europe tour begins!

 

"If you are disgustingly sincere and terribly diligent, there are ways for any serious artist to operate outside the corporate structure," says Ani DiFranco, "the little folksinger who could".

Combine that philosophy with a giant talent, and a singular gift of voice and song, and you have Canada's Allison Crowe.

Since starting her own record label just over two years ago, Crowe has released four albums to widespread critical and popular acclaim, toured over 40,000 km., and created some of the most naturally beautiful music of today.

(You can preview a pair of new songs, Effortless + Skeletons and Spirits, to be recorded for release in '06.)

Noted as a thrilling live act, this month, Allison Crowe performs concerts in European cultural capitals, Dublin, London, Munich, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris, before returning to North America for "Tidings", a special holiday concert series.

Allison Crowe's Europe/North America - Upcoming Itinerary

November 16 - Dublin, Ireland ~ St. Andrew's College
November 17 ~ Dublin, Ireland ~ Bewley's Café Theatre
November 18 ~ London, England ~ Bush Hall
November 22 ~ Munich, Germany ~ Jazzbar Vogler
November 23 ~ Frankfurt, Germany ~ Jazzlokal Mampf
November 25 ~ Amsterdam, Netherlands ~ The Tara
November 27 ~ Paris, France ~ 7Lézards
December 2 ~ Owen Sound, Canada ~ Knox United Church
December 3 ~ Walkerton, Canada ~ Victoria Jubilee Hall
December 4 ~ Owen Sound, Canada ~ December 4 ~ Roxy Theatre
December 5 ~ London, Canada ~ Covent Garden Market Studio (A-Channel
Morning)
December 6 ~ Bowling Green, USA ~ Bryan Recital Hall (BGSU)
December 10 ~ Victoria, Canada ~ Robin & Winifred Wood Recital Hall
(VCM)
December 13 ~ Vancouver, Canada ~  Norman Rothstein Theatre
December 16 + 17 ~ Nanaimo, Canada ~ St. Andrew's United Church

Fuller details on all concert dates can be found at Alley's Tour Page!


Sláinte Mhaith!

Monday, October 31 ~ Happy Hallowe'en ooooo-ooo-oooo!

...come join us by the fire.

 

 

Here's a treat, no trick... a brand new song from Allison, Skeletons and Spirits

Monday, October 17 ~ Sounds Like Canada, indeed!

 

A Case of You ~ Allison performs Joni Mitchell's song - for the first time ever - on SLC

Over the past couple of months, the internet became a conduit for communications between public broadcasters and a public disconnected by the CBC lock-out.

Websites and blogs (web-logs) sprung up ~ from Victoria Off Air to CBC Unplugged and more. Folks who may have previously wondered if a podcast had something to do with "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" found themselves wired online in a new kind of grass-roots community.

Shelagh Rogers, a longtime public broadcaster, has been with CBC for 25 years now. When the lockout hit, Shelagh and two of her show producers, Sue Campbell and Natasha Aziz, took the show on the road. "The Caravan Unlocked" was launched, and a remarkable journey from Vancouver Island to the east coast of Newfoundland unfolded.

As her official show site explains:

"You're the host of a show called Sounds Like Canada and discover you're about to have an extended summer hiatus. What do you do? If you're Shelagh Rogers, you hop in a minivan and head across Canada to talk to Canadians. Shelagh brings together some of the coolest people she met on the road, Monday on Sounds Like Canada."

Yes, the travelers are back on the airwaves, and this Monday, October 17, Allison Crowe is delighted to join up with Shelagh and company for an on-air performance and chat. Allison was there, outside the studios of CBC Radio Victoria, B.C. on August 31, for the "The Caravan Unlocked" send-off. Since that concert get-together, on Harris Green, Allison herself has covered more than 12,000 km touring from her west-coast "rock" to Cape Spear, Newfoundland and back. She's home for a rest, before heading out once more - for concert dates in Europe - then she'll return for a series of special "Tidings" concerts in Canada and the U.S. this December.

This Monday morning, coming full circle, it's a welcoming party not to be missed in your life.

Sounds Like Canada ~ 10:00 a.m. on CBC Radio One (10:30 a.m. in Newfoundland). Weekdays.

Intro 1     Intro 2     A Case of You     Outro

Sláinte Mhath!

Thursday, October 6 ~ "the antithesis of everything that's out there"

 

Tuesday, September 6 ~ the wild blue yonder

In a few hours from now, Allison Crowe flies east to commence her "Sea of a Million Faces" Tour - with dates in Canada's beautiful Maritime provinces, Quebec and Ontario.

In the words of an international reviewer, "be prepared to be amazed".

Here's where:

Friday, September 9 ~ 7:00 a.m. Allison performs three songs on Atlantic Canada's tremendously popular Breakfast Television show ~ and chats with ATV's BT Hosts Jayson Baxter, Maria Panopalis and Cyril Lunney.

Friday, September 9 ~ 7 p.m.  Pilot House Café & Cottages, Boutilier's Point, NS "Sea of a Million Faces" Tour full-concert launch at this intimate, seaside, resort :o) Please contact Pilot House for event details 1-866-766-2233

Saturday, September 10 ~ 8 p.m.  The Music Room, Halifax, NS Allison returns to sing and play the Steinway grand in this great acoustic space ~ joined by special guest, Meaghan Smith with Jason Mingo Advance tickets @ Sam the Record Man, 1656 Barrington (902) 423-6441

Monday, September 12 ~ 8 p.m.  Ivory's Piano Bar (706 Main Street), Moncton NB Allison performs at this atmospheric, underground, bar in the heart of downtown. Advance tickets at: SPIN-IT Records, Frank's Music, Musicstop and Ivory's (506) 854-8679

Thursday, September 15 ~ 7 p.m.  Manhattan's Jazz Bistro (951 Gordon Street), Southdown Guelph ON This favourite restaurant and live music club in the tri-cities area is home to great sounds and vibe. Please contact Manhattan's for more event details (519) 767-2440

Saturday, September 17 ~ 8 p.m.  Studio-théâtre de la Place des Arts (260, blvd. de Maisonneuve West) Montreal, QC Allison Crowe in Montreal ~ a profoundly passionate performer at the cultural center of a city with a profound passion for the performing arts. Advance tickets @ Place des Arts: (514) 842 2112 or 1-866-842-2112 and Admission Network Inc.: (514) 790-1245

Wednesday, September 21 ~ 9 p.m.  Gitanos' (behind Thistledown Florists) in Corner Brook, NL Allison Crowe performs at this supper club designed in the fine tradition of 1940s New York and Montreal. Advance tickets @ Gitanos' Tel: (709) 634-5000

Friday, September 23 ~ 8 p.m. Charles W. Hutton Choral Room, Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) School of Music, St. John's, NL  On an island province that is home to 50,000 pianos, MUN makes music happen! Advance tickets at: fred's records, 198 Duckworth Street (709) 753-9191


We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of British Columbia through the Ministry of Small Business, Tourism and Culture. Thanks Music BC and MITAP. And thank you! ( :


Peace!

Friday, August 19 ~ Fab reviews for supreme song stylings

Beatles Unlimited, Dutch journal and chronicler of all things Fab since November 1963, has followed the long and winding road that leads to Canadian artist Allison Crowe's studio door. In its latest issue (BU 181), with Ringo on the cover, the legendary publication reviews her all-season, 'seasonal', hit album, “Tidings”. ("Tidings" is cited in an ongoing BBC Radio "Great Debate" forum as being among listener's picks for the "best cover album of all time".)

After noting Crowe's "fantastic" rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and her "startling" fresh take on the Sarah McLachlan-penned "Angel", BU reviewer Tom Weel, acts naturally and focuses on her album's Beatle interpretations: "By giving Let It Be the gospel flavour it deserves and with an emotionally sung In My Life, the two Beatles songs fit very well in the album's concept. This all leads to only one conclusion: don't play this during Christmastime... play it the whole year through!"

Crowe now has the distinction of receiving the thumbs up for her covers by Europe's long-standing fan clubs of both, The Beatles and The Stones - once rivals as the greatest bands of the '60s.

Last November, the Rolling Stones Fan Club Office, established in 1964, labeled her Tidings album "great" and "remarkable", with the faithful Stones' fans saying: "this star is an absolute outstanding singer, and her 'Shine a Light' by Jagger/Richards is the whole album worth, but there are a lot more (songs)".

Crowe's versions of songs by the greatest solo artists and writers of rock's golden era are meeting with equally enthusiastic acclaim - marking her emergence as a supreme song stylist. Her "transcendent" rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", (a brilliant song which has endured a plethora of marketing and mimicry over the years), immediately struck a responsive chord with music-lovers and critics world-wide upon its release in 2003. Crowe's newly definitive recording continues to steadily build an intense international following.

And, earlier this month, (on August 1, 2005), Bob Muller, keeper of the Joni Mitchell Discussion List, included a 'Tidings' track in his "burgeoning" series of "Joni Mitchell - Covers and Contributions", calling it one of his favorite recordings of Joni's song, River, saying: "Another holiday '04 release, from Allison's "Tidings" CD. One of my favorites; there is a pinch of Shawn (Colvin) in Allison's voice, except imo Allison has more punch and emotional bite in her vocals. She makes singing this song seem easy, and anyone who's tried it will tell you it's not."

In the words of numerous reviewers, Allison Crowe possesses one of the most beautiful and amazing voices in the world. With her peerless ability to communicate the emotional truth in wide-ranging song material, Crowe's interpretative gifts are, justly, being recognized around the globe.

And, in a reversal of sorts, the quality of her own songwriting is now being highlighted by the power of another's interpretation. Bronxville, New York-based singer-songwriter Marissa Manzino has just recorded a version of Crowe's song, "Montreal" (originally appearing on 2004's 'Secrets' album). By transposing the tune from its original rock piano form to finger-picked acoustic guitar and mandolin, with vocals bringing to mind Stevie Nicks, Manzino takes a gentle folk approach to "Montreal" which intimately reveals new shades and depth to the song's craft and lyrics.


So, come on, follow me down the Alley way... ( :

"In her voice I heard the cry of the world": new album here July 1/4

 

"Why music?" "Why breathing?"

 

Allison Crowe's credo says it all.

On the liner to his album, The Times They Are a Changin', Bob Dylan notes, "there's a movie called Shoot the Piano Player/ the last line proclaimin/ 'music, man, that's where it's at'/ it is a religious line/ outside, the chimes rung/ an they/ are still ringin."

In the words of Leonard Cohen: "God is alive. Magic is afoot."

This July 1, Canada Day, and July 4, Independence Day in the U.S., will mark the release of Live at Wood Hall ~ an exciting journey through Allison Crowe's concert repertoire, freshly recorded in the converted chapel of Victoria (B.C.)'s Conservatory of Music.

Alongside more than an album's worth of original songs of love and hope (including There Is) to social commentary (Disease, Whether I'm Wrong), the acclaimed vocalist/pianist covers her favourites - in a range from roots/blues (A Murder of One, Me and Bobby McGee), through folk (Ani DiFranco's Independence Day), pop/rock (John Lennon's Imagine and Tori Amos' Playboy Mommy), jazz (In Love In Vain), and Broadway (Bill, I Dreamed a Dream).

Like Satchmo blowing and scatting, or Van Morrison venturing into the slipstream between the viaducts of our dreams, Allison Crowe has a singular musical voice ~ as honest and natural as birdsong. And what she communicates, like the sounds of the Sanctified Church, Mahalia Jackson's inspiration, and the secular, E Street, temple of Bruce Springsteen, is joyous and redemptive in its power.

Building on the grassroots momentum of her popular CDs, Secrets and Tidings, Crowe will soon be performing across Canada and Europe in support of Live at Wood Hall.

An' outside, the chimes are still ringin'.

Allison in concert ~ Photo by Ben Strothmann

 

   From France, the country which has nurtured the poet Arthur Rimbaud, and singers Edith Piaf and Charles Aznavour, comes this blog posting on SplinterMuse:

Je le note et je m'en félicite

 

Allison Crowe.

            Il est possible que je sois passée à côté d'un phénomène faisant la une des magasines inspirés, mais jusqu'à aujourd'hui cette jeune chanteuse m'était totalement inconnue. Alors je me repens, j'implore votre clémence ô au dieu des prodiges musicaux, car j'ai rarement été bouleversée à ce point par une voix féminine. Pure comme de la glace, puissante et même violente sur la reprise de l'Hallelujah de Leonard Cohen.

            Elle touche là où ça fait mal, les partitions au piano soulignent avec cynisme la brutalité inhérente à ses textes et compositions. Ce n'est pas du désespoir gratuit, des tires larmes pour neurasthéniques masochistes, mais j'ai le sentiment qu'il est impossible de ne pas mettre son coeur en jeu en l'écoutant.

            Une chose est sûre, avec Allison on baigne pas dans une atmosphère tube de l'été pop the music soca dance machin.

            Mais d'où sort-elle cette canadienne avec sa Lisa's song qui m'empêchera sans doute de fermer l'oil cette nuit ?

            Balancez-moi à la mer Isabelle Boulay et compagnie, et faîtes place à une virtuose nom de Zeus.

Found in translation

 

Monday, March 21 ~ Artist of the Month Flags Big Year Ahead

 

Collected Sounds, the Minneapolis, U.S.-based guide to women in music, has made Allison Crowe its Featured Artist this month. Collected Sounds profiles such well-known-and-loved acts as Madonna, Ani DiFranco, Tori Amos, Tracy Chapman and Tanya Donelly, alongside worthy new artists. In spotlighting Allison, Collected Sounds' Producer Amy Lotsberg, (an early champion of such independent artists as Vienna Teng and Regina Spektor), says: "I figured she had some fun things going on and it was high time to call some more attention to her again". In her review of Allison's latest CD, Lotsberg notes: "I've been an admirer and supporter of Allison Crowe since I reviewed her first EP, '6 Songs' in October of 2002. I was stunned then, as I am now. This incredible chill-inducing voice coming out of a young person is such a rare treat... This girl's the real deal."

And, there ARE plenty of fun things going on with Allison Crowe this year ~ recording and live performances that further demonstrate her supreme, and singular, artistry.

This past weekend, Allison wrapped shooting of a live-in-the-studio concert to be released on DVD later this year. "Whether I'm Wrong", Crowe's potent song featured by the UNESCO-endorsed New Songs for Peace project, will be a single release to international television. Producer/Director Alex Postowoi, whose camera-work is primarily seen in a host of major motion pictures and television shows, has previously shot music videos for Bif Naked, Jann Arden and Joan Armatrading. The songs were recorded at Turtle Studios in White Rock, B.C. by Producer/Engineer Larry Anschell (K-os, Pearl Jam, Sarah McLachlan).

Later this year, Crowe returns to Turtle studios to complete her album Turtle Tracks (originally Midnight Syren).

While these audio and video projects are in the works, some other audio and video tracks, acknowledging Allison's inspirations, have been newly posted online: including covers of some favourite Tori Amos songs and archival footage of Allison's 2001 performance at the World Wide Jammer Convergence in Seattle, Wa. ~ a gathering of Pearl Jam fans (AKA Jammers) from over 30 U.S. states, Canada and other PJ-friendly locales. This music can be found in "Studio B" (Studio B is home to Allison's rare and live recordings. Her released tracks are now in Studio A.)

And, launching her live concert calendar this Spring, Allison Crowe will perform two nights in Victoria, B.C. - this Thursday, March 24, and Friday, March 25 at 8 p.m. These concerts, at Wood Hall, in the Victoria Conservatory of Music, are to help raise awareness and funds for that city's Girls' Alternative Program (GAP/Options). Full details on the concerts and the cause is in the Tour section.

North American and European tour dates are also planned for 2005.

New Year 2005 ~ A few favourite things

 

This season has been a warm one for Allison despite some characteristically Canadian temperatures and an abundance of snow. Her year, 2004, closed with a series of concerts that united people in music and spirit.

 

On a professional level, things have, indeed, been joyful and triumphant. Tidings, Allison's hour-long tv special was broadcast on CHUM's NewNetwork delighting fans new and old. Capping months of praise, Alley’s singer-songwriter album, Secrets, was named one of the best CDs of 2004 by Collected Sounds. Tidings, her holiday collection, was a hit with CBC Radio listeners and received brilliant reviews in publications, literally, coast-to-coast ~ from Victoria’s Times Colonist to the Halifax Herald, with plenty of thumbs up in-between and internationally. (Album reviews are found in the Press section of this site.)

 

"The Yuletide find of the year," said the Kitchener-Waterloo Record's Robert Reid, "an absolutely stunning seasonal album that can be enjoyed year-round." In the Toronto Sun, one of Canada’s largest circulation dailies, holiday albums by Allison and Frank Sinatra were ranked highest by that paper's music doyenne, Jane Stevenson, with Tidings, Alley's single-take, live-in-the-studio, recording topping a sack-full of popular big-budget label releases (from such acts as Chris Isaak, Jessica Simpson, Clay Aiken, Vanessa Williams and the Barenaked Ladies). And, following the marathon (six-day) radio program of Dr. Gerry Grzyb, (a holiday tradition broadcast on Wisconsin’s WRST), “Dr. Christmas” wrote to say: “Of over 100 new Christmas CDs played on my show, Allison's drew the most listener interest.” 

 

(Chair of the Sociology Department at the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Christmas, AKA Grzyb, is cited as America's foremost authority on Christmas music ~ with an ear to good music of all genres. Each year since 1989 he's sifted through a mass of new seasonal releases, searching for the gems, outside the mainstream, that make the cut to be played on his radio show.) 

Over the holidays, John Intini, Assistant Editor of Canada's national news and culture magazine, Maclean's, interviewed Allison for a fun little item to appear in that publication's current issue. The subject? A few of Alley's favourite things.

 

Here’s an out-take of that interview ~ in which Allison reveals her top classic rock picks:

The Ocean - Led Zeppelin - “I grew up listening to quite a bit of Led Zeppelin, and I love everything to do with The Ocean, that is the ACTUAL ocean, so this track is a natural favourite of mine from the get go. Also, I quite enjoy the a cappella bridge of the song, with all the ‘La-La’s.”

 

Me and Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin - “Piece of My Heart is a very, very close second, but I had to go with this one because it just rocks. The piano on this track and the rootsy rock feel are my favourite.”

The Weight - The Band - “Every time I hear this song I just kind of go ‘ahhhh’... and think, wow, I miss Woodstock. Those were the times. And then I remember I was born in 1981.”

 

“All Along the Watchtower - the Jimi Hendrix version would be my next pick”

  :o)

 

To learn Allison’s trio of most cherished jazz albums, check out the January 17, 2005 edition of Maclean’s.

 

And, here's wishing you the best of New Years. May you and your loved ones enjoy good health and good times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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