This Little Bird

Chiming from “Sylvan Hour”, Allison Crowe’s newest, classic, release is “This Little Bird”. Born on the Pacific, in the Harbour City of Nanaimo, BC, Canada – Crowe migrated to lovely Corner Brook, Newfoundland, on Atlantic shores right after recording this batch of songs. The bi-coastal musician’s creative flight shows she’s made good on her promise: “This little bird’s gonna see the good life has to offer / and how you can give your heart and still feel free”.


This Little Bird from Allison Crowe on Vimeo.

Accompanying Allison Crowe’s music on this video journey are scenes from “The Song of the Birds” – 1935 entry in the ‘Color Classics’ animation series of Fleischer Studios.

          

Dreams Coming True - Muruch's Benefit Album for RAINN

Sweet dreams, indeed, are those we realize when awake! Muruch, a culture blog in the vanguard of music discovery and sharing, soon celebrates its 15th anniversary.

Earlier this month, Muruch put out a call for submissions to its dream project – an album of music, spoken word poetry, and visual art to benefit RAINN. The clarion sounded and artists have responded with the full-hearted spirit that Muruch’s shown for creators throughout this century.

Allison Crowe has received such profound support and appreciation from Muruch over the years – she’s among those musicians, poets, painters, photographers, illustrators and more – grateful for this opportunity to be part of it all!

Here’s the scoop so far from Muruch – http://www.muruch.com/2015/05/rainn.html - NB you can still contribute to this great album and cause:

Call for Music, Poetry & Art Submissions for RAINN Benefit Album

Muruch is curating a nonprofit, digital album of music, spoken word poetry and art to benefit RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network organization and National Sexual Assault helpline founded by singer Tori Amos.

Muruch Presents: A Benefit Album for RAINN will feature…

Art/Photography:

Dave McKean
Amber Ortolano
Mark Demsteader
Jen “Coble” Hopper
Mandy Tsung
Kate Zambrano

Music by:

Allison Crowe
The Dresden Dolls’ Amanda Palmer
Concrete Blonde’s Johnette Napolitano
Poe
Pamela Means
Elysian Fields
Hannah Fury
Fisher
Caroline Lavelle
Heidi Saperstein
Anielle Ried
Catie Curtis
The Frozen North

Poetry by:

Neil Gaiman
WV Poet/Ted Talker Crystal Good
V.C. McCabe
Kevin Kantor
Clementine von Radics

Anyone interested in contributing music, spoken word poetry and/or art to the benefit album can email muruch@gmail.com with the subject “Muruch RAINN Submission” and a high/CD quality mp3 (320 Kbps) or a download link (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.) of your recording or images of your artwork along with any credits or links for the PDF liner notes.

We welcome submissions by artists and poets of all levels, backgrounds, gender and age, including amateurs and especially indies. Submissions should be topically appropriate for the charity — anti-rape, anti-abuse, anti-domestic violence, PTSD, survival, strength, healing, etc. Instrumentals are also accepted.

The submitter must own the copyright and all licensing rights for their recording or artwork, whether it is an original composition or a cover (unless it’s public domain). Previously published work and simultaneous submissions are accepted, but notify us immediately if the work is accepted elsewhere. Submitters will retain their copyright and any other rights to their work, we only ask permission to include the work on the digital album to benefit RAINN.

No one featured on the album, including me, will receive any monetary compensation — 100% of the proceeds will be donated directly to RAINN through Muruch’s RAINN Fundraising Page. But all involved will receive a lot of free, positive publicity and help a very worthy cause.

The digital album and accompanying artwork will only be available in exchange for a $10 or more direct donation to RAINN through Muruch’s RAINN Fundraising Page. Once a donation is made, the donor will receive a donation receipt and an email with a private album download link and password.

We hope to kick off the benefit album and donation campaign in July to coincide with Muruch’s 15th anniversary, but this is very much a work in progress in its early planning stages. I’ll gladly accept assistance and input from collaborators, but I want to make sure all of the album’s proceeds are a pure, simple donation to RAINN.

Anyone who would like to donate directly to RAINN without contributing or purchasing the album can do so at Muruch’s RAINN Fundraising Page.

Anyone who has suffered from or is in danger of rape, abuse or domestic violence please visit RAINN or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline 800.656.HOPE. You are not alone or hopeless, you can survive and RAINN will help you. Everyone deserves a happy, healthy, safe life. Don’t ever give up.

Sweet Dreams

Music is, of course, steeped in lore.

Allan Showalter, entertaining and illuminating chronicler of life, love, lust and all @ “Cohencentric: Leonard Cohen Considered” has noted that the “Suzanne” of song, who “feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from China” – is the muse Suzanne Verdal, pouring into 1960s life along Montreal’s St. Lawrence, filling Cohen’s cups with Bigelow’s “Constant Comment” blend.

This Sunday, Berkeley Place blog serves up a fresh pot of its “Greatest of All Tunes” feature – starting with Allison Crowe’s elemental reading of “Sweet Dreams” – originally a new wave smash for Eurythmics (the duo of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart) in 1983.

Crowe’s acoustic performance was distilled during creative discussions with Hollywood movie producer Zack Snyder (amidst the production of his 2011 film “Sucker Punch”).

Bigelow’s own “Sweet Dreams” is a blend of chamomile and mint it promises “will calm your nerves and sooth your soul.”

Inviting you now to enjoy Allison’s take, along with sonic servings from AlbertOne, Thought Coalition and Tujamo, Berkeley Place says:

“Brew am I to disagree.” 

Phoenix

“Phoenix” rises next from Allison Crowe’s “Sylvan Hour”. Snow fell on Newfoundland, Canada this week – and, even in the cold and dark, we’re witness to irrepressible spirit and positive strength. Inspiration!


Phoenix from Allison Crowe on Vimeo.

It’s said that “Meet John Doe” represents an attempt by Frank Capra, the great Italian-born American film director, (known for more care-free populist classics - “It Happened One Night”, “It’s a Wonderful Life” and others), to “work out his own fears and questions” about the future of the people. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Story, this 1941 movie stars Barbara Stanwyck, Gary Cooper, Edward Arnold and, as “The Colonel”, Walter Brennan (who rails against “the heelots” – the “greedy-guts’’ in our society, as Buffy Sainte-Marie calls them.)

http://music.allisoncrowe.com/track/phoenix-sh 

There Is

There Is from Allison Crowe on Vimeo.

“There Is” – time for the next revolution of Allison Crowe’s “Sylvan Hour”. For visuals we cut once more to “The Chase”. Michèle Morgan and Robert Cummings seek a way out in this 1940s film noir.

A Case of You

A Case of You from Allison Crowe on Vimeo.

Allison Crowe uncorks vintage “A Case of You” – off her “Sylvan Hour” album – with passion and artistry recognizing two great Canadian musical inspirations intertwined in the song – its writer, Joni Mitchell, and muse, Leonard Cohen. Cinematically, Frank Borzage directs the adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms” –scenes hear featuring the film’s leading stars Helen Hayes, Gary Cooper and Adolphe Menjou.

Effortless

“Effortless” sailing from Allison Crowe's "Sylvan Hour" into scenes from “The Chase”, a 1946 film noir – screenplay by Philip Yordan based on Cornell Woolrich's novel, “The Black Path of Fear”. Directed by Arthur D. Ripley, produced by Seymour Nebenzal, the movie’s stars appearing here are French actress Michèle Morgan and American Robert Cummings.

“Sylvan Hour is truly a masterpiece"

“Sylvan Hour is truly a masterpiece” says pioneering culture blog Muruch.

“Allison Crowe’s new album… may be her best yet.”

Read the full review – and experience the music @ http://www.muruch.com/2015/05/allisoncrowe-sylvanhour.html 

Sylvan Hour Chimes Darling Be Home Soon

This beautiful solo performance of "Darling Be Home Soon", penned by the great American songsmith and musician John Sebastian - a hit for The Lovin' Spoonful in 1967 - leads off Allison Crowe's Sylvan Hour. The video features scenes from the 1932 film adaptation of  Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" - directed by Frank Borzage and featuring here the wonderful Helen Hayes.

"Sylvan Hour" is now! Simply gorgeous. Gorgeously simple.

Allison Crowe music from the "sylvan castle" is available via:

Bandcamp @ http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/sylvan-hour
+ CDBaby @ http://cdbaby.com/cd/allisoncrowe12
+ Amazon @ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X0TZPDA
+ iTunes @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sylvan-hour/id990555727
+ Spotify @ https://play.spotify.com/album/6aghUiFU1nE7ICTciRLodN and more.

Soon, everywhere :) 

Muruch Seeks Music & Poetry for RAINN Benefit Album

Believing in one’s dreams and making them real – to help make the world a better place - is what Muruch, the culture blog, is doing now – “assembling an album of music and spoken word poetry solely to benefit RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network organization and helpline originally created by Tori Amos.

Muruch Presents: A Benefit Album for RAINN will feature music by Allison Crowe and Pamela Means, poetry by Muruch’s Editor Victoria and WV Poet/TED Talker Crystal Good with other contributions by artists and writers to be announced…”

Get  involved with this soulful project via Muruch’s website @ http://www.muruch.com/2015/05/rainn.html and on Muruch’s RAINN Fundraising Page @ https://fundraise.rainn.org/fundraise?fcid=454243

Muruch Intros Subscription Service

Discerning culture blog Muruch, which has been illuminating the riches of music and other popular culture online for near 15 years now, very, very kindly introduces people today to Allison Crowe’s new Artist Subscription on Bandcamp http://www.muruch.com/2015/05/allisoncrowe-bandcamp.html - saying, "no other artist has such a flawless record of artistic authenticity as Allison Crowe".

(And, for folks watching the calendar, we’ve been so overwhelmed with such kindness this week the album release of Allison’s “Sylvan Hour” will be this coming Tuesday, May 5 - to enable some more fun things to come together…)