Week 2 of "Allison Crowe August" Live

Woke this morning to the sounds of ‘The Friday Morning Markout’ on CHMR Radio – with genial show-host FanBoy Mark Jabroni ringing in “week 2 of ‪#‎AllisonCroweAugust‬!”

Hearing the DJ spin almost the entire two-night concert set of Allison – “Live at Wood Hall” – on the air’s a welcome reminder of how great is this release: http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/live-at-wood-hall It’s an all-time fan fave, particularly in Europe where the sound of solo voice and piano is especially appreciated. Here’s a capsule description from when Rubenesque Records first posted this double-disc – dim the lights and enjoy the concerts:

Live at Wood Hall is an exciting journey through Allison Crowe's concert repertoire, recorded with a simple clarity 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, social and political conscience, and real beauty, Allison covers cherished favourites - including Ani DiFranco ("Independence Day"), Counting Crows ("A Murder of One"), Tori Amos ("Playboy Mommy"), Janis Joplin ("Me and Bobby McGee"), and John Lennon ("Imagine"). Colours in the artist's musical palette range from roots & blues, through folk, pop/rock, jazz and Broadway. There's even a traditional Irish aire, "Believe Me If All (Those Endearing Young Charms)", sung acappella. Once again, Larry Anschell (Turtle Studios) captures the music on tape and Alix Whitmire designs the beautiful artwork/CD cover. " 'Music, man, that's where it's at'/ it is a religious line/ outside, the chimes rung/ an they/ are still ringin."

Full album credits, track-listing and all at the link below. And, to enjoy week 3 of “Allison Crowe August” upcoming - search "CHMR's RING RUST" on the Stitcher app, or listen live via http://www.chmr.ca/main.html 

There's a bird that nests inside you... - Counting Crows cover tribute

If you know Allison Crowe, you'll know this is about love and dreams. "It's the heart that matters more". In tribute to Adam Duritz, Counting Crows, who set Allison on the path of being a singer-songwriter, she's posted a cover of "Raining in Baltimore", performed live - to a cool CC contest that is being judged by the band itself. For the pure fun and joy of it all - give a listen. Vote, if you like, and you, too, believe in magic.



(On the page linked here, Allison's CC song is on the right hand side, at the bottom of the right column. There's another song page - and it's easier to find the song on this page, but, it's not always accessible. So, whatever works!)

Allison Crowe Lands on MarsBands

The universal appeal of Allison Crowe now includes Mars - the founder of MarsBands.com - which launches its web station today with this entertaining interview. On this well-read planet it's reigning cats and dog. ack! ack!

More exploration of MarsBands turns up this fun profile - which describes Allison Crowe as "the best thing to come out of Canada since hockey." High praise, indeed :)

A Murder of One

Epic.

That describes Allison Crowe's take on this Counting Crows' song. Allison revealed to UK blog, 'We Write Lists': "Along to ‘A Murder of One’, at the top of my lungs, I wailed out my cry for independence in the time of an oppressive relationship, driving and singing in an almost meditative screaming chant 'change change change'." Here's the Banter/intro track

Raining in Baltimore

"I played my first piano/vocal song in front of anybody in the form of ‘Raining in Baltimore’," notes Allison Crowe. At 15 Allison took the stage in coffee-houses and clubs of Vancouver Island, Canada. She credits Adam Duritz and Counting Crows - especially "August and Everything After" - as primary inspirations. "I do what I do in large part due to this music and the honesty in its words and sounds," she says.

'We Write Lists' Interviews: Allison Crowe

UK blog 'We Write Lists' caps its multi-part exploration of music and more with this week's thoughtful Q&A with Allison Crowe.

Click on the banner above to enjoy this interview session.

Hands Across the Water

Spiral, Allison Crowe's newest album of music is starting to reach the world.



As Spiraling joy ensues, it's an especially fun time to reflect on how we got here, and what it all means.

Drawing from the well-spring, this week a pair of UK web-based features:

Straight-outta-Nottingham, soon-to-be-in-London-town, Swiftian culture-blogger and novel-writer, Stephen Thomas invites Allison to guest-post for the next six weeks.

We Write Lists Presents: Six Albums with Allison Crowe

Thomas explains to his audience:

"Over the past four years or so I have spoken a great deal of Allison Crowe, whether it be on blogs, to friends, to family members or anyone else stupid enough to tune into my opinions. So, in many ways, the posts that will appear every Saturday for the next six weeks are a real coup here at WWL. A few months back I was fortunate enough to have Franz Nicolay, formerly of The Hold Steady, to write up a guest post on his favourite six albums. Recently I asked the same of Allison Crowe and she kindly obliged. Now, as the result either of her (obvious) passion for music or her recently freed-up schedule (Thanks, Eyjafjallajöjull!) Allison has written us enough of her insightful takes on the music that inspired her to secure a spot as a regular contributor for the next six weeks, during which we'll share her written offerings one album at a time! So, over to Allison:"


http://wewritelists.blogspot.com/2010/04/we-write-lists-presents-six-albums-with.html

Allison, whose musical roots first planted in classical and jazz, took the challenge. For the next six weeks, she talks about those albums that formed the soundtrack to a pivotal period in her life ~ when, she says, "my personality and life’s choices were truly being forged and molded - beyond childhood but not yet adult - with plenty of naïvety and an equal amount of life experience."

Tune in to this We Write Lists serial special. (Not to be confused with a special cereal - that would be something like Cap'n Crunch - with decoder ring in the box. Though, these things may not be so far apart...)

From Inverness, the Scottish Highlands, and now back home in Edinburgh is musician, photo-journalist and more, Shona McMillan.

Editing together old cine films shot by her family in the 1960s, McMillan has created this lovely, evocative reflection and meditation:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF40lnbwOYk

For the soundtrack to her "Home Reflections", Shona has chosen Allison's recording of, too-soon-gone-from-this-world, singer-songwriter Phil Ochs' "When I'm Gone".

On her YouTube channel, she recounts the film's story, and notes:

"In 2007, I met the singer of the song - Allison Crowe when we both performed in Durness at the John Lennon festival. Later, when she did another gig in Edinburgh, Allison sang this song and absolutely blew me away with her performance and the intensity of the lyrics. Having just lost my mum to cancer, less than 12 months before, I said to Allison that her singing had captured for me the incredible need I felt to do things 'NOW'. She gave me her CD as a gift "Allison Crowe Little Light" and amongst the many other beautiful songs on it - this remains for me the most special. A song which has often helped to motivate me in my uphill personal challenge to produce my own People and Songs of the Sea multi-media heritage project (recording fisher folk from Edinburgh to Eyemouth in thousands of photos, audio and most recently film). The lyrics of the song here - they so greatly inspire me and yes they can be sad but also, they encourage true reflection and appreciation of the value of time. All of us have just 24hrs in each day, it can seem a lot at the time but, when we look back on a life lived and now gone - we see how very precious time was and is. We see that a Life is made up, shaped and built by all the little choices we make over the hours, days, weeks and years that we live. The ways in which we choose to spend our time are surely the most important, on-going decisions we make throughout the days of our lives."

Shona McMillan wraps up: "How very precious time is. Indeed, I recall my mum's favourite saying which was the philosophy by which she tried to live her life:

'I pass this way but once, any good that I can do - Let Me - for I may not pass this way again'."