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.

"Best of the decade" and beyond

Entertainment website Muruch announces its top 25 albums of the decade – on a list that ranges from The Dresden Dolls to Muse, the eclectic blog places Allison Crowe’s “Live at Wood Hall” in the number 8 position, commenting:

“Oh that voice! Still gives me chills. I’ve posted about Allison Crowe so many times over the years that I consider her Muruch’s musical mascot. As I said in my 2007 review“there’s really no way to convey through mere words how much the music on Allison Crowe’s Live At Wood Hall moves me”. Forget Susan Boyle, Allison sang the definitive cover of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’.”

It’s been a year in which Crowe elevated her artistry beyond levels consistently seen in rock music for decades. A decade of international touring and online presence combined with inventive and inspired writing and recording and peerless live shows has translated into making the bi-coastal Canadian one of the world’s most popular, successful, and truly, independent musicians.


Allison Crowe climbs every rung with rare artistry - Photo by Billie Woods

Crowe’s achievement could only be reached free of the status quo, side-stepping the mainstreaming rackets of, both, corporate record labels and institutionalized funding agencies. It’s a revolution, not just in her home country, but, on a global scale.

A review from the latest concert on her “Tidings” tour, which wraps this weekend in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, exemplifies peoples’ response to Allison Crowe’s singular nature as one of the most moving singer-songwriters and interpreters of any generation.

Eric McLean, band leader of the Nanaimo Blues All Stars, (and President of the Old City Quarter Association), wrote of Crowe’s December ’09 concert in that city: “I have seen and met, hordes of great performers over the years, from Clapton, Jeff Beck, Hendrix, Bonnie Raitt, Jennifer Warnes, Sara, Little Feat, to Grappelli, Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass, etc, etc, etc, and I honestly believe that (Allison Crowe is) in the same league.” McLean sums up the feeling of many, saying: “I really felt that I was in the presence of something great.”

Allison Crowe’s seventh CD, “Spiral”, is due to be released in early 2010.



* NB A friend in Scotland, where folks, naturally, take great pride in Susan Boyle, wrote to express concern that it's "an unnecessary swipe being taken at a Scottish personality" by the music blog. I am certain, and have confirmed directly, the writer means no harm to Susan Boyle or Scotland!

In the context of knowing the reviewer is an huge fan of "Les Mis", they're not saying to forget Susan in entirety. Their simple, and passionate, view is that with respect to the song "I Dreamed a Dream", Allison best captures its mood. Their turn of phrase is not meant to extend beyond that artistic point.

From here, at least, it seems media marketing maven Simon Cowell et al have been rather callous in their exploitation of Susan Boyle, and there's been disregard for her health and well-being.

That's a separate issue, I know. Still, if you care for artists as people, health matters more than the fame or money. It's not evident how much an operator like Mr. Cowell cares about the human toll.

Knowing the business side of the record industry, one can only hope that the singer from West Lothian comes through it all better than many who are fodder for the machine.