Allison Crowe with Band: Revolution on its Way

Allison Crowe, the amazing Nanaimo, Vancouver Island-born musician, home in Newfoundland for a decade now, is here in British Columbia this month to resume the launch of a new band and creative phase.

In the record-melting heat of this Summer, Crowe (vocals, piano, guitar, bodhran, fiddle) and bandmates Billie Woods (guitar, vox), Celine Greb (cello, vox) and Dave Baird (bass) performed their first shows. The group’s hybrid of Canadiana, Celtic, jazz, roots, folk, soul and original rock is next on-stage: October 23 in Sidney’s Charlie White Theatre; October 30 at Nanaimo’s Port Theatre; and November 13 at Vancouver’s St. James Hall. (NB “Tidings”, Allison Crowe’s Christmastime concert series, resumes next year in BC.)

Rehearsal today! Woot!               Allison Crowe foto

Between concert dates the band is in sessions at Turtle studios in White Rock, BC with engineer/producer Larry Anschell (Pearl Jam, Bif Naked, Sarah McLachlan). Several of Allison Crowe’s 15 album releases, including the classics “Tidings” and “Live at Wood Hall”, have been captured by Anschell and his audio team.

Capping more than a decade of primarily solo touring and recording, Crowe has three releases coming this season.

"Muruch.com Presents: Allison Crowe”, out this week via Bandcamp, is a 21-song anthology and playlist curated by one of the first, and now longest-running, legal-mp3 music websites. The West Virginia-based culture blog gathers its personal favourites from her recorded repertoire explaining: “Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Crowe has long been Muruch’s musical mascot, so it seemed fitting to celebrate her music along with Muruch.com’s 15th anniversary.”

 October 20, 2015 brings the release of “Newfoundland Vinyl 3” (on Bandcamp, iTunes et al), newest in the acclaimed series of albums refreshing folk, traditional, and popular music of Canada’s Atlantic coast. Waltzes, parlour songs, rousing tunes of land and sea emerge from Crowe’s role as Musical Director with Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador’s hit show, “Newfoundland Vinyl”, at the annual Gros Morne Theatre Festival.

Allison Crowe’s bond with the TNL family, and the region’s wonderful musicians and actors, provides inspiration as well for “Souling (Bonus Tracks Edition)” out this October 27 (worldwide through all major digital outlets). Expanding upon 2014’s singular all-acappella collection of sacred and traditional Christmas carols she performs – acappella and with choral-focus – select songs of heart and hearth from the popular songbook.

Concert, recording, and other Allison Crowe news is found on the artist’s original website @ http://allisoncrowe.com soon to merge with a band site currently @ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/wordpress

"Muruch.com Presents: Allison Crowe" Now Out!

Muruch's bundle of favourite songs from Allison Crowe's recordings - beginning with "Lisa's Song + 6 Songs" (2003) up to this year's "Sylvan Hour" is now open for enjoyment!

"Muruch.com Presents: Allison Crowe” is now out via Bandcamp! This 21-song anthology and playlist is curated by one of the first, and now longest-running, legal-mp3 music websites. The West Virginia-based culture blog gathers its personal favourites from her recorded repertoire explaining: “Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Crowe has long been Muruch’s musical mascot, so it seemed fitting to celebrate her music along with Muruch.com’s 15th anniversary.”

         Curated and Cover Art by Muruch.com

"Muruch.com Presents: Allison Crowe"

In 1999 a teen-aged Allison Crowe was already building her legend as a musician – radiating from her birthplace of Nanaimo, BC to perform in nightclubs and bars up and down Vancouver Island on Canada’s Pacific coast.

That same year, across the continent in the USA, a West Virginia-based poet and cultural commentator was launching one of the first, and now longest-running, legal-mp3 music websites. Under the banner of “Murúch”, the Irish word for “mermaid”, pioneering Editor/Head Writer Vic and her team of writers and photographers still plumb the currents of music, books, film and other arts.

“Murúch’s RSS feed is syndicated on Hype Machine, Elbo.ws, Livejournal, Facebook and Twitter… The site has been featured on VH1’s Best Week Ever Blog, The Woodstock Film Festival website, MSN’s Money Central Blog, Technorati’s Top 100 Music Blogs and The Guardian’s website.” Rolling Stone has reposted the site’s content, and its reviews are quoted “in countless press releases, Amazon and Wikipedia pages and even album liner notes”. Cited, as well, by the University of Maryland as an example of excellent critical writing – the fuller story of Murúch can be found @ http://www.muruch.com/about and http://www.muruch.com/2000/07/muruchhistory.html

Along their courses, sometime before Allison Crowe migrated to Canada’s Atlantic shores, making her home in Corner Brook, Newfoundland a decade ago, “Murúch” discovered Allison and has been a steadfast champion of her music ever since.

Mutual admiration and respect has grown through the years such that Allison’s honoured to be described these days as Murúch’s “musical mascot”.

“Muruch.com Presents: Allison Crowe” is a digital album, coming very soon, comprising the blog’s personal favourites from Allison’s recorded repertoire. Curated by Murúch, it’s a 21-song playlist that’s, both, passionately individual and universal.

Cover art is also by Muruch.com – pictured here on the album’s front is the entrance to Newgrange, the great national monument of Ireland that predates Stonehenge and the pyramids of Egypt. Photographed this Summer in County Meath, the triskele symbols on the giant stone carry forward from pre-Celtic and Celtic times to our age (even giving design to the centre-piece adapters for vinyl “45” RPM recordings).

It’s apt entry point for the intersection of 15+ years rocking and rolling by Allison Crowe and Muruch.com.

Muruch.com for RAINN Benefit Album Features Three Allison Crowe Songs

Culture site Muruch, one of the web’s longest-serving supporters of music, this month launched its dream-project into the world – a benefit album for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network organization and helpline (originally created by Tori Amos):

“Muruch.com for RAINN moves from the horror of sexual trauma to the incredible courage of survival, benefits the most worthy cause and is a magnificent, genre-crossing collection of music, poetry and art.”

“Muruch’s musical mascot Allison Crowe (she sang ‘Ring of Fire’ in Man of Steel) donated not 1 but 3 songs to our Muruch.com for RAINN benefit album. You can hear the first, ‘Words,’ below and get it along with 24 other mp3s by donating $10 (or more) directly to RAINN through Muruch’s RAINN.org fundraising page.

“The album also features music and poetry by Concrete Blonde’s Johnette Napolitano, American Gods/Coraline author Neil Gaiman, My Brightest Diamond, Amanda Palmer, The Voice‘s Kat Robichaud, Midlake, Flogging Molly, Poe, The Mynabirds, Allison Crowe, Crystal Good, Kevin Kantor and many more.”

The first song from Allison featured is “Words” - http://www.muruch.com/2015/07/wordsrainn.html – described this way by Muruch when it capped the blog’s list of Top 50 Songs of 2013:

“Though Allison apparently only took up the fiddle for the recording of this album, she already sounds like a folk fiddle pro in the standout track ‘Words’. What a lush piece of work that song is! There’s a touch of Celtic folk in the instrumentation, haunting backing vocals and a slow building, seething tension until Allison unleashes her wail toward the end of the song.”

“Scared”, is second in the trilogy of songs Muruch presents on its benefit album http://www.muruch.com/2015/07/scaredrainn.html  Of this track, released on Allison’s debut disc, “Six Songs”, the musician says:

“This song is about not being afraid to stand up for yourself and what you believe in, to speak out even in the most adverse of circumstances.”

“Phoenix” is the third song Muruch includes from Allison’s on the benefit album - a song recording from “Sylvan Hour” - Allison Crowe’s album released this Spring - http://www.muruch.com/2015/07/phoenixrainn.html

Enjoy the music – in audio and video – and, please, support the Muruch.com for RAINN project and cause :) Thank you!

Silence

“Silence”- Allison Crowe from the sylvan castle on Salt Spring Island, Canada:
http://music.allisoncrowe.com/track/silence-sh

Crowe’s musical performance is paired with an excerpt from “Ménilmontant”, the 1925 silent film from auteur, director, Dimitri Kirsanoff and starring his collaborator Nadia Sibirskaia and Yolande Beaulieu as sisters.

Silence from Allison Crowe on Vimeo.

A treasure of cinema’s avant-garde, you can find the full (38 minute) movie in the Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/menilmontant1924-25 with commentary by David Badagnani, who notes:

“Its story is told entirely in images, without the use of explanatory intertitles; Kirsanoff was among the very rare filmmakers of the silent era to attempt this. The film makes use of techniques such as montage, hand-held camera, ultra-rapid montage, and superposition to achieve the elusive, transcendent quality of ‘photogenie’ so sought after by the French impressionist film directors of the era. Ménilmontant, thus, comes closer to poetry than to narrative prose.”

“Sylvan Hour is truly a masterpiece” says pioneering culture blog Muruch. (http://www.muruch.com/2015/05/allisoncrowe-sylvanhour.html)

These Words

Sometime the 'invisible monster' is within ourselves, sometimes it's outside, trying to break in... and there are times when it's both internal and external. "These Words" from Allison Crowe's "Sylvan Hour" explores such chambers. Visually carrying us into the psychic underworld is cinema's original "Phantom of the Opera" - Lon Chaney so darkly brilliant in the 1925 film version of Gaston Leroux’s gothic novel.


These Words from Allison Crowe on Vimeo.

“Sylvan Hour is truly a masterpiece” says pioneering culture blog Muruch. (http://www.muruch.com/2015/05/allisoncrowe-sylvanhour.html)

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.

“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 

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…)

Black Velvet Band

“My favorite Irish song, beautifully covered for you today: Black Velvet Band ~ Allison Crowe,” declares Brian Ibbott, Mayor of Coverville on this - St. Patrick’s - Day.

(Coverville, geographically situated in Colorado, USA can be found online @ http://coverville.com )

“Black Velvet Band” is a lively song popularly recorded on both sides of the Atlantic. This recording is from Allison Crowe's "Newfoundland Vinyl" LP, her 11th album release on Rubenesque Records:

Black Velvet Band from Allison Crowe on Vimeo.

Veteran folk music afficionado/reviewer, Muruch, based in West Virginia, in posting a review of this new album to the "No Depression" blog remarks on a feature in Allison's music that's always present - whether it's rock, gospel, jazz, grunge, classical, blues, folk, soul or other genres she's making: "What a voice, what a voice, what a voice!"

Of this song, Muruch notes: " 'The Black Velvet Band' " is a traditional Irish ballad about a man's chance encounter with a girl, which leads to his arrest and transport as a prisoner to Australia. The Dubliners may have recorded one of the more famous renditions of the song, but Allison's is the most stunning version I've heard and just may become the definitive version (as her cover of 'Hallelujah' - http://music.allisoncrowe.com/track/hallelujah - has) over time."

http://www.muruch.com/2013/07/allison-crowe-newfoundland-vinyl.html

As the album title suggests, it's a song collection inspired by, and arising from, Allison Crowe's ongoing role as Musical Director of the hit stage show, "Newfoundland Vinyl" - presented at Canada's Gros Morne Theatre Festival each Summer since 2012. This perennial GMTF favourite’s conceived by TNL’s Artistic Director Jeff Pitcher.

Saltwater Joys

Putting a bow on things, here’s Allison Crowe’s version of “Saltwater Joys” – as culture blog Muruch tags it, the “beautiful finale” to “Newfoundland Vinyl II”.

This essential song’s penned by Wayne Chaulk, who plays bass and guitar in Newfoundland and Labrador’s flat out popular, prolific, music and comedy trio, “Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers” – alongside Kevin “Buddy” Blackmore, on mandolin, fiddle and guitar, & Ray Johnson, accordion and fiddle.

Allison Crowe’s a born islander – and, with heart and talent as great as Canada itself, she’s truly one with those saltwater joys from her birthplace of Nanaimo, BC to her adopted hometown of Corner Brook, NL.

http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/newfoundland-vinyl-ii

As the album title suggests, it's a song collection inspired by, and arising from, Allison Crowe's involvement with the hit stage show, "Newfoundland Vinyl" - presented at Canada's Gros Morne Theatre Festival, and produced by TNL.

The album celebrates this creative bond between Crowe, an internationally-loved touring and recording artist, and Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador, a professional theatre company founded on Newfoundland's west coast in 1979.

For these past three Summers TNL's engaged Crowe as Musical Director of "Newfoundland Vinyl" - a perennial favourite at the annual GMTF.

TNL AD Jeff Pitcher's conception of a revival of vinyl era, and more, songs of Newfoundland and Labrador put wind in the sails of Allison Crowe's curatorial mission.

"It's here!" says pioneering music blog Muruch, "Allison Crowe just released Newfoundland Vinyl II and it's the perfect follow-up to her traditional folk masterpiece, Newfoundland Vinyl".

Of her immersions as Musical Director with TNL, and the melodic bounty that's landed, Allison Crowe notes: "There is so much wonderful music - you could piece together multiple anthologies and still only scratch the surface of such an extensive and rich collection. Each of these songs is its own story, of land and sea, of people, and each story in-and-of-itself could be an entire show. I'm truly grateful that you are here to hear the story these songs have to offer." She gives special thanks to "the incredibly talented and versatile" casts and crews of TNL's productions for their inspiration.

That Night in Bethlehem (Don Oíche úd i mBeithil)

"That Night in Bethlehem (Don Oíche úd i mBeithil)" is the third song track on "Souling":

Silhouette.animation by the amazing Lotte Reiniger, (whose 1926 creation of "The Adventures of Prince Achmed" is the first animated feature film), is seen here in an excerpt from "The Star of Bethlehem" (1956).

Allison Crowe’s gorgeous voice brings tidings of comfort and joy with “Souling” – her 11th full album release.

http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/souling

The artist, one of our greatest living musicians, singer-songwriters and performers, has always created authentic music.

With this newest song set her voice is heard wholly a cappella.

The songs themselves have a purity of expression – a 21st century take on music of faith and spirit – sounds and themes aired by carollers and soulers of old.

The genesis of “Souling” is found in the bond Allison Crowe’s formed with the creative family at Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador. Founded in 1979, this professional theatre company presents a dynamic and diverse repertoire of plays and maintains, as well, a strong commitment to youth theatre in the Atlantic Canada community.

For these past three Summers TNL’s engaged Crowe as Musical Director of “Newfoundland Vinyl” - a perennial favourite at the annual Gros Morne Theatre Festival. Following another hit season at GMTF, in late August of this year TNL Artistic Associate SaraH McDonald invited the Corner Brook, NL-based musician to serve the same role with a vibrant production of “A Christmas Carol”.

The Adaptation of this classic Charles Dickens story by playwright Jeff Pitcher, TNL’s Artistic Director, excited Crowe’s musical imagination – as did the desire of McDonald, the play’s Director, to incorporate songs in the style of Victorian Era carollers.

So inspired, Allison Crowe immersed herself in curating the music for the abundantly-talented, multi-aged, choir of singers who’ll perform in “A Christmas Carol” at the Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre from November 27th – 30th, 2014.

This artistic process of selection and arrangement led to her recording solo versions of those songs that will receive another distinct breath of life from the TNL vocal ensemble.

(In parallel fashion, the first season’s run of “Newfoundland Vinyl” brought forth Allison Crowe’s album of the same name – one of 2013’s top recordings. Culture blog Muruch praised it as a “lovely, vintage collection of traditional Irish and Canadian folk ballads, lively sea chanteys and drinking songs, parlour songs and country tunes” possessing “unique charm” and “the timeless beauty of a classic folk album”.)

In 2003, (and expanded in 2004), Allison Crowe released Tidings – an album of singular interpretations - “River” (Joni Mitchell), “Hallelujah” (Leonard Cohen), “In My Life” (The Beatles) and more from the secular canon – alongside such favourite traditional carols as “Silent Night”, “The First Noel”, and “O Holy Night”. Tidings has proven to be a modern classic – “music for the season and all time”.

This time out, as befits TNL’s telling of “A Christmas Carol”, Allison Crowe gives pure voice to the sacred songbook. “Souling” is:

Soul Cake
I Saw Three Ships
That Night in Bethlehem (Don Oíche úd i mBeithil)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
The Wexford Carol
The Holly and the Ivy
In the Bleak Midwinter (Cranham)
Ding Dong Merrily on High
Once in  Royal David’s City
Wassail Song

“Souling” is available now via Allison Crowe’s own website @ http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/souling as well as on iTunes @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/souling/id933188580 plus CD Baby @ http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/allisoncrowe10 and all major digital music outlets worldwide.

Ding Dong Merrily on High

Joy for the child in us all – “Ding Dong Merrily on High”. Originally a French dance tune, "Branle de l'Official", by Jehan Tabourot (1519 – 1593), it’s published as a carol in the early 1900s with English lyrics by composer George Ratcliffe Woodward (1848 – 1934). In our time, it’s been recorded by a range of folks including The Chieftains and The Muppets… and, now, Allison Crowe on “Souling”.

The accompanying visual is an excerpt from “Christmas Comes But Once a Year”, a Fleischer Studios Color Classics animated short released in December, 1936.

http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/souling

Allison Crowe’s gorgeous voice brings tidings of comfort and joy with “Souling” – her 11th full album release.

The artist, one of our greatest living musicians, singer-songwriters and performers, has always created authentic music. With this newest song set her voice is heard wholly a cappella.

The songs themselves have a purity of expression – a 21st century take on music of faith and spirit – sounds and themes aired by carollers and soulers of old.

The genesis of “Souling” is found in the bond Allison Crowe’s formed with the creative family at Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador. Founded in 1979, this professional theatre company presents a dynamic and diverse repertoire of plays and maintains, as well, a strong commitment to youth theatre in the Atlantic Canada community.

For these past three Summers TNL’s engaged Crowe as Musical Director of “Newfoundland Vinyl” - a perennial favourite at the annual Gros Morne Theatre Festival. Following another hit season at GMTF, in late August of this year TNL Artistic Associate SaraH McDonald invited the Corner Brook, NL-based musician to serve the same role with a vibrant production of “A Christmas Carol”.

The Adaptation of this classic Charles Dickens story by playwright Jeff Pitcher, TNL’s Artistic Director, excited Crowe’s musical imagination – as did the desire of McDonald, the play’s Director, to incorporate songs in the style of Victorian Era carollers.

So inspired, Allison Crowe immersed herself in curating the music for the abundantly-talented, multi-aged, choir of singers who performed in “A Christmas Carol” at the Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre from November 27th – 30th, 2014.

This artistic process of selection and arrangement led to her recording solo versions of those songs that will receive another distinct breath of life from the TNL vocal ensemble.

(In parallel fashion, the first season’s run of “Newfoundland Vinyl” brought forth Allison Crowe’s album of the same name – one of 2013’s top recordings. Culture blog Muruch praised it as a “lovely, vintage collection of traditional Irish and Canadian folk ballads, lively sea chanteys and drinking songs, parlour songs and country tunes” possessing “unique charm” and “the timeless beauty of a classic folk album”.)

In 2003, (and expanded in 2004), Allison Crowe released Tidings – an album of singular interpretations - “River” (Joni Mitchell), “Hallelujah” (Leonard Cohen), “In My Life” (The Beatles) and more from the secular canon – alongside such favourite traditional carols as “Silent Night”, “The First Noel”, and “O Holy Night”. Tidings has proven to be a modern classic – “music for the season and all time”.

This time out, as befits TNL’s telling of “A Christmas Carol”, Allison Crowe gives pure voice to the sacred songbook. “Souling” is:

Soul Cake
I Saw Three Ships
That Night in Bethlehem (Don Oíche úd i mBeithil)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
The Wexford Carol
The Holly and the Ivy
In the Bleak Midwinter (Cranham)
Ding Dong Merrily on High
Once in Royal David’s City
Wassail Song

“Souling” is available now via Allison Crowe’s own website @ http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/souling as well as on iTunes @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/souling/id933188580 plus CD Baby @ http://cdbaby.com/cd/allisoncrowe10 and all major digital music outlets worldwide.

(Area Code) 709

The directory of phone songs lists some great tunes - among them: Chuck Berry's "Memphis, Tennessee" and Shel Silverstein's "Sylvia's Mother" (a memorable hit for Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show).

In Canada, Eddie Coffey and Dennis Adamson dialed up the fun with their ode to "709" - the area code assigned to Newfoundland and Labrador since 1962.

Ringing in a new version is Allison Crowe on her latest album, "Newfoundland Vinyl II": 
http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/newfoundland-vinyl-ii

As the album title suggests, it's a song collection inspired by, and arising from, Crowe's involvement with the hit stage show, "Newfoundland Vinyl" - presented at Canada's Gros Morne Theatre Festival, and produced by Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador.

TNL's Artistic Director Jeff Pitcher conceived the musical production and Allison Crowe has served as the show's Musical Director for three Summers now at GMTF.

The album celebrates this creative bond between Crowe, an internationally-loved touring and recording artist, and Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador, a professional theatre company founded on Newfoundland's west coast in 1979.

For these past three Summers TNL's engaged Crowe as Musical Director of "Newfoundland Vinyl" - a perennial favourite at the annual Gros Morne Theatre Festival.

TNL Artistic Director Jeff Pitcher's conception of a revival of vinyl era, and more, songs of Newfoundland and Labrador put wind in the sails of Allison Crowe's curatorial mission.

"It's here!" says pioneering music blog Muruch, "Allison Crowe just released Newfoundland Vinyl II and it's the perfect follow-up to her traditional folk masterpiece, Newfoundland Vinyl".

Of her immersions as Musical Director with TNL, and the melodic bounty that's landed, Allison Crowe notes: "There is so much wonderful music - you could piece together multiple anthologies and still only scratch the surface of such an extensive and rich collection. Each of these songs is its own story, of land and sea, of people, and each story in-and-of-itself could be an entire show. I'm truly grateful that you are here to hear the story these songs have to offer." She gives special thanks to "the incredibly talented and versatile" casts and crews of TNL's productions for their inspiration.

Photograph by Billie Woods

"Scared" Not

In light of our news (media reports) being full of violence against women, one of the web’s original music bloggers, Muruch, tweets: “I was just thinking about lack of anti-violence songs & wanting @Allison_Crowe to record one. I'd forgotten she already did. :)”

Among her passionate expressions of life’s dimensions, Allison’s extraordinarily diverse song catalogue speaks to themes of abusive relationships, self-harm, suicide, societal pressures, and more...

Muruch specifically highlights a song that addresses a culture of abuse, shame and silence - “Scared”: http://www.muruch.com/2014/11/allisoncrowe-scared.html

 

In the video embedded by Muruch, Allison and bandmates Dave Baird, bass, and Kevin Clevette, drums, are seen in various locations on Vancouver Island, Canada – in Nanaimo and Victoria. The video-makers, Angela Kendall and Brian Dutkewich, would later make popular videos for a Canadian duo, Tegan and Sara. (For trivia buffs: in this vid, Allison’s father, Del Crowe, happens to drive by at one point, and, Allison’s longtime manager, Adrian du Plessis, is also caught, serendipitously, walking by as he waves to Del.) The song's audio is recorded by Larry Anschell of Turtle Studios, and features 19-year-old Allison Crowe and band.

"Something to Crowe About" Sings Telegram

Allison Crowe - detail of photograph by Cory Hurley in The Western Star / The Telegram

"Something to Crowe about" sings The Telegram - sharing word of the discerning culture blog, Muruch , naming two of Allison Crowe's albums among the best of 2013 and one of her new original songs its top pick for the year.

The newspaper notes:

"The West Virginia-based Muruch placed Crowe’s album “Heavy Graces” at No. 10 and “Newfoundland Vinyl” at No. 2, second only to “Pure Heroine” by Lorde. The blog also selected Crowe’s “Words” from the “Heavy Graces” record as the top song of the year for its annual list of the 50 best songs of the year, which also found room for three cuts from “Newfoundland Vinyl”: “Black Velvet Band” (No. 12), “Men Who Die for a Living” (No. 18) and “Skipper Billy’s Wake” (No. 28)."

The Telegram is Newfoundland and Labrador's major daily newspaper. Pioneering website Muruch has been sharing favourite albums, live performances, films and literature online since 1999. The full article can be enjoyed @ http://www.thetelegram.com/Living/Entertainment/2014-01-02/article-3561458/Something-to-Crowe-about/1

Song of the Year, Top Albums Nods for Allison Crowe

“The difficult I’ll do right now, the impossible’ll take a little while”. That’s pretty much always been the way of musician Allison Crowe.

This year proves ”weirdly typical” as ever for the amazing bi-coastal Canadian artist - to quote a phrase from one of 2013’s fine reviews.

In it, Crowe’s released three peerless albums (“Newfoundland Vinyl”, “Heavy Graces”, and the compilation “Songbook”), musically directed a hit theatre show (TNL’s “Newfoundland Vinyl”), saw one song recording used brilliantly in a trailer for a major independent motion picture (“Hallelujah” w. “The Pardon”), and appeared, pretty much as herself, in one of the year’s biggest Hollywood blockbusters (“Man of Steel”).

Now ‘Top Song of the Year’ nod for Allison Crowe's "Words" comes from the annual list of Muruch, the passionate and uncompromising culture blog that’s been sharing favourite albums, live performances, films and literature online since 1999.

“Words”, from the album “Heavy Graces”, features, for the first time, Allison playing her Great-Grandfather’s fiddle (along with her singing, playing guitar, arranging, engineering, producing and all those things she regularly does!). A trio of songs from her "Newfoundland Vinyl" album, also released this year, are found in the Top 50: "Black Velvet Band" (12); "Men Who Die for a Living" (18); and "Skipper Billy's Wake" (28).

Artists joining Allison Crowe in the top ten picks are: Alice Boman; Trent Dabbs; Lorde; Vienna Teng; Foxygen; Imagine Dragons; MS MR; & Janelle Monae (feat. Erykah Badu). Enjoy videos and music – of “Words” and all of Muruch’s ‘Top 50 Songs’ @ http://www.muruch.com/2013/12/muruch-2013-top-songs.html

The West Virginia-based blog follows the song list with its Top 25 Albums – and Allison Crowe’s two new albums this year both land in the top ten. Remarking: “The top three are really interchangeable, they are far too brilliant and too different from each other to truly rank”, Muruch slots Crowe’s “Newfoundland Vinyl” second, book-ended by Lorde’s “Pure Heroine” (#1) and Foxygen’s “We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic” (#3).

Crowe’s tribute to songs of her Atlantic home region contains traditional tunes, such as “Black Velvet Band” as well as interpretations of such modern classics as “The Mobile Goat Song”, (a Tom Cahill-penned hit for Joan Morrissey), Gary O’Driscoll’s elegiac “Men Who Die for a Living” and Ron Hynes’ anthemic “Sonny’s Dream”. This set, released on vinyl, “plays like a lovely, vintage collection of traditional Irish and Canadian folk ballads, lively sea chanteys and drinking songs, parlour songs and country tunes with surprising retro, girl-pop harmonies woven throughout…full of dazzling melody and such a unique charm…Allison’s voice is so strong and spectacular,” says Muruch. “It has the timeless beauty of a classic folk album.”

“Heavy Graces” combines Allison Crowe’s newest original song recordings with singular covers of Leonard Cohen (“Famous Blue Raincoat”) and Pearl Jam (“Better Man”) – and this album occupies the tenth spot on the albums of the year list, as described by Muruch: “what a lush piece of work…a touch of Celtic folk in the instrumentation, haunting backing vocals and a slow building, seething tension until Allison unleashes her wail”. The complete list of top album picks – which also includes this year’s releases from Elton John, Molly Drake, Hem, Steve Martin & Edie Brickell, Janelle Monae and more – is available @ http://www.muruch.com/2013/12/muruch-2013-top-albums.html

Here’s to a very happy, healthy, New Year – one and all!

Words - Song of the Year

Top Song of the Year is Allison Crowe's "Words" on the annual list of Muruch, the passionate and uncompromising culture blog that’s been sharing favourite albums, live performances, films and literature online since 1999.

 

“Words”, from the album “Heavy Graces”, features, for the first time, Allison playing her Great-Grandfather’s fiddle (along with her singing, playing guitar, arranging, engineering, producing and all those things she regularly does!). A trio of songs from her "Newfoundland Vinyl" album, also released this year, are found in the Top 50: "Black Velvet Band" (12); "Men Who Die for a Living" (18); and "Skipper Billy's Wake" (28).

 

Artists joining Allison Crowe in the top ten picks are: Alice Boman; Trent Dabbs; Lorde; Vienna Teng; Foxygen; Imagine Dragons; MS MR; & Janelle Monae (feat. Erykah Badu). Enjoy videos and music – of “Words” and all of Muruch’s 'Top 50 Songs of 2013' @ http://www.muruch.com/2013/12/muruch-2013-top-songs.html