Release (Jammer Convergence - Seattle live)

Rooting around, finding some of the stuff of dreams and lives – here, from the earliest-known international concert video of Allison Crowe – from Seattle, the home of Pearl Jam, with love... Play loud!


Release (Jammer Convergence - Seattle live) from Allison Crowe on Vimeo.

Allison Crowe trekked to Seattle, Washington in July 2001 to be part of the World Wide Jammer Convergence (WWJC) - a gathering of Pearl Jam fans (AKA Jammers) from over 30 U.S. states, Canada and other PJ-friendly locales.

(Eddie Vedder and PJ being major inspirations for Allison and her band, then also living in North America’s Pacific Northwest.)

An entire floor was rented in an historic downtown hotel, The Commodore, and, like a scene from Cameron Crowe's movie, "Almost Famous", with doors wide open, and a communal room for watching PJ videos, Jammers experienced music and friendship in the Emerald City.

Allison (vocals, keyboard) with Dave Baird (bass) and Kevin Clevette (drums) performed a welcoming concert ~ in a small, very warm, theater in back of another historic joint - Second Avenue Pizza.

After the band set and encores, Allison remembers a Pearl Jam song she wants to play – solo - "Release".

Pam Abramowicz Wolfers captured the intensity in all Jammin' beauty (in this, the earliest-known international concert video of Allison Crowe). Embracing Allison afterward is Sandi Heinrich, WWJC organizer and event MC.

The stuff that dreams and lives are made of...

http://music.allisoncrowe.com

This Little Bird flies free

May you and yours have a high-flying holiday, and joyous times beyond. Rousing our Allison Crowe music video series - (enjoy the growing 'Chanson et Lumière' playlist @ http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzwM8Ztw_8D1zBB_ZjkF9270RyojzYFP5 ) - here's "This Little Bird":

"This Little Bird", from Allison Crowe's album of the same name, flies here with excerpts from "The Story of the Birds" - created by animation pioneer Max Fleischer in 1935 (as the fourth entry in his "Color Classics" series):  http://music.allisoncrowe.com/track/this-little-bird

♫ "Why music?" "Why breathing? ♫

Spiral remixes

Dig the creativity of remixers! Allison Crowe's "Spiral" is re-imagined by Jeris, salvatore_j, Incoherent Mumble Train, unreal_dm, CSoul, and Alex @ ccMixter Rock, blues, grunge, jazz, bass, drums, pop, techno, dance, industrial, electronica...

Allison's musical patron for "Free! Music! Contest 2011 - FreeMixter"

Lisa's Song

"Lisa's Song" completes this EP/CD. In Summer 2002 Lisa Marie Young is abducted during a night out with friends in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Allison Crowe returns home from tour to learn her high-school friend is missing. (More on this tragedy @ Lisa's Page) Allison's trio are invited into Seacoast Sound where Rick Erickson records this performance ripped from the soul.

Philosophy

"Philosophy" is today's selection on "6 Songs". Fittingly, it closes that EP/CD - just as the song closed many a concert when Allison Crowe rocked out with her band. As the final song of a concert set or encore, Allison would often build to a coda of Pearl Jam's "Jeremy". It was all mighty frenzied. With bassist Dave Baird deep in the groove, drummer Kevin Clevette's drumsticks would splinter amidst the Bacchanalia.

Scared

"Scared" is our pick for today. "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," says Allison Crowe. (On YouTube is a Scared music video - created by Angela Kendall and Brian Dutkewich of transmission2videos who've later made vids for Tegan and Sara, Death Cab for Cutie, Jets Overhead +)

Dark Blue

"Dark Blue" is today's song - from the "6 Songs" session. Once more, Allison Crowe (vocals, piano) is joined by Dave Baird (bass) and Kevin Clevette (drums) for this live-off-the-floor take captured by Engineer/Producer Larry Anschell (Pearl Jam's "Alive", Sarah McLachlan's "Gloomy Sunday" and mucho more).

Crayon and Ink

Song of today, from the "6 Songs" session, is an epic favourite of many - "Crayon and Ink". Recorded live-off-the-floor by Allison Crowe, and bassist Dave Baird and drummer Kevin Clevette. Artwork for this EP (Extended Play) CD, and its subsequent editions is by Allison, with the cover photo by Gord Christmas. Happy Sunday!

Midnight

Here's a song that's had several incarnations - this is the first. "Midnight", also recorded by Allison Crowe and trio (Dave Baird, Kevin Clevette) at Turtle, that afternoon in July 2001. Allison's songs are pretty much all autobiographical. Some, like this one, contain verbatim passages of her life :)



Allison Crowe, Lisa's Song, 6 Songs, EP, Turtle, Larry Anschell, Dave Baird, Kevin Clevette, piano, voice, drums, bass, rock, jazz, folk, indie, passion, Midnight, Pearl Jam

Fade Away

Background: On Allison Crowe's facebook Artist page, Turkish fan Furkan Sidar started things rolling with a song request, and it proved so much fun, I realized - there's over 100 songs released on Allison's seven albums and not everyone has heard all this music. Thus begins a series of a song every-day-or-so to bring all of this music to ears anew.

"Fade Away" on Allison Crowe's first release, an EP called "6 Songs", was written when Allison was 15. In July 2001 Allison and trio - Dave Baird on bass, Kevin Clevette on drums - traveled to Seattle, USA to join Pearl Jam fans for a "Worldwide Convergence". Stopping en route for a session at Larry Anschell's Turtle Recording Studios in White Rock, BC, they recorded six songs "live-off-the-floor". This is the first.