Newfoundland Vinyl IV

Cause why not release a new album on your own birthday?

Hahaha #newmusic  #newfoundland  #vinyl



The lovely isle of Newfoundland, off Canada’s Atlantic coast, is inspiration for this collection – the newest in the “Vinyl” series from Corner Brook, NL musician Allison Crowe.

Allison’s in harbour with a boatful of tunes reveling in, and revealing, the region’s rich culture and history – stirring music that nourishes heart and soul.

The album opens with “Mice March” and spins to a replay with “Russian Dance”, both selections from Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” – freshly arranged and performed “trad” style for Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador’s “Ed & Ed’s Newfoundland Christmas Concert”. And between these tracks is a bounty of adventuresome musical ideas – embracing songs of land and sea.

Traditional music, and modern favourites – funny, poignant, earthy and ethereal – all part of the “Newfoundland Vinyl” stage-show lovingly curated and directed by Allison Crowe each Summer at TNL’s Gros Morne Theatre Festival.

The album cover photograph by Allison shows us what she sees at home making music. And the songs themselves let us feel it all, as well. Joys and hardships be tugging on the heart-line first cast by Simani, and true as ever: “You might think she’s rugged and cold, but she’s home, sweet, home to me.”

Allison Crowe: all vocals, instruments, engineering and production.

Album cover photo: Allison Crowe.

Graphics: Mind Palace Design.

Release: November 16, 2018

New Website in Works for Allison Crowe and Band

There’s a bumper crop of things to celebrate at present – so, on we go with the harvest! The new homesite of Allison Crowe and Band is coming together – thanks to the great graphic talents and wonderful design sense of Lin Lin (pictured here), also cellist and vocalist with the group. With concerts upcoming for Canada this Fall and Winter - it'll just require some tweaking of the online ticket/box office, and embedding of Allison's music "ABC List" and a few other features before this will be the place to go to keep up with the thrilling combo of Allison Crowe, Lin Lin, Sarah White and Dave Baird. Right now, here's a preview tour of the new site @ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/wordpress

Summer side of life - new album hatching

For those of us living in the northern hemisphere, Summer is nearing its end - and Autumn/Fall starts to reveal itself.

For me, it's a season of musical revelation.

Allison has started to create her next album. She travels from Canada's Atlantic coast to the Pacific in about two weeks' time to record her fellow musicians - Billie Woods, on acoustic guitar; Dave Baird on electric and acoustic bass; and Laurent Boucher on percussion.

These are the band-members who've toured with Allison in 2009.

There'll be an electric guitarist, joining the group on about three songs. Right now Alley is working with a brilliant, and incredibly sympathetic, orchestrator. One of the big questions at the beginning of this process was - how would the strings and orchestral elements Allison was hearing on several songs be realized?

We've learned over the years, that it's like alchemy, the joining of art and science (in the form of technical engineering/production). It's a magic that calls for invention, serendipity, inspiration.

It's early on, two songs in to what promises to be a 12 song collection - but, I'm hearing it.



Sir George Martin talks about The Beatles' recording art - listen here

My Dad made buttons for my brothers, sister and myself that said "I am a Beatle" and I was happily wearing that more than forty years ago, before I'd learned to ride a bicycle.

At this moment, I feel the same excitement that stirred when George Martin (now Sir) got together with those four lads from Liverpool.

Much more to come ( :