Allison Crowe's Music Welcome @ Santa Deugaw's GEST

Allison Crowe’s fresh recording of “Christmas in the Harbour” is nestled all snug – embedded @ "GEST Songs of Newfoundland and Labrador" – while visions of sugar-plums dance in our heads @ http://www.wtv-zone.com/phyrst/audio/nfld/acrowe.htm

GEST’s Owner/Archivist Gery Deugaw is Santa Claus of a cultural NL Pole – sharing joys and riches of “composers and performers of Newfoundland and Labrador music, whether traditional or modern”. He dedicates much of his life to a site overflowing with history of artists and tunes, song lyrics, videos, midis, song charts, scores and more – documenting and, by so doing, celebrating the region’s musical heritage.

One stocking, for example, you’ll find stuffed with lyrics and versions of Gary O’Driscoll’s song “Christmas in the Harbour”, including Allison’s new take @ http://www.wtv-zone.com/phyrst/audio/nfld/23/harbour.htm - even an helping of etymology to digest a lyric morsel - ‘jannying”. A sleighful of “Christmas Songs at GEST Songs Of NFLD” is @ http://www.wtv-zone.com/phyrst/audio/nfld/christmas.htm Rudolph guides us to Santa Deugaw’s main workshop @ http://www.wtv-zone.com/phyrst/audio/nfld 

Allison Crowe foto

Musical Advent Calendar: November 27 - December 25

Each day through Christmas another music video link will open - click on each image to enjoy the music there revealed and shared.

"Best of this season and of all the seasons to everyone near and far... may the New Year and those years to come bring you joy, contentment, the best of what you want, and the clarity of who you are..." ~ Allison

~ Peace on earth, goodwill toward all ~

Images courtesy: The Graphics Fairy + band fotos by Billie Woods & Stephen Drover+

Life's Secrets

Allison Crowe’s oeuvre comprises more than 200 songs – found online in the “ABC List” @ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/ABC.html

"Anything I do sing, it's part of my life," said Billie Holiday, whose supreme voice is captured on recordings from last century. The same is true for Allison Crowe, a great voice alive today.

“Secrets (That Aren’t My Own)” – on Allison and Band’s debut double-album, “Introducing / Heirs+ Grievances” – features Allison’s vocals and piano-playing, accompanied by cellist LIN:

Allison Crowe's ABC

Knowing your ABCs has been a musical joy ever since the Jackson 5. Now, updated with her debut band release, “Heirs + Grievances” is Allison Crowe’s ABC list of songs @ http://allisoncrowe.com/ABC.html

Allison Crowe - illustration by boki.b - Vienna + Buenos Aires

This page links to the artist’s full repertoire – over 159 unique song recordings released over 26 albums, singles, EPs and compilations (and still more tunes not yet recorded). Original songs, interpretations, a cappella, piano, guitar, solo and band tunes, traditional, alternative, sea shanties, hymns, carols and aires. Allison Crowe’s body of work encompasses rock, folk, jazz, Canadiana, Celtic, and soul among many-splendoured genres. Hers is a remarkable, singular, oeuvre and a voice without peer in popular music this century. Show you what it’s all about…

Counting on ABCers from American Bandstand, The Jackson 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho7796-au8U

"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.

Set Sail with Rob Carnell's "Salt Water Music" on CFRC+

Rob Carnell - https://twitter.com/robertcarnell - is behind the mic each week since May 2007 for “Salt Water Music” – broadcasting on air and online on CFRC 101.9 FM in Kingston, Ontario. Born in Placentia, Newfoundland – Rob’s an enthusiastic and enduring champion of East Coast Canadian music. He’s a wonderful supporter and friend to Allison Crowe and the diverse community of musicians in our Atlantic region. Worthy of weekly salute from us all!!

Rob’s show airs on Fridays – indeed, that includes tonight - from 6 - 8pm EST. Music-lovers around the world can listen live @ http://www.cfrc.ca/saltwatermusic_20150529 “Salt Water Music” is also heard aboard East Coast Kitchen Party - Thursdays at 6m AST – visit http://www.eastcoastkitchenparty.net/

“Sea and be Scene” producer Stephanie Beaumont chatted with Rob for a profile feature @ http://seaandbescene.com/2012/06/salt-water-music-with-robert-carnell And, for a rare glimpse of the radio studio – from the Producer/Host’s side of the mic – check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9aSuUuQj8A 

And, be sure to set sail with Rob Carnell on “Salt Water Music” expeditions – and savour the riches of Canada’s east coast song-makers!

Mary 2011

This week, Allison Crowe has recorded three new originals: "Arthur" (not a Kinks kover); "By Any Terms"; and "Chasing the Rain". She's also recorded a cover.

"Cover Me" blog's Vincent Scarpa says: "Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Crowe drops great covers every time we turn around." Scarpa brands this newest interpretation "a lovely acoustic tribute to one of America's most underrated songwriters. Patty Griffin would surely approve of this bare-bones delivery that exposes what are some of Griffin's finest lyrics."

You can hear the song @: Allison Crowe Records Patty Griffin's "Mary" (Cover Me Premiere)

And, here it is on YouTube with photos by Edward McCrea - Ladysmith Photography:



On her most recent Tidings concert tour, Allison Crowe performing "Mary", a song written by the sublime American singer-songwriter Patty Griffin. (She'd fallen in love with the song when US cable television program "Sons of Anarchy" featured it in its Season two episode "Balm".)

The New Year kicking in, Crowe pulled her piano stool over to the kitchen table, sat down and recorded this version simple and true.