I Might featuring Céline Sawchuk

Cellist/vocalist Céline Sawchuk comes from the mythic Black Forest of Germany. Out of the lush thickets of the Schwarzwald to the cool streets of Berlin, Céline strives to bring “a little bit of my home” to the world music stage. Singing “I Might” – an atmospheric song from the duo of Oliver Koletzki & Fran (Franziska Lauter) – she’s joined here by Allison Crowe on piano and Dave Baird on bass.

This launches a suite of songs – and Act 2 of “Welcome to Us”. Visual accompaniment is from the cinema masterpiece “Ménilmontant”. (The full suite – I Might / Back to Black / Shifts of Light / Tones in Transition / I Am the Air / Lisa's Song – is @ https://vimeo.com/261671693 )

Happy Golden Days

Turns out that musical soul sisters Allison Crowe (piano, guitar & vocals) and Céline Sawchuk (cello, vocals), this holiday season just past, not only charmed the birds out of the trees with their concert performances – they also brought out the “tapers” – those dedicated folks who preserve cultural happenings on record for posterity.

Pretty much from the start of Allison Crowe’s public life, she’s been appreciated by tapers/traders – sometimes known as bootleggers, and often first-or-succeeding generations of Deadheads – fans of The Grateful Dead.

The first Allison bootlegs start around 2000/2001 with the appearance of Deadhead and taper Brad Norman aka Condor at concerts and in-stores. With gusto, Condor’s torch passed to AudioArchivist John MacMillan and others in this music-loving community.

We’ve recently enjoyed a bounty of song/video recordings posted by Victoria, BC’s MacMillan aka Bootleg Santa, and, now, a recording made by one of his confreres has emerged – this being a remarkably intimate capture of Allison & Céline’s sold-out “Tidings” concert at the Cultch last month in Vancouver, BC.

Taper Leif Henderson shares this show with us on his “Dead Perspective” YouTube channel. It’s two hours of “Tidings” music and merriment – reflected in the sepia tones of those golden days of yore:

Happy Birthday to cellist+ Céline!

Happy Birthday, Céline! Alles Gute zum Geburtstag! Today we celebrate the birthday of Céline Sawchuk (née Greb), cellist and vocalist in Allison Crowe and Band – and the graphic designer of band posters, album art and more. Originally from the Black Forest of Germany, Céline now is home on Canada’s Salt Spring Island. 

As Allison and the group ready songs for their next album and concerts, here’s the sound of Céline’s strings and voice united with Alley and co. on “You All Haunt Me” from their “Heirs+Grievances” double-disc debut: http://music.allisoncrowe.com/track/you-all-haunt-me-3

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

Allison Crowe Band On-Stage

Canada’s Allison Crowe has emerged this century as one of the great popular songwriters and performers of the recording era. Amazing, fun, and exciting – her peerless catalogue and live shows are the stuff of legend.

"Soulful. Alive. Joyous. Grievous. Real, true, music is what I want to make”, she explains.

Now, the Allison Crowe Band create joy and beauty anew each time they perform. Allison (vocals, piano, guitar, bodhran+) is joined by: Billie Woods (guitar, vocals); Celine Greb (cello, vocals); and Dave Baird (acoustic & electric bass).

For some upcoming European concert dates the quartet will include multi-instrumentalist Sarah White (in place of Billie Woods, who is oft-traveling on photographic assignments). There’ll be times, too, when the group performs as a trio and a quintet!

It’s early days, with band fotos and recordings still to come. To introduce the line-up readying for shows and sessions at present, here’s a composite image of Allison, Billie, Celine and Dave in their respective positions on-stage.

Click on the foto above to view the band image in full-size

Arthur - Allison Crowe Band - 30.06.2015 bootleg #3

"Arthur", third song in the bootleg video collection of Leslie Colly, brings together Arthurian notions with ruminations on aging and the bonds of love.

Allison Crowe (vocals, piano) is joined by bandmates Billie Woods (guitar), Celine Greb (cello) and Dave Baird (bass) – live from All Saints by-the-Sea, in the musical hot-house of Salt Spring Island, BC.