adrian22, posts by tag: vocal - LiveJournal

Kiss the joy as it flies with the release this month of two new albums of music in concert – “Welcome to Us” Acts 1 and 2 – from Allison Crowe and Band (on Rubenesque Records Ltd.).

Here, now, is a suite of songs opening W2U2. Film montage à “Ménilmontant” – a cinematic masterpiece from France, 1926:



“I Might” features Céline Sawchuk on vocals. Allison Crowe sings lead on the suite’s next four vocal tunes: “Back to Black”, “Shifts of Light”, “I Am the Air” and “Lisa’s Song”. Creating the albums’ 22+ song tracks be: Allison (vocals, piano, guitar, fiddle, bodhran), Céline (cello, vocals), Sarah White (mandolin, guitar, vocals), Dave Baird (bass, vocals) & Keelan Purchase (accordion, 12-string guitar, bodhran, harmonica, vocals) – banded together on the lovely isle of Newfoundland for sessions and shows.

For a flock of creators who live, literally, all over the map it’s a rare chance to slow the world a bit. “We had time to experiment, and think more about the larger picture musically,” says bassist & birder Dave. “It’s only the beginning. It’s just the first we’ve had opportunity to work the music out without much time restraint. It was fun, relaxed, and productive.”

Melding into one sound and performance experience the rawest of folk roots and the richest of arena rock – that barely begins to describe the originality and freshness of the quintet’s music and personality.

Debuting at Corner Brook, NL’s Rotary Arts Centre, RAC Theatre Co-ordinator Brad Randell observes, “The performance was absolutely magical.”

Rolling across the rock, captured fresh at the LSPU (Longshoremen's Protective Union) Hall in St. John's, NL, Canada – it’s music that’s food for the soul and fun for all.

Fortune’s present audio-wise, and Allison’s SD (memory) card is filled with tracks to be mined and enjoyed. Sláinte!

"Welcome to Us 1", the concert’s first act, presents the brilliant bi-coastal band's more guitar-and-fiddle-centric tunes – live: http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/welcome-to-us-1

"Welcome to Us 2", the concert's second act, features the group's more guitar-and-fiddle-centric tunes: http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/welcome-to-us-2

"Welcome to Us Banter Bits" includes any chat, laughter, applause not found on the "Welcome to Us" albums on iTunes et al. A free download to complement the concert music: http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/welcome-to-us-banter-bits

There's a wonderland of new music coming this month from Allison Crowe and Band. Before it all hatches, today's bunny trail leads to an Easter egg from years past – "Circular Reasoning" through the looking glass.

Tatties, patates, kartoffel… whatever you call ’em – communicating in an universal language is the potato (even tho’ they speak to us only with thine eyes).

“Gerald Thomas’ Burnt Potato (Les Patates Brûlées à Gerald Thomas)” is composed by the late, great, fiddler, Émile Benoit, who’s born in Black Duck Brook, Dominion of Newfoundland. The title alludes to a stove-top incident involving Benoit’s friend and fellow musician, Memorial University of Newfoundland Professor of Folklore, Dr. Gerald Thomas.

Maestro chef on the tune here is accordionist+ Keelan Purchase and it’s an appetizer for the fun to come when Allison Crowe and Band’s “Welcome to Us” Acts 1 and 2 are served-up worldwide. April 3, 2018 is “official” release date for W2U1 and W2U2. The music’s served hot whenever Bandcamp, iTunes, Spotify and all get cooking.

Allison Crowe (vocals, piano, guitar, fiddle, bodhran), Céline Sawchuk (cello, vocals), Sarah White (mandolin, guitar, vocals), Dave Baird (bass, vocals), and Keelan Purchase (accordion, 12-string guitar, bodhran, harmonica & vocals) meld the rawest of folk roots and the richest of arena rock.

Captured fresh at the LSPU (Longshoremen's Protective Union) Hall in St. John's, NL, Canada – it’s music that’s food for the soul and fun for all.

For our video wrapper here – hearty thanks to Alick Tsui Photography and Mind Palace Design.

2018 will see the release of Allison Crowe’s “Fluttering”, an illuminating book of poetry/prose, and Allison and band will unite on one continent or another to advance the exciting sounds of “Rare Birds”, their next studio album.

First to hatch, though, is “Welcome to Us” – a sensational and fun album of music captured live at the LSPU (Longshoremen's Protective Union) Hall in St. John's, NL, Canada. Here’s a preview from Act 1 (the guitar-based songs – piano-centric songs comprise the second act). Enjoy!

http://music.allisoncrowe.com

Musicians Allison Crowe (vocals, piano, guitar, fiddle, bodhran), Céline Sawchuk (cello, vocals), Sarah White (mandolin, guitar, vocals), Dave Baird (bass, vocals) & Keelan Purchase (accordion, 12-string guitar, bodhran, harmonica, vocals) recently banded together on the lovely isle of Newfoundland for sessions and shows.

For a flock of creators who live, literally, all over the map it’s a rare chance to slow the world a bit. “We had time to experiment, and think more about the larger picture musically,” says bassist & birder Dave. “It’s only the beginning. It’s just the first we’ve had opportunity to work the music out without much time restraint. It was fun, relaxed, and productive.”

Melding into one sound and performance experience the rawest of folk roots and the richest of arena rock – that barely begins to describe the originality and freshness of the quintet’s music and personality.

Debuting at Corner Brook, NL’s Rotary Arts Centre, RAC Theatre Co-ordinator Brad Randell observes, “The performance was absolutely magical.”

Rolling across the rock to St. John’s and a concert night at LSPU Hall, magic’s afoot once more with Allison Crowe and Band – and, this time, serendipitously, artifacts remain to be shared in addition to golden memories of artists and audience+.

Alick Tsui, the truly remarkable SJ-based photographer, was able to attend Act 1 (the band’s NL concerts formed around one set in which Allison played guitar or fiddle, and, post-intermission, a second set of songs founded on Allison’s piano tunes) – and Alick captured some iconic images of Allison, Céline, Sarah, Dave & Keelan.

Fortune’s present audio-wise, and Allison’s SD (memory) card is filled with tracks to be mined. First, let’s meet the band on-stage :)

Allison Crowe with her first song and performance she posted online - "Whether I'm Wrong" –

“Heirs+Grievances”, already a glorious album of music from Allison Crowe and Band, is now an even fuller experience. Two song tracks are restored to the original release: a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Chelsea Hotel No.2” and a live-in-the-studio take of “Secrets (That Aren’t My Own)” – a signature of Crowe’s repertoire.

As concert versions of both songs are heard on “Introducing”, the live-CD element of the double-album, these tracks were dropped from last year’s physical pressing. Now, they’re reunited with the other tracks captured at Turtle Recording. A work of “artistic genius”, as “The Celtic Music Fan” describes the album, is now ever-more brilliant.

“There is hope,” writes musician Allison Crowe. “That word keeps coming up. It makes me think that maybe it’s real. It is resilient. You can try to leave it out but it keeps putting itself back in place. You can try to deny it but it won’t stay buried.”

Crowe’s writing her first book, “Fluttering” about which she says: “There's a few paragraphs that are just sort of thinking out loud but, for the most part, there's either poems, prose, thought pieces, or stream of consciousness.”

She’s composing, as well, for her next album – the artist's 22nd on Rubenesque Records' label. “Rare Birds” brings together again her brilliant bi-coastal band for concerts and recordings.

Right now, here’s one of music’s great voices and one of rock’s great songs – “Secrets (That Aren’t My Own)” – a previously-unreleased version from Allison Crowe and Band’s “Heirs+Grievances” sessions.

When maestro Leonard Cohen passed away this Winter Allison Crowe and Band were in the midst of a concert tour. Immediate on-stage and audience outpourings of emotion and acknowledgement of the great loss of the man and artist flowed then.



Now, event organizers in Allison’s snowy home of Corner Brook, Newfoundland are planning a celebration of Leonard Cohen, his poetry, music and life – to happen next Saturday, January 14 at 8pm in the city’s Rotary Arts Centre: https://www.facebook.com/events/1345683302119641