Allison Crowe

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Allison Crowe
Allison Crowe pre-concert, Munich, 2005
Allison Crowe pre-concert, Munich, 2005
Background information
Birth name Allison Louise Crowe
Born November 16, 1981
Origin Nanaimo, British Columbia
Genre(s) Rock, Folk, Jazz, Pop, Alternative
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, producer
Instrument(s) Vocals
Piano
Guitar
Years active 1996 - Present
Label(s) Rubenesque Records Ltd.
Influences Beethoven
Ani DiFranco
Tori Amos
Pearl Jam
Counting Crows
The Beatles
Led Zeppelin
Joni Mitchell
Leonard Cohen
Website allisoncrowe.com

Allison Louise Crowe (born November 16, 1981) is a singer-songwriter and pianist from Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada who now lives in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada. Crowe records on her own record label, Rubenesque Records Ltd. (formed in 2003 and marketed by Festival Distribution). Her first full-length albums, Secrets and Tidings, were released in 2004, when Crowe was 22. (Tidings was originally released in EP form in 2003.) Allison Crowe: Live at Wood Hall, a double concert album, was released in July 2005. A DVD featuring live-in-the-studio performances of Tidings songs was created for her fan club in November 2005.

Crowe, of Irish, Scottish and Manx descent, grew up surrounded by jazz, classical and rock music, and discovered additional influences on her own such as Ani DiFranco, Pearl Jam, Tori Amos and Counting Crows. She plays music of all these genres, making her difficult to categorize: in Amazon.com’s free downloads, she has simultaneously been in the top three on the Rock Singer-Songwriters, Hymns, Blues, Jazz, Broadway and British & Celtic Folk charts. "Drawing from classical, jazz, pop and gospel sources, the young singer has created singular, inspiring music both in the studio and in the concert hall.” (Joseph Blake, Victoria Times Colonist, March 24, 2005).

Crowe’s most mentioned characteristics are her remarkable live performance ability and her distinctive voice, the natural force of which has been compared to that of Mahalia Jackson. "With the soul of Janis Joplin and the tenderness of fellow Canuck Sarah McLachlan, Crowe rocks with her own unique brand of roots charm." (David McPherson, Exclaim!, October 5, 2004). She accompanies herself on the piano, on which she has been classically trained. Her physical, percussive, piano style has been likened to that of R&B and rock and roll pioneers such as Fats Domino. She is largely a solo performer, though she has been part of bands as well, notably in a trio format as the Allison Crowe Band (2000 to 2003). Her passionate, visceral style has been referred to as “Elton John meets Édith Piaf” (Clodagh O’Connell, Vancouver Courier, May 23, 2001).

Crowe mostly performs her own songs, which she has been quoted as saying vary among rock, jazz and folk, with lyrics and an intensity that has been compared to that of Laura Nyro, Eddie Vedder, Tori Amos and Patti Smith. "Whether I'm Wrong", an original song of social conscience penned in early 2003, has been featured by the UNESCO-endorsed New Songs for Peace initiative. She is also acclaimed for her interpretations of songs by a wide variety of composers, from Jerome Kern to Pearl Jam, including Lennon-McCartney and fellow Canadians Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. Her cover of Cohen’s "Hallelujah" was named Record of the Week by Record of the Day (UK) in August 2004 and again in November 2005.

Crowe has toured across Canada and in the northeastern United States as headliner. Two one-hour television specials have been broadcast across Canada, with her Allison Crowe: Tidings special telecast each December since 2003.

In late 2005 she performed for the first time in western Europe, with concerts in Dublin, London, Munich, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris.

In the Spring of 2006, Allison Crowe toured coast-to-coast in her homeland, covering most of the distance by VIA Rail Canada train.

In October 2006, Allison Crowe released a new album, This Little Bird, which she began recording in February 2006 in her new home of Corner Brook. The album was completed some 6000 kilometres west, on Vancouver Island, and Salt Spring Island, British Columbia.

Following the release of This Little Bird, Allison Crowe visited England, Ireland, and Scotland on a concert tour. Plans for 2007 include a series of concerts across North America and a return to Europe.

Allison Crowe in concert
Allison Crowe in concert

Contents

This Little Bird (2006)
This Little Bird (2006)

  • Open Minds Open Windows: Songwriter's Stories (2003) West coast Canadian musicians
  • It Was 40 Years Ago Today (2004) Beatles tribute album

  • Inside Pandora’s Box: Allison Crowe (2002) (one-hour television broadcast in Canada)
  • Allison Crowe: Tidings (2003) (one-hour television broadcast annually in Canada)
  • Tidings (2005) (DVD fan-club-only release)

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  • “Crayon and Ink” live on Vicki Gabereau tv show – video (Windows Media)

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Allison Crowe video capture
Allison Crowe video capture

Acclaimed not only as a songwriter and live performer, but, also, as a song interpreter, Allison Crowe regularly covers some of her favourite songs in concert and on her recordings. These interpretations, of which there are recordings, include:

Allison Crowe, Dublin
Allison Crowe, Dublin
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