My record company turned 15 today - besides feeling 100 years old, I feel other things. I feel lucky to get to do what I do, even though I absolutely want to throw up my hands and quit sometimes. I feel hopeful that there is art in this world and that there is expression - I wouldn't be here without it. I feel grateful to somehow always be surrounded by giant hearts with bodies who inspire me when I stop believing inspiration is even a thing. I feel like if you don't like what you're listening to, or writing, or anything - and you think those days are gone and that those things are dead - write what you believe. Create the art your soul is missing. Share it and listen in return to your kindred spirits. They're waiting just like you are. Actively search. Communicate what you can and listen until you can't anymore. Find the medium that works for you. Just love. Just do. ~ Allison

Today, Sunday, July 3, Michael Enright, Host of CBC Radio’s “The Sunday Edition”, starts the first hour of his program with an essay on ”why we don’t know anything”. Following this, Enright meets up with “extraordinary polymath” Steve Martin, known to many as comedian, musician and more – and the pair venture through the Art Gallery of Ontario. On Canada Day the AGO opened its comprehensive exhibit, “The Idea of North: The Paintings of Lawren Harris”, curated by Martin, “an eloquent missionary on behalf of” Harris, a member of Canada’s famous “Group of Seven” landscape painters. Bridging this gallery tour with the show’s next segment, a serenade to a “smart, long-living, matriarchal animal” (the donkey) – is a celebratory musical performance from Allison Crowe and Band. (No spoilers as to the song.) Tune in across Canada (on CBC Radio One - Sunday at 9 a.m. outside NL and 9:30am in NL + 'Round Midnight' Monday at 12 midnight). Around the world, as well, enjoy the show, any time, by visiting http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thesundayedition/getting-it-wrong-steve-martin-art-curator-in-praise-of-the-donkey-the-biological-clock-canadian-diplomacy-1.3655850 - and clicking on LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE 01:42:58. Allison and Band are heard a little more than 32 minutes into the program – but stick around, as 'The Sunday Edition' delivers more stories in its second hour, and, as promised, “a full course of great music to garnish your Canada Day weekend from Duke Ellington, Dinah Washington, Allison Crowe, Papa Haydn and the Gene di Novi trio”.

Like Bob Dylan at Newport, like Bruce Springsteen at The Bottom Line, Allison Crowe and Band electrified musically on tour in Europe this past month. Here’s the group’s final bow – on stage in Brussels after the second or third encore of the night: l – r - Sarah White (mandolin, guitar, vocals); Céline Greb aka Lin Lin (cello, vocals); Dave Baird (bass); and Allison Crowe (vocals, piano, guitar, fiddle, bodhran). This closing concert of the first leg of of the “Heirs + Grievances” tour happens in a place where love and life carry on following recent tragedy. Allison Crowe’s performance of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” blew past the soundboard’s limits, allowing artist and audience to continue a capella while the audio equipment was reset. The power of music to transcend was evident throughout the group’s month-long tour of Germany, Slovenia, Italy, England and Belgium. Waking now in Canada, the debut album of Allison Crowe and Band is named 'CD of the Week' by Tom Harrison, dean of western Canada’s rock music writers. “In the past,” notes Harrison, “Crowe has devoted herself to trad folk, contemporary rock, Christmas songs and music of Leonard Cohen, all of which have merged into these two discs to create a portrait of an idealist — with the addition of her between-songs talk on the live recording revealing a bubbly personality.”

Allison Crowe’s artist “subscription” launches! It’s a new way forward for independent music-makers and music-lovers on Bandcamp – which has hosted Allison’s music for years. An artist can now share their own creative flow individually and directly (as well as being part of such global music-streaming subscription services as Spotify, Tidal and all). This subscription, for $40 USD per year, gives you all the new music Allison Crowe creates – delivered instantly to you via the Bandcamp app for iOS and Android. The music is available for continual streaming, and for permanent download (in your choice of digital audio formats). By subscribing you also receive – as downloads and for streaming – all the music recordings from Rubenesque Records, Allison’s label: “Lisa’s Song + 6 Songs”; “secrets”; “Tidings”; “Live at Wood Hall”; “This Little Bird”; “Little Light”; “Spiral”; “Arthur/Up to the Mountain”; “Tidings Concert”; "Newfoundland Vinyl"; "Heavy Graces"; "Tarry Trousers"; "Souling"; "Newfoundland Vinyl II"; “Crowe: Covers, Live + Rare”; and "Songbook". The universe as it unfolds also includes access to the Allison Crowe fan community, and a 15% discount on all physical merchandise eg. CDs, LPs (and things Allison’s yet to conceive or create). The doors of perception are opening wider – Allison and Link, Rubenesque’s top-dog, welcome you @ http://music.allisoncrowe.com/subscribe

"Something to Crowe about" sings The Telegram - sharing word of the discerning culture blog, Muruch, naming two of Allison Crowe's albums among the best of 2013 and one of her new original songs its top pick for the year: http://www.thetelegram.com/Living/Entertainment/2014-01-02/article-3561458/Something-to-Crowe-about/1 The newspaper notes: “The West Virginia-based Muruch placed Crowe’s album “Heavy Graces” at No. 10 and “Newfoundland Vinyl” at No. 2, second only to “Pure Heroine” by Lorde. The blog also selected Crowe’s “Words” from the “Heavy Graces” record as the top song of the year for its annual list of the 50 best songs of the year, which also found room for three cuts from “Newfoundland Vinyl”: “Black Velvet Band” (No. 12), “Men Who Die for a Living” (No. 18) and “Skipper Billy’s Wake” (No. 28).” The Telegram is Newfoundland and Labrador's major daily newspaper. Pioneering website Muruch has been sharing favourite albums, live performances, films and literature online since 1999. Happy New Year, everyone!!