Notícias

On the road to creating a new album, musician/singer-songwriter Allison Crowe teams up with a longtime friend in orchestrator, arranger and producer Kayla Schmah.

Crowe, at home in, both, Nanaimo, British Columbia and Corner Brook, Newfoundland, (on Canada's Pacific and Atlantic coasts), and L.A.-based film composer Schmah first met, a decade ago, on Salt Spring Island, BC (where, it happens, this video was shot).

The pair are making art together today. "Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."

Here be a pre-album version of " Going Home Tonight", a song on Crowe's upcoming CD, " Spiral".



Fab arts and entertainment blog Muruch kindly debuts the mp3/audio ~ visit and listen here

Here's a few pics from the turn of the last century ~ when Allison and her band would visit Kayla and her sisters, Aleta and Camille, staying at the Schmah family home, making music and performing together on show bills. Kayla's parents, Chris and Marilyn, settled on Salt Spring Island, BC, after trekking cross-Canada in a donut truck. They started living in a parachute, out of which Mom, a designer, fashioned zipper windows and more fun. With the arrival of the first-born, it was time to hand-build their "sylvan castle" in the Pacific Northwest forest.



Allison Crowe at the piano in the sylvan castle



Allison Crowe and Kayla Schmah harmonize like it's 1999 (and, it is!)



Kayla Schmah, Allison Crowe and bassist Dave Baird (l-r) ~ having fun (not pictured is drummer Kevin Clevette, as he's sitting on his throne right about where you are...)

I could blather on, as is my wont, but, right now, it's just too exciting. There will be time...

May you enjoy " Going Home Tonight".



(merci beaucoup, Helene, for this graphic, and for all your kindness)

(For friends not on facebook - here's a Halloween post. For everyone who's already part of Allison's Artist and.or Group pages on facebook, yes, it's what these days is called an encore presentation.Wishing all a spooktacular weekend!)

A song in the key of Hallowe'en, a favourite holiday for musician Allison Crowe. Playing piano since age five and singing, almost as long, Crowe, inspired by Ani DiFranco and Loreena McKennitt, materialized her own record label in 2003. She's now brewing her seventh album/CD, " Spiral".

You could say Crowe is very ghoul-oriented.



Skeletons and Spirits video

" Allison Chains" (voice, piano) is linked to this track for eternity, with Dave " The Damned" Baird (bass), and Laurent " The Butcher" Boucher (percussion). This version is heard on " This Little Bird", a CD for which Billie " The Wicca" Woods shot the cover. (Woods' many portraits are fit to be hung in gallowries worldwide.)

Keeping an eye on all things newt, let us toast those musicians from the Netherlands to America, 'cross Canada, en France and beyond - who've covered this song, including: Dhenzy, Victoria Venom, Lucresa, the friend of "dudelookslikealady2", Natouchka38, Briauna Marijuana, Fait Dormi, and Eilish (estarhart).

From the brain of Logan Anschell comes just the right interjection - for those about to enjoy this musical treat. It's the same thing, he whispers, a skeleton says to a vampire at dinner time:

" Bone appétit!"

May this raise your spirits ( :

A song in the key of Hallowe'en, a favourite holiday for musician Allison Crowe. Playing piano since age five and singing, almost as long, Crowe, inspired by Ani DiFranco and Loreena McKennitt, materi...

It may not have the same cultural resonance, certainly, it's not as tuneful, as the recent release of The Beatles remastered, still, I took a few moments to fondly reminisce when a friend mentioned yesterday that Semion Mogilevich was in the news.

Prior to my return to music, I'd been an investigator and white collar crime-buster. My final expose was a billion-dollar stock scam, YBM Magnex, with shares listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, and an operational base in Newtown, Pennsylvania.

I recounted this case, and Mogilevich's key role, in a post on the earlier blog of mine - Born Every Minute.

(When making the shift from forensic investigation into music management, in '98/'99, at first I wondered, what good would I find my specialized background - understanding criminals and sociopaths in suits - when nagivating today's record industry? It didn't take too long to discover the answer to that...)

The ever resourceful YouTube hosts a BBC Panorama documentary on " The Billion Dollar Don". (You can even see myself in Episode 3 - having a really bad hair day.)









The latest chapter in this story is all over the web - this CNN item hitting most of the key notes:

FBI: Mobster 'more powerful than a John Gotti'

CNN Story Highlights

•Semion Mogilevich accused of taking U.S., Canadian investors for $150 million

•FBI believes he moved on to manipulating international energy markets

•FBI: Mogilevich's business degree, large influence on nations make him dangerous

•Alleged Russian mobster known for his ruthlessness, power, business acumen

From Jeanne Meserve CNN
October 22, 2009

NEWTOWN, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Semion Mogilevich may be the most powerful man you've never heard of.

The FBI says Mogilevich, a Russian mobster, has been involved in arms trafficking, prostitution, extortion and murder for hire.

"He has access to so much, including funding, including other criminal organizations, that he can, with a telephone call and order, affect the global economy," said FBI Supervisory Special Agent Peter Kowenhoven.

Mogilevich's alleged brutality, financial savvy and international influence have earned him a slot on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, though he has lived and operated from Moscow, Russia, for years. Watch CNN report on Mogilevich »

"He's a big man. He's a very powerful man," FBI Special Agent Mike Dixon said. "I think more powerful than a John Gotti would be, because he has the ability to influence nations. Gotti never reached that stature."

He is accused of swindling Canadian and U.S. investors out of $150 million in a complex international financial scheme. It centered on a firm called YBM, which purportedly made magnets at a factory in Hungary.

Authorities say the scheme involved preparing bogus financial books and records, lying to Securities and Exchange Commission officials, offering bribes to accountants and inflating stock values of YBM, which was headquartered in Newtown, Pennsylvania.

But there was one thing missing.

"There were no magnets," Dixon said.

It was all a sham, investigators say.

"In essence, what his companies were doing was moving money through bank accounts in Budapest and countries throughout the world and reporting these to the investment community as purchases of raw materials and sales of magnets," Dixon said.

And because the company was publicly traded, anyone owning the stock would have made a lot of money.

"And of course Mogilevich controlled large, large blocks of stock from the outset, and he made a substantial amount of money in this process," Dixon said.

Investors lost millions into the pockets of Mogilevich and his associates. He and his associates were indicted in 2003 on 45 counts of racketeering, securities fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering.

Russian authorities arrested him last year on tax fraud charges, but because the United States does not have an extradition treaty with Russia, he remained beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement. He is now free on bail.

The FBI believes Mogilevich moved on after YBM and began manipulating international energy markets, giving him a large influence on other nations.

Dixon noted that Mogilevich had control or influence over companies involved in natural gas disputes between Russia and Ukraine.

Authorities say Mogilevich, who has an economics degree from Ukraine, is known for his ruthless nature but also for his business acumen, which led to his nickname "the Brainy Don."

"He has a very sophisticated, well-educated, loyal group of associates that he works with," Dixon said. "He hires top-notch consultants, attorneys, risk management firms to assist him and protect him in his criminal ventures."

Louise Shelley, an organized crime expert from George Mason University, says Mogilevich is a new kind of criminal.

"The major criminal organizations in Russia have not only tapped into people with economics degrees," Shelley said. "They've tapped into people with PHDs in finance and statistics who assist them."

The FBI hopes Mogilevich will eventually travel to a country that has an extradition treaty with the U.S.

But, in case he doesn't, his wanted poster will be distributed all over Russia.

The process of readying for new recording sessions, as Allison Crowe and fellow musicians gather next week at various locations on the Pacific coast, has unearthed some live recording...

For those of us living in the northern hemisphere, Summer is nearing its end - and Autumn/Fall starts to reveal itself.For me, it's a season of musical revelation.Allison has started to create her nex...

The process of readying for new recording sessions, as Allison Crowe and fellow musicians gather next week at various locations on the Pacific coast, has unearthed some live recordings from Allison's earlier rock bands.

As a teenager in the '90s, living in Canada's Pacific Northwest, Allison Crowe gravitated toward the Seattle bands Nirvana, Pearl Jam - along with such other favourite North American musicians as Ani DiFranco, Tori Amos and Counting Crows. Across the pond, from the UK came the sounds of Radiohead.

Crowe and her bandmates, performing in Nanaimo, BC venues such as Katz and The Queens, included, alongside their originals, a pair of Thom Yorke-penned songs in their live repertoire - " Fake Plastic Trees" and " Creep".



This live recording dates to the start of this millenium, by which time Allison, on vocals and piano, was performing in a trio - joined by Dave Baird on bass, and Kevin Clevette on drums. (Thanks to audio archivists Condor and John MacMillan for preserving a rare track.)

"Creep" is a song that Radiohead stopped performing entirely for a few years, and brought back into the band's regular live sets in 2009. In recent times, it has been covered by a wide range of acts - Prince, Amanda Palmer, Brandi Carlile, Damien Rice, Korn, Moby, and Macy Gray among others.

For those of us living in the northern hemisphere, Summer is nearing its end - and Autumn/Fall starts to reveal itself.

For me, it's a season of musical revelation.

Allison has started to create her next album. She travels from Canada's Atlantic coast to the Pacific in about two weeks' time to record her fellow musicians - Billie Woods, on acoustic guitar; Dave Baird on electric and acoustic bass; and Laurent Boucher on percussion.

These are the band-members who've toured with Allison in 2009.

There'll be an electric guitarist, joining the group on about three songs. Right now Alley is working with a brilliant, and incredibly sympathetic, orchestrator. One of the big questions at the beginning of this process was - how would the strings and orchestral elements Allison was hearing on several songs be realized?

We've learned over the years, that it's like alchemy, the joining of art and science (in the form of technical engineering/production). It's a magic that calls for invention, serendipity, inspiration.

It's early on, two songs in to what promises to be a 12 song collection - but, I'm hearing it.



Sir George Martin talks about The Beatles' recording art - listen here

My Dad made buttons for my brothers, sister and myself that said " I am a Beatle" and I was happily wearing that more than forty years ago, before I'd learned to ride a bicycle.

At this moment, I feel the same excitement that stirred when George Martin (now Sir) got together with those four lads from Liverpool.

Much more to come ( :

should be what this is... just trying it out...

Mark & Mary, dear friends, wed today in Glasgow.

Their first dance was to Sea of a Million Faces.

To celebrate this loving, joyous, occasion, here's a song/video, penned primarily by John Lennon - who loved Scotland as much as does Allison ( :

"There are places I'll remember, in my life though some have changed..."



Sláinte mhaith!!

It’s not very often that someone in the music industry impresses with their passion and candour, but, this holiday weekend I became aware of Greg Ipp, an independent record label owner, based in Toronto, Canada. Ipp gives every indication of being able to stimulate review, and, potentially, reform of some dubious aspects of this country's system of pop/rock+ music subsidies.

Allison and I look to Buffalo, NY-based musician Ani DiFranco and her manager Scot Fisher as models. The true DIY path is arduous, challenging – and it’s fulfilling and doable. In Ani’s words: " If you are disgustingly sincere and terribly diligent, there are ways for any serious artist to operate outside the corporate structure."

In Canada, where folks may be complacent or reluctant to stir things up, it’s exciting and heartening to see there’s a new breed rising. Ipp is among a community of music-lovers and music-makers that sees through, and beyond, the machinations of the status quo.

Two letters published recently on the Daily Swarm blog help frame the issues vis-à-vis pop music funding in Canada (popular, that is, as opposed to the, generally, less-commercial-arts funding that comes from agencies such as The Canada Council).

The first shot across the bow, an open letter from Greg Ipp, co-founder of Unfamiliar Records, argues that the FACTOR ( Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Recordings)+ grant/loans system could be implemented more fairly and effectively. Ipp’s letter highlights how funding, (much of it backed by Canadian taxpayers and/or existing as mechanisms to fulfil government licensing conditions for media companies), disportionately supports a group of connected players who are exploiting the system – to the detriment of broader culture and commerce.

A counter position is staked out in the response from Matt Drouin, a principal of Equator Music, and partner to Canuck industry stalwarts Arts and Crafts Productions, lawyer Chris Taylor ( Last Gang Records), and promoter/impresario Donald K. Donald ( Donald K Donald Entertainment Group – DKD for short) – a network whose acts are among the prime beneficiaries of grant money. Matt Drouin, says DKD, “like Donald K. Donald himself, is rich enough to work for love, not money.” Despite this, Drouin’s organization, from its inception, has been designed to take greatest advantage of Canada’s system of funding for commercial pop/rock music. Naturally, Drouin doesn’t side with Ipp in calling for systemic reform.

Greg Ipp proffers “a few thoughts on potential solutions” in follow-up comments. This section is specific enough to, possibly, hold less interest for general, or internationally-based, readers of this blog, than is found in the Ipp/Drouin letters debate.

Still, the Canadian government has just announced five more years of funding for the Canada Music Fund - to the tune of CDN $27.3-million annually. Historically, reports the CBC, “About one-third of the money ends up in the hands of FACTOR.”

This makes most timely the prescription of Greg Ipp:

“1) Elimination of DBA (Direct Board Approval)
2) Implementation of a tiered level of grants such as what Stuart Duncan suggested… (1,000 units being an initial low-level goal). This will create a barrier of entry for bands who have shown they can be proven viable, or at least, who have shown they can pay back on a small investment. Percentages on the lower level loans would naturally be much higher in order to facilitate a return on investment.
3) Utilizing the tiered system to reward success in much the same way that Starmaker does.
4) Financial caps put on money that is given to both bands and labels, which works on a sliding scale keyed to the rate of return they have provided in the past. Again, rewarding success, but putting a limit on it so as to keep a focus on development rather than welfare-like subsistence. I think this would also limit a DBA-approved labels' ability to use FACTOR for expensive A&R projects.
5) A clear distinction between bands and labels/management/other controlling parties in the application process which allows for in-depth analysis on who the money is going to. This also allows for a percentage system to develop based on how much is given to labels/managers/etc vs. bands.
6) Clear, in-depth auditing of funds once they leave the hands of FACTOR.
7) Stronger representation across the board for truly independent parties.

Each of these are just ideas. This is not a cohesive mandate, but a starting point. I feel we need to start somewhere if we're going to make an attempt to really tap into the quality of artistry we have in Canada.”

D’accord!

It's pretty much Summertime here in the northern hemisphere. Canucks celebrate Canada Day today, and the big Independence Day holiday happens this weekend in the USA.

Allison Crowe is celebrating this period of great artistic success and reaching new milestones in her progress as an independent musical force. The band, recently formed with guitarist Billie Woods, bassist Dave Baird and percussionist Laurent Boucher, is a rocking combo.

These are exciting times. Thank you for listening, writing, and being in touch in all ways.

July and August will see a focus on writing, recording, bike-riding, and all 'round fun. (Live touring resumes in the Fall.) Marking this moment, here be a selection of repertoire-spanning tunes:



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Photographic images by Billie Woods and the illustration accompanying the " Midnight" audio is by "tradigital" artist boki.b - from Vienna, now living in sunny Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Rust never sleeps, so, to keep check on a bureaucracy targeting creators and educators, using as props the dual straw men of terrorism and illegal immigration, here's the Visiting Artists and Academics Petition

For some related Summer+ reading, you can download and read the report: " UK Arts and Culture: Cancelled by Order of the Home Office "