there's much, great, fun being had on this tour - and only the lack
of internet keeps me from excitedly passing along news of places and
people! when I'm back at my computer, I'll do my best to catch up...

right now, here's an article that's recently appeared in The Coast,
Halifax, Nova Scotia's arts weekly:

***

http://www.thecoast.ca/1editorialbody.lasso?-token.folder=2006-06-
01&-token.story=139004.112113&-token.subpub=


All aboard
Singer Allison Crowe comes rolling into Halifax from Nanaimo via
Newfoundland. Shannon Webb-Campbell catches a ride on the
entertainment car.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

by Shannon Webb-Campbell

photo Adrian du Plessis

VIA Rail passenger Allison Crowe makes a triangle pit stop in
Halifax this
week. The menage a trois spreads from Thursday to Saturday, as she
appears
June 1 at Fairview Heights Elementary School, June 2 at The Music
Room and
June 3 at Pilot House Cafe and Cottages in Boutilier's Point.

"I've been touring by train for couple of weeks now," says Crowe,
calling
from Montreal. "My manager Adrian and I had been toying with the
idea for
awhile. We proposed the idea to VIA Rail and got quite lucky as
they've
given us their full support, which really helped us in terms of
finance."

Crowe is currently travelling from coast to coast with her railroad
tour
dubbed Rock 'n' Rail Revue. The trek began with a Mother's Day
celebration
on Track 29 at Pacific Central Station in Vancouver and is scheduled
to
come to an end at the St. John's fine dining/jazz establishment
Bianca's
on Water Street.

"Being on the train has been quite the experience," she says. "It's
such a
great way to see the country. The highlights for me really have been
performing and being on the train."

Opposing sides of the country seem to be a theme in Crowe's life, as
the
Nanaimo, British Columbia, native has recently moved to Corner Brook,
Newfoundland.

"I now call Newfoundland home," she says. "My boyfriend is from
there.
When I'm not touring, I'm recording, and my gear is portable so it
made
sense for me to move. There is such a similarity in people of coastal
communities, as the scenery is beautiful and the people are friendly.
Aside from winter, it's not a huge difference from Vancouver Island."

Weather conditions and Screech-ins aside, this honourary
Newfoundlander
has the voice of a heavenly creature with quite a knack for the
porcelain
keys.

"I've been performing since I was 16. It's hard to believe that it
will
soon be 10 years, I feel so old," she says. "I'm classically trained
and
still take vocal lessons and have taught myself some jazz piano."

At 24 years old, Crowe has a burgeoning career and boasts a handful
of
albums, including the self-released Live at Wood Hall and Christmas-
themed
collection Tidings, Secrets and Lisa's Song + 6 songs on her label
Rubenesque Records. Her most recent effort, This Little Bird, is due
later
this year.

"Basically the album is named after the title track 'This Little
Bird,'"
says Crowe. "Usually I tend to be more metaphorical with my lyrics
but
this one is pretty bare-boned. It's about me and moving to
Newfoundland.
There is a lot more instrumentation on this album, as it's my first
release with a full band."

Crowe's railroad tour has her stopping in a variety of nooks and
crannies
in Canadian cities and exploring various forms of music, from
originals to
cover songs. Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Counting Crows, The
Beatles and
Pearl Jam are the map-makers of this nightingale's journey of song.

"I've been performing a lot of my own songs," she says. "I've
recently
been playing a few songs on guitar. I'm really into
Cohen's 'Hallelujah,'
Aretha Franklin's 'I Never Loved a Man', the Lovin' Spoonful's '
Darling Be Home Soon' and Joni Mitchell's 'A Case of
You.'"

Each Halifax show will feature a different highlight: Crowe's
performance
on June 1 at Fairview Heights is part of the school's Pizza and Piano
program, her show at The Music Room on June 2 will feature Fairview
Heights' 30-piece choir and the weekend will close with an intimate
seaside show at Pilot House.

"A lot of the shows on this tour have been really intimate, with a
more
cabaret feeling," she says. "Each night has been very different, with
intervals of travelling by train throughout the day."

Once the train conductor blows the final whistle, Crowe will return
home
to her sweetheart in Corner Brook. She hopes to continue chugging
along
the familiar tracks of writing, recording and performing music.

"I drawn inspiration from my life and what's going on around me," she
says. "My songwriting is really much like a journal. It's who I am."