December is on the doorstep...reflecting on an amazing 2018... lots of new adventures, highlighted by Assembly Line gigs in Wheatley and on Pelee Island, Old School Bluegrass Camp, working with Windsor Classic Chorale, recording "Currents Collide" and more... looking forward to my annual Border City Roots Fireside Christmas Radio Hour on December 20th on CJAM!

Tune in Thursday, December 20th at 10:30am as I broadcast live by the roaring fireplace at my snow-covered cabin in the woods in a secret location in Northern Ontario. CJAM 99.fm in Windsor/Detroit, www.cjam.ca from anywhere in the world (including the North Pole)!

https://www.facebook.com/events/532321967231944/

Windsor Classic Chorale will be singing at several community events this holiday season - I'll be joining up on a few in the alto section!

To round out a great year of gigging, I'll be joining up with Tim Swaddling for some back-up harmonies at Taloola on December 29th!

https://www.facebook.com/events/698809333849070/

It's been a great year of music and adventures - Happy Holidays to everyone and all the best for 2019!

Allison

Beautiful times in Kitchener area through October.. great shows with new and old pals and enjoying the autumn weather and colours.. back in Deep Ontario South for November as fall subsides and we look into winter... couple things cookin'..
Thursday, November 15th I get to play a short set opening for Jane Siberry at the Kordazone Theatre here in Windsor...

https://www.facebook.com/events/256528265004606/
and the next day I'm back in Tecumseh for a dinner show at Carrots N' Dates, Friday, November 16th 6:00pm to 8:00pm...

and later on in November I'm playing a set at a special Rotary Club Event at Phog, Wednesday, November 21st.. https://www.facebook.com/events/486543645186848/


Big thanks to everyone who made pledges for CJAM's annual Pledge Drive helping keep campus/community radio alive in Windsor and Detroit!  You can still make pledges at https://grouprev.com/CJAM35 ...!  So happy that "Border City Roots" exceeded my pledge drive goal this year - keep tuning in 10:30am to 12 Noon every Thursday at 99.1fm in Windsor/Detroit or on cjam.ca!

I'm home for the winter and into the springtime - always on the lookout for winter projects including, house and pet sitting, writing, musician services, event organization, and more! If you have a job for me, give a shout allison@allisonbrown.ca..!

See you in the late autumn air!
Allison

Kitchener in October...

The leaves are changing colour here in Kitchener, where I'm spending most of the month of October on another glorious house-sitting adventure... got a couple area shows lined up!

I'll be playing a set on Saturday, October 13th at the 7th Annual Talbot Street Firepit Potluck Harvest Picnic along with Alison Corbett and Twas Now! This is a private party, so email allison@allisonbrown.ca and I can connect you with the details! https://www.facebook.com/events/2070370939941087/

Wednesday, October 17th I'll be at the Boathouse for a show with Alison Corbett, and Barry James Payne (the artist formerly known as String Bone), starting it up at 8:00pm and we'll play till about 10:00pm or so, probably later.  Steve Wood joins the fun on Pedal Steel; Pay What You Can.

https://www.facebook.com/events/2222185961347041/

Later on that week on Saturday, October 20th I pop down to London for a show with Uncle Dan Henshall on mandolin at the London Brewing Co-Op that will be broadcast live on the CHRW Radio Western Airwaves as part of Radio Western's annual Fund Drive! Tune in at 94.9fm or show up to hear us play in person and join the fun! 

So far I've been here in Kitchener for only a few days, but have been popping in to hear great music at a lot of cool venues, and hopping around at a few open stage and jams - great to be here in the sweet month of October in the K-dub!

Allison 

Back in Windsor/Essex for the whole month of September with tons of solo shows and coffeehouse performances on the books!

Thursday, September 6th ~ Carrots N' Dates ~ Walkerville 

Saturday, September 8th ~ Rino's Kitchen 

Friday, September 14th ~ Windsor Folk, Mackenzie Hall

Friday, September 21st ~ Dale's Coffeehouse, Leamington 

Friday, September 28th ~ Taloola Cafe 

My new single "Currents Collide" has been getting some excellent area radio airplay on CJAM 99.1fm, CBC on Windsor Morning and Afternoon Drive and on 93.9fm The River on Dan MacDonald's Hear + Now show! So far I've only got a few downloads - half of all proceeds go towards the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund towards reconciliation and education projects.  Give it a listen and download here:

https://allisonbrown.bandcamp.com/track/currents-collide  

I'll be spending most of October in Kitchener - looking at setting up some shows with some pals in the area, anywhere you can suggest, or if you'd like to host a house concert, for sure get in touch! allison@allisonbrown.ca.  I may also look into setting up another edition of my "Get Your Show On The Road" Touring Workshop as well - stay tuned!
The sweetest spot to spend September is Southwestern Ontario - see you out at some of my Windsor/Essex County shows this month!
Allison

New Song - Currents Collide

It's true! I have a NEW SONG - my first original recording since 2015. Currents Collide is being released as a download single ONLY and can be found right here on www.allisonbrown.ca under 'Music' and on my Bandcamp page.  It will soon available on I-Tunes and Spotify in the next few weeks.  Currents Collide was inspired by the final Tragically Hip concert in August 2016, where I watched the concert on TV at the Westview Tavern on Pelee Island.  For each $8.00 download, $4.00 will be donated to the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund towards reconciliation and improving the lives of First Peoples.  If you choose to pay more, half of whatever you pay will be donated towards the fund. The song was recorded, produced, mixed and mastered by Deni Gauthier at Second Records in St. Thomas, Ontario and features Martin Horak on Cello.

 Currents Collide will also be featured as part of CJAM's monthly 'Singles Club' so you can call in for requests on 99.1fm in Windsor/Detroit through the month of August!

I'll be spending lots of time on Pelee Island again this August as I'm headed over on the ferry this weekend to kick off the Island Unplugged Festival  on Friday, August 3rd at the new Stone House 1891 on the patio along with Kelly Hoppe (Mr.Chill) and Jedd House as the Assembly Line!  I'll be doing a special feature set at the Pelee Island Winery Pavilion on Saturday, August 4th at 2pm along with a re-assembled Assembly Line including the stellar Max Marshall on guitar, and I'm back at the winery Sunday for a solo set at 3:00pm.

Also super excited about Kingsville Folk Music Festival where I'll be stage hosting through the weekend - don't miss an amazing lineup including Jory Nash, The Mayhemingways, Ben Sures, Slocan Ramblers, Shawna Caspi and more - August 10th-12th in Lakeside Park in Kingsville!

Later on in August I've joined up with a mysterious theatre project on Pelee Island as the finale of the Stone & Sky art and performance series in the historic quarry - Equilibre happens on Sunday, August 19th on the Island!

I'll be popping over to Amherstburg for this year's Art By The River for a duet set with Karen Morand from 3:00pm to 4:00pm at Fort Malden on Saturday, August 25th.

Hope you enjoy this powerful new track - see you out festivalling in Southern Ontario through August!
Allison

July Adventures Continue!

Amazing times over the beginning of July at Old School Bluegrass Camp where Dan and I made so many new friends, shared stories and music - and learned stuff! Can't wait to be back next year! We also had some great gigs at Capers in Belleville and at a house concert in Marmora...

Tonight Dan and I are off to Caygua to play a special show for the Cayuga Creative Exchange  at the Carolinian Cafe in Cayuga! Join us tonight Thursday, July 12th in the heart of Haldimand County!

Saturday, July 14th I take the stage at the historic Richmond Tavern in London for an afternoon show with the Assembly Line (Jedd House on Upright Bass and Uncle Dan on Mandolin) with some surprise special guests! 4pm to about 7pm Pass The Hat!

Sunday, July 15th I head up to Kitchener for another afternoon of tunes from 2pm to 5pm at TWB Brewing, Dan will be bartending at the Richmond that day so won't be able to make it after all - three super solo sets! 

Super thrilled to be performing on some workshop stages at Home County this year! I'll be joining the Willie P. Bennett Tribute workshop on Saturday July 21st at 4:30pm and the Gospel workshop at noon on Sunday, July 22nd - the best weekend of your life in Victoria Park! 

Stay tuned for more as we slide into August!
Allison

Super-June: Part Two!

Still glowing after a magical triple-gig weekend in Southern Ontario with the most recent incarnation of The Assembly Line backing me up at The Windsor Beer Exchange, a sweet porch concert and at Two Creeks Conservation Area! Big thanks to Jedd House, Lonesome Lefty and Mr.Chill Kelly Hoppe for a great week of rehearsals and gigs!
Check out this great video for Invisible Line filmed by Charlie O'Brien at his porch house concert! https://youtu.be/QWffuUv4-kU
 
and from Two Creeks here's our Finale of "Howlin' At Midnight"!
https://www.facebook.com/heyjoe.pinsonneault/videos/10156830433507923/ 

Lots more happening in June as I team up again with Stratford's String Bone for a show at Taloola in Windsor on June 15th (8pm, PWYC), and at Amherstburg's Fort Malden on June 16th as part of a mysterious Escape Room Festival! We play from 1:30pm to 3:30pm at the Fort!

and again later in the month in Hamilton at the Artword Artbar on June 29th!

I round out my Super-June by returning to Toronto's Distillery District music series on Saturday, June 20th from 2pm to 4pm outdoors in the heart of the historic Distillery area! Uncle Dan joins up on Mandolin!

From there Dan and I embark for Old School Bluegrass Camp and more shows coming up in July! Stay tuned for more summer shows as things heat up!

Here's some more photos from our Assembly Line weekend...

Allison 

Allison Brown & The Assembly Line at Windsor Beer Exchange

"Mr.Chill" Kelly Hoppe, Jedd House, Allison Brown & "Lonesome Lefty" Mike Houston

Super-June!

At the tail-end of May I'm gearing up for another whirlwind summer of music and adventuring!  This week I'll be doing a solo dinner show at Carrots N' Dates in Tecumseh on May 25th, 6pm to 8pm, Pay What You Can...
And next week I'm back with Karen Morand at the Pelee Island Winery Pavilion on beautiful Pelee Island on Friday, June 1st from 3:30pm to about 7:00pm.

A Super-Southwest Weekend is also coming up soon June 8th, 9th and 10th in Southwestern Ontario featuring my backing band The Assembly Line.  This time around the Assembly Line features Jedd House on Upright Bass, Lonesome Lefty Mike Houston on fiddle and Mr. Chill Kelly Hoppe on harmonica and more!

Friday, June 8th - The Windsor Beer Exchange, downtown Windsor, 9:00pm to about Midnight, Pay What You Can
Saturday, June 9th - House Concert, Forest Glade, 2pm to about 6pm, email allison@allisonbrown.ca for reservations and information, $10 suggested admission
Sunday, June 10th - Two Creeks Conservation Area, Wheatley, show starts at 6:30pm.
http://www.twocreeks.ca/summer-concert-series.html

Info about all three events at:
https://www.facebook.com/events/211573006315398/

And the following week I team up again with Stratford's String Bone for an hour of duets at Taloola in Windsor on Friday, June 15th.  8pm to 9pm, Pay What You Can.  Then, the following day we both head to Amherstburg for two sets at a mysterious Escape Room Festival at Fort Malden on June 16th from 1:30pm to 3:30pm... break out and hear us play some duets as you make your escape!

I meet up with String Bone later on in June for a show on June 29th at the Artbar in Hamilton, and round out the month with a performance in Toronto's Distillery District on June 30th.

From there, I head up to work as an assistant at Old School Bluegrass Camp - still time to register for this unique camp experience.  Don't be too cool for school - check it out!
https://oldschoolbluegrasscamp.wordpress.com/

See you out enjoying music around Southern Ontario this June - excited to have so many gigs to kick off the summer!
Allison

April flew by in a whirlwind.. spent some time rehearsing and relaxing in Riverside, painted a kitchen for some pals, and wrote an entire edition of the Harrow News!  The April 24th edition included coverage of the Amherstburg Earthquake, Town Council Notes, the opening of the new Subway (sandwiches not trains) my feature interview with Elliott BROOD and more!  Harrow News is so old-school, you can't read any of it on-line!  You'll have to visit Harrow to pick up your copy and find out for yourself all the great things happening in this cool little Southern Ontario town!

Was also heart-warmed and thrilled that "Border City Roots" is the winner of this year's CJAM 'Jammy' Award for Best Folk/Roots/Blues Program! Always happy to bring you great music every Thursday from 10:30am to Noon on CJAM 99.1fm in Windsor and Detroit, or online at www.cjam.ca!

Kicking off May with an evening of music for a Lollipop Guild event celebrating Mayday on May 1st at Rino's Kitchen.  I play two solo sets from 6:30pm to 8:30pm!

Later on in the month, I play a dinner show at Carrots N' Dates in Tecumseh - healthy and delicious music is on the menu for two solo sets from 6pm to 8pm, Pay What You Can. https://www.facebook.com/events/628584220813286

The Windsor Classic Chorale has a special concert on Friday, May 11th at The Capitol Theatre - Sacred Sunrise features two powerful choral pieces, Antonio Vivaldi's "Beatus Vir" and Ola Gjelio's "Sunrise Mass".  Hear these fantastic singers before they bring their voices to Carnegie Hall in New York City!
https://www.facebook.com/events/1594356233947524
Tickets: http://www.capitoltheatrewindsor.ca/event/sacred-sunrise/

Lots on the horizon for June including a triple-gig-super-weekend of Windsor area shows with The Assembly Line band, a few shows with my pal String Bone and looking forward to adventures at Old School Bluegrass Camp in July! Keep posted on the concert calendar here on allisonbrown.ca for all my where's n' whens this summer!

See you out in the spring sunshine!
Allison

March is out like a lamb as temperatures rise... I've got a pretty chill April on the horizon, looking ahead and planning another fantastic summer of music and rambles. March was a whirlwind with my "Get Your Show On The Road" Touring workshop and a 30-minute songwriting challenge I led for folks at the Southwest Ontario Tourism Corporation conference at Point Pelee National Park:

30 Minute Songwriting Challenge
 inside an O-Tentik

Campfire 'Concert' Finale

Check out a video from our Campfire "Concert" Finale:
https://www.facebook.com/100011183259411/videos/pcb.555575778158526/555535518162552 

I'll be doing a three-song set at the next edition of Windsor Folk's Acoustic Stage on Friday, April 6th at Mackenzie Hall, if you haven't dropped in for an Acoustic Stage cm'on out and enjoy an eclectic lineup of seasoned and brand new performers - 8pm, Pass The Hat!

And later in the month I'll be doing an opening set for my pal Dave Quanbury, April 26th at Phog as he releases his new record, 'Still Life With Canadian'.

Up ahead in May, I'll be at Carrots and Dates in Tecumseh for a dinner show on Friday, May 25th.

Looking ahead to July where I'll be working as an assistant at Old School Bluegrass Camp in Prince Edward County!
Registrations are open for a week of master classes in Fiddle, Banjo (Clawhammer and Bluegrass), Dobro, Bass, Mandolin, Vocals and Guitar! There's also a Bass Scholarship that covers the entire cost of camp you can apply for until June 1st. Check it out and register today! www.oldschoolbluegrasscamp.wordpress.com

I'm also working on booking a small tour around the Prince Edward County, Belleville, Kingston, Trenton, Peterborough area from July 7th to 11th so if you know of any venues or festivals I should connect with, or if you'd like to set up a house concert let me know!

2009 called and suggested I should probably join Instagram!  I've just set up a profile and figuring out how it all works:
https://www.instagram.com/allisonbrownmusicandmore

Singing and springing - stay tuned!
Allison

February was a flurry of music and celebrations as I rang in my 40's in style.. had a great time rambling up the highway meeting up with pals along the way... lots on the horizon for March!
My pals from Winnipeg, The New Customs gave me a fantastic birthday present by covering "All Our Emergencies" as part of their "52 Songs We Didn't Write" project - so thrilled to hear their version...Thanks Dale & Emma !! https://www.facebook.com/TheNewCustoms/videos/1866976359982298/
Coming up on Wednesday, March 14th, at 6:30pm I'm hosting "Get Your Show On The Road: Touring In Canada" as part of the Arts Council of Windsor and Region's "Art:Work" workshop series.  Lots of tips on booking, scheduling, geography, parking, packing and more - an in-depth look behind the scenes of touring life as an independent musician in Canada.  Register in advance at: http://acwr.net/workshops/acwr-art-work-workshop-get-your-show-on-the-road-touring-in-canada-with-allison-brown/

Also on the Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1741364176171910/

Lots going on with The Windsor Classic Chorale in March as well - The Windsor Choral Festival, United In Song is coming up March 1st - 3rd and concludes with a special concert featuring choirs from all over the Windsor Essex region.  And - a free vocal workshop open to singers of all levels on Friday, March 2nd hosted by guest choral clinician Dr. Rachel Rensink-Hoff.  Get your sing on at The Windsor Choral Festival! 

No need for a boredom meltdown as winter slowly slips away - lots going on!
See you out there!
Allison

Lots coming up as we leave January behind.. and I leave my 30's behind and enter my 40th year, celebrating with a rip up the 401 to play some fun shows and team up with lots of musical pals..!

Friday, February 2nd ~ Willie P. Bennett Tribute, Revival House, Stratford
Saturday, February 3rd ~ Musical Chairs! At The St. Regis Tavern, London
Tuesday, February 6th ~ The Local, Toronto with Will Gillespie
Thursday, February 8th *Allison's Birthday ~ special guesting at The Cameron House with Corin Raymond & The Sundowners
Friday, February 9th ~ The Cornerstone, Guelph with Northland Rail Service
Saturday, February 10th ~ Willie P. Bennett Tribute, Aeolian Hall, London
Sunday, February 11th - Private Party, Fingal

back home for another fundraiser in Amherstburg, February 17th for Kids Curing Cancer... and later in February...
Friday, February 23rd ~ Taloola Cafe, Windsor

Hope to see you all at these string of shows as I rip through Southern Ontario on my Birthday Week.

January flew by with my new role as General Manager for the Windsor Classic Chorale, I'll miss their February concert as I'll be touring, but if you're in a romantic mood and hungry for choral music check out "If Music Be The Food Of Love", coming up February 10th at Paulin Memorial Church in South Windsor.

Coming up on Wednesday, March 14th I'm hosting a workshop on touring!  "Get Your Show On The Road: Touring In Canada" is presented by the Arts Council of Windsor & Region... be sure to register early!

Hope to see you all on my February run and join the party!
Allison