Allison Downey CD available online and in stores
Feb. 18, 2003
KALAMAZOO -- "Wind at Your Back," an album of pop folk music by Allison Downey, is now available online and locally through selected stores.
The 12 tracks on "Wind At Your Back" were written or co-written by Downey, who also performs lead vocals and plays acoustic guitar. Downey's vocals have been called a cross between Natalie Merchant and Judy Collins, and her songs range from traditional folk to more rhythmically and dynamically complex arrangements.
Downey got her start as a singer at an early age. By the time she was a teenager, she had already sung as part of a youth choir before a Kennedy Center audience that included the president of the United States and had performed the national anthem prior to an NFL football game between the Washington Redskins and New York Giants. In recent years, she has performed at numerous music festivals and smaller venues in Canada, Mexico, Italy, Spain and throughout the United States.
Since coming to Western Michigan University in September, the first-year member of the WMU theatre faculty has performed her music locally at the Union Cabaret and Grill, Kraftbrau and other area night spots.
"Wind at Your Back" contains Downey's tribute to the victims and heroes of Sept. 11, "On the Day," which Downey performed at Sept. 11 anniversary services on campus, including a performance in Miller Auditorium for an audience of more than 2,000 people.
"Wind at Your Back" is available through the official Allison Downey Web site and is on sale at Athena Book Shop on the downtown Kalamazoo Mall and the WMU Bookstore in the Bernhard Center. The CD was recorded and produced in 2001 in Austin, Texas, Downey's previous home, under the Little Ditty Records label.
More information about "Wind At Your Back," including Web audio of "On the Day," are available through Downey's official Web site <www.allisondowney.com>.
Media contact: Thom Myers, 269 387-8400, thomas.myers@wmich.edu