Joe Crookston 3rd Annual Thanksgiving Show

Saturday, November 29 @ 8PM

Admission: $10 or free with a 2008 Passport

Crossing Borders announces the broadcast of the Joe Crookston Third Annual Thanksgiving Show on Saturday, November 29th at 8pm, at the Lost Dog Lounge, 106 S. Cayuga Street. The two-hour broadcast airs simultaneously on WVBR 93.5 fm and also online at www.wvbr.com or www.crossingborderslive.org. Admission to the live audience is $10.00 or free to Passport subscribers.

Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Joe Crookston was first featured on Crossing Borders during the Ithaca Festival of 2005, then a new Ithaca resident celebrating his release, Fall Down as the Rain. The Joe Crookston First Annual Thanksgiving concert was launched on Crossing Borders in November, 2006. His return to the show with the Third Annual Thanksgiving concert has been in planning stages for most of the year, with much anticipation. Joe will be joined by friends, including Doug Robinson, bass, Jason Rafalak, mandolin, and Brad Yoder, soprano sax, among others, with material from his new 2008 release. The release is called Able Baker Charlie and Dog and is grabbing even more attention than the last - it shot straight to #1 on the US Acoustic/Folk DJ charts in March 2008 - and features an array of artists complementing Joe's powerful lyrics and melodies with subtle shades and accents. The stories are fresh and striking and ten months after release, the album continues to chart in the top 20.

Voted one of "Top 3 Most Wanted Artists" by the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival this year, Joe Crookston spent the month of May 2008 on the Falcon Ridge Festival Preview Tour. He received a songwriting grant from the Rockefeller Foundation and set off traveling the hills of New York State in search of stories...these stories became songs - songs that are highlighted on Able Baker Charlie and Dog. Crookston has performed festivals and presented workshops throughout the country, followed by a trail of accolades and reviews. Other recent awards include "Great American Songwriter Contest Honor Award", Top 12 Do-It-Yourself Recording from Performing Songwriter Magazine, and 2007 Mountain Stage New Song Finalist.

Joe Crookston's star is rising. Versatile songwriting, excellent musicianship and a charismatic stage presence is earning him a permanent place on the national music scene. Go see this man perform, and don't be surprised if you drive home singing his songs with a renewed sense of what's possible.

--Seattle Folklore Society

Joe also works regularly in school and social systems with creative and powerful projects, inspiring whole communities. As an artist and group leader he has worked with hundreds of organizations throughout the US, including the Cease Fire Foundation of WA, The Power of Hope, Pennsylvania Council of the Arts, and many more, offering a space for youth and teens to find their voice through storytelling, music, creativity, and personal expression. He is a sensitive and natural facilitator, with a clear vision of inclusivity, creative empowerment, and creating a "We" experience. One example: at the King County Juvenile Detention Center in Seattle, Washington, Joe facilitated a year-long writing and recording project with detained youth who recorded 3 full length Cds of original songs, spoken word, raps, and poems using a mobile recording unit set up in a 6 by 6 jail cell. For more information see www.joecrookston.com.