Closer Encounters — Full Album Digital Download

Delivered by download as mp3 (compressed) files.

Released in 2009 this is a complication of live performances from concerts given by AV between 2007 and 2009; some from in Canada and some from Australia, at a well-known venue called “The Basement.”  Some of the songs are solo; some are performed with bass player James Forrest, and some with drummer Chris Flanagan.

All but 2 of the songs appear on AV studio albums.  The 2 that do NOT appear on any other albums are “On Your Street”— for which a music video was produced, which AV’s first music video; and “A Dollar and a Suitcase”; a song which chronicles the tough immigration story of her mother’s mother (AV’s grandmother); who would always tell her daughter when she left home for far away not to cry— and if she could manage that she would get a dollar.  The song was not meant to be released publicly, but after a lot of prompting by her mother AV added it to a few concerts, and thus ended up with a live-in-studio recording of “A Dollar and a Suitcase” — and it has since become one of AV’ most popular songs to date, requested at nearly every concert since.  AV added it to her live performance in 2016 on the CBC program “Vinyl Cafe”, hosted by the late Stuart McLean, with her mother seated in the audience.  The show is syndicated to the USA via NPR radio, and served to expand AV’s audience to that market.