Who: Melissa Crabtree-an independent singer/songwriter-will be joined by Rachel Garlin and other songwriters on the national touring circuit.

What: A cross-country musical tour in a van powered by french fry grease (recycled vegetable oil).

When: February-March 2002 (first leg: Melissa and Rachel, Southern Tier US), followed by Melissa's additional tours continent-wide (July/August: West Coast-Northwest-Canada-Alaska; Fall: Northern Rockies-Northern Tier-New England) throughout the year.

Why: To share their original music while spreading the message about alternative fuel.

The Message: Environmental angle: Bio-diesel and veggie vans use renewable energy instead of fossil fuels. This means that instead of creating air pollution, they emit carbon dioxide that plants can naturally balance.

Political angle: The more we can substitute alternative fuels (of which there is an infinite supply) for fossil fuels (of which there is an extremely limited supply), the less we will be dependent on countries that control the world's oil supply.

Musical angle: In addition to playing their original music and promoting their CDs, these traveling musicians also perform songs that specifically deal with alternative energy. Crabtree wrote and recorded "Bio-Diesel Van" a veggie van anthem featuring Crabtree along with Garlin on back-up vocals, and guest artists Tony Furtado, JulieWolf, Erika Luckett, Andrea Prichett, Scott Amandola, and Justin Katz. In asimilar vein, Garlin wrote and recorded, "Alternative Fuel" which outlines therecipe for bio-diesel gas in four easy verses. These songs, along with two spoken word pieces by Julia Butterfly and Dune Lankard, respectively, will be available on a CD to be distributed at shows.

The Story: Crabtree and Garlin will spend February and March on tour together, playing at a variety of venues,including greasy spoon restaurants and potato chip factories where they will fill up on grease. Their van will get 25 miles per gallon, burn clean, and smell like French fries. Seriously.

The veggie van tour is being spearheaded by singer-songwriter, Melissa Crabtree, an outdoor guide and musician who sees the wilderness as both her home and her muse. Crabtree has spent the past year recording her debut album, Off the Beaten Path and exploring ways to release her CD around the country without having to burn fossil fuel.

When Crabtree met up with eco-wiz engine-converter, Jason Goodman (will join parts of tour), her personal quandary was transformed into something much bigger than a personal solution: a veggie van tour was in the works.

Berkeley-based singer-songwriter, Rachel Garlin, joined the tour not only to "burn clean" while touring with her own debut CD, but also for its educational angle. A junior high school teacher by trade, Garlin is taking time off from teaching in order to tour nationally and gather stories to bring back toher students at King Middle School in Berkeley.

For more information about this project, or the participants, please feel free to contact us:
Press Release written by: Rachel Garlin, participating musician, (510)484-7975, rgarlin@aol.com
Tour Concept: Melissa Crabtree, (505) 751-7845, rivermelissa@yahoo.com
Van Conversion and Bio-Diesel expert: Jason Goodman www.greasemonkeyconversions.com