Every weekday next week is part of
the Strange Dees, Indeed CD Release Pre-Party!!!
At all my sing-a-longs, any kid who comes dressed as someone or something from a Deedle Deedle Dees song will get a special prize. And if you come to our CD release concert at the Eric Carle (the CD release party itself) in a Dees-themed costume, you'll get a special special prize (seriously -- the Carle prize is a step up from the sing-a-long prize. it's worth trying for).
To help you earn your prize, we thought it would nice to give you some costume ideas. In the rare event that you haven't heard the Dees complete discography. Here are some people (+ one animal and one mythical superhero creature) of whom we've sung who would qualify you for an award should you choose to dress as one of them:
Harriet Tubman
Nellie Bly
Anne Bonney
Marie Curie
Satchel Paige
Cool Papa Bell
Mahatma Gandhi
Baldy
Aaron Burr
Abigail Adams
Babe Ruth
John Wilkes Booth
John Brown
John Henry
Henry "Box" Brown
The Golem
Amelia Earhart
Harriet Hanson Robinson
John James Audubon
Frederick Law Olmstead
Calvert Vaux
Sojourner Truth
George Washington
Sacagawea
Henry Hudson
Phineas Gage
Zora Neale Hurston
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Marianne Moore
Nathaniel Philbrick
Fannie Lou Hamer
Lucy Stone
Susan B. Anthony
Harriet Jacobs
Thomas Edison
Cornelia Hancock
Abraham Lincoln
Barack Obama
Most of these people are historical figures. A couple are characters from folklore (John Henry, The Golem).
If you see a name on that list above and would like to hear the song in which they appear but can't find it, please send me a note. I'll send you a link to the album if the song appears on one of ours. We have written and performed a bunch of tunes that have never shown up on any of our albums. If you want one of these tunes, I'll dig up a demo recording, video, or other version for you. If I've got nothing, I'll just make a YouTube video of me sitting in my kitchen singing the song.
The list above is not complete. It's just what I came up with off the top of my head.
Hope to see you -- in costume -- somewhere this week.
Lloyd
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Three shows and a bunch of sing-a-longs
I've got a lot to tell you about so I'll be brief...
Tuesday, Sept 13th, I'll be doing a free sing-a-long concert at the Lot, located under the High Line at 30th Street. http://www.thehighline.org/the-lot
Saturday, Sept 17th, three Dees will be doing acoustic sets at The Brooklyn Local, an event to benefit City Harvest. Sets at 1 and 2pm. Kids under 5 are free. http://www.cityharvest.org/thebrooklynlocal
Sunday, Sept. 18th, I'll be doing a free solo show in the Tot Lot at the corner of Argyle and Cortelyou in Brooklyn as part of the annual Flatbush Frolic. 4:30pm.
And then there's my regular weekly sing-a-longs! For a schedule, check out the sidebar at http://thedeedledeedledees.blogspot.com/.
All these impromptu events are basically public rehearsals for our big CD release shows coming up in Kentucky, Western Massachusetts, Brooklyn, and elsewhere (TBA). Don't miss your chance to see me mess up some new songs!
Lloyd
Tuesday, Sept 13th, I'll be doing a free sing-a-long concert at the Lot, located under the High Line at 30th Street. http://www.thehighline.org/the-lot
Saturday, Sept 17th, three Dees will be doing acoustic sets at The Brooklyn Local, an event to benefit City Harvest. Sets at 1 and 2pm. Kids under 5 are free. http://www.cityharvest.org/thebrooklynlocal
Sunday, Sept. 18th, I'll be doing a free solo show in the Tot Lot at the corner of Argyle and Cortelyou in Brooklyn as part of the annual Flatbush Frolic. 4:30pm.
And then there's my regular weekly sing-a-longs! For a schedule, check out the sidebar at http://thedeedledeedledees.blogspot.com/.
All these impromptu events are basically public rehearsals for our big CD release shows coming up in Kentucky, Western Massachusetts, Brooklyn, and elsewhere (TBA). Don't miss your chance to see me mess up some new songs!
Lloyd
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Here are the songs we were going to play Saturday
Our surprise free show in Red Hook this Saturday, August 27th, has been canceled due to hurricane precautions by the city. But in case you'd like to imagine the show that might have been, here's the set list Otto von Dee and I ran through tonight in my basement. We wouldn't necessarily have played it in this order. Make up your own, why don't ya?
The Golem
Cool Papa Bell
Marie Curie
a song for Abigail Adams
Sojourner Truth
Birds of America Don't Care-Oh
Penny Farthing
Whaleship Essex
Dead Horse Bay
Henry (Hudson), How Ya Gonna Find a Way?
Battle of Brooklyn
Bluebird > Redbird, Redbird > Reef
River of Blood
Sacagawea
Henry Box Brown
Tub-Tub-Ma-Ma-Ga-Ga
The Golem
Cool Papa Bell
Marie Curie
a song for Abigail Adams
Sojourner Truth
Birds of America Don't Care-Oh
Penny Farthing
Whaleship Essex
Dead Horse Bay
Henry (Hudson), How Ya Gonna Find a Way?
Battle of Brooklyn
Bluebird > Redbird, Redbird > Reef
River of Blood
Sacagawea
Henry Box Brown
Tub-Tub-Ma-Ma-Ga-Ga
Thursday, August 18, 2011
a song for Abigail Adams
a song for Abigail Adams
words and music by Lloyd Miller (c) (p) 2011
arrangement by Ari Dolegowski, Chris Johnson, Ely Levin, and Lloyd Miller
appears on Strange Dees, Indeed by the Deedle Deedle Dees (release date: October 31, 2011)
abbie abbie abbie
said she didn't get my letter
but oh sweet baby
i like nothing better
i like nothing better
than getting a letter from you
abbie abbie abbie
i'm way across the ocean
18th century mail
tends to get lost
i never stopped writing
i just wrote a letter to you
sent it through braintree, massachusetts
care of the shark-filled sea
write me here i'm still in paris
abbie write a letter to me
abbie abbie abbie
said she didn't get my letter
but oh sweet baby
i like nothing better
i like nothing better
than getting a letter from you
abbie abbie abbie
i'm always with franklin
he lets the cold air in
but i like the window closed
i've heard a lot from him
now i need to hear a little from you
sent it through braintree, massachusetts
care of the shark-filled sea
write me here i'm still in paris
abbie write a letter to me
Abigail and John Adams were famous for the letters they wrote throughout their life. But in the late 1700s and early 1800s when they lived, the mail service was far less sophisticated than it is now and many letters got lost. One time Abigail complained that John had written enough and he protested -- not in the pleading romantic manner of this song, but in the same vigorous manner he used in courtrooms and legal documents. In this song, I give John a different voice from the one we read in his letters, one closer to my own.
Who does what on "a song for Abigail Adams"
Booker Dee (Chris Johnson): organ
Moby Dee (Ari Dolegowski): electric bass
Otto von Dee (Ely Levin): drums
Ulysses S. Dee (Lloyd Miller): electric guitar, vocals
Dean Jones: recording, mixing
words and music by Lloyd Miller (c) (p) 2011
arrangement by Ari Dolegowski, Chris Johnson, Ely Levin, and Lloyd Miller
appears on Strange Dees, Indeed by the Deedle Deedle Dees (release date: October 31, 2011)
abbie abbie abbie
said she didn't get my letter
but oh sweet baby
i like nothing better
i like nothing better
than getting a letter from you
abbie abbie abbie
i'm way across the ocean
18th century mail
tends to get lost
i never stopped writing
i just wrote a letter to you
sent it through braintree, massachusetts
care of the shark-filled sea
write me here i'm still in paris
abbie write a letter to me
abbie abbie abbie
said she didn't get my letter
but oh sweet baby
i like nothing better
i like nothing better
than getting a letter from you
abbie abbie abbie
i'm always with franklin
he lets the cold air in
but i like the window closed
i've heard a lot from him
now i need to hear a little from you
sent it through braintree, massachusetts
care of the shark-filled sea
write me here i'm still in paris
abbie write a letter to me
Abigail and John Adams were famous for the letters they wrote throughout their life. But in the late 1700s and early 1800s when they lived, the mail service was far less sophisticated than it is now and many letters got lost. One time Abigail complained that John had written enough and he protested -- not in the pleading romantic manner of this song, but in the same vigorous manner he used in courtrooms and legal documents. In this song, I give John a different voice from the one we read in his letters, one closer to my own.
Who does what on "a song for Abigail Adams"
Booker Dee (Chris Johnson): organ
Moby Dee (Ari Dolegowski): electric bass
Otto von Dee (Ely Levin): drums
Ulysses S. Dee (Lloyd Miller): electric guitar, vocals
Dean Jones: recording, mixing
Marie Curie
Marie Curie
words and music by Lloyd Miller (c) (p) 2011
arrangement by Ari Dolegowski, Chris Johnson, Ely Levin, and Lloyd Miller
French translation by Rosalie Fisher, French singing coach: Dana Loev
appears on Strange Dees, Indeed by the Deedle Deedle Dees (release date: October 31, 2011)
ULYSSES
Marie Curie
left Paris
with a suitcase full of radium
"Excuse me...
Are you Marie Curie?"
was the soldier's question.
"That's not me.
I'm not Marie Curie.
No, sir, that's not me.
That's not me.
I'm not Marie Curie.
No, sir, that's not me."
"Leave Paris,
Marie Curie..."
The president told her to go.
"Excuse me,
are you the famous Marie Curie?"
The soldier wanted to know
"That's not me.
I'm not Marie Curie.
No, sir, that's not me.
That's not me.
I'm not Marie Curie.
No, sir, that's not me."
MOBY
Marie Curie
quitta Paris
sa valise remplie de radium
- Excusez-moi,
demanda le soldat.
Êtes-vous Marie Curie?
- Sûrement pas!
Non, [non], ce n'est pas moi,
lui a dit Marie Curie.
Non, monsieur,
Je vous le dis, je n'suis
pas Marie Curie.
But, oui...
I do have a sandwich
and I will share it with you
Mais, oui... Yes!
J'ai bien un bon sandwich
pour nous deux, si ça vous dit.
This year I did a songwriting project with Tom Weiner's class at Smith Campus School in Northampton, MA. Ella Childs (daughter of Bill Childs, host of the radio show Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child) was in the class and during our classroom discussions made a strong case for a song about Marie Curie.
The class song ended up being about Helen Keller, Wilma Rudolph, Rosa Parks, and other important innovators and activists but I still wanted to write the Curie song. The next morning -- before the Dees played at the River's Meltdown -- Ella and I brainstormed. She told me some of her favorite Marie Curie stories and this one seemed to best lend itself to song.
Who does what on "Marie Curie"
Booker Dee (Chris Johnson): accordion
Moby Dee (Ari Dolegowski): electric guitar, vocals
Otto von Dee (Ely Levin): drums
Ulysses S. Dee (Lloyd Miller): upright bass, vocals
Dean Jones: recording, mixing
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Skating in Old Bryant Park
Skating in Old Bryant Park
words and music by Lloyd Miller (c)(p)2011
arrangement by Ari Dolegowski, Chris Johnson, Ely Levin, and Lloyd Miller
appears on Strange Dees, Indeed by the Deedle Deedle Dees (release date: October 31, 2011)
I see you...
skating
in old Bryant Park
round and round we go
You poet!
You're skating
in old Bryant Park
named for you so long ago
A potter's field became Reservoir Square
The lions came in
they built a library over there
You sit there at night
thinking Thanatoptical thoughts
But who knew you came out in the day?
Who knew you knew how to skate?
You're
skating
in old Bryant Park
round and round we go
You poet!
You're skating
in old Bryant Park
named for you so long ago
A potter's field became Reservoir Square
The lions came in
they built a library over there
You sit there at night
thinking abolitiionist thoughts
But who knew you came out in the day?
Who knew you knew how to skate?
You're
skating
in old Bryant Park
round and round we go
You poet!
You're skating
in old Bryant Park
named for you so long ago
We played at the skating rink they set up at Bryant Park, located behind the main branch of the New York Public Library, last year. I wrote this song to play that day.
William Cullen Bryant, an editor, poet, and abolitionist from the 1800s, watches over the park in statue form. In this song he gets up and skates with everyone else.
the lions = you know those big lions in front of the NYPL?
And what are "Thanatoptical thoughts?"
Bryant's most famous poem, the one you probably read in high school, is called "Thanatopsis"
Who does what on "Skating in Old Bryant Park"
Booker Dee (Chris Johnson): organ
Moby Dee (Ari Dolegowski): electric guitar
Otto von Dee (Ely Levin): drums
Ulysses S. Dee (Lloyd Miller): vocals
David Winograd: tuba
Dean Jones: recording, mixing
words and music by Lloyd Miller (c)(p)2011
arrangement by Ari Dolegowski, Chris Johnson, Ely Levin, and Lloyd Miller
appears on Strange Dees, Indeed by the Deedle Deedle Dees (release date: October 31, 2011)
I see you...
skating
in old Bryant Park
round and round we go
You poet!
You're skating
in old Bryant Park
named for you so long ago
A potter's field became Reservoir Square
The lions came in
they built a library over there
You sit there at night
thinking Thanatoptical thoughts
But who knew you came out in the day?
Who knew you knew how to skate?
You're
skating
in old Bryant Park
round and round we go
You poet!
You're skating
in old Bryant Park
named for you so long ago
A potter's field became Reservoir Square
The lions came in
they built a library over there
You sit there at night
thinking abolitiionist thoughts
But who knew you came out in the day?
Who knew you knew how to skate?
You're
skating
in old Bryant Park
round and round we go
You poet!
You're skating
in old Bryant Park
named for you so long ago
We played at the skating rink they set up at Bryant Park, located behind the main branch of the New York Public Library, last year. I wrote this song to play that day.
William Cullen Bryant, an editor, poet, and abolitionist from the 1800s, watches over the park in statue form. In this song he gets up and skates with everyone else.
the lions = you know those big lions in front of the NYPL?
And what are "Thanatoptical thoughts?"
Bryant's most famous poem, the one you probably read in high school, is called "Thanatopsis"
Who does what on "Skating in Old Bryant Park"
Booker Dee (Chris Johnson): organ
Moby Dee (Ari Dolegowski): electric guitar
Otto von Dee (Ely Levin): drums
Ulysses S. Dee (Lloyd Miller): vocals
David Winograd: tuba
Dean Jones: recording, mixing
Bluebird > Redbird, Redbird > Reef
Bluebird > Redbird, Redbird > Reef
words and music by Lloyd Miller (c)(p)2011
arrangement by Ari Dolegowski, Chris Johnson, Ely Levin, and Lloyd Miller
appears on Strange Dees, Indeed by the Deedle Deedle Dees (release date: October 31, 2011)
Bluebird flies tonight
Climb the stairs it's time to say goodbye
goodbye Dinoland
Goodbye brontosaurus
Real cool meeting you
Will you wait here for us?
Bluebird flies tonight
Our crowded train rides on the 7 line
Goodbye giant rockets pointed up at space and
Goodbye giant globe
Do you see me waving?
Bluebird painted red
A fast train taking us to see the Mets
I see you, giant Globe
Globe, do you remember
How cold it gets out here
In November?
Gb Db Bbm Cb
Bluebird turned to silver blue
they wrote their names all over you
They hid those tags in white then red
The red changed shades
We met again
My bluebird was a redbird now
Headed west
Manhattan bound
Redbird takes a dive
The ocean floor is where you'll end your ride
You went in with a splash
And now you're slowly sinking
I should get a scuba mask
And come ask what you are thinking
Bluebird redbird redbird reef
A subway car beneath the sea
Goodbye bluebird
Can you see
The sun in the waves
Up here?
Inspired by a trip my daughter and I took to the NYC Transit Museum. In the 1960s, the World's Fair came to Queens and the Bluebirds --painted light blue -- were the cars of a special express train that took you right to it. These cars remained in service after the World's Fair and continued to run along the 7 line -- the line that takes you to Shea Stadium / now Citi Field.
In the 80s, these cars were painted a graffiti-resistant red and started being called Redbirds.
These cars were finally retired starting in the late 90s. Many of them were then submerged to be used as artificial reefs off the coasts of New Jersey, Delaware, and elsewhere.
Dinoland, giant rockets = exhibits at the World's Fair
giant globe = that globe that was built for the World's Fair but still lives in Flushing Meadows Park and shows up in lots of movies
Gb Db Bbm Cb = the chords for this section. I always forget them so I decided to just leave them there so I can always find them on this blog.
Who does what on "Bluebird > Redbird, Redbird > Reef"
Booker Dee (Chris Johnson): electric bass, stylophone, toy piano
Moby Dee (Ari Dolegowski): acoustic lead guitar
Ulysses S. Dee (Lloyd Miller): acoustic rhythm guitar, vocals
Dean Jones: recording, mixing
words and music by Lloyd Miller (c)(p)2011
arrangement by Ari Dolegowski, Chris Johnson, Ely Levin, and Lloyd Miller
appears on Strange Dees, Indeed by the Deedle Deedle Dees (release date: October 31, 2011)
Bluebird flies tonight
Climb the stairs it's time to say goodbye
goodbye Dinoland
Goodbye brontosaurus
Real cool meeting you
Will you wait here for us?
Bluebird flies tonight
Our crowded train rides on the 7 line
Goodbye giant rockets pointed up at space and
Goodbye giant globe
Do you see me waving?
Bluebird painted red
A fast train taking us to see the Mets
I see you, giant Globe
Globe, do you remember
How cold it gets out here
In November?
Gb Db Bbm Cb
Bluebird turned to silver blue
they wrote their names all over you
They hid those tags in white then red
The red changed shades
We met again
My bluebird was a redbird now
Headed west
Manhattan bound
Redbird takes a dive
The ocean floor is where you'll end your ride
You went in with a splash
And now you're slowly sinking
I should get a scuba mask
And come ask what you are thinking
Bluebird redbird redbird reef
A subway car beneath the sea
Goodbye bluebird
Can you see
The sun in the waves
Up here?
Inspired by a trip my daughter and I took to the NYC Transit Museum. In the 1960s, the World's Fair came to Queens and the Bluebirds --painted light blue -- were the cars of a special express train that took you right to it. These cars remained in service after the World's Fair and continued to run along the 7 line -- the line that takes you to Shea Stadium / now Citi Field.
In the 80s, these cars were painted a graffiti-resistant red and started being called Redbirds.
These cars were finally retired starting in the late 90s. Many of them were then submerged to be used as artificial reefs off the coasts of New Jersey, Delaware, and elsewhere.
Dinoland, giant rockets = exhibits at the World's Fair
giant globe = that globe that was built for the World's Fair but still lives in Flushing Meadows Park and shows up in lots of movies
Gb Db Bbm Cb = the chords for this section. I always forget them so I decided to just leave them there so I can always find them on this blog.
Who does what on "Bluebird > Redbird, Redbird > Reef"
Booker Dee (Chris Johnson): electric bass, stylophone, toy piano
Moby Dee (Ari Dolegowski): acoustic lead guitar
Ulysses S. Dee (Lloyd Miller): acoustic rhythm guitar, vocals
Dean Jones: recording, mixing
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