The Deedle Deedle Dees

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Setlist / Reading list for yesterday's show at Flywheel (Easthampton, MA)

Here's what we played at our Black History Month show at Flywheel yesterday + two reading lists, one for grown-ups and one for kids.

All the links will take you to sing-a-long videos.

acoustic sing-a-long
You Are My Sunshine
Play Your Hand http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjjcc9CXgg
Down by the Riverside

onstage
Henry Box Brown http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRjJODQfTsw
Sojourner Truth http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyC3ZceFpPg
St. Bessie Blues http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oATlLvd-sTY

acoustic in the audience
Trapped in the Attic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ5PXzSswUo

onstage
Lucy & Fannie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-E47vw9VE0
Tub-Tub-Ma-Ma-Ga-Ga http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqYnOBESIJ4
Zora http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih7kiKkHQ4w
This Little Light of Mine

audience requests
Baldy
Bring 'Em In http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU3_-L4Pksw
Nellie Bly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_uDMQZQ7dI

some grown-up books where you can learn more:
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Harriet Jacobs
The Army of the Potomac Trilogy - Bruce Catton
Only the Ball Was White by Robert Peterson
The Senator and the Sharecropper: The Freedom Struggles of James O. Eastland and Fannie Lou Hamer by Chris Myers Asch
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

some kid books where you can learn more:
Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson
Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson
Eyewitness: Civil War by John Stanchack
Bessie Smith and the Night Riders by Sue Stauffacher and John Holyfield
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford and Kadir Nelson
Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth by Anne Rockwell and R. Gregory Christie
Fannie Lou Hamer: Fighting for the Right to Vote by Laura Baskes Litwin

Friday, February 25, 2011

Reading list for our setlist at the Target READ event at the New York Public Library (2/24/11)

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Set list for today's Grimm-themed Knitting Factory show (2/5)

Today we celebrated fairy tales, folk tales, and tall tales at our variety show. Guest author Adam Gidwitz read a story and told us about his scary and super-fun new book, A Tale Dark and Grimm. The Dees played songs related to the theme, some rather new, some resurrected from old projects we wanted to revisit.

Videos, lyrics, etc. for all the following coming soon.

1. The Deedle Deedle Dees Variety Show Theme

2. Cool Papa Bell
a song about Negro League legend, James Thomas "Cool Papa" Bell

3. John Henry (Ezra Jack Keats version)
based on EZK's book, written originally for an event celebrating the author at Symphony Space

4. Camperdown Elm
sing-a-long video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCZ_iLv7jJY
lyrics, background: http://teachddd.blogspot.com/2010/10/camperdown-elm-lyrics.html

5. The Golem
a klezmerish instrumental inspired by the statue / fighting hero

6. I Can Put You Together Again
a tune written with my wife's second graders for our production of The Myth of Osiris a couple of years ago

7. I Am the Hodja
written with my wife's second graders for our production of The Silk That Got Away last year

8. Little Red Airplane
about Amelia Earhart. not really related to our theme (although she is a folk hero I guess). we played it because a small fan made a request.
Buy the album featuring this song here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/deedle3

L

Saturday, January 29, 2011

An original birthday song... for you

Okay, I just came up with this today. I was supposed to play this birthday party tomorrow but the dad called to say that his daughter was running a high fever and that they'd had to cancel the event. Very sad. Seriously! We've had a lot of sick birthdays in my house. I hate 'em!

I decided to record a special version of "Happy Birthday" for the sick birthday girl and post it on my YouTube channel. www.youtube.com/user/singalongwithlloyd Then it occurred to me that lots of kids would probably like to have their own version of "Happy Birthday" to sing with at home. I decided to record a version with the birthday girl's name as well as the names of a few other kids whose birthdays are coming up.

Being a prudent independent musician, however, I first checked to see if "Happy Birthday" was in the public domain. It's not (not until 2030).

So I scrapped the whole idea. Until later today when I was walking around a brand-new original birthday song came to me...

That song is now on YouTube in three versions. If your name happens to be "Paula" or "Grandma," you're in luck. If your name is something else, try the third link here: in this one I just mouth some silent gibberish that you can fill in with your name.

Paula, It's Your Birthday http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5j9fZreAiA

Grandma, It's Your Birthday http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD-uirjzgbI

It's Your Birthday http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dInPk4MHX8I

Or you can write me and I'll make a new video using your name. People around the world with your same name will thank you! (or perhaps curse you)

L

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Setlist for yesterday's preview concert of songs from Major Deegan, How Ya Feelin'?

Quick setlist from yesterday. YouTube links to sing-a-long and rehearsal videos. CDBaby links to buy the songs.

1. Henry Hudson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw3RFA-o12c&feature=related

2. Battle of Brooklyn
http://www.youtube.com/user/SingalongwithLloyd#p/u/14/6B7M3Y5BCek

3. Aaron Burr
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/deedle2

4. Wallabout Bay
http://www.youtube.com/user/SingalongwithLloyd#p/u/5/28B654cAqJo

5. Skating in Old Bryant Park
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKndPaTb0HU

6. Big Trip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2M9R9wv-zA

7. The Brooklyn Bridge Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_8_RH8i5fE
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/deedle3

8. Nellie Bly
http://www.youtube.com/user/SingalongwithLloyd#p/a/u/1/B_uDMQZQ7dI
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/deedle2

9. Babe Ruth
On our first album, Let It Dee. Now out of print. But we're going to put selected tracks up for pay-what-you-wish download soon.

10. Dead Horse Bay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynOYownLcLI&feature=related

11. Major Deegan
http://www.youtube.com/user/SingalongwithLloyd#p/a/u/0/Z31VuZeWuH4
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/deedle2

Friday, January 7, 2011

Support Dees pal Roy Nathanson's students

Dees collaborator and guest star Roy Nathanson teaches in a NYC public school when he's not touring the world with the Jazz Passengers or doing sessions with folks like Debbie Harry and Elvis Costello. As you might imagine, his student band is pretty awesome, much better than most grown-up acts I see.

The band is taking a big trip overseas soon. They're having a show tonight to raise money. And of course they've got a Kickstarter page. Here's Roy's letter about all of it:

Hi Folks -

The wonderful High School band and songwriting group that I teach at Institute for Collaborative Education is invited to go along with "Sotto Voce" to play at the Gateshead International Jazz Festival in Newcastle/Gateshead in March. They'e been working for a year on this, writing and arranging some great new subway songs. Everything at the festival is covered but we are working to raise the airfare for those families who have trouble paying the whole deal. So we have a kickstarter page:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/591893901/subway-moon-teens-original-music-and-lyrics?ref=email

You can either donate at the site or come to our big benefit gig this friday Jan 7th at 6pm at Rose Music Live in Williamsburg. I'll be playing there as well. You can buy tickets for the event at the kickstarter site as well.

Thanks and have a happy new year

roy

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Our NYC musical: Phase One

On Saturday we're going to try out songs from our musical, Major Deegan, How Ya Feelin'? It's a show that follows the Deedle Deedle Dees on a typical / fantastical day as they deal with cranky drivers, nutty public school administrators, sidewalk philosophers, and other New York City characters on their way to multiple shows. The Dees stop their journey frequently to sing about the history of the places they're passing through -- and are often aided in their storytelling by important people from the past who conveniently make appearances to offer their side of things.

It's a huge undertaking so we're putting it together in pieces. To start, we're just going to be playing programs of the show's songs (many of which you already know) as concerts. Then, as we finish the filmed and live elements of the show, we'll start adding more layers -- and of course inviting you to come watch as we stumble through...

This Saturday (Jan 8) we're doing a selection of songs from the production for our monthly variety show. Audience participation will be strongly encouraged and if you come early, we might ask you to take part in the show. (Come early! We want you to be in the show!) If you it seems like you and/or your kids might be a good fit for these performances, we might even ask you to take part in a more elaborate staging in the (hopefully) near future.

See you Saturday!
Lloyd

The Deedle Deedle Dees present
a concert version of
Major Deegan, How Ya Feelin'?
an original musical about NYC
this Saturay, January 8th
11am
Knitting Factory
361 Metropolitan Ave
Brooklyn, NY
tickets: bk.knittingfactory.com

Kids: You Must Read These Books

Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth by Anne Rockwell and R. Gregory Christie (7 and up)
Revenge of the Whale by Nathaniel Philbrick (ages 7 and up)
You’re On Your Way, Teddy Roosevelt by Judith St. George and Matt Faulkner (ages 7 and up)
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson (ages 7 and up)
Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson (ages 7-10)
A Young People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn (adapted by Rebecca Stefoff) (ages 10 and up)

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