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sinceileftyoublog · 1 year

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Mr. Greg & Cass McCombs: The Kids Are Alright

Photo by Sarah Trott

BY JORDAN MAINZER

The first albums that Greg Gardner made, cassettes and CDs with friends when he was a child, had a pretty small audience: his mom. Decades later, Gardner's prediction for the size of the audience for his first album made in a professional recording studio? "A few moms." He's joking, but even with the name recognition of his main collaborator--none other than Bay Area psychedelic folk luminary Cass McCombs--the intended audience for this album is not your usual indie rock or folk crowd. Gardner's a preschool teacher in San Francisco, McCombs his lifelong friend, and the two have come together to put to music Gardner's already penned children's tunes. Mr. Greg & Cass McCombs - Sing and Play New Folk Songs for Children is out now on none other than Smithsonian Folkways, a full circle moment for Gardner, and a fitting home for these tunes that are simple but infinitely wonderful.

Gardner and McCombs grew up hanging out and making music together, influenced by Bob Dylan and Dylan's heroes, Folkways recording artists like Woody Guthrie and Elizabeth Cotten. Gardner's applied his love of music to his career, not only introducing his students to these same artists but writing songs for his students about what they're studying at the time, from the life of Harvey Milk to the human body and the animal life cycle. And in the past, Gardner ran Secret Seven Records, releasing music from other Folkways artists like Michael Hurley. Simply put, Smithsonian Folkways is Gardner's favorite label, which he told me without pause during our phone conversation earlier this month. When the opportunity came, through some mutual connections (including McCombs' former manager Kirby Lee) to apply for a grant from the label to record his children's songs, Gardner didn't pass it up. He was in the middle of recording some other songs for fun with McCombs and casually asked whether McCombs would want to put to tape the likes of "Little Wilma Wiggly Worm" and "Things that Go in the Recycling Bin", too. McCombs obliged, and the rest is, now, quite literally, folk history.

The songs on Mr. Greg & Cass McCombs were written for children but exist in multiple realms. McCombs has stated that he doesn't see much of a difference between the direct simplicity of folk music and children's music, and during our conversation, Gardner cited how much certain folk classics, written in totally different contexts, have been sung by and for children, both his students and throughout history. You can hear the flipside in their record: how songs written for children are ultimately universal. "Requiem for Ruth Bader Ginsburg" and "Wave a Flag for Harvey Milk" offer biographies of fierce activists of their time. "Each One of Us" revolves around the ideal that "each one of us is different but we're friends just the same," a song that rejects the feigning of similarity that well-meaning but misguided (and often white liberal) educators practice, the antidote to "I don't see color." And "Friends from All Around the World", with a "Hello Version" and "Goodbye Version", consists of people giving salutations in their respective languages, guests including everyone from Hurley and Peggy Seeger to Gardner's own former coworkers and grandmother and grandfather. Full circle, indeed.

Not to mention, the instrumentation on Mr. Greg & Cass McCombs is not of the grating, maximalist type of usual music marketed towards children that parents are used to. For one, a lot of the songs sound like they could be on a McCombs record, as he rips a guitar solo during "Little Wilma Wiggly Worm" and playfully harmonizes with the vocals on "What's Your Favorite Kind?" "My Skull Is Made Out of Bone" is a gorgeous and wistful concoction of guitar, cello, and keyboards. Hand percussion and claps pervade "J-O-B" and "A Builder's Got a Hammer and Nails", a drum machine the blues stomp of "Roll Around Downtown" that, no matter your religious affiliation, delightfully invites you "to the church of 8 wheels." And when I first listened to the scratchy cello, echoing percussion, and light singing of "The Sounds that the Letters Make", I had to make sure I hadn't accidentally triggered the music I was using to prepare for my recent Arthur Russell review.

Mr. Greg & Cass McCombs is also, in the grand tradition of Folkways, instructional, not just in lyrics. The LP got the full treatment. "Something that I love about Folkways is the packaging and the aesthetic of their old records, how they're really thick carboard with the pasted over sleeves and minimalist artwork that's striking and clean and beautiful looking," Gardner said. "All the records come with booklets and liner notes and photographs...This record is issued like an old Folkways record, with the paste-on cover and booklet with liner notes and suggested activities that go with each song. The LP version is meant to be colored in by kids if they're so inclined." Best, in tribute to a Cotten record Gardner and McCombs loved as kids, Folkways was able to release a few copies on yellow vinyl. The record, like the best folk music, is now a living, timeless document, one that can be enjoyed by all, regardless of age.

Below, read my conversation with Gardner, edited for length and clarity. We talk about his experience in the studio, the politics of children's music, and approaching difficult subjects with kids.

Since I Left You: How did you decide to do this project with Cass?

Greg Gardner: Since we were teenagers, we've made music together. I'm not really a musician, but I like to write songs and sing. I would go to my friends and say, "What about this?" and they'd make it sound better. I've been making strange and silly songs with Cass that weren't meant for the general public. We made a lot of cassettes in our youth. Since I became a teacher, I've been writing songs to amuse myself while I take the BART train to and from work, and also with the hopes the kids would appreciate them as well. The songs are always about stuff the kids have been talking about in class or studying. "Little Wilma Wiggly Worm" is about a worm we found in our classroom garden, and all the kids were so excited about holding this worm, and we all named it together. I wrote the song about it, and it became a way to connect and create community over a fun shared experience. I usually create some visuals that go with the song. I made a book of Wilma Wiggly Worm, and Cameron Burr animated that book into a music video.

So I had been writing songs for many years, and Cass and I recorded some non-kids songs, not for the public, just for fun, and I asked him, "Would you like to record some kids songs with me?" He said, "Yeah!" I had demos of most of them--some of them a capella, some demos with instruments. For the record, we used some of those demos, the skeletons of them, and added instruments and backing stuff. A lot of those songs were rerecorded specifically for the record. There are a lot more that didn't go on. We may have put too many on this record, too, but there they are.

SILY: I was fascinated by Cass saying, "A lot of what’s called children's music is just folk music...I don't see a big difference between children's music and adult music." What's the history of your relationship with traditional or contemporary folk music?

GG: Around when I was a teenager, hanging out with Cass and other friends, we'd listen to Bob Dylan, and then into the people that influenced Bob Dylan, blues artists like Jesse Fuller and Lead Belly, or Woody Guthrie. Cass then introduced me to Elizabeth Cotten, who is on Folkways. Her records were not intended for children, but the songs are definitely beloved by children and adults alike. "Freight Train" and "Shake Sugaree", on which her granddaughter sings. Those are so beautiful. And there are so many folk songs about animals that, even if not written for children, sure work for the child and the adult. Children go through the same gamut of emotions that adults do, so folk music is for all. While these songs were intended for the 3-5-year-old children in my class, I enjoy singing them and hope people older than 5 enjoy singing them as well.

SILY: You sing about "kids' stuff," but "Requiem for Ruth Bader Ginsburg" and "Wave a Flag for Harvey Milk" are relevant to everybody, and sadly so, considering the climate. Do you view any of these songs as political in the same way folk music might be?

GG: My intention wasn't to be political when I made them, but to hold up people that were brave and good role models for the students in my class and school. I'm lucky to work at a school that has similar values to my own. My preschool class has led the Harvey Milk assembly we have every year on his birthday week. At the time I wrote ["Wave a Flag for Harvey Milk"], there wasn't an age appropriate book about Harvey Milk--now there is--but at the time, I thought it would be an easy way to introduce 3-5-year-old kids to what Harvey Milk did for the local community and community beyond. I ended up turning it into a singalong coloring book, so the kids could see images of Harvey and what he had done and so the kids could break down the song verse by verse or line by line. After a while, the kids got into the melody and learned the words themselves, and they became interested in the song. It's kind of a political thing, but more so about holding up the voices of people that are advocates for others. That's what we try to instill in the preschool classroom anyway: Be kind to one another, accept one another, advocate for one another, and be brave. Harvey Milk and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are really great examples of that.

Of course, Folkways has so many protest and topical songs in their catalog. Whenever I make a song, I have all of those songs mushed into my brain, and I'm making up songs that are unintentional rip-offs of what I've heard.

SILY: I was thinking about "If I Had A Hammer" when I heard "A Builder's Got a Hammer and Nails". The former was sung at Communist rallies, which isn't exactly the case with your song, but it still speaks to the connection between seemingly divergent genres of music that are one and the same. In this day and age, the school is such a contentious place in many parts of the country, whether that's school board curriculum fights or repressive laws. It almost does seem like a similar fight, children's music and folk music, a la "This machine kills fascists."

GG: It's true. I live in a little bubble at my school. I don't know if I'm lucky because of that, but the kinds of things we're talking about in songs and that the other teachers at my school believe, are what I believe and I think Cass believes. I know if you walk outside the bubble of San Francisco, it's different. I'm glad that these songs [exist], and that there are other groups of people writing songs and books and having rallies and marches that are in line.

SILY: Had you listened to a lot of other music made for children before writing these songs?

GG: Not really. Mostly just older music, and a lot of that was on Folkways. Not when I was a kid. I remember listening to Woody Guthrie songs and learning "This Land Is Your Land". Maybe "Riding In My Car" when I was a young kid. As a teacher and as a parent, I've collected the old Folkways records and have a collection in the classroom that we often play. It's become the oral landscape of the classroom. As far as contemporary kids music, I don't really know it. I'm sure there would be a lot that I like. I do know that Elizabeth Mitchell has some beautiful records out. I only know a little bit of Raffi, but every time I hear him, I think, "That guy's good."

When we were getting ready to release this record, Folkways asked whether Cass and I could make a playlist of Folkways songs from their back catalog that they could put online and that I could write about. I said, "How about we choose the songs, but instead of me reviewing them, the kids in my class can say some words about them?" A lot of the songs I chose were ones we already listened to in class. Whatever the kids would say would be more interesting than what I would say, and they have a lot more non-sequiturs that are more fun to read. The kids reviewed all the songs and ended up re-drawing classic Folkways album covers, so we took pictures of that, too. That's how we bring other children's music into the classroom. We learn about Elizabeth Cotten and Woody Guthrie and Ella Jenkins, who is one of our very favorites.

SILY: The record has recordings of your students throughout the years. How far back are some of those?

GG: The majority are not very far back. All of the students on there are from the first COVID year. I recorded those in the classroom on my phone, and we snuck them into the record when in the studio later. I would have used kids from previous years on the record and had so many recordings of them singing, but you have to get the rights from all the parents, which was too hard, so I figured I'd just find all the parents from one year.

SILY: A song like "Each One Of Us" is consistent with the spirit of many songs on the album in that it's essentially about diversity and equality. When I grew up, equality was taught very blindly, in an, "I don't see color" type of way. The idea behind this song is more, "Everyone is different, which we should embrace." Can you talk about that idea as it pertains to writing songs?

GG: I think that was one of the first songs I wrote for the class. At the beginning of the year, with preschoolers, we learn about the classroom and each other. We invite families into the classroom to share things they like to do, holidays they celebrate, food they enjoy. That song was building off of that creation of a classroom community and learning that we have so many similarities but also a lot of differences that we can learn from. We become stronger and safer when we get to know each other better. That was a songbook as well. It had some illustrations that kids could color in, and they got to say, "I have brown eyes, too, just like my grandma," or, "I have two moms as well, and Chelsea, she has two dads, and Brian only has one mom and nobody else, and this person lives with their grandma, and I live in an apartment, too." They were able to make so many connections with the verses in the songs.

SILY: The song "I'm A Nocturnal Animal" is very funny, with rhyme schemes involving regurgitation and owl pellets, but it's also about the cycle of life and death. How do you approach a subject like that with young kids?

GG: Through books and songs, and they understand it themselves. When we're learning about Harvey Milk or Martin Luther King, Jr., there are always one or two kids who have already heard about them, and one of the first things they know is that they died or were killed. Death comes up a lot. Kids' grandparents pass away, or their animals pass away, so there's a lot of talk in the class. Some books are helpful to read with the students. It sounds kind of silly, but we do have puppets just like Mr. Rogers did. The puppets sometimes come out and talk about these things that are more difficult to talk about. We'll act out a scenario where the puppet has a pet that passed away recently and the other puppet will show compassion and ask them how they're feeling. The kids will watch it and talk about how they'd feel in such a situation, or talk about people in their lives who passed away, and open up an organic conversation that may not have happened if it was just me talking about the subject as an adult. When you introduce puppets or a song, there's some sort of layer that's removed, and the kids are sometimes more willing to be vulnerable in that kind of situation.

In our classroom, we also celebrate The Day of the Dead, let by another teacher whose family celebrates it, and that opens up a lot of discussions.

And a song like "Deciduous Tree" is about the seasonal cycle of a tree but also about butterflies and caterpillars. We talk about animal and human life cycles in the class, and there's inevitably death. We talk about it as a scientific thing.

SILY: It's unique to hear death in a song that's primarily meant for children.

GG: I've also noticed that when we're learning about these specific historical figures or discussing the death of an animal in the family, in the playground, I'll find a child lying down, and when I ask what's going on, they say, "I'm just playing dead." They work it into their pretend play, which helps them work through their feelings and emotions about subjects that are difficult. It's like a rehearsal for what could happen as an adult.

SILY: "My Skull Is Made Out of Bone" is a fascinating self-reflexive exercise. By the end of it, you're breaking the fourth wall, asking, "How did this song start? Well, it's because of my brain, which is protected by my skull, which is made out of bone." It's pretty layered!

GG: I like how it's a loop. It begins as it starts as it begins. The kids in my class will sing the last part, "My skull is made out of bone," and then start the song all over again. [laughs] We made that song because we were learning about the human body. The kids chose that study themselves.

SILY: Have you done live performances of these songs for parents?

GG: We do it for parents every year. We do the Harvey Milk song for assembly. My school goes up to 8th grade, so there are a lot of people in the assemblies, and a different group leads them each Friday. We usually have another assembly where we sing about something we've been learning about. This year, I made up a song about rocket ships, because the kids were learning about space and built mini rocket ships out of cardboard. We learned about the planets and talked about what we would do if we were visiting each planet and what we would find. Other times, throughout the year, we invite the parents in to come hear their kids sing. We had one performance outside of school, at an opening for the children's magazine Illustoria. We performed "My Skull Is Made Out of Bone".

I don't really like performing myself. It's the scariest thing for me. But I love singing the songs with the kids in the classroom every day.

SILY: Do you think Cass will work any of these songs into his setlists?

GG: [laughs] Probably not, though he told me he's done "Wave a Flag for Harvey Milk" before with Phil Lesh at Lesh's [now closed] restaurant Terrapin Crossroads. They did it during Pride Week. I wish I was there. Maybe he'll work something in. It's kind of its own separate thing.

I was also a little bit afraid that his fans would see this record and say, "Oh no, a kid's record, it doesn't sound like Cass's music."

SILY: It kind of does though! You can immediately tell it's him, and he has the perfect voice for these songs. It's gentle and expressive at the same time.

GG: He does have a very gentle voice.

SILY: And a lot of the instrumentation on here has that same folk background, a little rougher around the edges in terms of arrangements, especially with the strings and percussion.

GG: I like that we were able to put some strange things in there, some discordant sounds. I like that we got to play actual tools on "Hammer and Nails". Folkways has the tradition of releasing sound effects records, like Sounds of the Junk Yard. At the end of "Hammer and Nails", you hear these smashing sounds. There was construction going on upstairs, so initially, we had to keep stopping our recording, but we decided to just record them banging away and use that in the song.

SILY: There are sound effects at the end of "What's Your Favorite Kind?" and "Paper Airplane" too.

GG: I got to do a "whoop" with some tool I found in the classroom. I went in to look for woodworking tools but found the slide whistle. And "What's Your Favorite Kind?" has Tommy [McMahon], who I've been friends with since I was 10, playing Moog on there. He made it sound like a 1970s Sesame Street song, which is what I'd been hoping for. He goes by Controller 7.

SILY: How did you find the overall process of making the album? Are you planning on recording more songs?

GG: I think we'd like to do more. I'm going to keep making them myself. Cass said he'd be interested. He lives in New York now.

This was my first time going to a real studio, though it was during COVID, so a lot of it was piecemeal, where I'd have some demo stuff, and we wanted guests on there but couldn't get them into the studio, so we did a lot of cutting and pasting. It was cool how it all came together in the end. It would be fun to go in there now and lay it all down in a more live way. That's also hard to do with kids. I'm glad I got to use the voices of the kids in my class on this record. They're the biggest part of these songs. They're why they exist.

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mariapais · 10 days

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Errol Flynn as Michael J. ‘Mike’ McComb

Silver River (1948)

#Errol Flynn #Silver River #1940s #old hollywood #old movies #classic movies #classic hollywood #gifs #my gifs

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fritextramole · 6 months

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leave me standing in the hall or let me enter?

part 5 of a Dan Humphrey playlist - best heard in order

tracklist and quotes under the cut

Boom Went the Boom ~ Joe Glazer

The wolf don't bother any more He starved to death right by my door

Alien Blues ~ Vundabar

I only talk to dogs because they don't understand me My teeth are yellow, hello world Would you like me a little better if they were white like yours?

Bum Bum Bum ~ Cass McCombs

They say, "Buy when there's blood in the streets Even if the blood is your own" So they employed men far away To turn against their home Centuries in the distant mist But it's not a dream No, it ain't no dream, it's all too real How long until This river of blood congeals?

Brazil ~ Declan McKenna

What have I become? I'm the face of God, I'm my father's son

Hold Me My Daddy ~ XTC

If this means war, why are we in it? Might've fired off a couple of rounds, I didn't mean to begin it. If these are the bullets that every father and son must chew, Well then hold me my daddy, I forgot to say I love you.

Ghosting ~ Mother Mother

I won't make noises in your stairs I will be kind and I'll be sweet If you stop staring straight through me And this is why I have decided To pull these old white sheets from my head I'll leave them folded neat and tidy So that you'll know I'm out of hiding

Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land ~ MARINA

I am not my body, not my mind or my brain Not my thoughts or feelings, I am not my DNA I am the observer, I'm a witness of life

Don’t Shut Me Down ~ ABBA

I'm fired up, I'm hot, don't shut me down I'm not the one you knew, I'm now, and then combined And I'm asking you to have an open mind (and I won't be the same)

Something In My Eye ~ Matt Berry

But here I am Grown I've come so far Alone I count the days Until I see you again

How Soon Is Now? ~ The Smiths

How can you say I go about things the wrong way? I am human and I need to be loved Just like everybody else does

My Own Worst Enemy ~ Lit

It's no surprise to me, I am my own worst enemy 'Cause every now and then, I kick the living shit out of me

Freakin’ Out On the Interstate ~ Briston Maroney

I'm walking back to my favorite place And I can feel them staring at me Baby, do you think I'm doing something wrong? And you got a lot on your mind And your heart, it looks just like mine

Kiss Me (I Loved You) ~ Father John Misty

I loved you I heard everything about you And maybe half of it was true

Arms Unfolding ~ dodie

hope i'm not tired of rebuilding cause this might take a little more i think i'd like to try look at you and feel the way i did before.

You Only Need You ~ Tom Rosenthal

You'll get me if you need me and you'll be fine if you don't You said it was arranged by love You have a lot of love to give out

Hello Stranger ~ Julia Holter

If you're not gonna stay Please don't tease me like you did before Because I still love you so

Night Terrors ~ shinigami

Growing up time moves faster than I can Sick and tired of lying to myself I cannot fucking stand this I'm sick of fucking standing On my own, on my phone

Mad World ~ Gary Jules, Michael Andrews

Went to school and I was very nervous No one knew me, no one knew me "Hello, teacher! Tell me, what's my lesson?" Look right through me, look right through me

3 a.m. ~ Gregory Alan Isakov

give me darkness when i’m dreaming give me moonlight when i’m leaving give me shoes that weren’t made for standing

Everything Is Free Father John Misty

Everything I ever done Gotta give it away Someone hit the big score They figured it out

Rest Awhile ~ They Might Be Giants

I got rid of my jackets and coats I threw out all of my pants I got sick of my stinkin' clothes I had to get rid of them I'm not yet considering replacing them I'm only glad to be rid of them

Daddy Sang Bass ~ Johnny Cash

singin' seems to help a troubled soul one of these days and it won't be long i'll rejoin them in a song

#gg #ggplaylists #dan humphrey #gossip girl #source: senamarais

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deep-dive · 2 years

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2022

albums: Alex G - God Save the Animals Alex G - We're All Going to the World's Fair Anthony Naples + DJ Python - Air Texture VIII Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You Björk - Fossora Bladee & Ecco2k - Crest Broadcast - Maida Vale Sessions Carla dal Forno - Come Around Carly Rae Jepsen - The Loneliest Time Cass McCombs - Heartmind Charli XCX - Crash Daphni - Cherry Dawn Richard & Spencer Zahn - Pigments Hikaru Utada - Bad Mode Huerco S. - Plonk Isabella Lovestory - Amor Hardcore Junior Boys - Waiting Game Kali Malone - Living Torch Malibu - Palaces of Pity Marina Herlop - Pripyat Oren Ambarchi - Shebang Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling & Andreas Werliin - Ghosted Organ Tapes - 唱着那无人问津的歌谣 / Chang Zhe Na Wu Ren Wen Jin De Ge Yao Phoenix - Alpha Zulu Physical Therapy - Teardrops on My Garage PPJ - Trindade Rachika Nayar - Heaven Come Crashing Raum - Daughter Sally Shapiro - Sad Cities Sam Prekop - The Sparrow Sam Prekop & John McEntire - Sons Of Shinichi Atobe - Love of Plastic Shygirl - Nymph The Soft Pink Truth - Is It Going to Get Any Deeper Than This? Torus & DJ Lostboi - The Flash Two Shell - Icons The Weeknd - Dawn FM William Basinski & Janek Schaefer - “ . . . On Reflection “

songs: Alex G - JLB's Drawing Bibio - Off Goes the Light Björk - Ancestress (ft. Sindri Eldon) Bladee & Ecco2k - Faust Bladee & Ecco2k - The Flag is Raised Call Super - Swallow Me Carla dal Forno - Side by Side Carly Rae Jepsen - Anxious Carly Rae Jepsen - Talking to Yourself Cass McCombs - Belong to Heaven CFCF - After the After (Bodysync Remix) Charli XCX - Sorry If I Hurt You Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul - Haha Coco & Clair Clair - Bad Lil Vibe Cole Pulice - City in a City Daphni - Take Two Dawn Richard & Spencer Zahn - Sandstone Demi Lovato - Substance DJ Heartstring - Can't Stop the Night Doss - Look (All Night Mix) Doss - Strawberry (Singin' Club Mix) Double Virgo - Kicked Out by Seven Ecco2k & Bladee - Amygdala Ela Minus & DJ Python - Pájaros En Verano Embaci - Tiniest Whisper Hikaru Utada - Somewhere Near Marseilles Hudson Mohawke - Bicstan Isabella Lovestory - Exibisionista Job - Lore Junior Boys - Thinking About You Calms Me Down Kelela - On the Run Luis - Jack Anderson Malibu - Iliad Marina Herlop - Abans Abans Merely - The Killing Sun Mr Twin Sister - Resort Mura Masa & Erika de Casier - e-motions Objekt - Ballast Oren Ambarchi - I Organ Tapes - Burnout Organ Tapes - heaven can wait Physical Therapy - Chain Reaction PinkPantheress - Boy's a liar PPJ - Dar Um (Lauer Remix) Purelink - Butterfly Jam Rachika Nayar - Gayatri Raum - Walk together Sally Shapiro - Sad City SG Lewis & Tove Lo - Call on Me (SG's Dub Edit) Shinichi Atobe - Love of Plastic 1 Shygirl - Firefly Two Shell - Unrequited Yasmine - Doce Atração Yung Lean - Lips Yves Tumor - God Is a Circle

games: Elden Ring Kirby and the Forgotten Land Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Signalis Sonic Frontiers Squaredle Tactics Ogre: Reborn

film: Aftersun (Charlotte Wells) Ambulance (Michael Bay) Avatar: The Way of Water (James Cameron) Crimes of the Future (David Cronenberg) Decision to Leave (Park Chan-wook) I Thought the World of You (Kurt Walker) Jackass Forever (Jeff Tremaine) Kimi (Steven Soderbergh) Nope (Jordan Peele) Orphan: First Kill (William Brent Bell) Pacifiction (Albert Serra) Sharp Stick (Lena Dunham) Stars at Noon (Claire Denis) Tár (Todd Field) Three Thousand Years of Longing (George Miller)

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elvis1970s · 2 years

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When Elvis arrived in Honolulu on January 9th, 1973, several days ahead of the Aloha From Hawaii rehearsal concert and satellite broadcast, he was helicoptered from the airport to the Hilton Village for a filmed reception with fans, and where he had a few brief words with an old friend, ‘Uncle’ Tom Moffatt.

Tom Moffatt was a DJ and concert promoter who, according to his 2016 obituary on Hawaii News Now, ‘made his name in the islands in 1957, when he brought Elvis Presley to perform before thousands of adoring fans’. Tom Moffatt described Elvis' first show in Hawaii as one of the most exciting events he had ever presented; ‘I remember he did Hound Dog and then everybody's screaming. He jumped off the stage, got on his knees with his guitar and the place went bananas.’

Moffatt had been promoting Elvis’ Hawaiian fan club around the time of Love Me Tender, organising a competition to win the hat Elvis wore in the movie and receiving 53 000 entries, alerting Colonel Parker to Elvis’ enormous local popularity. Elvis played three very successful shows in Honolulu over November 10th and 11th, 1957, cementing the relationship. Keen to secure Elvis for his first touring show after discharge from the Army, Moffatt bailed up Colonel Parker who was vacationing in Hawaii while Elvis was still in Germany, securing a commitment on the promise of a huge petition signed by local fans, urging Elvis to come back to Hawaii.

The result would be the famous USS Arizona Memorial benefit show in 1961, which raised over $65 000, more than 10% of the final cost of the project. According to Moffatt in an interview with Dutch television, the idea for the benefit aspect was Colonel Parker’s alone, responding to news that the entire memorial project was about to collapse through lack of funding. Parker and Elvis covered all their own expenses (as they did in 1975 for the McComb Tornado benefit in Mississippi).

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser described Tom Moffatt as ‘one of the most influential figures in the Hawaii entertainment industry’, the first rock DJ in Hawaii and one of the pioneers of modern Top 40 Radio, dominating the ratings throughout the 1960s on radio station KPOI. He was clearly liked and trusted by both Elvis and Colonel Parker, and was given access for interviews, including long-distance by phone to Germany, and later brought some Hawaiian fans, contest winners, to visit Elvis on the Hollywood set of Blue Hawaii.

Over six-decades as a concert and event promoter, Tom Moffatt Productions brought a spectacular roster of artists to Hawaii, including Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, The Shirelles, Connie Francis, the Beach Boys, Rolling Stones, Everly Brothers, Jimi Hendrix, Elton John, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jnr, Liza Minelli, Michael and Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston and the Eagles. According to his obituary, he presented almost every big name in the music business at least once, presented classical concerts, ballet and musical theatre, and was the leading promoter of ‘mega-concerts’ at the 50 000 seat Aloha Stadium. He also ran record labels and was strongly committed to actively promoting local artists and material.

He continued working as a promoter and DJ into his 80s, and passed away in December 2016, aged 85.

#elvis 1970s #elvis history #elvis aaron presley #aloha from hawaii #aloha 50 #elvis in the 70s #elvis presley #rock history #live music #entertainment industry #music industry #elvis fans #elvis in hawaii #uncle tom moffatt #Youtube

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jefferyryanlong · 1 year

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Infinite Pau Hana - May 17, 2023

“nobody knows. nobody sees”

Hour 1

At Dawn - My Morning Jacket Day of the Locusts - Bob Dylan Mother Earth - Memphis Slim and the House Rockers I Still Miss Someone (live) - Johnny Cash Sweet Home Chicago - Robert Johnson Come Home in My Kitchen - Delaney and Bonnie Love in Vain - The Rolling Stones Livin’ the Dream - Sturgill Simpson I’ve Aged Twenty Years in Five - George Jones Long Black Veil - Lefty Frizzel My Cadillac* - Paul Cauthen I Wish I Had Answered (live) - The Staple Singers Will the Circle Be Unbroken - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Hour 2

Deep Blue Sea - Grizzly Bear Now That the Buffalo Are Gone - Buffy Sainte-Marie Garden Botanum - These Trails Brother’s Got a Problem - Olomana E Mama Ea - Mme. Riviere’s Hawaiians Come On Over (live) - Hui Ohana Lost Again - Kalapana Outside a Small Circle of Friends* - Phil Ochs Political Science - Randy Newman There But for Fortune - Joan Baez Someday Soon - Judy Collins Copper Kettle - Bob Dylan Momsong - The Be Good Tanyas

Hour 3

Main Title (Cool Hand Luke) - Lalo Schifrin Motion Pictures (For Carrie) - Neil Young Easy Rider - Chris Sikelianos Me and Paul - Willie Nelson Drink Up and Be Somebody - Merle Haggard Words of Love - The Beatles For the Good Times - Kris Kristofferson Back in the Crowd - Tom Waits There Goes My Everything - Tammy Wynette Open Up - Michael Hurley The Werewolf - Michael Hurley Bobby King of Boys Town - Cass McCombs True Love Will Find You In the End - Beck

KTUH - 901.1 FM Honolulu, 91.1 FM North Shore, ktuh.org

#playlists #infinitepauhana

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blakeboldt-blog · 5 years

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Best Albums of 2019

Top 10:

"Jaime," Brittany Howard.

"In the Morse Code of Brake Lights," The New Pornographers.

"Between the Country," Ian Noe.

"Mint Condition," Caroline Spence.

"While I'm Livin'," Tanya Tucker.

"Father of the Bride," Vampire Weekend.

"Remind Me Tomorrow," Sharon Van Etten.

"Titanic Rising," Weyes Blood.

"Legacy! Legacy!" Jamila Woods.

"Walk Through Fire," Yola.

Honorable mention:

"U.F.O.F." Big Thief.

"Assume Form," James Blake.

"Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest," Bill Callahan.

"This Land," Gary Clark, Jr.

"In Search of the Miraculous," Desperate Journalist.

"Magdalene," FKA Twigs.

"thank u, next," Ariana Grande.

"Terms of Surrender," Hiss Golden Messenger.

"On the Line," Jenny Lewis.

"Cuz I Love You," Lizzo.

"Stronger Than the Truth," Reba McEntire.

"Blood," Allison Moorer.

"Saves the World," MUNA.

"Songs of Our Native Daughters," Our Native Daughters.

"Pony," Orville Peck."

Jimmy Lee," Raphael Saadiq.

"Dépaysé," Sinkane.

"Sound & Fury," Sturgill Simpson.

"Eraserland," Strand of Oaks.

"Miss Universe," Nilüfer Yanya.

Songs:

"Almeda," Solange.

"Ain't Got No Money," Justin Townes Earle.

"Bad Case," Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real.

"Bags," Clairo.

“Bible and a .44," Trisha Yearwood.

"Black Patch," Kelsey Waldon.

"Blazing Highway Home," Josh Ritter.

"Blume," Nerija.

"The Bones," Maren Morris.

"A Boy Is a Gun," Tyler, the Creator.

"Burning," Maggie Rogers.

"Bus Route," Tyler Childers.

"Calliope," Cassius.

"Caught on the Inside," Ten Fé.

"Cheap Silver," Mike & the Moonpies.

"Cheatin' Songs," Midland.

"Circle Game," Pink.

"Count on Me," The Lone Bellow.

"Cruel Summer," Taylor Swift.

"Dark and Handsome," Blood Orange.

"Dark Places," Beck.

"The Daughters," Little Big Town.

"Delta Line," Emily Scott Robinson.

"Desert Man," Bat for Lashes.

"Don't Feel Like Crying," Sigrid.

"Estrella," Cass McCombs.

"Far from Home," Aubrie Sellers.

"Father," Robert Ellis.

"Fixture Picture," Aldous Harding.

"Freelance," Toro y Moi.

"Ghost," Kaina.

"Gone," Charli XCX.

"Gonna Write Me a Letter," Rhiannon Giddens/Francesco Turisi.

"Good Scare," TORRES.

"The Greatest," Lana Del Rey.

"Hallelujah," HAIM.

"He," Jai Paul.

"Heavy on My Mind," Mavis Staples.

"Hello Sunshine," Bruce Springsteen.

"Hey, Bus Driver!" Tami Nielsen.

"Hey, Ma," Bon Iver.

"Hold On," Aimee Mann.

"Hot Air Balloons," Tank and the Bangas.

"Hot Girl Summer," Megan Thee Stallion.

"Human Question," The Yawpers.

"Hungry Child," Hot Chip.

"Hurry on Home," Sleater-Kinney.

"Hurt," Gallant.

"I Don't Wanna Ride the Rails (No More)," Vince Gill.

"In the Capital," Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever.

"Incapable," Roisin Murphy.

"It's Time," Leonard Cohen.

"Jesus & Elvis," Hayes Carll.

"Lark," Angel Olsen.

"Light Years," The National.

"Lonely As You Are," Charles Bradley.

"Loose Change," Highwomen.

"Lovestained," Hope Tala.

"Lying Down," Celine Dion.

"Messed with My Mind," Molly Tuttle.

"Midnight Sun," Calexico/Iron & Wine.

"Mirage," Jessie Ware.

"Mirror in the Sky," Peaking Lights.

"Mother's Mother's Magazines," Cate le Bon.

"Nighttime Drive," Jay Som.

"No Bullets Spent," Spoon.

"On the Edge of Time," Jens Lekman.

"One More Song to Write," Willie Nelson.

"One Night Standards," Ashley McBryde.

"Open Book," Kalie Shorr.

"Patience," Tame Impala.

"A Perfect Wife," Frank Turner.

"Runner," Tennis.

"The Seduction of Kansas," Priests.

"Send Me a Postcard," Bob Mould.

"Shine a Little Light," The Black Keys.

"Sisyphus," Andrew Bird.

“Solid Ground," Michael Kiwanuka.

"Someone Else," Emotional Oranges.

"Sparrow," Emeli Sandé.

"Starry Night," Peggy Gou.

"Stay with Me," Hatchie.

"Suge," daBaby.

"Talk," Khalid/Disclosure.

"Tell the World I Do," Dee White."

That's Just the Way I Feel," Purple Mountains.

"The Thing That Wrecks You," Lady Antebellum w/ Little Big Town.

"Track Record," Miranda Lambert.

"Used to Be Lonely," Whitney.

"Virile," Moses Sumney.

"Want You in My Room," Carly Rae Jepsen.

"War in My Mind," Beth Hart.

"Water Me Down," Vagabon.

"Weeping Willow," Ruston Kelly.

"Where I Come From," Patty Griffin.

"Working on a Song," Todd Snider.

"Xanny," Billie Eilish.

"Yellow Cloud," Trixie Mattel.

"You've Got Other Girls for That," Lillie Mae.

"Young Enough," Charly Bliss.

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femmefataleart · 1 year

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Red Sonja by Michael McComb

#red sonja #michael mccomb

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twnenglish · 2 years

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50 Most Popular Women In The Entire World

Who are the world's most popular women? Women, like males, are rising in every industry. To help you get to know the world's 50 most popular women, we've included a peek at their careers. Their life journey can teach and put things in perspective.

50 most popular women's names and rankings

1. Oprah Winfrey

On January 29, 1954, Oprah Gail Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi. She deserved first place because she was born to a poor young mother.

Although coming from a poor family, she presents and creates TV shows. She writes, acts, and donates.

2. Cher

Cher was born May 20, 1946, in El Centro, California. The media calls her the "Goddess of Pop"—an American actress, singer, and TV personality.

After almost 60 years in showbiz, she has a large following. Her constant experimentation with her appearance set her apart from her peers, making her work never boring.

3. Lana Del Ray

Lana was born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant in New York City on June 21, 1985. She is mainly known for her words, but she also performs well and has created several CDs.

In 2011, her debut track, Video Games, went viral. Her net worth exceeds $30 million.

4. Rihanna

Robyn Few know her real name, Rihanna Fenty. She was born on February 20, 1988, in Saint Michael, Barbados. Her Instagram following is huge. The singer's first two albums, 2005's Music of the Sun and A Girl Like Me, launched her career. She now has $300 million and 92.4 million followers.

5. Kendall Jenner

Kendall Nicole Jenner was born November 3, 1995, in Los Angeles. The list was incomplete without Jenner. Kendall's famous.

Model with over 153 million Instagram followers. Keeping Up with the Kardashians made her famous.

Forbes lists her 16th among top-earning models. She's worth $45 million.

6. Lady Gaga

Gaga's birth name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. Her 2008 debut album, The Fame, showcased her talent. The singer was at conflict with her family since she was a teenager, thus her personal life was a mess.

However, she and her mother reconciled and have a great connection. She is worth $320 million.

7. Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber's inclusion in the world's 50 most popular women seems puzzling. Talent management recognized the Canadian singer-songwriter in 2013. The youngest solo male act to top the charts in 47 years, the singer became a teen idol.

8. Britney Spears

Britney Jean Spears was born December 2, 1981, in McComb, Mississippi. Besides acting, she sings, dances, and writes. Since 1992, much of her entertainment work has been critically acclaimed.

The 2008 album Circus was her breakout. Her fame has made her a media target and involved her in several incidents. She is valued over $60 million.

9. Selena Gomez

On July 22, 1992, Grand Prairie, Texas, welcomed Selena Marie Gomez. She is a famous singer, actress, and composer. The Disney series Wizards of Waverly Place made her famous.

It's also Emmy-nominated. She was Miley's contemporary on Hannah Montana before the programme. She is close to Taylor Swift and has worked in music since childhood.

10. Adele

Adele On May 5, 1988, Laurie Blue Akins was born in London. English singer-songwriter. Hometown Glory, penned by her at 16, was a smash on her debut album, 19.

Her second album, 21, was much more successful. She divorced Simon Konecki in 2019.

11. Madonna

Madonna August 16, 1958, Louise Ciccone was born in Bay City, Michigan. She became the Queen of Pop after going from Michigan to New York City to dance.

Madonna was her breakout album. After that, all of her albums were lauded, and everyone understood she was unstoppable. She's worth $850 million.

12. Beyoncé

Beyoncé On September 4, 1981, Giselle Knowles Carter was born in Houston, Texas. She sings, acts, writes, and directs. She has competed in singing and dancing since childhood. She has worked with Jay-Z and Sean Paul.

She has 166 million Instagram followers. In 2019, she was the highest-paid celebrity.

13. Jennifer Lopez

On July 24, 1969, New York City birthed Jennifer Lynn Lopez. She's been in movies and recorded songs. The most powerful Latin actress, she was the first to charge $1 million for a film.

Few know she excelled in sports as an undergraduate. She's worth $400 million.

14. Katy Perry

Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson was born in Santa Barbara on October 25, 1984. Her 2008 album One of the Guys made her famous despite her 2000 debut.

Her three subsequent albums were well-received, making her famous worldwide. Her Instagram following is 113 million, and her net worth is around $330 million.

15. Shakira

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll's real name. Barranquilla, Colombia, was her birthplace. She dances and sings. Media calls her the "Queen of Latin Music."

She debuted at 13. After her 1991 and 1993 albums failed, she succeeded. She worked in English and Spanish.

16. Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj was born Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago, on December 8, 1982. Pink Friday, her 2010 first album, topped the Billboard 200.

Her second album also made the Billboard Hot 100 top five. After her back-to-back victories, she kept climbing mountains and is now worth $80 million.

17. Miley Cyrus

Miley Ray Cyrus was born in Franklin, Tennessee, on November 23, 1992. Few know that her parents named her Miley after her childhood nickname Smiley since she smiled a lot.

18. Kim Kardashian West

Talking about popularity requires mentioning the Kardashians. Kim was born October 21, 1980, in Los Angeles. She has over 200 million Instagram followers.

She founded KKW Beauty and KKW Fragrance. She has also starred in great films. She is worth $780 million.

19. Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie Voight was born June 4, 1975, in Los Angeles. She is well-liked worldwide, and the media routinely praises her work. In 1993, she debuted in Cyborg 2.

2014. She married Brad Pitt. They divorced. She has achieved much professionally, but her personal life is unfulfilling. Her estimated wealth is $100 million.

20. Paris Hilton

Born February 17, 1981, Paris Whitney Hilton. Paris, granddaughter of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton, hails from a wealthy New York City family.

Paris, her 2006 record, made her famous in New York. In 2012, Forbes labelled her the most overexposed celebrity due to her scandalous personal life.

21 . Lindsay Lohan

American actress Lindsay Dee Lohan sings. Ford Models signed three-year-old Lohan, who was born in New York City and raised on Long Island. After appearing on Another World at 10, she made her film debut in Walt Disney Productions' The Parent Trap.

Lindsay Lohan, the "Mean Girl," was a 2000s favourite. Health and personal concerns reduced her popularity. She returned to small and huge screens to amazing acclaim. Because some people binge-watch "Mean Girls," she remains among the top 50 most popular ladies on the internet.

22 . Michelle Obama

Former First Lady Michelle Obama is a lawyer, social rights activist, and role model. "Becoming Michelle Obama" topped the NYT Best Sellers list when she began writing and speaking to share her views. She inspires millions worldwide.

The first black First Lady. In her four main projects, she has advocated for healthy families, service members and their families, higher education, and global adolescent girls' education.

In 2010, she founded Let's Move! to fight childhood obesity. Let's Move! aims to reduce childhood obesity in a generation.

Mrs. Obama and Dr. Jill Biden created Joining Forces in 2011 to encourage Citizens to help service troops, veterans, and their families through wellness, education, and employment.

In 2014, Mrs. Obama launched the Reach Higher Initiative to encourage American youth to continue their education after high school, whether at a professional training programme, community college, or four-year college or university.

Mrs. Obama and President Obama launched Let Girls Learn in 2015 to help girls worldwide stay in school.

23. Katy Perry

Katy Perry is a TV judge and singer-songwriter. Since 2008, Forbes has recognised Katy as one of the highest-earning female musicians.

Katy Perry was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson in Santa Barbara, California, on October 25, 1984. Her cartoonish aesthetic and catchy, sexually suggestive melodies made her popular.

Southern California raised Katy Hudson, middle child of two travelling born-again Christian ministers. She sang gospel and church hymns since the Hudson family disallowed secular music. She played guitar as a child and launched a music career with a Nashville Christian record label, but her gospel-influenced Katy Hudson (2001) album failed to sell.

24. Kim Kardashian

Kimberly (Kim) is an American media personality, socialite, model, businesswoman, producer, and actor. Since 2017, Kim has focused on her own businesses, KKW Beauty and KKW fragrance. She was reportedly 2015's highest-paid reality TV star.

25. Sandra Bullock

Sandra Annette Bullock was born in Arlington, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. German opera soprano Helga Bullock (née Helga Mathilde Meyer) was her mother. Her father, Alabama-born vocal teacher John W. Bullock, was German. "Gravity" and "The Proposal" star Sandra Bullock made her money over three decades.

One of Hollywood's biggest stars, her films have grossed about $5 billion worldwide. In a young-focused industry, Bullock has landed some of her biggest roles beyond 50. She reportedly received $20 million upfront for "The Lost City," starring Channing Tatum, in 2022.

26. Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera is a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter. She sold over 75 million records worldwide. Aguilera is the third female artist and fourth overall to achieve five Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s throughout three decades (1990s, 2000s, and 2010s).

Her six Grammys include one Hispanic Grammy. She is the only under-30 performer on Rolling Stone Magazine's 100 Greatest Vocalists list.

She got the People's Choice Awards' first Music Icon Award in 2021. Aguilera has been Yum! Brands' Global Hunger Relief global spokeswoman since 2009. She has raised almost $150 million for the World Food Program and other hunger relief groups.

27. Jessica Alba

Jessica Marie Alba was born in Pomona, California, on April 28, 1981, to Catherine (Jensen) and Mark David Alba, an Air Force veteran. Her parents are Mexican and Danish, Welsh, English, and French (with Spanish and Indigenous Mexican roots). Her family moved to Biloxi, Mississippi, when she was a baby. Her father's job returned the family to California after three years. When Jessica was nine, they moved to Southern California from Del Rio, Texas. She started attending acting classes at twelve, despite wanting to be an actress since five. She was represented nine months later.

28. Fergie

Fergie is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and actor. Black Eyed Peas made her famous. "London Bridge," "Glamorous," and "Big Girls Don't Cry" from her debut solo album, The Dutchess, topped the Billboard Hot 100.

29. Pamela Anderson

"Home Improvement" (1991–1999), "Baywatch" (1989–2001), and "V.I.P." star Pamela Anderson (1998-2002). After appearing on the jumbotron at a Canadian sporting event wearing a Labatt's Beer t-shirt, British Columbia native Anderson rose to fame in her early 20s. Labatt's executives hired Anderson as a spokesmodel after being captivated by her beauty. Hugh Hefner of Playboy magazine approached Anderson shortly after she became a beer spokesmodel.

The Pamela Anderson Foundation supports animal, human, and environmental rights activists. The Pamela Anderson Foundation supports environmental education and protection.

30. Betty White

American actress and comedian Betty Marion White lived from January 17, 1922, to December 31, 2021. One of the first women to work in front of and behind the camera, she was a pioneer of early television and entertainment. She worked over 70 years.

White's career spanned more than 80 years, longer than the average American lifespan and several show business geological epochs. In 1939, RCA debuted television at the World's Fair and promised to "unify the life of the nation." White would persevere over the decades, defeating the odds of a cruelly unpredictable business where even genuine stars shine brilliantly for a few years, burn out, fade away, and earn their residual payments.

31. Kristen Stewart

Kristen Stewart, a top-earning American actress, was born in Los Angeles on April 9, 1990. Kristen Stewart's parents are John Stewart and Australian Jules Mann Stewart. Kristen was born into a stage management and filmmaking family.

She is from an award-winning entertainment family. BAFTA and SAG nominations. She is the only American actor to receive a Cesar.

The Twilight Series, featuring Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan, was released in 2007. Kristen's movie performance wowed everyone. The film did well financially and commercially.

32. Ciara

On October 25, 1985, American singer, songwriter, dancer, actor, model, and businesswoman Ciara Princess Wilson was born. Her 2004 debut studio album, Goodies, featured Petey Pablo. Four singles from the album followed: "Goodies" (with Petey Pablo), "1, 2 Step" (with Missy Elliott), "Oh" (with Ludacris), and "And I." "1, 2 Step" and "Oh" both reached at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and ranked within the top five in the UK, while "Goodies" topped both charts. The album garnered two 48th Annual Grammy nominations and triple platinum recognition from the RIAA. "Lose Control" by Missy Elliott and "Like You" by Bow Wow, both number three Billboard Hot 100 hits, featured Ciara. "Get Up" (with Chamillionaire), "Promise," "Like a Boy," and "Can't Leave 'em Alone" were hits from Ciara: The Evolution, her 2006 second studio album (featuring 50 Cent). The US number-one album was platinum.

33. Hillary Clinton

Hillary Hillary Rodham Clinton, originally Hillary Diane Rodham, is an American lawyer and politician who was Secretary of State under President Barack Obama from 2009 until 2013. Chicago, Illinois, was her birthplace. While her husband, Bill Clinton, was president, she ran the White House from 1993 until 2001. As the Democratic Party's 2016 presidential nominee, she made history.

Hillary Rodham Clinton was a tough and realistic leader, an ardent proponent of social justice and women's rights, and a tenacious and clever politician as First Lady, Senator, presidential contender, and Secretary of State.

34. Aniston

Jennifer Aniston. Friends made her famous as Rachel Green. Jennifer Aniston is a top-earning actress. Her estimated $300 million value is enormous. Bruce Almighty, The Break-Up, Marley & Me, Horrible Bosses, and others have earned Aniston money. She's one of her generation's most popular actors. Before becoming famous, Aniston worked in theatres and odd jobs.

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