It’s a joy to watch my teacher grow his career, and a blessing to spread the word about his songs about the environment. Dan’s song “Looking for Answers” is about a daughter asking her father if we’ll have a future because of what’s going on with our environment. This past November a review in the Saratogian described Dan, “Resembling a young Pete Seeger.” YEAH! 😊
All my songwriters have a little Pete Seeger in them. In fact, John and Johanna Hall worked with him on the Clearwater. John's influence on teaching us about the environment is earth-shaking, especially the No Nukes concerts in the 1970s. He and Johanna Hall, who had the sync to end all syncs STILL THE ONE have a vintage song WAKE UP from Orleans II. With classic Orleans’ harmony and trumpet, this is a hooky song with clever lyrics. Note that WAKE UP is with Sony Publishing, and is NOT a ONE-STOP.
WAKE UP Orleans Adult Album Alternative, trumpet, group harmony, wake up, people, “wake up!” environment, pollution, “stop throwing plastic in the sea/can’t you let the fishies be!” ecology, snow, lightning, birds in flight, seasons, signs of life, “the day’s gonna come” air pollution, water pollution, MusiciansUnitedForSafeEnergy, This song is co-written by John and Johanna Hall, the couple that wrote the most incredible sync, “You’re Still The One.”
LOOKING FOR ANSWERS Dan Berggren Folk, daughter asking about what the environment will look like when she grows up. Long term / Short term materialism, greed, easy answers, ask questions, learn what's ahead.
DON’S THEME Joe Olnick Instrumental guitar, influences like David Gilmour, Alex Skolnick, Kyuss, Roy Bucchanan. Emotional, atmospheric, sad, orchestral, slow, dirge Mellow and quite proggy,pretty. The guitar soloing is slow and expressive. As it continues a bluesy edge is introduced to the piece. This continues to grow with style and class.
BEES AND ZOMBIES Rebecca Loebe Theatrical Folk, Gilbert & Sullivan-y. If Jim Carrey was a soprano, singing a train-of-thought song with symphonic piano backup singers. About the environment. Rebecca telling someone about environment problems, and the person takes another seat. At the end, someone else tells her about the bees, and guess what! She moves away... The video is a delight, like a school play with children and a slightly panic’d male teacher.
THIS DARKNESS Rachael Sage Pop, Dream Pop/Chamber Pop, female singer with CSNY protest guitar sound, environment, the song is about the Dakota Pipeline, keywords: see myself, grieve myself, somebody's fool, hate, “I don’t know why you’re full of hate."
A TERRIBLE PICKLE Dean Friedman A Music Hall song with ukulele about the world being in a terrible pickle. Some mentions of Australia-related nature-- Koalas and eucalyptus trees, all kinds of mentions about the environment, the oceans are rising. Kyota accord.
MARY MAGDALENE Gary Lucas & Jann Klose Upbeat folk song with Irish singalong energy, singer sounds like Paul McCartney, Ed Sheeran. About Superstorm Sandy, hunkering down and praying during a horrible storm that took place in Long Island, 2012. The City never had a hurricane like this. It told New Yorkers that global warming is real
NOBODY KNEW Carmine Appice’s Guitar Zeus Hard Rock, Like the heavier parts of the Beatles’ “I’m the Walrus” and “Strawberry Fields,” Brian May guitar, vocals by Kelly Keeling. “Nobody knew who’s running the White House,” gas, all we wanted, here we are, Hear me now. Nobody Knew where they were going. “There’s a hole in the blue sky” "Thought it would last."
Spotify Playlist dedicated to Greta Thunberg
Thank you from the musicians
