Fall 2024 Songs

"I Wish You Joy" Dean Friedman male tenor vocals, like a soulful and mindful Billy Joel with coed harmonies and harmonica. "Breathe the morning air" joy joy joy  Joy!!!!  

Kwanzaa’s Pure Light Yocontalie Jackson & the Jennifer Tibbetts Children's Chorus  Gospel, percussion, flugelhorns, piano, mid-tempo, spoken word and singing, female leadsinger & teenage children choir describes what Kwanzaa is and how it's related to "our African past." celebrate community & words that rhyme like unity, responsibility. 

"Smiling" Refestramus prog rock inspired by Crack the Sky but with female vocals kindred to Miley Cyrus. "I'll keep smiling so you can see me." 

Zombie Love Refestramus  uptempo dance with energetic edm fx, keyboards that sound like strings, female vocals, multi-female vocals qualities of being a zombie "Keep fighting me baby, you're driving me crazy, we gotta fight for our zombie love" 

refestramus.bandcamp.com/track/zombie-love-radio-edit

Hometown Jaclyn Bradley female vocals, slow and mellow, midwestern pop-rock, leaving home to travel the world and get married, ultimately finding it in her hometown.  "The things that you run from sometimes save your soul."

One Tribe Orleans Funky guitar and drums mid-tempo like the Eagles' Life in the Fast Lane, John Hall's blues rock voice, "We are all one tribe." chant "we are one everyone we are one" Note: Lyrics shout out conflicts from the 1990s. 

Blackbird  Kj Denhert  piano led jazz version with instrumentals and upright bass solo, Kj has a comforting jazz pop voice, alto, there is a build up vocally towards the end. BIPOC, live recording without crowd noise.

kjdenhert.bandcamp.com/track/blackbird

The Time We Share  Hank Wedel  midtempo, friendly song, male tenor with voice like Richard Thompson, "It's great to see you, we thought you were dead." hook: "It's all about the time we share." Reunion. 

hankwedel.bandcamp.com/track/the-time-we-share-2 

Outrage Olympics  Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius male vocal, tenor in Jack Bruce's range, keyboards into full band led with electric violin. Genesis-inspired. This is about not minding your own business & why people walk on eggshells, cancel culture.

 

FU Dance Doozer McDooze (aka Paul Short) upbeat tempo electric guitar & drums driven, British cockney punk singer/sometimes shouter, rock dance song, Starting fights in person & online. "It's ok to give someone a second chance, but on the third time, give them the FU Dance."  

 

Juneteenth Playlist

Inspired by Bandcamp, who are giving 100% of its sales’ revenue to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund on Monday, June 19, here’s my first Juneteenth playlist.  These songs are on Bandcamp, and links are provided.   

Choose Your Weapon Kj Denhert  reggae, female voice, about war and how to prevent it, "If you don't choose a weapon, war will choose a weapon for your child." kjdenhert.bandcamp.com/track/choose-your-weapon

Help Kj Denhert  voice and guitar thoughtful ballad, bringing new life to the lyrics. Sony Music is contact for Beatles.  KJ owns her master, and has permission to record song.  motemamusic.bandcamp.com/track/help

Be A Pain  Alastair Moock  country, upbeat, tempo kindred to "Thank God, I"m a Country Boy" standing up to what's wrong, Rosa Parks, Harvey Milk, be a pain shout about it and complain, equal pay--Billy Jean King, Parkland, “Don't be polite, raise your alastair mock: be a pain: Be A Pain by Alastair Moock  country, upbeat, tempo kindred to "Thank God, I'm a Country Boy" standing up to what's wrong, Rosa Parks, Harvey Milk, be a pain shout about it and complain, equal pay--Billy Jean King, Parkland, “If you see something that’s wrong, raise your hand and say that’s wrong Point it out and name that thing by its name”   alastairmoock.bandcamp.com/track/be-a-pain

Slim in Atlanta Cornelius Eady/Rough Magic   male vocal- slang "accent" piano, early jazz, N word The poem “Slim in Atlanta” by Sterling Allen Brown is a satire that humorously looks at race relations. In the poem, the protagonist discovers that blacks are forbidden to laugh in public and are lining up to laugh in the security of a telephone booth. The poem is a commentary on the absurdity of segregation laws and how they were used to control black people’s behavior. roughmagic.bandcamp.com/track/slim-in-atlanta 

Sterling Allen Brown, Poet

If We Must Die Robin Lane  female vocals, acoustic guitar, blues, If we must die, let us noble-y die is the from the most acclaimed poem by Harlem Renaissance writer, Claude McKay  (1922).    The poem was created in response to mob attacks by white Americans upon African-American communities.  therobinlane.bandcamp.com/track/if-we-must-die

Claude McKay, Poet

Peace Begins in My Own Heart  Dan Berggren folk music male baritone, guitar, "I'm a poor wayfaring stranger traveling through this world of greed." "help my neighbor, do my part... peace begins in my own heart" danberggren.bandcamp.com/track/peace-begins-in-my-own-heart-2
 

Used to be White Ceili Rain   male vocals, rock, celtic instruments, "Strawberry Fields"-like, "It wasn't just my skin, it was the shape my mind was in--I used to be white." Writer Bob Halligan, Jr. was thinking of the American evolution regarding racial justice, and celebrating his own transformation, in a fairly sober way.  ceilirain.bandcamp.com/track/used-to-be-white

Peace on Earth  Steve Bonino  male vocals, slow, dreamlike, produced pop like Paul McCartney Beatles, Shins dream pop , wish for peace on earth.  it lists the bad times in the first verse and by the end of the second verse, it asks us all to dream.  stevebonino.bandcamp.com/track/peace-on-earth

Cognitive Dissonance   Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius  (two versions, studio and live)  male tenor vocals hard rock electric-violin & guitars People believing rumors, and losing friends due to politics and religions. “Hatred is taught.” 

Studio link: stratospheerius.bandcamp.com/track/cognitive-dissonance 

Live link: Cognitive Dissonance (Live at ProgStock) | Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius (bandcamp.com)

 

Leadership Playlist

Welcome Home John Hall   commercial pop like the Doobie Brothers with vocals, leadsinger male, about a man that was shipped out to fight for our country and waiting to hear "welcome home." Reality of wounds that don't heal 

 

https://soundcloud.com/cornelius-eady/let-there-be-a-new-flowering?si=473451a7738f4cdeb5988300c80e895b

Let There Be New Flowering Cornelius Eady Dreamy-sounding male and vocal with a guitar, cello.Last line:  “Let Love be at the end”  1:14 song length. 

https://soundcloud.com/karen-besbeck/my-rivers-run-dry?si=3dcf029496e741f6b13317ca90cc5029  My River’s Run Dry Karen Besbeck  Country, like Kacey Musgraves, Margo Price, Cassadee Pope.  The song is a metaphor for land going barren and love going barren. He won't change even though it's too late.

Nobody Knew   Carmine Appice’s Guitar Zeus Like the heavier parts of the Beatles’ “I’m the Walrus” and “Strawberry Fields,” Brian May guitar, vocals by Kelly Keeling. The song is apocalyptic about the environment.  Powerful line “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.”     

Help Kj Denhert Singer-songwriter KJ owns her master, voice and guitar thoughtful ballad, bringing new life to the lyrics.     

A Void  Andrew Alling with guitar and harmonica male vocals  A Void in relationships, why are we against the world? DirtyWords, time to heal, rock & ground shaking poetics.

 

Songs of Leadership & Fighting this Pandemic

Capitalist Without A Soul  Dan Berggren  folk with banjo, singalong and the hook "Capitalist without a soul." The story of a man that takes advantage of the rich and the poor.  Great rhymes "I've always done what I please, brought the economy to its knees!"

Be A Pain by Alastair Moock  country, upbeat, tempo kindred to New Grass Revival/John Denver tempos. About standing up to what's wrong, Rosa Parks, Harvey Milk, be a pain shout about it and complain, equal pay--Billy Jean King, Parkland, “Don't be polite, raise your voice and do what's right.”  Second Place in the ISC song competition for best children’s song.  

#WeSayThankYou by Leslie Mandoki & Ian Anderson Gentle piano starts this soft rock band (with flute) duet with male voices.  Giving respect to the people—from the hospitals to the grocery store workers that are helping people fighting the Coronavirus. There is also a jab to corrupt speculators that are using this time to make money off of this serious health problem. 

Help! by Kj Denhert voice and guitar thoughtful ballad-style, bringing new life to the lyrics. 

We Know What To Do by Sharon Katz & the Children of Bellas Artes  English and Spanish. Grownup and children’s voices. Unison rapping in Spanish.  It’s about washing your hands.The tempo is similar to the Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me.” 

Hamba Kahle Mandela (Go Well Mandela) by Sharon Katz & Nonhlanhla Wanda:  Piano and acoustic and electric guitar, the right amount of harmonious electric instruments give “Go Down Mandela” a comforting blend with two gentle female voices in English and Zulu.  Stirring ballad to say “goodbye” to Nelson Mandela, whose birthday is July 18.  The song is a challenge to carry his lessons forward.  (pronounced HAM-BA-KAH-LE  MANDELA)  (H=soft sound).   

Let There By New Flowering sung by Cornelius Eady   Poem by Lucille Clifton, a respected African-American poet from Western NY.   Dreamy-sounding male and vocal with a guitar, cello.Last line:  “Let Love be at the end”  

Cornelius Eady · Let There Be New Flowering

KJ Denhert

KJ Denhert is celebrating her 15 years as a working urban folk jazz singer-songwriter on March 16, 2012, at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center. She is in the studio with Tomas Donker, and there's a video of her in the studio at her youtube page.

There's a great quote from KJ in the video, "Life is scary now, but the joyous part is the art you get from it."

Rolling Stone.com caught KJ live in concert as she performed at the 90th Anniversary of the Local 802 (Musicians Union) benefit that Steve Earle organized for the Union. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/photos/pete-seeger-honored-at-musicians-union-benefit-20111205/kj-denhert-0204468
In addition to KJ and Steve, the show included Rosanne Cash, Paul Shaffer, Pete Seeger , Nelly McKay....

http://www.kjdenhert.com
http://www.youtube.com/kjdenhert

KJ DENHERT, AN INTRODUCTION

http://www.kjdenhert.com
KJ's video and story behind "Let It Go"
http://youtu.be/Ld851jNlSN4
KJ's music video of "Help" http://youtu.be/p-ktZ1jARKQ

This is KJ DENHERT, an urban folk singer/guitarist/songwriter, who performs quite a bit. If you're interested in getting her press kit with her current album, ALBUM No.9.  
 
"Album No.9 is about freedom.” says KJ Denhert. There also is a numerology connection as to how and when the album was recorded; production began on Sept. 9, 2009, continued over the course of nine months with nine musicians, and has nine songs. "My life-path number is 9," says KJ. In less than a year of its release on Sept. 9, 2010, KJ's music video of ALBUM No.9’s yearnful "Help" is becoming a minor hit on youtube. She interprets the Beatles' standard as a plea to the world, because of the many tragedies that were complicated due to man’s inhumanity and greed, most recently in Haiti, Louisiana, and Japan. Other classics on the album are "Alfie;" "Pennies From Heaven,” "The Shadow of Your Smile," and "Smoke on the Water."

The reggae anthem "Choose Your Weapon," which won the 2010 Independent Music Award for ”Sing Out for Social Action," "Let It Go," and her first song in French, "Chanson Baz Bar" are three of ALBUM No.9's originals that have become favorites of KJ's fans.

This November, KJ will be celebrating 15 years fronting her own band KJ Denhert and the New York Unit. But, her career dates back to the '60s when she first started playing guitar at age 10, listening to Sergio Mendes and John Hartford, “As I advanced, books by James Taylor and Joni Mitchell were my first official self-study as a guitarist.”

As a young woman in the ‘80s she played guitar and sang with an all-female band called, “Fire” touring throughout North America and Europe. She also spent time in Cleveland, founding and fronting the group, “Cyclone Sisters.” Upon moving back to NY City in 1997, she formed the “NY Unit.” Since then she’s recorded and toured non-stop, playing overseas as an eight-time artist in residence at Italy’s Umbria Jazz Festival, at prestigious events including The Rochester International Jazz Festival.

KJ is the founder of recording label, Mother Cyclone Records. She was named a winner of the Kerrville New Folk Song contest in June, 2006 for "Private Angel" and won the Mountain Stage New Song contest later that summer for her composition, "Little Mary." The Album, ANOTHER YEAR GONE BY, LIVE won the 2006 Independent Music Award for Best Live Performance.

   
KJ DENHERT ON THE ROAD
June 18: Clearwater's Great Hudson River Revival, Croton on Hudson
June 24:12 Grapes Music and Wine Bar, Peekskill, NY
June 25: 55 Bar, New York, NY
July 7: Underground Wonderbar, Chicago, IL
July 8: Club La Salle, South Bend, IN
July 18: Woodsongs, Lexington, KY
July 23: 55 Bar, New York, NY
July 29: Belleayre Music Festival - Belleayre Mountain Ski Resort, Highmount, NY
July 30: Rams Head on Stage w/ Gregory Porter, Annapolis, MD
August 9: Cape Cod Jazz, Chatham, MA
August 11: New Paltz, NY (duo: KJ Denhert & Jennifer Vincent)
August 20: 55 Bar, New York, NY
August 21: Special Event @the Falcon, Marlboro, NY
August 23: Cornwall, NY
September 2: Union Chapel Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard, MA
September 3: 55 Bar, New York, NY
September 10: The Falcon,  Marlboro, NY
September 17: 55 Bar, New York, NY
October 8: Uncommon Ground, Dobbs Ferry (solo w/ Vance Gilbert)

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