Season 159 - Cover My Friends

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UkeCan1

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Welcome to Season 159, where we are having a big getting-to-know-you party!



One of my very favorite things to do in life is to bring people I love together to meet each other and/or discover great music and other things I think they would love.

It has been my joy and privilege to be a part of this amazing wonderful online community of brilliant, fun, talented musical friends ... who I get to know and spend time with here in our Seasons of the Ukulele forum and on YouTube.

It has been my equal joy and privilege to be a part of another amazing wonderful local community of brilliant, fun, talented musical friends ... who I get to know and spend time with in person, attending their shows and concerts, jamming with them, seeing them at parties and festivals, and so forth. Some of them are professional musicians, others are talented amateur songwriters and performers, and some have written just one or two really great songs (so far) that deserve to be more widely heard.

This week, I would love to bring us all together into one amazing wonderful community of brilliant, fun, talented musical friends ... and so this week is your opportunity to meet my other friends - my local music friends.


OPTION 1:
So your invitation for this week is to get to know one or more of my friends, who you don't already know. Discover a new artist ... and a new song that you love ... and cover it on video.

Post #2 will contain a list of friends you are invited to cover, along with links where you can find them. Unless otherwise stated in post #2, the song must be an original song (or mashup or parody - it must have at least some original content) by one of my listed friends.

If you need help with chords and lyrics ... how cool would that be if you reached out directly to the artist themselves! I'm sure they would be thrilled to help you ... and you and they will make a new friend. Virtually all of them are my Facebook friends, and most have some kind of contact info online. If you need help reaching an artist, just ask me ... I'll put you in touch.


OPTION 2:
Fellow Seasonistas are also my friends ... and yours. So you can also cover original songs, mashups, or parodies written by other Seasonistas. (Except, of course, Berni, since we already had an entire Season devoted to Berni's wonderful songs.) I want you to do something new, make new friends - so go discover, or rediscover, a less-covered Seasonista's great original song.


OPTION 3:
Original songs of your own are also encouraged. Write a song about meeting new friends, or bringing new friends together, jamming, collaborating, or the Seasons, or how your music-making has broadened your own social circle, or something else inspired by this Season's theme.
PLEASE post your lyrics in the thread when you do originals ... it will make it much easier to follow and enjoy and appreciate your song!


OPTION 4 (for New Seasonistas / New Ukers):
If you are new enough to uking and/or the Seasons that you feel that any of the first three options are beyond your current abilities to accomplish in 8 days, we want you to participate however you can. Do a song about friends, or any song you are able to play that enables you to join our party.

This Season is all about meeting new friends, so I want to do everything possible to make it friendly for new-to-us friends to come join us. So figure out what will make it doable for you, and bring us that.

If you want help figuring out something you can do, post here and your new friends, the veterans of of the Seasons, will help you!


PRIZES
So far, four of my listed musical friends have offered their fabulous CD's as prizes. They are: A Halo Called Fred, Stuart Markus, Arlon Bennett, and Carla Ulbrich (her CD "Sick Humor"). (Three of these people I have covered myself in previous Seasons.) I'll get titles from the others tomorrow (Tuesday) ... and possibly more prizes from more friends. So go on, please at least give some of their songs a listen.


YOUTUBE COMMENTS:
Part of making friends is commenting on each other's videos, to the extent that we're able. I love Fred's comment-on-everything-to-win rule. I can't bear to make you do it two weeks in a row, but please do continue to do as much of that as you are willing ... and I may offer special prizes for "congeniality" ... or you may get special mentions in the thread.


OTHER RULES:
You know me - no limits - I have no limits, so why should you? Do whatever the heck you want. Enter as many times as you want. The more of these wonderful people you discover and/or cover, the better for everyone.

Liberal application of the Sinatra Rule - "If you don't like the rules, you can do it your way" - is available if you are drawn to do something that doesn't quite fit, or you're not sure it fits. If it's going to make you happy, and is in good spirits, JUST DO IT.


TIMING NOTE:
Season 159 starts tomorrow, midnight Sunday morning (March 1) Hawaii time (that's 5am Sunday March 1 US ET, 2am US PT, 10am in the UK, 11am most of Europe, later Monday some time in Australasia) ... and ends 8 full days later at midnight Sunday night (March 8) Hawaii time (which will be 6am US ET, 3am US PT - Daylight Saving Time starts in most of the US next weekend ... hooray! ... but not in Hawaii). Season 158 continues for one more day after Season 159 starts - so you can also keep posting blues songs till then. (Click the links to see the times in your local time zone.)


PLAYLIST:
Season 159 playlist
Playlist of friends' songs covered for Season 159
 
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Welcome to the party! Allow me to introduce you to some of my dear friends, who I hope will soon become your dear friends as well.

Wendy's songwriter friends (for OPTION 1):
YOU ARE INVITED TO DISCOVER NEW FRIENDS AND NEW-TO-YOU SONGS HERE!
Please, new discoveries only for Option 1.

Some of these people have originals that are not (yet!) online. I am working with them behind the scenes in hopes of getting them to correct that!

Here's a playlist of friend's songs I've covered myself - charts of most of these are available in my shared chart folder to get you started. Some of these songs are not available anywhere else online.

Here are some of my amazing talented New Jersey musician friends:

Mike Agranoff: YouTube / web site
Jean Rohe: YouTube / web – I first saw Jean at age 12 sing a phenomenal “Annie” spoof – she’s even more amazing 20 years later
Dave Kleiner: Spotify / Spotify / Spotify / web / “Stuck Inside New Jersey” song & album / FB / YouTube / Dave's newest song(s)
(Note: Califon, Jackson (home of Six Flags Great Adventure), Hackensack, Bloomfield, Salem County are places in NJ)
Favorites: "If I Had a Home" / "Mexican Rabbi" / "Belly" / "Two Reasons" / "Mr Bean" / "Little Piece of Me" – written for NJ friends / "The Burtons" / "The Women Don't Like Me" / "Company Car" / "Kings Highway" / "Salesman" / "Good Friday" / "Pencil in Pennsylvania" (nowhere online?!) / "Back to Hackensack" mentions many NJ places
Carla Ulbrich: YouTube topic / YouTube / The Singing Patient / "What If Your Girlfriend Was Gone?" - her most popular song / Waffle House song / "Please Do Something Stupid" / Carla says "will provide chord sheets for anyone who needs them"
Christine DeLeon: YouTube
A Halo Called Fred: YouTube / "I Haz a Sad" / "I Has a Sad" chart
Lords of Liechtenstein: YouTube (young brothers with a uke)
Arlon Bennett: YouTube / "Be the Change"
Big Jeff DeSmedt: YouTube / YouTube
Bob McNally: YouTube – inventor of the Strumstick and the Martin Backpacker guitar – he has a few originals if you can find them – he also plays uke
Dave Haynie: YouTube / SoundCloud / chords & lyrics
Diane Perry: web / this
Eric Sirota: web – Eric wrote a flute piece called “For Wendy” for my 18[SUP]th[/SUP] birthday
Frank Sole:
Gerry & Olga: “Bullet with a Banjo” – amazing song about Pete Seeger / “Stayin’ In”
Harmony Sue Haynie: Originals
Ilyusha Tsinadze: YouTube
Joe Giacoio: web site
Kathy Haynie: “Ham, Eggs, and Everywhere”
Ken Galipeau: web / “The Garden State” song / “Ken Sings Les” – poems of Les Barker set to music
Mark Schaffer: YouTube / "The Sheriff's Wife"
Spook Handy: web
Tom Picard: YouTube / “Welcome to New Jersey”
Joe Guzzo: YouTube / "A Daughter's Song" / "Autumn Wedding"

And here are some of my amazing talented non-New-Jersey, slightly further away, songwriter friends:
Stuart Markus: YouTube / additional songs
Mr. Billy – Billy Grisack (raised in NJ): YouTube / "A Guy Named Stan" / "Romulan Ale"
David Buskin - "Jews Don't Camp" and lots of other fabulous stuff


Seasonista songwriter friends (for OPTION 2):
(I first gathered these lists for Season 150, so I started with just the New Jersey Seasonista songwriters ... please send me links and lists for other Seasonista's original songs, and I will add them!)

Some previous Seasons that featured Seasonistas' own original songs:
Season 124: "A Seasonista Wrote This Stuff"
Season 151: "Breakups and Their Aftermath"
There are also tons of great Seasonista originals lurking in other Seasons.

Here are some Seasonistas with playlists of their own stuff - please send me yours so I can add them:
DougF (Doug): Originals
FiL Wisneski (FiL): Originals & nearly originals
Janet Tolin (bonesigh): Originals channel / Originals/parodies/pastiches
Mark Dutton (Marco D): great original song about ukes
Randy McSorley (Harry122): Originals
Wim Van Ommen (xommen): Originals
Wendy Keilin (who the heck?!): Originals / Semi-originals / song charts
 
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Yay! I have somehow managed to whip out a new song just for this week! Well, I guess a parody because it uses someone else's music (but there's a good reason I used that specific music), but the words are all mine. I just don't know if I'll be able to sing it without breaking down. I didn't realize how emotional I would get about it.

Edited to add: It fits this week under option #3.
 
A freindly (tal vez en Castellano) parody of "Ode an die Freude," something for #4, something for #2 (I heard birds-eye has a lot of originals) and a surprise. Is a song with only 4 words per it's 2-3 verses (8-12 total words) to short? It may refer to man's best friend..
 
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Hey, Wendy!

I've done some of their songs before, but I have carte blanche from my friend Peter Berryman to do any Lou and Peter Berryman song on YouTube - and by extension, UU. Since my usual Copyright Disclaimer doesn't apply to their songs, as I have permission, I will be doing at least one of their songs.

And while we have met several times (most recently last night), Tom Paxton is an acquantance, not a friend - although we have many mutual friends. And as he has also given me permission to do any of his songs on YouTube, you can expect at least one of Tom's songs. There is one on his brand new album Redemption Road (release date is March 10, 2015) that I'm going to try and learn for this week.

And if I have time, I'm working on a poem about a couple of friends in Northern California; If I can't come up with a tune, I will be sending it to you> (g)

-Kurt​
 
I already have a "Bird's Eye" "song" picked out. Here's a hint: the title is "Two Songs, A Seasons Original".
 
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Just a quick note before bed responding to the posts so far - it's nearly 2am, and I just got back from my music party, so will make the opening video in the morning, hopefully before too many hours into the Season. You already have all the info - the video will be me saying that stuff - you aren't missing anything other than my sunny face, and seeing the passion and energy I have for this theme. :)

Alan and Jonathan - so excited to see what you guys have planned - sounds fabulous!

Kurt (and anyone else who may have gotten this impression) - it sounds like you are planning to introduce me to some of your friends. That's a terrific theme idea ... but it isn't this theme. This week, I want you to meet my friends. They are fabulous terrific people and you are going to love them, and make some wonderful new discoveries this week - that is my intention.

Here are the four options in a nutshell:

OPTION 1:
Cover one of my fabulous friends - they are listed in post #2. Discover someone new to you ... find an exciting new song you love by one of my listed artists and cover it.

OPTION 2:
Cover another Seasonista's original song. (Except Berni.) Preferably a less-often covered fellow Seasonista. Discover a new song ... or at least rediscover one that was a revelation to you when you first heard it in an earlier Season.

OPTION 3:
Write your own original song about meeting new friends, or bringing new friends together, jamming, collaborating, or the Seasons, or how your music-making has broadened your own social circle, or something else inspired by this Season's theme.

OPTION 4 (for New Seasonistas / New Ukers):
Only for new-ish people, for whom the first three options all feel beyond your current capabilities for an 8-day time frame - introduce us to you as a new friend, by doing any song related to the theme ... or any song at all, or piece of a song, that is doable for you this week. I would love for you to join us, so you be the judge - lower the bar exactly as far as you need to so you feel safe to enter.

I love all these options, but really, #1 is the one most near and dear to my heart. Originally it was going to be the only option. I would really like to see at least 50% of the entries this week be Option 1 entries. So if you are one of those people who typically brings multiple entries to a Season, please make at least one Option 1 entry this week. Preferably one for every one non-option-1 entry you do.

If you find the list of my friends in post #2 a bit overwhelming, feel free to ask (in the thread, preferably) for a recommendation. I know most of you and the kind of stuff you like ... I would be more than happy to suggest a song or two or a specific artist for you to check out that I think you will love. I promise there is gold in that list for each and every one of you, and you are going to be so happy you explored it and discovered your own personal hidden gem ... so please do take some time to check out some of those people.


[Kurt - god love ya, man! I don't know many among us who have managed to get a Season host to co-write a song with you during said host's Season ... and now apparently you are wanting to make it a regular thing. :) I admire your chutzpah. I'm not sure whether to hug you or slap you! You know how much I love writing and co-writing ... AND, unlike New Year week, I was kind of hoping to get some sleep and some work done this week. :) And ... I eagerly await whatever shows up in my inbox. Which I promise to clear out tomorrow morning! You are awesome ... and you crack me up.]
 
I'm very anti-social and don't like people too much.........can I just do a duet with my dog?
We do awesome covers of Chas 'n' Dave with me on uke and vocals and him on percussion with a tamborine tied to his nuts !!

On a more serious note Wendy, will your friends do a cover of my grandmother singing Eidelweiss ? (There will be a bonus prize for those who can manage the 'dentures out' effect that she did so well) Lol
 
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We'll be sitting this one out (like last week...). Saskia en I have got a couple of gigs this spring that need some preparation. Have fun gang.
 
Summertime cos it is winter, and I am longing for the snow to go away.
Cover my friends... that was the Diane Perry song from the list.



Code: 
[COLOR=#007FBF]Am[/COLOR]
   Summertime, 
[COLOR=#007FBF]E7[/COLOR]                   [COLOR=#007FBF]Am[/COLOR]
   And the livin' is easy
[COLOR=#007FBF]Dm[/COLOR]
   Fish are jumpin'
[COLOR=#007FBF]F[/COLOR]                    [COLOR=#007FBF]E7[/COLOR]
   And the cotton is high


[COLOR=#007FBF]Am[/COLOR]
   Oh, Your daddy's rich
[COLOR=#007FBF]E7[/COLOR]                        [COLOR=#007FBF]Am[/COLOR]
   And your mamma's good lookin'
[COLOR=#007FBF]F[/COLOR]
   So hush little baby
[COLOR=#007FBF]E7[/COLOR]            [COLOR=#007FBF]Am[/COLOR]
   Don't you cry


[COLOR=#007FBF]Am[/COLOR]
   One of these mornings
[COLOR=#007FBF]E7[/COLOR]                          [COLOR=#007FBF]Am[/COLOR]
   You're going to rise up singing
[COLOR=#007FBF]Dm[/COLOR]
   Then you'll spread your wings
[COLOR=#007FBF]F[/COLOR]                          [COLOR=#007FBF]E7[/COLOR]
   And you'll take to the sky


[COLOR=#007FBF]Am[/COLOR]
   But until that morning
[COLOR=#007FBF]E7[/COLOR]                        [COLOR=#007FBF]Am[/COLOR]
   There's a'nothing can harm you
[COLOR=#007FBF]F[/COLOR]                           [COLOR=#007FBF]E7[/COLOR]       [COLOR=#007FBF]Am[/COLOR]
   With your daddy and mammy standing by



[COLOR=#007FBF]Am[/COLOR]
   Summertime, 
[COLOR=#007FBF]E7[/COLOR]                   [COLOR=#007FBF]Am[/COLOR]
   And the livin' is easy
[COLOR=#007FBF]Dm[/COLOR]
   Fish are jumpin'
[COLOR=#007FBF]F[/COLOR]                    [COLOR=#007FBF]E7[/COLOR]
   And the cotton is high


[COLOR=#007FBF]Am[/COLOR]
   Oh, Your daddy's rich
[COLOR=#007FBF]E7[/COLOR]                        [COLOR=#007FBF]Am[/COLOR]
   And your mamma's good lookin'
[COLOR=#007FBF]F[/COLOR]
   So hush little baby
[COLOR=#007FBF]E7[/COLOR]            [COLOR=#007FBF]Am[/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Courier New]   Don't you cry[/FONT][/COLOR]
 
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pabrizzer said:
I'd like to know a little more about your relationship to the 'friends' you are asking us to cover.
Especially if it is a commercial one.
Click to expand...

D'oh! I am an idiot. It totally did not occur to me, until many paragraphs into drafting a written response to this, that ... I make my living by helping musicians make a prosperous living from their music ... and that those of you who've been around a long time know that ... and that it might therefore look like this theme has something to do with that! It does not ... these people are my actual, live, local music friends, who I know and love and play music with. They are brilliant and talented and have written wonderful stuff that deserves a wider hearing ... hopefully by some of you, and perhaps your friends too.

There's no commercial connection - I promise! I want my online music friends to meet my local music friends. You are going to be so happy if you do this, I promise - because you are going to discover some wonderful gems that are new to you. And that is all.

I truly am an idiot not to have thought of that and addressed it from the start. It truly did not occur to me, and in attempting to answer your question, I still didn't get it ... until suddenly it dawned on me.

This is an important question, and deserves a thorough response. I will address it in a video shortly. I truly apologize for not having thought of this and addressed it from the start.

The short answer is, no - no commercial connection - most definitely no potential financial gain to me from this ... just a bunch of lovely people I know hopefully getting to know a bunch of other lovely people I know.

Yikes! Please forgive me for missing that. Sometimes the stuff that is right in front of your face is so obvious you don't even see it. Thanks, Pa, for bringing this to my attention.
 
mythinformed said:
I'm very anti-social and don't like people too much.........can I just do a duet with my dog?
We do awesome covers of Chas 'n' Dave with me on uke and vocals and him on percussion with a tamborine tied to his nuts !!
Click to expand...

You can do a duet with whoever you like. So long as one of you is playing a ukulele. Introverts, you do not actually have to meet anybody if you don't want to. Just go find a NEW-TO-YOU song by one of my listed friends, learn it, and record it. I promise you don't have to actually talk to anybody you don't know. But you could. If you want to. :)

mythinformed said:
On a more serious note Wendy, will your friends do a cover of my grandmother singing Eidelweiss ? (There will be a bonus prize for those who can manage the 'dentures out' effect that she did so well) Lol
Click to expand...

I have no idea what this comment means, but since you asked ... "Edelweiss" is my all-time favorite song to perform in an Elmer Fudd voice. It is full of L's and R's and is super fun to sing that way. I will be most happy to do that for you if you wish. It might actually be pretty close to what you are asking, lol. And you know how it is ... once you put an idea like this in my head ... now you might actually have to go to some lengths to stop me from doing it!

xommen said:
I guess this thread has a lot of originals by seasionista's:
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?94704-A-Seasonista-Wrote-This-stuff
And I have all my originals in a separate playlist (basically so I can easily find them myself ;-)).
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3GDF5piGeGZiyyiL9ZEEzst1KpUA-q89
Click to expand...

Thanks, Wim! I will add these links to post #2. Also, Berni's Season of original break-up songs has lots of great stuff to cover for Option 2.

Anyone else who has written original songs, please post us a playlist and I will add yours to post #2 as well. I do hope we will get lots of covers of each other's stuff this Season too.

wee_ginga_yin said:
Summertime cos it is winter, and I am longing for the snow to go away.
Cover my friends... that was the Diane Perry song from the list.
Click to expand...

This is lovely ... and Diane Perry is wonderful. I hope you enjoyed her video. She's written at least one original that I've heard her do ... and I could not find any of them online. I am going to message her this morning and urge her to fix that. I posted "Summertime" only because I wanted you to see how fabulous Diane is.

Please, please, please ... the whole point of this Season is to get you to discover new-to-you songs by new-to-you artists. So for Option 1, please discover something new from one of my friends, and cover that. I promise you will be so thrilled you did that - these people are great and their stuff is great. Go "meet" them.

Many of the post #2 links were copied from a similar sub-theme that was part of Season 150 ... which everybody missed, so I decided to give it its own Season. So there may be a few well-known cover songs lurking there, because an artist I love didn't have any originals online. Diane Perry is a lovely friend of mine, a very fun and funny performer, with an amazing jazz voice and incredible jazz violin chops. If you saw her play, you would love her. I hope some of you will. I will do what I can to get her to post an original so you can do that.

Some of my friends have great professional, organized online presences. Some of them have almost none, and I am trying to help them rectify that so you can find their stuff. In a few cases, I have gotten them to send me stuff and have uploaded it myself, just so there's a way you can meet them and hear their fabulous stuff, like I get to do when they do it live. In one case - Mark Schaffer's wonderful song, "The Sheriff's Wife" - I actually shot the video myself - at a music party last weekend ... because it is a tragedy that Mark has written four brilliant original songs that our whole community loves, and none of them were online! Now one of them is ... and I am urging him to get the rest up TODAY. Because they are great, and you deserve to hear them.

These people have poured their hearts into their fabulous originals ... and I am pouring my heart into bringing them to you ... because these are the people I love and spend time with and want to introduce to you, because you will love them too ... I really hope you will take the time to hear them.
 
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Great idea Wendy. It's very cool to support your local scene this way. Here's an original for Option 3. Thank you for watching!



Lyrics:

I met a UU member
A firey little ember
A-ways through my local jamboree

Now I could be a sinner
I asked her out to dinner
But she brought her banjolele

My flightless little Emu
Here's the dessert menu
What's your favorite treat you wanna peck

She said you ain't no Formby
I guess I shoulda warned ye
Let's just be friends or else you'll get a Smeck
 
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bonesoup said:
Great idea Wendy. It's very cool to support your local scene this way. Here's an original for Option 3. Thank you for watching!

Click to expand...


Dan, this is adorable! I have a feeling we are going to get a whole lot of fun originals this week. Thanks for kicking off the Option 3 room of the party.

You made me realize I need to add a request to Option 3:
PLEASE post your lyrics in the thread when you do originals ... it will make it much easier to follow and enjoy and appreciate your song!
I'll add that request to post #1.
 
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