Melancholia - Volume 1

noun: melancholia
 deep sadness or gloom; melancholy.
 
"rain slithered down the windows, encouraging a creeping melancholia"

Real life is encroaching on my time and I'm running thin on ideas that interest me so I think it's time to honor my promise/threat to post my Melancholia mixtape series (named after a Pete Townsend song). I'll be posting these when I have no other projects to post. I will give a short description of each collection and the tracklist but no further analysis. They are what they are.

You will see some artists make multiple appearances across the series but no artist appears more than once on any collection unless they are musicians in more than one band or a solo artist that is also in another band.

On my hard drive the series is 16 volumes. I won't be posting all of them. Three volumes (7, 10 and 11) are in flux at the moment and I have already posted one of the themed volumes which was the K-Tel edition. The first six volumes are general collections but starting with volume eight I started doing special themed compilations. Also the first five volumes were compiled on 90 minute tapes so they will not burn to a single CD.

When I made this first volume in 1985 it was not my intention to start a series but it turned out so well I kept it going. My goal with this comp was to gather some of my favorite songs with a focus on using only my cleanest vinyl and showcasing tracks that had a lot of headphone candy while at the same time being genre agnostic. Each volume has its own personality but there is a common feel that runs through the whole thing. Essentially this is my musical equivalent of comfort food. My wife at one time commented how the series does not make her sad like the name suggested and I had to correct her saying that it was meant to bring you out of sadness, not push you into it.

Side A
01 Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Lucky Man
02 Elton John - Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to be a Long Long Time)
03 Grand Funk Railroad - Some Kind Of Wonderful
04 Love and Rockets - Haunted When the Minutes Drag
05 The Bangles - More That Meets The Eye
06 T.Rex - The Slider
07 Bruce Springsteen - Atlantic City
08 Cat Stevens - The Wind
09 War - Low Rider
10 Alice Cooper - Only Women Bleed
11 The Police - Walking in Your Footsteps

Side B
01 Kansas - Dust in the Wind
02 Pure Prairie League - Amie
03 Bob Seger - You'll Accomp'ny Me
04 Paul McCartney and Wings - Let Me Roll It
05 Doobie Brothers - Black Water
06 Pete Townshend - Behind Blue Eyes
07 U2 - Bad
08 Buckingham-Nicks - Crying In The Night
09 Crosby, Stills & Nash - Helplessly Hoping
10 The Rolling Stones - Play With Fire
11 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Southern Accents
12 Billy Vera & The Beaters - Hopeless Romantic

I have a common template for the covers. Each features some form of fantasy or classic artwork.

Grateful Dead - Day Job - 1995

[UPDATE: I've made enough changes to this album to justify an updated archive. Something I rarely do. I've removed the two songs I was never quite happy with: Keep Your Day Job and Samba In The Rain and swapped the version of Days Between with a new edit by John Hilgart over at Save Your Face. Overall the album feels more concise and consistent from front to back. On Nov. 22nd the band will finally release their version. With only 9 songs but still long enough to make it a double vinyl album due to using all live version it still seems long to me but at least we'll finally have the band's input.]

Last week I addressed The Grateful Dead's hypothetical first album so I thought it appropriate that I take a look at their last. I've been seeing a lot of constructions of what could have been the last Grateful Dead album before Jerry Garcia passed away. I enjoyed all of them but none of them satisfied me completely for one reason or another so I decided to throw my hat in the ring.

In 1995 The Dead had begun the process of recording their next album. According to interviews they had barely gotten past the stage of laying down the foundation when Jerry checked out. While ideally it would be best to polish off those recordings, Jerry never got around to doing his vocals or solos which renders the album impossible to finish from the band's perspective.

Fortunately for us all songs in contention were played live on many occasions. The band recorded every show which gives us plenty of source material to construct a facsimile of what the album could have sounded like. Interpretations of this album vary and production was still in its early stages so the only clues we have from the band is a list of potential songs in no particular order.

01 Lazy River Road (Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter)
02 Corinna (Bob Weir/Mickey Hart/Robert Hunter)
03 Wave to the Wind (Phil Lesh/Robert Hunter)
04 Easy Answers (Bob Weir/Bob Bralove/Rob Wasserman/Vince Welnick/Robert Hunter)
05 If the Shoe Fits (Phil Lesh/Andrew Charles)
06 So Many Roads (Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter)
07 Way to Go Home (Vince Welnick/Bob Bralove/Robert Hunter)
08 Liberty (Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter)
09 Eternity (Bob Weir/Rob Wasserman/Willie Dixon)
10 Days Between (Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter)

Reality Notes

The first version of this album I heard was Days Between (The Final Album That Never Was), by Tony Sclafani, author of The Grateful Dead FAQ book. This remained my goto version right up to when I started my construction. What I liked most about Tony's construction was his use of shorter length versions over longer jams even when the longer version was better. This allowed all 12 tracks to fit comfortably on one disc.

I think my growing dissatisfaction came down to sequencing, not enough Jerry and too much Phil. As a bass player Phil sits among my pantheon of bass gods but I have never been a fan of his voice and there were three Phil songs. To rectify this I dropped Phil's Childhood's End (the worst offender) and added Keep Your Day Job. I'm well aware of the controversy over Day Job but I have always liked the song and feel it is mostly misinterpreted by those who speak against it (if you're one of those then just delete the song and you'll still have a full album). I swapped a few other versions and shuffled the songs around until I had a good flow from track to track.

I have been enjoying this construction, I'm very pleased with how it came out. It's amazing how swapping out a few songs can complete an album. My only complaint would be its length. At just over 72 minutes it is quite hefty but this is the swan song of one of rock's most iconic bands so I'm willing to let the length slide. It fits on a CD and it's The Grateful Dead. I'm Happy.

There's still a few scraps out there to collect together. I had the cover song Women are Smarter in contention but in the end went with an all originals tracklist. If someone could find a version of Childhood's End where Phil doesn't sound like an average bar band singer let me know. It's an OK song and is filler worthy but time constraints and subpar vocals pushed it out of contention for this construction.

The cover again utilizes a tour poster graphic with added text by me. I like using tour poster art because I feel it's the closest we can get to official artwork and band promo photos don't always make good album covers.

Hindsight

I was going to add these hindsights chronologically but I wanted to address this album specifically because it is the only one that I have changed since posting. after some further listens it still felt long. I've since dropped Day Job and Samba In The Rain. As much as I like Day Job neither song seemed to fit. I'm not updating the download so if you want to play along you can just delete those songs. Eventhough I'm dropping the title song I'm keeping the album as named. It's a cool name and kind of a tribute to one of my favorite songs of this period that never found a home. This does mean that there are still a small handful of post Built To Last songs that are still unused. Hmmm.

A recent post on the Save Your Face blog led me to an acoustic Dead show on 09/24/1994 at The Berkeley Community Theatre that was billed as a Phil and Friends show but was The Dead minus the drummers. During the set they did a version of Phil's Childhood's End that is for me the most listenable version I've heard yet. If I were to make a comp of what's left I would go with that version. They also did a fine version of Lazy River Road that is almost as good as this one but not enough to replace it. It would have been nice to have at least one acoustic number on the album.

Is it on my iPod? Yes. The Dead is one of the few bands that I have their full studio discography with me at all times including all of the constructions here. It gives me a fuller picture of the band I feel and makes for an interesting listen when on shuffle.

Grateful Dead - Alt Debut -1966

[I was just putting the finishing touches on this when Paul at Albums That Should Exist posted three albums of '65-'66 Dead. So if you want more check him out.]

I thought I was done with The Dead but I discovered this album hiding in plain sight. The Grateful Dead released their major label debut in 1967 but that was not the beginning of their recording career.

The 2001 box set  The Golden Road (1965–1973) contained two bonus discs titled The Birth Of The Dead that was later released separately as a two disc set. One disc contained studio tracks and the other contained live tracks Both from 1965-66 before they recorded their Warner Brothers label debut.

Between those two discs and a couple stray tracks from other sources, I was able to put together what could have been the first Grateful Dead album, released on Scorpio Records who released their first single before signing to WB.

Side One
01 Alice D Millionaire 5
02 Mindbender (Confusion's Prince) 1
03 I Know You Rider 1
04 Early Morning Rain 1
05 Can't Come Down 1
06 Pain in My Heart 4

Side Two
01 You See a Broken Heart 3
02 On The Road Again 4
03 Tastebud 2
04 The Only Time Is Now 1
05 You Don't Have to Ask 2
06 Standing On the Corner 4

Single
A. Don't Ease Me In 2
B. Stealin' 2

Reality Notes

I love archival releases but they seldom lend themselves to repeated listens due to their focus on preserving every meaningful scrap they can find. The Birth Of The Dead is no exception. While disc two can see some regular listens, disc one suffers from the unfortunate side effect of the archival process. What we have on that disc includes multiple versions of many of the songs including instrumental versions. While that's great for research and gaining new insights into your favorite bands, with each listen the skip button is pressed more often.

But sometimes, after a few listens, a group of songs coalesce into an entity of its own. And it is that scenario that is one of the many reasons for what we do here. This is an effort to rescue songs that deserve to sit within the official cannon that otherwise would be buried and possibly forgotten among some less polished gems.

The bulk of these recordings come from two sets of studio sessions. The first was in late '65 for Autumn Records and the second in late spring of '66 for Scorpio Records. Two songs from the Scorpio sessions, Don't Ease Me In and Stealin', were released locally as a single which I have included as bonus tracks. The rest of the album is filled out with live tracks (it wouldn't be the last time). Many of these songs continued to be setlist regulars for the remainder of the band's career.

The one anomaly (there's always one, isn't there) is the opening track, Alice D Millionaire. This recording comes from the sessions that gave us the Warner Brothers debut although notes say it was played live in '66 which makes it fair game to use. I added it for a few reasons. Mostly because it is an original song and fit in stylistically and I didn't want it to get lost in bonus track limbo.

I struggled with a title for the album before giving up and leaving it untitled. They later named two other albums the same name, one was their WB debut and the other was a live album that is more commonly referred to as Skull and Roses so why not add to the confusion? Maybe the fans would have given it a nickname to set it apart. Think of it as a false start. The cover uses elements from a tour poster, an old promo pic and some clipart roses.

1 Autumn Records sessions November 3, 1965 at Golden Gate Recorders in San Francisco
note: tape box lists artist as: The Emergency Crew; a short-lived name the band used immediately prior to "Grateful Dead"
2 Scorpio Records sessions June 1966 at Buena Vista Studio in San Francisco, and Western Recording in San Francisco
note: Don't Ease Me In and Stealin', were previously issued locally (in limited quantity), in July 1966, as the Grateful Dead's first single (Scorpio Records #201), with Don't Ease Me In on the A-side. Included here is the "dry mix" - the single was mastered with added reverb. I Know You Rider was also recorded during these sessions.
3 Studio recording, early 1966 (from Rare Cuts and Oddities 1966)
4 Live tracks recorded in 1966 at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, On The Road Again is from Los Angeles, California
5 Outtake from the WB Grateful Dead sessions 1967. A version of Tastebud was also recorded during these sessions.

Reina del Cid - Sunday Mornings With...

YouTube month concludes with my most recent discovery and the catalyst for this series. 

Reina del Cid is an up and coming group that is doing very well. With three independent albums and what looks like regular touring including Europe it always pleases me when I see a group or artist do well when they really deserve it. They also have a weekly YouTube series named Sunday Mornings With Reina del Cid. They post weekly videos of covers and originals.

Musically Reina del Cid ticks every box in my list of things I like. They are mostly acoustic based with a variety of sounds and styles. Toni Lindgren, the lead guitarist is amazing. She has a great sense of tastiness and never overplays but obviously has the chops to do so if she wants. She also plays fine mandolin and banjo, a girl after my own heart. Reina writes great songs and has one of those voices that displays a wisdom well beyond this young girls age.

I was so struck by Reina Del Cid that I went and purchased what I could and I hope you show them some love and do the same.

01 Sugaree
02 Ain't No Sunshine
03 Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)
04 21st of May
05 Over the Red Cedar
06 Colours
07 What Would I Do
08 All My Little Words
09 Bells of Harlem
10 Dream A Little Dream of Me
11 Ophelia
12 XO
13 Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard
14 Faded Love
15 Slip Slide on By
16 You Belong to Me
17 Boogie Shoes
18 Wildflowers
19 Tupelo Honey
20 Ruby
21 Dear Someone
22 I'll Be There
23 Praise You
24 Tonight I'll Be Staying Here
25 Dink's Song - Fare Thee Well

Reality Notes

The Sunday series has been going on for quite a while and I had plenty of songs to choose from. I was able to hold back all of the originals and still choose my favorites from what was left. Please go to her channel and check out the rest then go and see them if you can. They will be coming through my neck of the woods soon.

The quality of the audio varies from location to location but most are A+ with the worst never as bad as a B. They definitely have the equipment and the people to do this right.

I'll let Reina describe the songs herself. I copied these notes from the description of each video. I did edit out any unnecessary text about past tours and stuff like that. The headings are the actual video titles with the date they were first posted.

Sugaree (Grateful Dead) - Mar 12, 2017
Toni might be a bit of a Dead-head -- she introduced me to this song a while back, and now I love playing it. It was between this one or Tennessee Jed, which actually I think we'll do at some point, too. Keep those requests coming, btw!

[This was the first song I watched but it was their version of Tupelo Honey that sold me.]

Ain't No Sunshine - Jun 11, 2017
Here's an oft-requested classic from the great Bill Withers. "Use Me" will always be my favorite song by him, but this is up there, too. Though it looks sunny on camera, it's actually a pretty dreary day here in Minnesota, and right after we shut the camera off, there was a sudden downpour with hail, so there certainly ain't no sunshine today. See you next Sunday!

Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) - live from the van! - Oct 1, 2017
I'm dedicating this Sunday Morning video to my mom because it's one of her favorites. She once sang this song (after being persuaded by friends and a glass of wine or two) at a party, and little did she know, someone was recording the audio. I had that mp3 on my iPod for many years until it was stolen and lost forever, but I used to listen to her sing this one a lot when was walking around campus in college. So here you go, Mom! Our version, live from the new van.

21st of May - Nickel Creek (cover) - Jul 20, 2014
Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek wrote this stingingly satirical song from the point of view of Harold Camping, the California preacher who falsely predicted the end of the world--a few times. If you like our version, check out the original!

Over the Red Cedar - Charlie Parr cover - Oct 29, 2017
Charlie Parr is one of Minnesota's finest songwriters, and we wanted to pay homage to him for this Sunday Morning video. We're doing Charlie's song "Over the Red Cedar." If you like our version and haven't heard his, check it out here.

Colours - Jun 1, 2014
"Colours" is a song by Donovan, covered here by your friendly neighborhood Reina and Toni for our weekly Sunday Mornings with Reina del Cid video series.

What Would I Do (Ray Charles) - Feb 12, 2017
It doesn't get any better than waking up early, brewing a cup of coffee, and playing some Ray Charles to start the Sunday morning. It's been a pleasure bringing these songs to you so far.

All My Little Words - Mar 25, 2018
This Sunday morning we're doing a cover of a song by The Magnetic Fields. I've been a fan of this band forever, and this has always been one of my favorites by them.

Bells of Harlem - Jul 22, 2018
P.S. Loving this Dave Rawlings Machine tune? Check out their live version of “Bells of Harlem” from their KEXP session.

[This was recorded outdooors. Listen for the sirens that pop up in the background at just the right places.]

Dream A Little Dream of Me - Aug 20, 2017
Doing the Doris Day classic, "Dream A Little Dream of Me" for this week's Sunday Morning song.

Ophelia (The Band cover) - Jul 27, 2014
Our friend Grace sat in with us on tuba for this week's video and brought a whole new level of awesome.

XO (Beyoncé cover) - Oct 30, 2016
We did an acoustic treatment of Beyonce's "XO" for this Sunday morning video. It isn't very often that Toni plays that beautiful Gibson CS-336, but when she does, it's a treat for the rest of us.

Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard - May 28, 2017
Because we usually get up around 5 or 6 a.m. on Sundays to record our videos and post them a couple hours later, we're always looking for new places to record that won't get us in trouble with our neighbors. (Not everyone wants to wake up to the sound of a couple of hooligans learning a Paul Simon song.) So for this week's video, we brewed some coffee and took it to an abandoned schoolyard in St. Paul., far from any neighborly sleeping that might have been going on closer to home.

Faded Love - Apr 22, 2018
This is a Western swing song written by Bob Wills and released in 1950. I think it has one of the most beautiful melodies of any old time country tune. My favorite version is (of course) Patsy Cline's because it brings me to tears, but Willie and Merle both do this one justice, too. Putting my own spin on it for this Sunday Morning, and I hope you enjoy! (P.S. Thanks to Toni for lending me her sweet Martin for this one while she's in Norway!)

Slip Slide on By - Valerie June cover Jul 23, 2017
Toni Lindgren joins me this week with some tasty slide guitar on this cover of the beautiful Valerie June song, "Slip Slide on By." This comes off of her newest release, The Order of Time--one of my favorite albums from this year.

You Belong to Me - Dec 31, 2017
Here's a 1950s classic that was done by everyone from Jo Stafford to Patsy Cline to Bob Dylan. I just adore this song, so I wanted to share my version with you this Sunday! I hope you enjoy it!

Boogie Shoes - Aug 13, 2017
Happy Sunday morning! A couple minutes after a monsoon swept through, we went up to a wet rooftop in downtown St. Paul to play this song as the clouds started to clear up. That's Andrew Foreman grooving on the upright bass and Toni Lindgren choppin' the mandolin. Shane Lattie is the man behind the camera!

[If you listen close you can hear Reina break a string during Toni's solo. The professional that she is, she did not stop playing but soldered on.]

Wildflowers (Tom Petty) - Oct 8, 2017
This week we went over to one of our favorite local record stores, Hymies Vintage Records, to pay tribute to one of the greatest rock n roll legends of all time. Tom Petty has inspired me in countless ways and the best way I know how to honor the music he left behind for us is to live in it and share it with friends. So I hope you enjoy our take on "Wildflowers," one of his most beautiful songs.

Tupelo Honey - Apr 20, 2014
Good morning! So, I got a bunch of suggestions last week for covers, and this Van Morrison song was my favorite. My bandmates Chris (bass) and Toni (guitar) are sitting in with me for this one.

Ruby - Jan 29, 2017
We're sitting in a shed outside a coffee shop called the Bean Factory in St. Paul -- happy Sunday morning! No, Toni and I did not mean to match . . . we were just on a maroon sort of wavelength, apparently.

Dear Someone - Mar 18, 2018
We’re road tripping out in the American West to bring you some fun Sunday Morning videos in new locales, and this week we find ourselves in the gorgeous south rim of one of the wonders of the world: the Grand Canyon! This is the first time either Toni or I have seen it, and my, it sure is grand. I hope you enjoy this Gillian Welch tune, “Dear Someone.”

I'll Be There - May 25, 2014
"I'll Be There" is an old Ray Price song - we've revamped it a little and made it our own. Enjoy, and join us next Sunday for another video!

Praise You (Fat Boy Slim acoustic cover) - Jun 10, 2018
Happy Sunday Morning! We're currently on tour and recorded this acoustic cover of Fat Boy Slim's "Praise You" just outside an awesome venue called The Outpost where we played in Albuquerque yesterday.

I've always really liked this Fat Boy Slim song, and I absolutely love the original song "Take Yo Praise" by Camille Yarbrough from which the vocal sample was taken. If you haven't heard that, do yourself a favor and check it out on YouTube.

This is a song by Dave Rawlings Machine. If you like our version, check out their KEXP session (it's right here on YouTube): melodic guitar solos, great harmonies, and unbeatable facial expressions. :)

Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You - Jan 22, 2017
Greetings from the pool room of a little motel in Ogallala, Nebraska. We’re on road back to Minneapolis after a short stint in Colorado, and we didn’t have our usual audio equipment with us so we had to just put up an iPhone and go. Hope you enjoyed this Bob Dylan classic!

Dink's Song - Fare Thee Well - Apr 27, 2014
The fourth installment in the "Sunday Mornings with Reina del Cid" coffee-and-a-song series. Love this beautiful, melancholy old song.

Thanks to Luke for this one. Keep those suggestions coming!

[I was going to provide a link to each video but Reina switches videos from public to private and from private to public from time to time. the private videos are visible only to her Patreon supporters.]

There are enough tracks left over to make another compilation. Maybe in the future I'll post a collection of some of the stripped down originals. In the meantime here is their Daytrotter appearance from February 2018.

The cover is a cropped screenshot from the videos.

Youtube
Website
Facebook

Benjamin Kammin - 6 Rabbits-2 Dogs-1 Cat-1 Cow

YouTube month continues. 

I'm cheating a little on this one. I've known Ben since long before he had a YouTube channel but I like to promote him whenever I can. I first encountered Ben playing at a Barnes and Nobel bookstore and was instantly a fan. I ran across him a few more times and struck up a conversation. Ben is an amazing fingerstyle guitarist with one of those soft and smokey singing voices that seems to wrap around you before penetrating your soul.

I had the pleasure of recording some demos for Ben when my studio was brand new and barely up to specs for such delicate music but the results were fine for demos. I've included some of those here. Simply put, anything with a vocal was recorded by me.

01 Road to Mallow
02 Sad, Sad, Sad
03 Breaking of the Shells [Billy McLaughlin]
04 Little Beaver [Leo Kottke]
05 Autumn
05 Little Beaver [Leo Kottke]
06 Long December
07 November [Pino Forastiere]
08 Ojo [Leo Kottke]
09 South by Winterwest [Billy McLaughlin]
10 September
11 Sunflower River Blues [John Fahey]
12 Dali
13 Mona Ray [Leo Kottke]
14 Sleepy Time [Alex de Grassi]
15 God Said No

Reality Notes

Ben does not perform very often these days but he is far from idle. He gives guitar lessons online for all levels. He was part of a research team that transcribed every available recording by Leo Kottke. He did release an album around the time I first met him. Sadly that album is out of print. He did give me permission to post it on my Sybil Records blog and site. That link is now dead but I will re-up it eventually, maybe here as well.

The cover is an homage to Ben's first CD which featured a sketch of a tree on the cover. The little caricature in the bottom left corner was drawn by me during one of his performances back in the day.

YouTube
Website

Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers - The Van Sessions

Week two of YouTube month.  

The Gramblers was a side project for Tim Bluhm of The Motherhips.  He heard Nicki sing one day and offered to produce some demos for her. They fell in love and married and Nicki joined The Gramblers.

To deal with the boredom of travel while on the road, they started working up cover songs and recording them in the van with their phone and posting the results to YouTube.

A friend pointed me to their rendition of the Hall And Oats classic I Can't Go For That and I was hooked. If you have a chance to see them live please do. Nicki has several albums to her name. Some solo and some credited to Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers, all wonderful.

01 I Can't Go For That
02 Watercolor Canvas
03 You're No Good
04 Hey Baby
05 Everyday
06 Islands in the Stream
07 Let's Hear It For The Boy
08 Can You Get To That
09 Faith
10 Deal
11 Band on the Run
12 Don't Worry Be Happy
13 Easy
14 Material Girl
15 How Sweet It Is
16 Hit Me With Your Best Shot
17 She's Got You
18 Stuck in the Middle With You
19 Take the Money and Run
20 Ramblin' Man
21 Here Comes The Sun
22 Days Like This
23 How Will I Know

Reality Notes

Because of the location and nature of these recordings, sound quality is so-so. Listenable but a bit of background noise (they were recorded in a moving van!). The noise is minimal and does not detract from the overall enjoyment of these songs. The performances are all top notch and instruments are well placed for a good balance. And Nicki has a beautiful voice. They have a lot more than this up on their channel so I was able to pick and choose my favorites.

I was saddened to read that Tim and Nicki have recently split and Tim has left the band. They seemed a great match both musically and relationship wise, I wish them well.

I found the cover during a google search. Some kind artist illustrated a screenshot from one of the videos. I did have to add the title text.

YouTube
WebSite
iTunes
FaceBook

Molly Lewis - SweetAfton23

I have declared September to be "YouTube star" month! Each week this month I will post a collection of songs from an artist that I first heard or follow on YouTube. The tracks themselves were ripped from the videos posted on their official channel. Each collection will be timed to fit on a CD meant to introduce you to the artist and their work. I will do my usual editing of removing spoken intros and outtros unless appropriate as well as EQ and volume matching where needed.

I came across Molly Lewis - aka: SweetAfton23, her original YouTube handle - when I was looking for songs to learn after I purchased my first ukulele. One of the first songs I found was Political Science by Randy Newman as performed by Molly Lewis. What kept me coming back to her channel was her charm and sense of humor and that she played the uke as her main instrument.

Contextual evidence from her videos suggests that she recorded most of her videos while she was in college and that music was/is a passionate but sideline hobby. She appeared to achieve some local fame as a performer and her videos receive a large amount of plays, she even had the opportunity to play her song for Stephen Fry (one of my favorite Brittish comedians) to the man himself. She does have a few songs for sale on her Bandcamp page so check out her channel and show her a little love and support (links below).

01 An Open Letter to Stephen Fry
02 Political Science
03 Crazy
04 Creep
05 Don t Think Twice, It s Alright
06 Hidden in the Sand
07 I Believe She's Lying
08 Toxic
09 It All Makes Sense At The End
10 Two Of Us (Mother s Day special)
11 I Pity The Fool
12 MOUSTACHES (Taken At All/Dear Prudence)
13 My Hope
14 Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
15 Only You
16 Our American Cousin
17 Poisoning Pigeons In The Park
18 Road Trip
19 Some Postman
20 Still Alive
21 Tom Cruise Crazy
22 Adverbs
23 10,000 SUBSCRIBERS medley
24 A Christmas Carol
25 PEEP FIGHT

Reality Notes

The quality of Molly's videos changed for the better as she honed her craft. The audio quality varies depending on the location chosen for the video. Of the four artists I will be presenting, Molly is the only one for which I am including original songs among her covers so Molly, if you see this and wish me to take down any or all of these songs, just say the word. But do know that I made this collection out of love and respect for your talent.

YouTube Channel
Website
Bandcamp