Holiday sing-a-long and show schedule

Yes I will be canceling some sing-a-longs right around Christmas. But I've got some special holiday shows that will more than make up for it.

Dec 16 - Dec 20 - regular sing-a-long schedule (click on links to the right)

Sat, Dec 21 - pre-movie sing-a-long concert at Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg, noon
A special sing-a-long show before their midday movie (More details soon)

Sun, Dec 22 - pre-movie sing-a-long concert at Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg, noon
A special sing-a-long show before their midday movie (same thing, next day)

Mon, Dec 23 - Fri, Dec 27 - NO SING-A-LONGS

Mon, Dec 30 - NO SING-A-LONG

Tues, Dec 31 - No sing-a-long -- I wanted to do a New Year's Eve thing for families but it's not going to work out this year.

Weds, Jan 1 - No sing-a-long

Thurs, Jan 2 - sing-a-long at Dean Street in Prospect Heights, 10:30 am (regular sing-a-long schedule resumes)

Fri, Jan 3 - sing-a-long at Lark, Ditmas Park, 10am

Sat, Jan 4 - The Deedle Deedle Dees at the Brooklyn Historical Society, 3pm
The first Saturday of every month I do a family program at BHS. To kick off the new year, I'm bringing my whole band for a special family concert: "The History of Brooklyn According to the Deedle Dees."

Questions? You can always write me at lloydhmiller AT gmail DOT com.

Lloyd

No sing-a-long at Five Spot (Clinton Hill) today

Five Spot Soul Food is closed due to the weather today (Tues, Dec 10). So no sing-a-long.

Have some hot chocolate and watch some movies for me. I'll see you next week!

Lloyd

This Saturday: "Songs of Sandy & the Sea"

Don't miss "Songs of Sandy & the Sea," the December installment of Sing Back, Brooklyn! It's this Saturday, December 7th at 3pm.

Sing Back, Brooklyn! is my monthly sing-a-long variety show at the Brooklyn Historical Society. Every show is themed to their collection. The BHS has a growing exhibit about Hurricane Sandy so I decided to make a show exploring Brooklyn's experience of the storm as well as celebrating the rich maritime history of our borough. I'll be singing my own nautically-inclined songs (yes, of course the Henry Hudson one will be among them), some classic sea tunes, and a brand-new crowd-sourced song about Sandy

I've got quite a roster of guests for this show:

Amelia Robinson -- mastermind of the musical phenomenon, Mil's Trills

Leah Umansky-- NYC poet and frequent collaborator with Underwater New York

Justin Wood -- circus performer, concertina player, sea shanty singer

Andrew Vladeck-- acclaimed NYC singer-songwriter / AKA Hopalong Andrew of local sing-a-long fame

and some surprises...

More specifics on my calendar.

See you there!

Lloyd

Bay Ridge sing-a-lunch returns this week!

Starting tomorrow (Monday, December 2nd), I'll be back at Kettle Black in Bay Ridge on Mondays at 11:30am for their weekly sing-a-lunch. Details here.

Hope you can come!
Lloyd

photo by Joy Fields (c) 2012

Thanksgiving & Hanukkah Sing-a-long schedule

Here's my sing-a-long schedule for the next two weeks. A couple of my regular sings aren't happening and one will be covered by a sub (a great one).

Monday, Nov 25 NO SING-A-LONG

Tuesday, Nov 26 Sing-a-long with Lloyd at Five Spot Soul Food, Clinton Hill, 11:30am

Wednesday, Nov 27 Sing-a-long with Mary Jo at the Knitting Factory, Williamsburg, 11am

Thursday, Nov 28 NO SING-A-LONG 

Friday, Nov 29 NO SING-A-LONG

Monday, Dec 2 - Sing-a-lunch with Lloyd at Kettle Black (Bay Ridge) is back! 11:30am 

Tuesday, Dec 3 - Sing-a-long with Lloyd at Five Spot Soul Food, Clinton Hill, 11:30am

Wednesday, Dec 4 - Sing-a-long with Lloyd at Knitting Factory, Williamsburg, 11am

Thursday, Dec 5 - Sing-a-long with Lloyd at Dean Street, Prospect Heights, 10:30am

Friday, Dec 6 - Sing-a-long with Lloyd at Lark, Ditmas Park, 10am

Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Hanukkah!

Lloyd

"King Kong Kitchie" is only free to download til the end of the weekend

"King Kong Kitchie," an unreleased track from the S.S. Brooklyn sessions, is free to download until Sunday at midnight. Go get it! It's part of the "Stay Healthy and Fit for the Holidays" playlist Beth Blenz-Clucas put together for Macaroni Kid.

https://soundcloud.com/bethbcpr/sets/stay-healthy-and-fit-for-the

Write a verse for my Sandy song

I'm writing a song about Hurricane Sandy... with you. Watch this video where I give you the basic idea then send me your own verse. Send it via video preferably. If you're so shy you can't make a video (come on!) send me an audio recording or, worst case, lyrics by e-mail.

Ideal would be if you would come sing your verse with me at the Brooklyn Historical Society on December 7th. I'm doing an event called Songs of Sandy & the Sea and I'll performing this song for the first time in its fully-realized community-written form. Please join me! I really want you to.

You can send videos to lloydhmiller AT gmail DOT com. Or post 'em on YouTube and send me the link.

Need help? E-mail me. I'll post more tutorials where I explain how to play the chords on different instruments. If you live in Brooklyn I'll even meet you in person to teach you how to play the song.

Lloyd

New sing-a-long in Clinton Hill

I just started doing a new sing-a-long in Clinton Hill. It's in a lovely space, the high-ceilinged and expansive Five Spot soul food restaurant / night spot. The room has a vintage stage, antique furniture, and a nice big space for kids to sprawl and dance.

This sing-a-long is $10 a family (yes, more than any of my others) but it includes a free buffet. The spread includes homemade cornbread and muffins, fresh fruit, drinks for the kids, and more.

Come check it out. Tuesdays at 11:30am.


https://www.facebook.com/fivespotsoulfood
http://www.fivespotsoulfood.com/

A literary biking map of Brooklyn

My sing-a-long variety show debuts at the Brooklyn Historical Society today. It's a celebration of walking, running, and biking in Brooklyn. 

As a little gift to everyone who comes to the show -- and to anyone who wants it -- I made a bike map of sites connected to living Brooklyn authors. Print it out -- or better yet just look at it on your smartphone or iPad -- you can zoom in, scroll around, etc. 

Lloyd

Lloyd's new family series at Brooklyn Historical Society in the New York Times

Sing Back, Brooklyn! (my new sing-a-long variety show) starts tomorrow at the Brooklyn Historical Society. The New York Times wrote a nice thing about it here.

CBS at my Ditmas Park sing-a-long this Friday

A show called Live From the Couch on the NYC CBS station is going to record a segment at my sing-a-long this Friday at Lark Cafe in Ditmas Park. Will you come be in the audience?

Here's the catch: they're recording the thing from 7:30 - 9am (the sing is usually at 10). So I need kids and parents who are willing to come early and hang out for an hour and a half.

Do I have bribes to offer to make this more appealing? Of course! Everyone who comes and participates in the taping will get free breakfast AND a copy of S.S. Brooklyn.

If you want to do it, write me immediately: lloydhmiller AT gmail DOT com.

Lark's address, phone, website, etc can be found via the sidebar at the right. And yes the regular 10am singalong will happen also -- come to the early TV version and the usual mid-morning one if you want.

Lloyd

Set list for yesterday's S.S. Brooklyn CD release concert

Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate the release of S.S. Brooklyn with me at Shapeshifter Lab yesterday! And special thanks to Gabby and Adam and the rest of the Hip Tot crew for putting on such a great event.

photo by David Stack (@posterband on Twitter)

I played nearly the whole album with the help of my fabulous band:
Anand Mukherjee (founding member of the Deedle Deedle Dees along with me) - guitar
Ely Levin (a Dee since almost the beginning) - drums
Deidre Rodman-Struck (of the Itty Biddies and the Lascivious Biddies) - piano, melodica
Katie Mullins - vocals

Here's what we played and who guested on each tune.

1. I'm Gonna Light Up the World  Deidre - keys, vocals

Katie - vocals

2. Big Trip 

3. Working on a Bridge  Katie - vocals, Deidre - keys and vocals

4. Carroll Street Bridge - Deidre on melodica

5. Gowanus Canal

Katie - vocals    Ely - drums

Muk - guitar, vocals      Oscar Mukherjee and Grant Phipps-Miller on hand drums

6. Brooklyn by Bike Ely - toy glock, Muk - guitar

7. This Little Light of Mine    Deidre - vocals

8. Hi Hi Ya Henry  Muk - guitar, vocals

Ely - drums, vocals             Deidre - keys, vocals

9. S.S. Brooklyn   Deidre - vocals

10. Sing-a-long Song   Katie - vocals

11. I'm a Duck! - Grant Phipps-Miller on vocals

12. I'm a Rat 

13. Seventeen Years (a cicada love song)   Deidre - keys

14. Do the Tub-Tub-Tubman    Muk - guitar, vocals

Ely - drums, vocals            Deidre - keys, vocals           Katie - vocals

15. Honk Honk (Major Deegan)  Muk - guitar, vocals          

Ely - drums, vocals                   Deidre and Katie - vocals

CD release party this Sunday, Oct 13th

Can't wait to see all of you at my CD release party for S.S. Brooklyn this Sunday at Shapeshifter Lab. Hip Tot is throwing the party so there will be all sorts of other fun in addition to my show. Details and tickets here: http://hiptot.com/tickets/

Lloyd sings Sweetly at the City Reliquary Sunday

Lloyd is playing a new set of largely never-before-played (he's still writing songs right now) music as part of the 4th Annual Sugar Sweet Festival at the City Reliquary. This Sunday, Oct 6th. Won't you come?

http://www.cityreliquary.org/4th-annual-sugar-sweet-festival/

Showtime: 11am

Kid-friendly happy hour w/ me and Roy Nathanson TODAY

Roy & Lloyd's Happy Hour, a weekly musical hang at Lark Cafe in Ditmas Park, starts again today. 5-7pm. Roy Nathanson and I will be singing songs we love and telling stories. And maybe, if you ask him, Roy will read some of his poems.

We won't be playing "kids' music" (save a couple of re-worked Dees tunes Roy has played with me before) but the event is very kid-friendly. Come have a beer or a glass of wine or some kind of fancy latte thing and start your weekend.

More details on this show and other grown-up music events can be found on this new page, accessible by clicking the "music for adults" tab at lloydhmiller.com or by following this direct link.

Lloyd

Win tickets to my Brooklyn CD release party -- online or in-person

Hip Tot is putting on my big CD release bash for S.S. Brooklyn at Shapeshifter Lab in Brooklyn on October 13th. You can win tickets to the show by entering a contest online or by showing up at one of my sing-a-longs next week.

ONLINE
Thirty Mommy is running a contest right now. They're giving away two pairs of tickets plus two copies of S.S. Brooklyn. Details here.

IN-PERSON
Come to one of my sing-a-longs next week. Write your name and e-mail on an entry form while I'm singing and I'll have a drawing before my last song. I'll be giving away one pair of tickets at each of these sing-a-longs:
- Weds, Oct 2 at 11am at the Knitting Factory in Williamsburg
- Thurs, Oct 3 at 10:30am at Dean Street Restaurant in Prospect Heights
- Thurs, Oct 3 at 12:30pm at Kettle Black in Bay Ridge*
- Fri, Oct 4 at 10am at Lark in Ditmas Park
Addresses, websites, etc for all the sing-a-longs can be found here.

*My Bay Ridge sing-a-long at Kettle Black may move to Mondays at 11. In the event it does, I'll hold the drawing on Monday, Oct 7th.

Here are some recent mentions of the CD release show (and some of my other events) on Time Out Kids and Mommy Poppins.
Lloyd - Time Out Kids
Lloyd - Mommy Poppins


See you soon!
Lloyd

S.S. Brooklyn: now on sale!

Here's the CDBaby page:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lloydhmiller

Also available on iTunes, Amazon, and lots of other places...

Lloyd

Pre-order S.S. Brooklyn on iTunes now

S.S. Brooklyn, my first solo album for families, comes out September 24th. You can pre-order it on iTunes now.

S.S. Brooklyn on iTunes

CD release show for S.S. Brooklyn October 13th

I'm having a big party to celebrate the release of my first solo family album, S.S. Brooklyn, on October 13th at Shapeshifter Lab in Brooklyn. There will be lots of guest stars -- including current and future members of the Deedle Deedle Dees!

Tickets and more details here.

Three-song sampler of S.S. Brooklyn now available!

My sing-a-long album, S.S. Brooklyn, comes out Sept 24th. Wanna hear a few songs from it? A three-song sampler is now online here. Check it out.

Are you a writer / blogger / media type who'd like to review the album? Send me an e-mail at lloydhmiller@gmail.com and I'll send you a secret link where you can hear the whole thing.

Lloyd

That beautiful cover is by Greg Bunch. Poster version coming soon.

S.S. Brooklyn is (almost) done!

I'm listening to the master for S.S. Brooklyn, my sing-a-long album, right now. I should be able to post a review version very soon -- tell your all your friends with blogs and writing jobs.

Can't wait for you all to hear it.  It goes on sale officially soon after Labor Day.

L

Sing-a-long album coming in September

Dean Jones is about to start mixing my sing-a-long album, S.S. Brooklyn. I'm going to release it right after Labor Day. It's gonna have 15+ tracks!

We were planning on putting out the first single and video in July but then this little song inspired by the 17-year cicadas came to me in Dean's yard. We recorded the song that same day and Dean encouraged me to get the song out right away while the cicadas were emerging. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS6w6XSOtQM

I'll be putting out another single and video in July. And a few more after that.

Can't wait for you to hear everything!
Lloyd

Six sings with Lloyd this week!

Yes, that title is correct. I'll be doing my four regular sing-a-longs plus covering two for "Hopalong"Andrew Vladeck. Here's where you can find me (addresses and other contact info in sidebar on right):

Tuesday
10am - Two Moon, Park Slope
11am - Moxie Spot, Brooklyn Heights

Wednesday
11am - Knitting Factory, Williamsburg

Thursday
10:30am - Dean Street Restaurant, Prospect Heights
11:30am - Speedy Romeo, Clinton Hill

Friday
10am - Lark Cafe, Ditmas Park / Flatbush

and don't forget...

This Saturday, March 2nd, my group, The Deedle Deedle Dees, will be at Symphony Space. 11am show.

Why there's no Knitting Factory sing-a-long today

The Knitting Factory has long been very generous in letting us use their space for weekly sing-a-longs. Sometimes, however, they cancel the sing-a-longs due to the film shoots, rentals, music festivals, and other things that take precedence over our events.

This week I only found out the sing-a-long couldn't happen on Monday. I tried to find an appropriate alternate venue but was unsuccessful.

This is obviously far from ideal and unfair to you, parents and caregivers, who come out every week to these events. I've just been unable to find another venue that can handle the crowds the sing-a-longs draw. If you have suggestions, I'm very interested. I have a very busy schedule of performing and teaching and so exploring Williamsburg on foot in search of a new spot is nearly impossible for me right now. I'd really appreciate any leads you might have -- especially if they include a personal connection to a particular venue that could help us work out a new home for the sing-a-long.

Friday's sing-a-long with Ari Brand and next Wednesday (w/ me) and Friday (w/ Ari) are on as usual.

Lloyd
e-mail: thedeedledeedledees AT yahoo DOT com