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Jun 21, 2023 By Kat Ramkumar Photography by Sarah Trott

Singer/songwriter Cass McCombs and San Francisco preschool teacher Mr. Greg (aka Greg Gardner) have announced a new LP of original children’s music, Mr. Greg & Cass McCombs Sing and Play New Folk Songs for Children, and share a video for its lead single, “Wave a Flag for Harvey Milk.” Mr. Greg & Cass McCombs Sing and Play New Folk Songs for Children is due out August 18 via Smithsonian Folkways. Watch the video below, followed by the album’s tracklist and cover artwork.

The pair were influenced by Folkways classics by Ella Jenkinds, Lucinda Williams, Michael Hurley, and Woody Guthrie alongside interests of Gardner’s preschoolers in the creation of this album. “What they were talking about, what we were learning about,” Gardner says in a press release. “The songs were informed by the childrens’ conversations and interests.”

“Whenever we have a new project or we’re learning about something new in class, I try to make a little song about it,” Gardner adds. “I’ve noticed that it’s a fun way to introduce new vocabulary, learn about new subjects, and foster a positive and musical classroom community. And as a kid myself, the things that I remember most vividly are those things that I learned through song. At that age, not everyone wants to sit and listen to the teacher talk, or even listen to a book. But a lot of kids tend to become engaged when there’s movement and song and rhyme.”

“Wave a Flag for Harvey Milk” heralds Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected into public office in San Francisco. The song’s lyrics go: “Harvey Milk believed in rights for all/He did not discriminate/He stood up for his people/Down by the Golden Gate/He spoke of justice, peace, and love/Things we all appreciate/And his influence is felt todayIn each and every state.” The video features original drawings by Gardner and was animated by Cameron Burr.

Gardner had this to say about the single and its video: “A few years ago I created ‘Wave a Flag for Harvey Milk’ as a sing-along coloring book that I wrote and illustrated as a way to introduce my students to some of the positive things that Harvey Milk did for San Franciscans in particular and the LGBTQ+ community at large. Cass and the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus then added their musical magic to the song. This year, my students were overjoyed to see the illustrations from the coloring book come to life in a rainbow of colors by the talented animator Cameron Burr. I hope that this video inspires children and their grown-ups to follow Harvey’s lead to make positive changes in the world.”

The songs educate and highlight important people and events, teaching not just children. “A lot of what’s called children’s music is just folk music,” McCombs says. “So I don’t see a big difference between children’s music and adult music. To me, it’s the same.”

Read out 2016 interview with Cass Mccombs.

Mr. Greg & Cass McCombs Sing and Play New Folk Songs for Children Tracklist:

1. Little Wilma Wiggly Worm
2. Friends from All Around the World (Hello Version)
3. J-O-B
4. Requiem for Ruth Bader Ginsburg
5. A Builder’s Got a Hammer and Nails
6. Each One of Us
7. What’s Your Favorite Kind?
8. I’m a Nocturnal Animal
9. Paper Airplane
10. My Skull is Made Outta Bone
11. Wave a Flag for Harvey Milk
12. Things That Go in the Recycling Bin
13. Roll Around Downtown
14. Deciduous Tree
15. We Build a Lot of Muscle as We Exercise
16. The Sounds that the Letters Make
17. Who Are You?
18. Together with You
19. Oona Louise, My Friend
20. Friends from All Around the World (Goodbye Version)

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