A Wild Jumble of Songs About a Whole Mess of Things CRAZY WITH HAPPINESS by GRIN BRIGADE (South Pasadena, CA – May 2016) Tucked away deep in the heart of a file cabinet in a small home office north of Los Angeles was a treasure trove of unrecorded songs, caringly watched over by the primary songwriter. Now and again, new songs were added. They covered an array of topics in a range of musical styles which made the caretaker wonder if one artist could do justice to all of them. So Grin Brigade was assembled – a team of 5 songwriters, 24 singers (17 singing lead), 13 musicians and 6 producers in the U.S. and U.K. Ten new songs were written, for a total of 26, and it all became Crazy With Happiness, coming in June on Song Wizard Records. Crazy With Happiness pushes the limits of how much can be contained on a single CD, literally. It is filled to the brim with 13 musical styles – Beatlesque, Broadway, country, dance, folk, funk, jazz, jug band, lullaby, marching band, pop, rock, vaudeville. So let us be your guide. Keep in mind that, like the unpredictable weather in San Francisco, if one song is not your cup of tea, just wait a minute. There are: Silly Songs – jazzy funk on “Children Under the Bed;” cool wordplay on “Funky Hu;” “Dorky Haircut” in a vaudeville style; the California pop of “Surfin’ Maniac.” Seasonal Songs – these are all pretty obvious, but just in case it has begun to snow in July where you live, “Snowflakes” is about winter. Fanciful Songs – “Swimming with Dolphins” and “My Flying Car.” Songs about Family and Friends – “For the Love of My Pet” is sung with a bit of a bulldog growl in a Broadway style; “A Place Like Home” is warm, pure country; the rockin’ “There’s a Baby Coming Home.” But wait, there’s more: Anthemic Songs – “When I Dare to Dream” with Jimmy Kimmel’s bandleader Cleto Escobedo singing lead; “Wake Up in America” and “For Every Child, a Better World.” Character-Building Songs – “Do Something Good” with charming lead vocals by young Sarah Geltz; the moving ballad “The Me Inside.” Lullaby Songs – “Little Boat,” where the waves gently rock with the moon and stars watching over. Members of Grin Brigade come from all over the musical map and include hit country songwriter Randy Sharp; David Morgan, new lead singer for Three Dog Night; Lori Perry, who sings with many R&B and pop luminaries; Maia Sharp, frequent opening act for Bonnie Raitt; Dave Kinnoin, multi-award-winning children’s artist; popular producer/songwriter of many outstanding children’s projects Jimmy Hammer; John Hoke, music producer for Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune; up-and-coming singer/songwriter/producer Oliver Kinnoin. Crazy With Happiness has songs to make you happy, songs to make you think, songs to make you feel, and songs to make you laugh. So dive in, discover your favorites and, most of all, have fun!