Molly Lewis
Encyclopedia
Molly Lewis is an American
Internet musician who is known for her ukulele
playing. She plays both covers and original songs. Her original music consists of comedic songs about pop culture topics that trend towards the nerdy. She is currently signed with DFTBA Records through which she released her first EP "I Made You A CD... But I Eated It".
In a video answering questions from her YouTube viewers, she made a comparison with the mandolin player and vocalist for Nickel Creek
: "Chris Thile
did for the mandolin
what I'd like to think that Julia Nunes
and Jake Shimabukuro
and myself are doing for ukulele
nowadays."
' Toxic
and Lady Gaga
's Poker Face
, then posting videos of her performances on YouTube. She also recorded videos with other internet-based musicians, such as 'WadeJohnston', 'thedoifter', and 'doctornoise'. For Mother's Day
in 2009, Molly recorded a cover
of 'Two of Us' by The Beatles
as a duet with her mother.
She uploads YouTube videos under the name of SweetAfton23, an allusion to a Scottish poet Robert Burns
' lyrical poem Sweet Afton
. She was inspired by a rendition of Jonathan E. Spilman
's 1837 musical accompaniment to the poem, as played by Chris Thile
with Nickel Creek
. The 23 refers to her birthday, November 23.
alongside Paul and Storm
, Adam Savage
and Wil Wheaton
. She has performed with the Presidents of the United States of America
. During live performances, she occasionally forgets to bring key instruments, like the kazoo
from "I Pity the Fool", and substitutes other things from her pocket, notably a rape whistle. In an animated music video of "I Pity the Fool", the kazoo solo is shown being played by a cartoon version of Mr. T
.
Lewis has appeared on NBC's Los Angele
s' show Music LA. She recorded the theme music for Episode 2 of Season 3 of The Legend of Neil
. She participated in Coulton's January 2011 JoCo Cruise with John Hodgman
, Wil Wheaton
, Paul and Storm, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy from Rifftrax
, and Mike Phirman.
On February 22, 2011, Lewis performed her song, 'An Open Letter to Stephen Fry', to Stephen Fry
himself at Harvard University
, during an event marking the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard giving its Lifetime Achievement Award to Fry.
's Tom Cruise Crazy earned Ukulele Hunt's 2007 "Ukulele Video of the Year" for 2007. That video brought her to the attention of Coulton, who has since invited her to perform with him and with Paul and Storm
.
She won the third edition of Quick Stop Entertainment's Masters of Song Fu competition, defeated 16 other artists, including Hank Green
and Paul and Storm
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Internet musician who is known for her ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
playing. She plays both covers and original songs. Her original music consists of comedic songs about pop culture topics that trend towards the nerdy. She is currently signed with DFTBA Records through which she released her first EP "I Made You A CD... But I Eated It".
In a video answering questions from her YouTube viewers, she made a comparison with the mandolin player and vocalist for Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek was an American progressive acoustic music trio consisting of Chris Thile , Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins . The band was founded in 1989 and released 6 albums between 1993 and 2006...
: "Chris Thile
Chris Thile
Christopher Scott Thile is an American musician, best known as the mandolinist and a singer for the progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek. His current band is Punch Brothers whose most recent album is Antifogmatic...
did for the mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
what I'd like to think that Julia Nunes
Julia Nunes
Julia Nunes is a singer and songwriter from Fairport, New York. Her career has progressed online through her videos of pop songs on YouTube in which she sings harmony with herself and plays acoustic instruments, primarily the ukulele, guitar, melodica and piano.-Biography:Nunes was born into a...
and Jake Shimabukuro
Jake Shimabukuro
Jake Shimabukuro is an ukulele virtuoso known for his complex finger work. His music combines elements of jazz and rock.- History :...
and myself are doing for ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
nowadays."
History
Lewis attracted attention by recording ukulele covers of popular songs such as Britney SpearsBritney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
' Toxic
Toxic (song)
"Toxic" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, co-written and produced by Bloodshy & Avant, from her fourth album, In the Zone. It was released on January 12, 2004, by Jive Records as the second single from the album. After trying to choose between " Boom Boom" and "Outrageous" to...
and Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
's Poker Face
Poker Face (Lady Gaga song)
"Poker Face" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga from her debut album, The Fame. Produced by RedOne, it was released as the album's second single in late 2008 for some markets and in early 2009 for the rest of the world...
, then posting videos of her performances on YouTube. She also recorded videos with other internet-based musicians, such as 'WadeJohnston', 'thedoifter', and 'doctornoise'. For Mother's Day
Mother's Day
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May...
in 2009, Molly recorded a cover
Cover
- Science and technology :* A covering, usually one that completely closes the object** Lid** Mechanical seal* The outside of an object, not necessarily enclosing the object** Album cover** Book cover, or magazine cover** CD and DVD packaging...
of 'Two of Us' by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
as a duet with her mother.
She uploads YouTube videos under the name of SweetAfton23, an allusion to a Scottish poet Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
' lyrical poem Sweet Afton
Sweet Afton
Sweet Afton is a lyrical poem describing the Afton Water in Ayrshire, Scotland. It was written by Robert Burns in 1791 and set to music by Jonathan E. Spilman in 1837, under the title "Flow gently, sweet Afton"...
. She was inspired by a rendition of Jonathan E. Spilman
Jonathan E. Spilman
Jonathan Edwards Spilman was a Kentucky lawyer, minister, and composer.Jonathan Spilman was born in Greenville, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky to Benjamin Spilman, and graduated from Illinois College in 1835. He was married to Mary V.J. Menefee, who died precociously in 1843...
's 1837 musical accompaniment to the poem, as played by Chris Thile
Chris Thile
Christopher Scott Thile is an American musician, best known as the mandolinist and a singer for the progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek. His current band is Punch Brothers whose most recent album is Antifogmatic...
with Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek was an American progressive acoustic music trio consisting of Chris Thile , Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins . The band was founded in 1989 and released 6 albums between 1993 and 2006...
. The 23 refers to her birthday, November 23.
Public Appearances
She is a regular performer at w00tstockW00tstock
w00tstock, billed as "3 Hours of Geeks & Music," is a special event featuring music, comedy, readings, short films, and demonstrations. Shows in 2009 took place in two locations: the Swedish American Hall in San Francisco, California on October 19 and 20; and Largo in Los Angeles, California on...
alongside Paul and Storm
Paul and Storm
Paul and Storm are an Arlington, Virginia-based comedic musical duo consisting of Paul Sabourin and Greg "Storm" DiCostanzo. They had formerly been members of the a cappella group Da Vinci’s Notebook....
, Adam Savage
Adam Savage
Adam Whitney Savage is an American industrial design and special effects designer/fabricator, actor, educator, and co-host of the Discovery Channel television series MythBusters. His model work has appeared in major films, including Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and The Matrix...
and Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton
Richard William "Wil" Wheaton III is an American actor and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Wesley Crusher on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gordie Lachance in the film Stand by Me and Joey Trotta in Toy Soldiers...
. She has performed with the Presidents of the United States of America
Presidents of the United States of America (band)
The Presidents of the United States of America, commonly referred to as Pot USA or "PUSA" or The Presidents, are a twice Grammy-nominated American alternative rock band. The band formed in Seattle, USA, in 1993. The three-piece group currently comprises vocalist and "basitarist" Chris Ballew,...
. During live performances, she occasionally forgets to bring key instruments, like the kazoo
Kazoo
The kazoo is a wind instrument which adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. The kazoo is a type of mirliton, which is a membranophone, a device which modifies the sound of a person's voice by way of a vibrating membrane."Kazoo" was the name given by...
from "I Pity the Fool", and substitutes other things from her pocket, notably a rape whistle. In an animated music video of "I Pity the Fool", the kazoo solo is shown being played by a cartoon version of Mr. T
Mr. T
Mr. T is an American actor known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series The A-Team, as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III, and for his appearances as a professional wrestler. Mr. T is known for his trademark African Mandinka warrior hairstyle, his gold jewelry,...
.
Lewis has appeared on NBC's Los Angele
KNBC
KNBC, channel 4, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, licensed to Los Angeles, California, USA. KNBC's studios and offices are located within the NBC Studios complex in Burbank, California, and its transmitter is located on Mount Wilson...
s' show Music LA. She recorded the theme music for Episode 2 of Season 3 of The Legend of Neil
The Legend of Neil
The Legend of Neil is a comedy web series distributed by Comedy Central's partner Atom.com and is a parody of the Nintendo game The Legend of Zelda. Sandeep Parikh of The Guild fame directs the series. Tony Janning writes for the series, and acts as the title character Neil...
. She participated in Coulton's January 2011 JoCo Cruise with John Hodgman
John Hodgman
John Kellogg Hodgman is an American author, actor, and humorist. In addition to his published written works, such as The Areas of My Expertise, More Information Than You Require, and That Is All, he is known for his personification of a PC in contrast to Justin Long's personification of a Mac in...
, Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton
Richard William "Wil" Wheaton III is an American actor and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Wesley Crusher on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gordie Lachance in the film Stand by Me and Joey Trotta in Toy Soldiers...
, Paul and Storm, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy from Rifftrax
RiffTrax
RiffTrax are downloadable audio commentaries featuring comedians Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett heckling films in the style of Mystery Science Theater 3000, a TV show in which Nelson was the head writer, and later the host. The RiffTrax are sold online and delivered by digital...
, and Mike Phirman.
On February 22, 2011, Lewis performed her song, 'An Open Letter to Stephen Fry', to Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
himself at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, during an event marking the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard giving its Lifetime Achievement Award to Fry.
Awards and Achievements
Her cover of Jonathan CoultonJonathan Coulton
Jonathan Coulton is an American singer-songwriter, known for his songs about geek culture and his use of the Internet to draw fans...
's Tom Cruise Crazy earned Ukulele Hunt's 2007 "Ukulele Video of the Year" for 2007. That video brought her to the attention of Coulton, who has since invited her to perform with him and with Paul and Storm
Paul and Storm
Paul and Storm are an Arlington, Virginia-based comedic musical duo consisting of Paul Sabourin and Greg "Storm" DiCostanzo. They had formerly been members of the a cappella group Da Vinci’s Notebook....
.
She won the third edition of Quick Stop Entertainment's Masters of Song Fu competition, defeated 16 other artists, including Hank Green
Hank Green
William Henry "Hank" Green II is a professional vlogger and entrepreneur. He is the founder of VidCon and EcoGeek.org and the co-founder of DFTBA Records. He is also a singer/songwriter and has released three studio albums...
and Paul and Storm
Paul and Storm
Paul and Storm are an Arlington, Virginia-based comedic musical duo consisting of Paul Sabourin and Greg "Storm" DiCostanzo. They had formerly been members of the a cappella group Da Vinci’s Notebook....
.