Of Great and Mortal Men: 43 Songs for 43 U.S. Presidencies
Encyclopedia
On September 9, 2008, Standard Recording Company
released a triple CD Of Great and Mortal Men: 43 Songs for 43 U.S. Presidencies, a collection penned by songwriters J. Matthew Gerken of Nice Monster, Christian Kiefer, and Jefferson Pitcher (formerly of Above the Orange Trees). The set features a slew of special studio guests including Califone
, Rosie Thomas
, Bill Callahan (Smog
), Alan Sparhawk
(Low
), Mark Kozelek
(Red House Painters
, Sun Kil Moon
), Marla Hansen (Sufjan Stevens
), Steve Dawson
(Dolly Varden
), Vince DiFiore
(Cake
), Monahans
, James Jackson Toth (Wooden Wand
), and Tom Carter (Charalambides
).
This project initially came about as part of “February Album Writing Month
,” a website that challenges songwriters to write 14 songs in 28 days. The three songwriters wrote and recorded rough demos of the first 42 songs in February 2006 (leaving only George W. Bush
for later). “It was an amazing challenge to get that many songs written, even split three ways,” notes Kiefer. “Blasting the first four or five is easy and then you’ve used up all the ideas that have been floating around and have to come up with new ones. And you have to come up with those new ideas right now.”
It was decided soon after that the project was too interesting to leave in the demo stage and so the recording process began anew with guests coming into the fray as time and schedules allowed. The project is now in its final phases. “It’s a walk through American history and an inquiry into what makes us Americans as filtered through the lens of our highest public office. There’s heartbreak and beauty and criticism and revelation. We’re trying to make it work like a big beautiful historical novel.”
The released project includes a 100+ page book featuring individual images of the presidents by 43 different visual artists and illustrators, all hand-selected by art curator Pitcher to be included in the project.
Kiefer’s album Dogs & Donkeys (Undertow
) appeared to favorable reviews last year and featured guests Alan Sparhawk
and Mimi Parker (Low), Nels Cline
(Wilco, The Geraldine Fibbers, etc.), and Garth Hudson
(The Band
). Kiefer and Jefferson Pitcher also saw the release of their collaboration To All Dead Sailors via Australia’s Camera Obscura
earlier this year, a project recorded in the midst of the presidential election. Pitcher’s recent concept album I am not in Spain was also released this year on Mudita Records. Gerken’s acoustic indie-math rock quartet Nice Monster is also in the studio recording a follow-up EP to their full-length Good Times + Sharp Knives (Grayscale
).
Following the 2008 United States Presidential Election, a final song, called "Someone to Wake," was written for Barack Obama
and made available for download.
: Washington Dreams of the Hippopotamus (Feat. Vince DiFiore
of Cake) - artwork by Clifford Roelle
2.John Adams
: Armed with Only Wit and Vigor and the U.S. Navy (Feat. These United States
) - artwork by Rob Fisk
3.Thomas Jefferson
: The Mouldboard of Least Resistance - artwork by Keri Smith
4.James Madison
: Zinger - artwork by Christa Dalien
5.James Monroe
: The Last Cocked Hat (Feat. Marla Hansen) - artwork by Helena Keefe
6.John Quincy Adams
: Death In The Speaker’s Room - artwork by Jefferson Pitcher
7.Andrew Jackson
: Benevolence (Feat. Califone
) - artwork by Christine Castro
8.Martin Van Buren
: The Little Magician (Feat. Tom Brosseau
) - artwork by Penelope Dullaghan
9.William Henry Harrison
: So You Don’t Have To - artwork by Natasha Robinson
10.John Tyler
: Hindsight Falls On Deaf Ears (Feat. Bill Callahan) - artwork by Jeremy Kalgreen
11.James Polk: The Other is Better / The Landscape to Transform (Feat. Monahans
) - artwork by Jason Sinclair Long
12.Zachary Taylor
: Rough and Ready - artwork by Matthew McCord
13.Millard Fillmore
: The Proof Is In The Pudding - artwork by Steve Lambert
14.Franklin Pierce
: My Only Enemy Is Myself - artwork by Shari Elf
: God Will Strike You Down (Feat. Marla Hansen) - artwork by Jen Corace
2.Abraham Lincoln
: Malice, Charity, And The Oath of God (Feat. James Jackson Toth) - artwork by Matthew Passmore
3.Andrew Johnson
: Was Ever Alone? - artwork by Scott Kattenbraker
4.Ulysses S. Grant
: Helicopters Above Oakland - artwork by Andrea Scher-Passmore
5.Rutherford B. Hayes
: The Beard of God - artwork by Erik Werner
6.James Garfield
: Seven Months - artwork by Danny Gregory
7.Chester Arthur: The Epitome of Dignity - artwork by Brian Biggs
8.Grover Cleveland
: Bees And Honey - artwork by Julia Schwandron
9.Benjamin Harrison
: Kid Gloves Hands Surplus to Big Sugar - artwork by Jeana Baumgardner
10.Grover Cleveland
: Rubbermouth - artwork by Chris Wisnia
11.William McKinley
: Czolgosz’s Dream (Feat. Magnolia Summer) - artwork by Christian Kiefer
12.Theodore Roosevelt
: The Sherman Act Does Not Care - artwork by Josh Schramm
13.William Howard Taft
: There Was No Longer Use To Hide The Fact That It Was Gout (Feat. Marla Hansen) - artwork by Eun-Ha Paek
14.Woodrow Wilson
: A Life Among Men (Feat. Jamie Stewart
of Xiu Xiu
) - artwork by Anthony Dihle
2.Calvin Coolidge
: On Silence (Feat. Radar Bros.) - artwork by Kevin Scalzo
3.Herbert Hoover
: Woe Is A Spoon-Shaped Heart (Feat. Marla Hansen) - artwork by Bart Woodstrup
4.Franklin D. Roosevelt
: Illuminating The Bright Lines - artwork by Rama Hughes
5.Harry S. Truman
: Suits And Fine Trousers Vs. Hiroshima (Feat. Denison Witmer
) - artwork by Kurt Lightner
6.Dwight D. Eisenhower
: When Ike Walked The Land (Feat. Alan Sparhawk
& Mark Kozelek
) - artwork by Maureen Gubia
7.John F. Kennedy
: There Is No Plan - artwork by Peter Arkle
8.Lyndon B. Johnson
: Ladybird Take Me Home (Feat. Steve Dawson
) - artwork by Cynthia Yardley
9.Richard Nixon
: 2 Under Par Off The Coast of Africa (Feat. Tom Carter) - artwork by Ralph Tepel
10.Gerald Ford
: Now You See It, Now You Don’t See It (Feat. Vince DiFiore
) - artwork by Mike Bullock
11.Jimmy Carter
: A Great Beam of Light (Feat. Rosie Thomas
) - artwork by Trystan Bates
12.Ronald Reagan
: Such A Marvelous Dream (Feat. Califone
) - artwork by Camilla Engman
13.George H.W. Bush: It Was Foreshadowed Here: The Beginning of The End - artwork by Marissa Tamari
14.Bill Clinton
: The Mighty Lion Will Not Roar Again - artwork by Kevin Seconds
15.George W. Bush
: Though The Night - artwork by Nicole Roberts
Standard Recording Company
Standard Recording Company is an independent record label based out of Indianapolis, Indiana. Formed in the early 2000s, its specialty is indie rock....
released a triple CD Of Great and Mortal Men: 43 Songs for 43 U.S. Presidencies, a collection penned by songwriters J. Matthew Gerken of Nice Monster, Christian Kiefer, and Jefferson Pitcher (formerly of Above the Orange Trees). The set features a slew of special studio guests including Califone
Califone
Califone is an experimental rock band from Chicago. The band is named after Califone International, an audio equipment manufacturer. Their work has been critically acclaimed....
, Rosie Thomas
Rosie Thomas
Rosie Thomas is an American singer-songwriter, originally from Michigan. It was through mutual friends that she met Trey Many and began playing shows with Velour 100. They recorded one EP together and played a few short tours, where she met Damien Jurado and Pedro the Lion...
, Bill Callahan (Smog
Smog
Smog is a type of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. Modern smog is a type of air pollution derived from vehicular emission from internal combustion engines and industrial fumes that react in the atmosphere with sunlight to form secondary pollutants that also combine...
), Alan Sparhawk
Alan Sparhawk
Alan Sparhawk is the guitarist and vocalist for American band Low.-Biography:George Alan Sparhawk was born in Seattle, Washington and grew up in Utah. He met Mimi Parker when he was 9, after his family moved to Minnesota. Sparhawk began writing his own compositions around the age of 13...
(Low
Low (band)
Low is an American indie rock group from Duluth, Minnesota, formed in 1993. As of 2010, the group is composed of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker , both founding members, and Steve Garrington ....
), Mark Kozelek
Mark Kozelek
Mark Kozelek is an American singer/songwriter Producer and frontman of Sun Kil Moon and Red House Painters.-History:...
(Red House Painters
Red House Painters
Red House Painters were an alternative rock group formed in 1989 in San Francisco, California by singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek.-History:While in Atlanta, Georgia, Ohio-born Kozelek became friends with Anthony Koutsos, a drummer. He then moved to San Francisco, California, adding guitarist Gorden...
, Sun Kil Moon
Sun Kil Moon
Sun Kil Moon is a music project of singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek, best known for his previous band Red House Painters. Sun Kil Moon sees Kozelek undertake the writing, composing, singing, and guitar playing, accompanied by Tim Mooney and Anthony Koutsos on drums, and Geoff Stanfield on bass...
), Marla Hansen (Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
), Steve Dawson
Steve Dawson
Steven "Dobby" Dawson , is an English bass guitarist, founder of Saxon.Dawson was the inspiration for Harry Shearer's Spinal Tap character Derek Smalls.-Saxon:*Saxon *Wheels of Steel...
(Dolly Varden
Dolly Varden (band)
Dolly Varden is a Chicago band built around the singing and songwriting of husband and wife duo Steve Dawson and Diane Christiansen. Their music combines elements of folk, rock and pop and country. The band has released 5 albums, along with several collections and side projects...
), Vince DiFiore
Vince DiFiore
Vince DiFiore has been a member of the band Cake since 1991, and plays trumpet, keyboard, and auxiliary percussion. Born to parents Vincent Robert DiFiore Sr...
(Cake
Cake (band)
Cake is an American alternative rock band from Sacramento, California. Consisting of singer John McCrea, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, guitarist Xan McCurdy, bassist Gabe Nelson and drummer Paulo Baldi, the band has been noted for McCrea's sarcastic lyrics and deadpan voice, DiFiore's trumpet parts, and...
), Monahans
Monahans
Monahans can refer to:*Monahans, Texas*Monahans Sandhills State Park*Monahans-Wickett-Pyote Independent School District*XScale, for which Monahans was a code-name...
, James Jackson Toth (Wooden Wand
Wooden Wand
Wooden Wand is one moniker of singer-songwriter James Jackson Toth, who has recorded under his given name as well as the name WAND. Having over 100 releases from proper albums to handmade CDRs to limited-edition vinyl, Toth is by all accounts an astoundingly prolific artist...
), and Tom Carter (Charalambides
Charalambides
Charalambides is an avant garde musical group originally from Houston, Texas, USA and lately of Austin, Texas. Formed in 1991 by Tom Carter, Christina Carter and Kyle Silfer, they have followed in the footsteps of other Texas psychedelic music artists such as the 13th Floor Elevators, Red Crayola,...
).
This project initially came about as part of “February Album Writing Month
February Album Writing Month
February Album Writing Month or FAWM is an annual songwriting challenge. The challenge is to compose 14 original songs in the 28 days of February.- History :...
,” a website that challenges songwriters to write 14 songs in 28 days. The three songwriters wrote and recorded rough demos of the first 42 songs in February 2006 (leaving only George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
for later). “It was an amazing challenge to get that many songs written, even split three ways,” notes Kiefer. “Blasting the first four or five is easy and then you’ve used up all the ideas that have been floating around and have to come up with new ones. And you have to come up with those new ideas right now.”
It was decided soon after that the project was too interesting to leave in the demo stage and so the recording process began anew with guests coming into the fray as time and schedules allowed. The project is now in its final phases. “It’s a walk through American history and an inquiry into what makes us Americans as filtered through the lens of our highest public office. There’s heartbreak and beauty and criticism and revelation. We’re trying to make it work like a big beautiful historical novel.”
The released project includes a 100+ page book featuring individual images of the presidents by 43 different visual artists and illustrators, all hand-selected by art curator Pitcher to be included in the project.
Kiefer’s album Dogs & Donkeys (Undertow
Undertow Music
Undertow began in 1996 as a collective of independent artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers and creative managers sharing resources, ideas, and a love of music. Undertow Music operates offices in St...
) appeared to favorable reviews last year and featured guests Alan Sparhawk
Alan Sparhawk
Alan Sparhawk is the guitarist and vocalist for American band Low.-Biography:George Alan Sparhawk was born in Seattle, Washington and grew up in Utah. He met Mimi Parker when he was 9, after his family moved to Minnesota. Sparhawk began writing his own compositions around the age of 13...
and Mimi Parker (Low), Nels Cline
Nels Cline
Nels Cline is an American guitarist and composer, currently the lead guitarist of alternative rock band Wilco. David Carr of the New York Times describes Cline as "one of the best guitarists in any genre."-Career:...
(Wilco, The Geraldine Fibbers, etc.), and Garth Hudson
Garth Hudson
Eric Garth Hudson is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist. As the organist, keyboardist and saxophonist for Canadian-American rock group The Band, he was a principal architect of the group's unique sound...
(The Band
The Band
The Band was an acclaimed and influential roots rock group. The original group consisted of Rick Danko , Garth Hudson , Richard Manuel , and Robbie Robertson , and Levon Helm...
). Kiefer and Jefferson Pitcher also saw the release of their collaboration To All Dead Sailors via Australia’s Camera Obscura
Camera obscura
The camera obscura is an optical device that projects an image of its surroundings on a screen. It is used in drawing and for entertainment, and was one of the inventions that led to photography. The device consists of a box or room with a hole in one side...
earlier this year, a project recorded in the midst of the presidential election. Pitcher’s recent concept album I am not in Spain was also released this year on Mudita Records. Gerken’s acoustic indie-math rock quartet Nice Monster is also in the studio recording a follow-up EP to their full-length Good Times + Sharp Knives (Grayscale
Grayscale
In photography and computing, a grayscale or greyscale digital image is an image in which the value of each pixel is a single sample, that is, it carries only intensity information...
).
Following the 2008 United States Presidential Election, a final song, called "Someone to Wake," was written for Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and made available for download.
Disc One
1.George WashingtonGeorge Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
: Washington Dreams of the Hippopotamus (Feat. Vince DiFiore
Vince DiFiore
Vince DiFiore has been a member of the band Cake since 1991, and plays trumpet, keyboard, and auxiliary percussion. Born to parents Vincent Robert DiFiore Sr...
of Cake) - artwork by Clifford Roelle
2.John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
: Armed with Only Wit and Vigor and the U.S. Navy (Feat. These United States
These United States
These United States is a musical group from Lexington, KY, Brooklyn, NY, and Carrboro, NC made up of songwriter and bandleader Jesse Elliott, pedal steel and electric guitarist J. Tom Hnatow, drummer and vocalist Robby Cosenza, guitarist and keyboardist Justin Craig, and bassist and vocalist Dave...
) - artwork by Rob Fisk
3.Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
: The Mouldboard of Least Resistance - artwork by Keri Smith
Keri Smith
Keri Smith is an author, illustrator, guerilla artist, and maintainer of the blog "The Wish Jar".Smith's writing is usually on the topic of creativity...
4.James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
: Zinger - artwork by Christa Dalien
5.James Monroe
James Monroe
James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
: The Last Cocked Hat (Feat. Marla Hansen) - artwork by Helena Keefe
6.John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
: Death In The Speaker’s Room - artwork by Jefferson Pitcher
7.Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
: Benevolence (Feat. Califone
Califone
Califone is an experimental rock band from Chicago. The band is named after Califone International, an audio equipment manufacturer. Their work has been critically acclaimed....
) - artwork by Christine Castro
8.Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States . Before his presidency, he was the eighth Vice President and the tenth Secretary of State, under Andrew Jackson ....
: The Little Magician (Feat. Tom Brosseau
Tom Brosseau
Tom Brosseau is an American musical storyteller and guitarist, born and raised in Grand Forks, North Dakota.-Biography:Fat Cat Records artist Tom Brosseau tours and performs in the US, UK, Europe, Japan and Taiwan. In the Los Angeles area his home club is Largo. His song "How to Grow a Woman from...
) - artwork by Penelope Dullaghan
9.William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
: So You Don’t Have To - artwork by Natasha Robinson
10.John Tyler
John Tyler
John Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...
: Hindsight Falls On Deaf Ears (Feat. Bill Callahan) - artwork by Jeremy Kalgreen
11.James Polk: The Other is Better / The Landscape to Transform (Feat. Monahans
Monahans
Monahans can refer to:*Monahans, Texas*Monahans Sandhills State Park*Monahans-Wickett-Pyote Independent School District*XScale, for which Monahans was a code-name...
) - artwork by Jason Sinclair Long
12.Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
: Rough and Ready - artwork by Matthew McCord
13.Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
: The Proof Is In The Pudding - artwork by Steve Lambert
14.Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...
: My Only Enemy Is Myself - artwork by Shari Elf
Disc Two
1.James BuchananJames Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
: God Will Strike You Down (Feat. Marla Hansen) - artwork by Jen Corace
2.Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
: Malice, Charity, And The Oath of God (Feat. James Jackson Toth) - artwork by Matthew Passmore
3.Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
: Was Ever Alone? - artwork by Scott Kattenbraker
4.Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
: Helicopters Above Oakland - artwork by Andrea Scher-Passmore
5.Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
: The Beard of God - artwork by Erik Werner
6.James Garfield
James Garfield
James Abram Garfield served as the 20th President of the United States, after completing nine consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Garfield's accomplishments as President included a controversial resurgence of Presidential authority above Senatorial courtesy in executive...
: Seven Months - artwork by Danny Gregory
7.Chester Arthur: The Epitome of Dignity - artwork by Brian Biggs
Brian Biggs
Brian Biggs is a Children's Book Illustrator. He has been published by HarperCollins and Random House, among others, and has illustrated a Little Golden Book.- Early work :...
8.Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
: Bees And Honey - artwork by Julia Schwandron
9.Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
: Kid Gloves Hands Surplus to Big Sugar - artwork by Jeana Baumgardner
10.Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
: Rubbermouth - artwork by Chris Wisnia
11.William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
: Czolgosz’s Dream (Feat. Magnolia Summer) - artwork by Christian Kiefer
12.Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
: The Sherman Act Does Not Care - artwork by Josh Schramm
13.William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
: There Was No Longer Use To Hide The Fact That It Was Gout (Feat. Marla Hansen) - artwork by Eun-Ha Paek
14.Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
: A Life Among Men (Feat. Jamie Stewart
Jamie Stewart
James "Jamie" Cyrus Stewart is the front-man of the American musical group Xiu Xiu , a former front-man of IBOPA and Ten in the Swear Jar and a current member of Former Ghosts. He was also a member of 7 Year Rabbit Cycle which has since disbanded...
of Xiu Xiu
Xiu Xiu
Xiu Xiu is an American avant-garde group originally from San Jose, California. The band is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart, who has been its only constant member since its inception in 2002. His current bandmate is Angela Seo...
) - artwork by Anthony Dihle
Disc Three
1.Warren Harding: An Army Of Pompous Phrases - artwork by Laura Edmisten2.Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
: On Silence (Feat. Radar Bros.) - artwork by Kevin Scalzo
3.Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
: Woe Is A Spoon-Shaped Heart (Feat. Marla Hansen) - artwork by Bart Woodstrup
4.Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
: Illuminating The Bright Lines - artwork by Rama Hughes
5.Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
: Suits And Fine Trousers Vs. Hiroshima (Feat. Denison Witmer
Denison Witmer
Denison Witmer is an indie singer-songwriter from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His first release, in 1995, was a cassette titled My Luck, My Love. He has since released six studio LPs; two live albums, a cover album ; three EPs; and an LP with The River Bends—a side project consisting of members of the...
) - artwork by Kurt Lightner
Kurt Lightner
Kurt Lightner is an artist working in various media including graphic as well as performance art. He is originally from Des Moines, IA and currently resides in Göteborg, Sweden....
6.Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
: When Ike Walked The Land (Feat. Alan Sparhawk
Alan Sparhawk
Alan Sparhawk is the guitarist and vocalist for American band Low.-Biography:George Alan Sparhawk was born in Seattle, Washington and grew up in Utah. He met Mimi Parker when he was 9, after his family moved to Minnesota. Sparhawk began writing his own compositions around the age of 13...
& Mark Kozelek
Mark Kozelek
Mark Kozelek is an American singer/songwriter Producer and frontman of Sun Kil Moon and Red House Painters.-History:...
) - artwork by Maureen Gubia
7.John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
: There Is No Plan - artwork by Peter Arkle
8.Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
: Ladybird Take Me Home (Feat. Steve Dawson
Steve Dawson
Steven "Dobby" Dawson , is an English bass guitarist, founder of Saxon.Dawson was the inspiration for Harry Shearer's Spinal Tap character Derek Smalls.-Saxon:*Saxon *Wheels of Steel...
) - artwork by Cynthia Yardley
9.Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
: 2 Under Par Off The Coast of Africa (Feat. Tom Carter) - artwork by Ralph Tepel
10.Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
: Now You See It, Now You Don’t See It (Feat. Vince DiFiore
Vince DiFiore
Vince DiFiore has been a member of the band Cake since 1991, and plays trumpet, keyboard, and auxiliary percussion. Born to parents Vincent Robert DiFiore Sr...
) - artwork by Mike Bullock
11.Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
: A Great Beam of Light (Feat. Rosie Thomas
Rosie Thomas
Rosie Thomas is an American singer-songwriter, originally from Michigan. It was through mutual friends that she met Trey Many and began playing shows with Velour 100. They recorded one EP together and played a few short tours, where she met Damien Jurado and Pedro the Lion...
) - artwork by Trystan Bates
12.Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
: Such A Marvelous Dream (Feat. Califone
Califone
Califone is an experimental rock band from Chicago. The band is named after Califone International, an audio equipment manufacturer. Their work has been critically acclaimed....
) - artwork by Camilla Engman
13.George H.W. Bush: It Was Foreshadowed Here: The Beginning of The End - artwork by Marissa Tamari
14.Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
: The Mighty Lion Will Not Roar Again - artwork by Kevin Seconds
Kevin Seconds
Kevin Seconds is a singer/songwriter/musician, born in Sacramento. As a teen, he moved with his family to Reno, Nevada where he lived until 1988 when he relocated back to Sacramento and has been based ever since....
15.George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
: Though The Night - artwork by Nicole Roberts
Sources and external links
- Of Great and Mortal Men - Official blog
- Presidents' Songs: Of Legends And 'Mortal Men' NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
coverage by Joel Rose (2008)