Uncle Wayne and the Howling Dog Band is comprised of a dozen high-energy tunes in a style the band refers to as Family Folk. Nine of the songs are original compositions by Uncle Wayne including a new arrangement of his classic song “All Around Maui”, known to many as simply “the whale song”. This is the only children’s song about the Humpback Whale and is regularly sung by school children throughout the Hawaiian islands for May Day and other special performances. The CD opens with"I Got a Dog", a whimsical piece describing the antics of five dogs, each a different color, and ends with a howling chorus of Mary had a Little Lamb (the green dog's favorite song)."Oxygen" is a high-energy plea to save the trees and the fiddle on"Kangaroo" has you waltzing one minute and jumping the next. The ballad “Happy Birthday Martin” honors the great Dr. Martin Luther King with scenes from his life and his charge for us to love one another. The up-tempo blues “I Got a Cat” includes a blistering slide guitar and a rhythm that just makes kids and grow ups want to dance. “If I was a Dolphin” is total island-style country featuring a hollow neck guitar and some sweet harmonies on the chorus sung in Hawaiian language. The CD ends with two concert favorites, “Coconut” and “Shake it up”. Both include counting and provoke lots of dancing. The CD is rounded out with three classic children’s folk songs including “John Henry” which Uncle Wayne has been singing since he was a small child in the 50’s. As soon as this fast-paced bluegrass-style song with its fiddle and three-part harmony kicks off you are immediately transported to a barn dance in the mountains of Appalachia. The band started playing the song “Kookaburra”, with its reggae-rhythm, in preparation for a springtime show at the Honolulu Zoo. They enjoyed playing it so much it had to be included on the CD. The Malvina Reynolds' tune"Quiet" returns to a classic waltz rhythm as it implores all of us to cherish the sound of quiet.