Press Kit for Canary by Dr. Cyn and the Graduates Rise
Image Description: Album artwork for Canary. The background is a black and white image of a coal mine, it is very dusty and there are four miners shown coming out of the mine. The Dr. Cyn as a Canary logo is featured in the top left corner and next to this reads the album title in yellow letters. The brandmark showing “Dr. Cyn” in red is in the bottom right hand corner of the image.
Dr. Cyn is proud to announce the release of their second album
by
Dr. Cyn and the Graduates Rise
Nine punk rock songs to help you cope with the horrors of submission to the seemingly inevitable systemic exploitation of human beings in art, commerce, education, finance, healthcare, labor, and sport, and then one spacey love song, there’s always hope you know…
Available everywhere digital on Monday, September 2, 2024.
Music videos will be released monthly until July 26, 2025.
Here you can download a PDF of this Press Release.
“This album is about both the cosmic joy and profound sadness of modern American life.”
Image Description: Pictured are Dr. Cyn and their band on the set of the Stupid or Cruel? music video. They are all wearing black, smiling, and holding their instruments about to perform. From left to right are Jerry Campbell on guitar, Dr. CynCorrigible at the mic, D. Patrick Rodgers on drums, and Bingham Barnes on bass. Dr. Cyn’s hair, makeup, and dress by The Studio Cookeville. Photo Credit: Jason Gilmore.
Canary features artistry from:
Music, Lyrics, and Vocals by Dr. CynCorrigible (Dr. Cynthia George)
Guitar, Vocals, & Piano by Jerry Campbell (of Spider Virus & Millionaire Magicians)
Bass by Bingham Barnes (of Electric Python & Grand Palace Silkscreen)
Drums by D. Patrick Rodgers (of And the Relatives & Nashville Scene)
Synthesizer and canary sounds by G. Seth West (aka Gray Worry)
Recorded and Mixed by Jeremy Ferguson at Battletapes in Nashville, TN
Mastered by Patrick Damphier
Album artwork by Dr. CynCorrigible
Dr. Cyn as Canary and Dr. Cyn brandmark artwork by Marilu Herrera
Dr. Cyn manages disabilities and does not tour like a traditional band, however they are receiving interview requests and booking inquiries for speaking engagements and band performances, either virtual or in person. Please reach out to Dr. Cyn directly if interested via GraduatesRise@gmail.com.
Image Description: Dr. Cyn as a canary artwork by Marilu Herrera. This is a human-hand drawn yellow canary with a mohawk that is flying up and to the right, peering back over their right shoulder with a determined look on their face. They are wearing a red bandana around their neck.
About Canary the release:
Dr. Cyn is very happy that they were able to assemble this fabulous team comprised of some of Nashville’s greatest indie artists to bring this album to life! In addition to the musical release, Dr. Cyn is creating music videos for each song using an artificial intelligence (AI) tool. They will be releasing one video each month starting September 4, 2024 with Nondisparagement which is about the #MeToo movement to align with World Sexual Health Day. October’s video release will be Not Today Exploitation in honor of World Mental Health Day and USA Olympic gymnast Simone Biles who the song is about. My Drummer has a Fear of Success’ will be released on November 15, 2024 which is National Drummer Appreciation Day in honor of Keith Moon who the song was written about. Baby General’s video, an indictment of so-called bargain markets, will be released in December to help balance consumerism during the holiday season. Graduates Rise is planning a live show in Nashville, TN for January 2025 as an album release party and to celebrate Dr. Cyn’s birthday. The video for In Love will be released in February to celebrate American Heart Month and Valentine’s Day. March is National Credit Education Month and Dr. Cyn will share the video for Tranche Warfare which is about the credit default swap market. April brings World Autism Month and Dr. Cyn will share the video for Devolution Revolution, which presents their neuro-divergent solutions for people in organizations that have been abandoned by privatization (it’s rock and roll of course!). The video for the album’s title track Canary will be shared in May in honor of International Workers Day and the ongoing struggle for safe and fair working conditions. June is Elder Abuse Prevention Month and Dr. Cyn will share the music video for Stupid or Cruel? which features live performances from the band and is being edited by Jason Gilmore at Queen Ave in Nashville. Dr. Cyn wrote this song in the hours after being deposed as a witness in the wrongful death case where their mother died from nursing home abuse and neglect. Dr. Cyn had been asked why they thought the home abused their mother. The video depicts Dr. Cyn struggling to perform activities of daily living that their mother was unable to secure assistance for in the home such as tooth brushing, eating, toileting, and bathing. The set features medical supplies from the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation Equipment Exchange, including old crutches that were artistically repurposed into The Aluminum Throne by Chris Simpson of Eco Bits and Bots. Just Don’t will serve as the final video release, scheduled for July 2025 to celebrate Disability Pride Month and the birthday of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which guarantees accommodations for people with disabilities to ensure their equal access to public spaces.
Image Description: Dr. Cyn sits on the Aluminum Throne on the set of the Stupid or Cruel? video bathed in blue light. Dr. Cyn’s blonde mohawk is teased up and they are wearing a black dress made for them by The Studio Cookeville. The Aluminum Throne is repurposed crutches bound together to create a regal throne with a high back and arms, made by Chris Simpson to resemble the Iron Throne that was created from the swords of fallen soldiers in HBOs Game of Thrones. Photo Credit: Jason Gilmore.
About Dr. Cyn and the Graduates Rise:
Dr. Cynthia George is a PhD level social worker and an Associate Professor at Tennessee State University in Nashville, TN where they are an AI Fellow and teach courses on research and public policy. They are a member of United Campus Workers Local 3865. They are an award-winning artist, educator, and evaluator with twenty years experience working with groups from across the USA to engage in prevention science in areas including substance abuse, healthy relationships, teen driver safety, inclusion of people with disabilities, and crime prevention. They earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Sociology from Tennessee Technological University, a Master’s of Science in Social Work from the University of Tennessee, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Cyn was born on Nashville’s Rock Block in the old Baptist Hospital. They are a first-generation college student from a low income family and a person who manages disabilities. Performing as Dr. CynCorrigible, they write music and sing for the punk band Graduates Rise. Dr. Cyn uses music as a tool for education and as a rage outlet for self-care. They formed the band in 2015 as they were completing the final year of their doctoral studies while living out of their car. Their debut album Math is Hard! received academic peer review in 2017 from the Working Class Studies Association. Dr. Cyn was honored with an International Safety Media Award at the 2022 World Safety Conference for their COVID safety campaign integrating social work theory and punk music. Dr. Cyn is working on new music with Ben Lowry from Nashville’s Bang OK Bang.
Suggested Hashtags:
#NewAlbum #NewMusic #NashvilleMusic #NashvillePride #NashvillePunk #PunkRock #RiotGrrrl #AI #DisabilityPride #FirstGenPride #SocialWork #UnionStrong #GraduatesRise #Canary
Find us on the web:
Main: www.GraduatesRise.com
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/GraduatesRise
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dr.Cyn.GraduatesRise
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GraduatesRise
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graduatesrise/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@graduatesrise
X/Twitter: https://x.com/GraduatesRise
Streaming:
Bandcamp: https://graduatesrise.bandcamp.com
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dr-cyn/1737162305
Amazon Music: https://www.amazon.com/music/player/artists/B0CYP61R4G/dr-cyn
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/59SD2wSKt25WVanCg2ncOa
Monthly Video Releases for Awareness
Here you can download a PDF of this Press Release.
Sept 2, 2024 Album Release - Canary
in honor of
Labor Day
Image Description: Social media promo image that shows a US Department of Labor logo that depicts a beach setting in the background with lettering that reads “Greetings from Labor Day 2024: Good Jobs Changing Lives.” It also features the cover art for the album Canary and Dr. Cyn’s brandmark and reads “Happy labor Day! We release our album today in honor of the many workers who have supported America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.” There is a QR code that links to https://drcyn.hearnow.com/canary.
Sept 4, 2024 Video Release - Nondisparagement
in honor of
World Sexual Health Day
Released on World Sexual Health Day to honor the #MeToo movement and all the people who have had to hide their truth in order to comply with legal directives to be silent about what happened to them. We really do need better data reflecting the true scope and impact of abuse and harassment. This song aligns with the WSHD theme for 2024 which is promoting “Positive Relationships.”
Image Description: Social media promo image that shows the logo that reads “+ Relationships World Sexual Health Day. World Association for Sexual Health. 4, September 2024. It also features the cover art for Nondisparagement and Dr. Cyn’s brandmark. There is a QR code that links to https://drcyn.hearnow.com/canary.
“This video is about the importance of being seen and heard by someone.”
Visualizer video for Non-disparagement made by Dr. CynCorrigible using Midjourney for image creation and Neural Frames for animation. The video is a series of brightly colored, close up, abstract images of a woman’s face making various expressions, animated to change and match the beat of the music.
Image Description: Single cover for Non-disparagement created by Dr. Cyn using Midjourney. The image is an abstract black and white oil painting of a woman’s face with bright red lips. Her face is distorted, her eyes are closed, and her mouth is open, as if issuing a silent scream. In the top left corner in red type is the song title. The brandmark showing “Dr. Cyn” in red is in the bottom right hand corner of the image.
Oct 10, 2024 Video Release - Not Today Exploitation
in honor of
World Mental Health Day & Simone Biles!!
Released on World Mental Health Day in honor of USA Olympic gymnast Simone Biles who inspired the song, Not Today Exploitation celebrates people who stand up for their mental health and seeks to strengthen those that need to say no for safety. Aligned with 2024’s WMHD theme “It is time to prioritize mental health in the workplace,” the song validates “the twisties” as a legitimate condition that humans must manage and draws parallels to Spoon Theory. Both are metaphors that serve to explain how people with mental health and/or chronic health issues may need to deviate from what is expected of them for safety.
Image Description: Social media promo image that shows a logo with lettering that reads “It is time to prioritize mental health in the workplace.” It also features the cover art for Not Today Exploitation and Dr. Cyn’s brandmark. There is a QR code that links to https://drcyn.hearnow.com/canary.
“This video is every potentiality of myself coming together from across the universe to say that it is well past time for humanity to rethink the way we do work/life balance.”
Visualizer video for Not Today Exploitation made by Dr. CynCorrigible using Neural Frames. The video features AI renderings of Dr. Cyn as a gymnast, rocking out with their AI band, and it ends with Dr. Cyn leading protests in the streets. The video cover picture shows a close of Dr. Cyn’s face as animated by AI to have their blonde mohawk spiked up and face painted white with a black stripe across their eyes. The background is multicolored squares and depicts the black mirror of cell phones and how the dark screen can reflect your image back to you, but distorted.
Image Description: Single cover for Not Today Exploitation created by Dr. Cyn using Neural Frames. The image is a realistic animation of Dr. Cyn’s face with their blonde mohawk up, a blue stripe across their eyes adorned with white stars, and bright red lips. They are dressed in red, white, and blue like a USA Olympian. In the top left corner in dark blue type is the song title. The brandmark showing “Dr. Cyn” in black is in the bottom right hand corner of the image.
Image Description: This image depicts Dr. Cyn activating a Spoon Theory accommodation request. They are shown from the waist up with their right hand held up as if blocking something annoying. Their mohawk is up and they have a sideways grin and their eyebrows are raised and the image implies they are serious about the not today. The artwork is a simple white character drawing and is outlined in blue and features the words "Not Today Exploitation!" as if coming from Dr. Cyn’s raised hand.
Dr. Cyn also created a custom accommodation request symbol to activate Spoon Theory with support from artist Marilu Herrera. You can purchase merch with this brand mark in Dr. Cyn’s #DisabilityPride RedBubble shop:
Image Description: This image depicts Dr. Cyn activating a Spoon Theory accommodation request. They are shown from the waist up with their right hand held up as if blocking something annoying. Their mohawk is up and they have a sideways grin and their eyebrows are raised and the image implies they are serious about the not today. The artwork is a simple white character drawing on a square, blue background resembling International Symbols for Accessibility.
November 15, 2024 Video Release - My Drummer has a fear of Success
in honor of
National Drummer Appreciation Day
Released on National Drummer Appreciation Day in honor of Keith Moon, the legendary drummer from The Who that inspired the song, My Drummer has a Fear of Success cracks some drummer jokes while also providing helpful advice to support individuals who may be engaging in self-sabotage while managing their fear of success.
Image Description: Social media promo image that shows a logo with lettering that reads “National Drumming Day, Drumming.com, November 15th” and shows a drumkit set up on a red background. It also features the cover art for My Drummer has a Fear of Success and Dr. Cyn’s brandmark. There is a QR code that links to https://drcyn.hearnow.com/canary.
“We all need to breathe deeply and face our fears…”
Visualizer video for My Drummer has a Fear of Success made by Dr. CynCorrigible using Neural Frames to create AI renderings in the style of Jim Henson’s Muppets featuring a puppet that looks like Dr. Cyn rocking out with their band. Their drummer resembles the Muppet Animal who is a classic puppet character also inspired by Keith Moon. The puppet band are depicted together performing as a band, doing yoga, in the park, and in the city streets. The video cover picture shows a puppet that looks like Animal with long red hair all over its body and it is wearing a blue puppet band t shirt and they are playing drums with flames coming off the cymbals.
Image Description: Single cover for My Drummer has a Fear of Success created by Dr. Cyn using Neural Frames. The image is realistic digital animation in the style of Jim Henson’s Muppets featuring two puppets. One puppet on the left is a green frog with a yellow mohawk and a large orange nose wearing a blue spiked choker around their neck. The puppet on the right is orange with a blue mohawk and they are wearing a black t shirt. They are sitting behind a drum kit and hugging each other. In the top left corner in red type is the song title. The brandmark showing “Dr. Cyn” in red is in the bottom right hand corner.
December 10, 2024 Video Release - Baby General
in honor of
International Animal Rights Day
Released on International Animal Rights Day, Baby General serves to indict so-called bargain markets and their surplus of cheap, often non-essential goods’ impact on the environment. IARD seeks to honor animals as sentient beings who deserve the same protections as people. Are the well being of humans and animals inextricably linked to the well being of our planet? What will we do for the things we want?
“This song is about wanting what you cannot have.”
Visualizer video for Baby General made by Dr. CynCorrigible using Midjourney for image creation and Neural Frames for animation and features a series of realistic renderings of cats shopping like people in a bargain market. Mice are depicted as singing the choruses to represent the voice of the oppressed. They are joined at the end by a band of punk rock cats who see they are the same and join the mice to also call for change. The video cover picture shows a grey striped cat wearing a red santa hat and holding a round, red Christmas bulb tree decoration. The cat is standing in a Christmas tree display area in a store and you can see several Christmas trees and shelves with other products for sale in the background.
Image Description: Single cover for Baby General created by Dr. Cyn using Midjourney. The image is realistic animation of three cats standing upright like humans and wearing blue hoodie jumpsuits. They are walking in front of a bargain market carrying yellow plastic bags full of their purchases. In the top left corner in yellow type is the song title. The brandmark showing “Dr. Cyn” in red is in the bottom right hand corner.
January 25, 2025 Album Release Party - Live in Nashville, TN
in honor of
Dr. Cyn’s birthday <3
with
Stone Deep
We will also release Same, a new single in honor of Martin Luther King Day, this song is a collaboration with Nashville’s Stone Deep and Shakira Chinchilla, and RobenX from Memphis
“It’s complicated.”
March 1, 2025 Video Release - Tranche Warfare
in honor of
National Credit Education Month
April 1, 2025 Video Release - Devolution Revolution
in honor of
World Autism Month
May 1, 2025 Video Release - Canary
in honor of
International Workers Day
June 1, 2025 Video Release - Stupid or Cruel?
in honor of
Elder Abuse Prevention Month
Image Description: Dr. Cyn sits on the Aluminum Throne on the set of the Stupid or Cruel? music video bathes in blue light. Dr. Cyn’s blonde mohawk is teased up and they are wearing a black dress made for them by The Studio Cookeville. The throne is repurposed crutches bound together to create a regal throne with a high back and arms as made by Chris Simpson. Photo Credit: Jason Gilmore.
July 1, 2025 Video Release - Just Don’t
in honor of