KidVid Tournament 2011: Day 1 (Woody Guthrie Regional)

KidVid11_logo2lowres.jpgYes, that's right. Head on over today to Out With the Kids for your chance to vote on the first two matchups in KidVid Tournament 2011, featuring the Woody Guthrie Region: -- The Bazillions, "Preposition" (1) vs. Coal Train Railroad (and Readeez), "Just the Juice, Jack" (4) -- watch and vote here. -- Debbie and Friends, "Cinderella" (2) vs. Billy Kelly, "The Sky Floats (and So Do Boats)" (3) -- watch and vote here. And, if you want a second opinion on the videos, Jeff Giles, the fine writer and mastermind behind Dadnabbit, has graciously agreed to provide his thoughts on the whole bracket. Read his take on the day's competition here.

Listen To This - "Live in Monophonorama" - Coal Train Railroad

Fresh off starting a Kickstarter campaign, the fine folks at Coal Train Railroad clearly didn't get the memo that the winter holidays are a time for peaceful reflection, as they've now released a digital EP, Live in Monophonorama. It's a collection of tunes from their fun 6-episode podcast aired over the summer. It's a nice little way to tide you over until the next CTRR album. Jeff over at OWTK has an exclusive coupon code that'll let you download it for just $4.

What Do Lincoln Center, Kindie-jazz, and Babies Have in Common?

The fine folks at jazz-for-the-sippy-cups-set group Coal Train Railroad have managed to get themselves a gig at New York City's Lincoln Center, which merits congratulations. So does the fact that singer Katy Bowser is expecting a baby. When the two meet up, however, it can complicate things. (Babies complicating life plans? Really?) Long story short, the concert's about a month after Katy's due date, so Katy's husband and baby are gonna have to make the trip up to NYC, too. So they're turning to Kickstarter for some help. Raise enough money, and Katy and Chris'll actually get paid. Raise even more, and it'll go towards a new CTR album in 2011. Nice rewards, too: $10 gets you an EP (woot!) and a Nashville party invite, $25 gets you a personalized "Happy Birthday" song, and $50 gets you a video of show highlights. Go here for more deets.

Video: "Just the Juice, Jack" - Coal Train Railroad (Readee-Oh Version)

A few weeks back, I suggested, almost offhandedly that Readeez mastermind Michael Rachap should hook up with the fine folks at Coal Train Railroad. It was mostly flippant, so imagine my surprise when I heard that CTR and Rachap were working on a video together. Of course, Rachap's working on "Moneyeez" (my term), and CTR have their podcast, so they're busy folks, no doubt. The result came out late last week, and it's nifty. I really dig the exploding/rotating cherries. (And the song is still fun.) As for me, I promise to use my power for good, not evil. Coal Train Railroad - "Just the Juice, Jack" (Readee-Oh Version) [YouTube]

Coal Train Railroad -- Their Podcast Is (Almost) a Series

CoalTrainRailroad.jpgI finally had a chance to listen to the first Coal Train Railroad podcast this week. Good stuff that I think'll keep the kiddos interested -- they played "Bicycle" by the Jellydots, talked with some Nashville-area kids about bikes, and then wrapped it up with a really cool version of "Bicycle" performed by Coal Train Railroad themselves. (Now how about having Coal Train cover another kids artist with a video from Readeez? -- there's precedence for it.) More of that, please. Anyway, listen here or subscribe via iTunes here. Podcast #2 is due out this weekend. To get you in the mood for CTR's jazz ("short sets for the short set"), why not listen to the debut disk right here... <a href="http://coaltrainrailroad.bandcamp.com/album/coal-train-railroad-2">All Aboard by Coal Train Railroad</a>