Interview: Key Wilde (Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke)

For being such a big fan of Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke, I'm a bit ashamed to say that I just unearthed this interview I did with Key Wilde a few months back. I could've sworn I published this just after the release of the excellent debut record Rise and Shine. Man, it's been a hectic three months. (In related news, apparently the Saints won the Super Bowl?) Oh, well, better late than never in that the interview below gives you, dear reader, more info on the past, present, and future of one half of one of my favorite kids music bands. Zooglobble: What are your earliest musical memories? Key Wilde: We were always singing together as a family. Constantly. We used to drive from Texas to North Carolina every summer and I remember all of us singing in the car the entire way. My dad and his two brothers sang barbershop harmonies together and as a little kid I was always trying to find a part and sing along with them. They knew hundreds of songs – bawdy college tunes, wacky folk songs, obscure standards – songs that made you laugh. It was always a joy to sing them over and over again and I still remember them all. We have a large extended family and to this day every family gathering culminates in a big songfest – a wonderful tradition I’m happy to pass along to my own kids. My dad played piano and insisted that the kids take formal lessons. We all rebelled at the time but are now grateful for the experience. How did you get into being an illustrator for a living? I studied fine arts – painting – at Parsons in New York and when I graduated I really didn’t want to do any commercial illustration at all. I found a great loft in Williamsburg (Brooklyn) a few years before the massive migration and undertook all sorts of ridiculous part time work in order to make the rent and carve out time for painting. I never promoted myself as an illustrator but eagerly accepted any assignments that came my way. Over the years my “survival” work has evolved from teaching, bartending and running a muffin store among other things to art direction, design and illustration – all things that I really love doing. And I’ve continued to develop as a “fine artist” on the side which has always been a deep-rooted goal. And of course the music has always been a constant distraction. How did you meet and start making music with Mr. Clarke?

Review: Rise and Shine - Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke

It's hard to review an album when in one sense you've been reviewing it for a couple years now. From the very beginning, the songs from Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke were so wonderful, so fun that I couldn't stop telling people when they'd added another one to their collection. And now, many many moons later, the final product is here, Rise and Shine, the duo's debut kids' album, and familiarity has not breeded contempt, but rather continued and even heightened endearment. The album kicks off with the earthy title track -- never did eating one's worms sound so appealing outside of the avian world -- and pulls you in with each successive track. "I Had a Little Dog" is a shambling country melody that notes almost as an afterthought one of the album's few attempts at a standard moral lesson ("can't be what you're not / so be proud of what you've got"), followed by the hardest rocking kids tune of the year, the awesome "Favorite Names". If you're not in love with this album by the fourth track ("Big Pet Pig," with Wilde's shouted counterpoints -- "Well he can take all the garbage you've got (WHAT YOU GOT?)" -- to Clarke's sung verses), then there's not much I can do for you. That track's followed by two subversions of traditional kids' tunes -- "John the Rabbit" adds a whole cast of mischievious supporting characters while "Rattling Can" is a nuclear (literally) re-envisioning of "Rattlin' Bog." If the rest of the album doesn't quite reach the heights of those first 6 tracks, well, it comes close, and who can blame them when he bar was set so high? (I do particularly like "18 Wheeler" and the dreamy formal album closer "Peekepoo.") The album's probably most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7, though the sly humor underpinning the entire album broadens the age-appropriateness considerably. In its physical form, the album also comes with a lovely book/CD case drawn by Wilde, who's also an illustrator. You can hear the album here. So, yeah, the album's great -- a mix of Johnny Cash, Johnny Rotten, and Johnny Appleseed. Targeted at the kids, but with enough musical gifts to keep the parents happy through repeated listenings, Rise and Shine is already one of the year's best albums. I hope the follow-up comes out much, much faster. Highly recommended. Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of the record for possible review, not to mention the opportunity to stream the album for readers. Clearly I'm a big fan.

Stream Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke's "Rise and Shine" Right Here...

Well, your opportunity to buy the digital download of the Little Monster Records EP Hello, Our Name Is Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke from Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke (natch) has come and gone with the arrival of 2010. But it's a new year with new opportunities, and the first opportunity is to listen to Rise and Shine, the full-length KWMC debut, in its entirety, right here. It's officially released next week, but Little Monster is offering you, loyal Zooglobble reader, the opportunity to listen before then. To listen is to like. A lot. 2010 is gonna be a great year. Oh, sorry, too late.

How Much Would You Pay for the New Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke EP? How About a Buck?

Over the last 3 years or so, I'm not sure there's anyone who's been as big a fan of Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke as I. Go ahead -- look at the archives here, dating all the way back to April 2007, where I extolled the song "Favorite Names" and talked about sharing great kids music like that of the duo's with the world. I dig this band. So when I was asked last week by Little Monster Records if I'd be interested in an exclusive offering of the new Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke EP Hello, Our Name Is Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke to you, my readers, at a super-low-are-they-crazy? price it didn't take me long to agree... Really, the song "Favorite Names" is worth a dollar in and of itself, but, wait, there's more! (I've always wanted to say that and mean it.) If you click that "Get it Now" button you'll be able to buy that song, plus two more fun songs that aren't on their January 5th full album Rise & Shine plus the video for "I Had a Little Dog" plus the digital liner notes which include coloring pages. For. A. Buck. Now the only reason I thought about declining the offer is because I don't want to make it seem like my editorial integrity is being compromised. But I think I've made it clear over time how much I like the band. It seemed to me that trying this was an opportunity for experimentation regarding new distribution channels for kids music that I'd like to see more of. And you are welcome to stream the songs and video without buying. In any case, I won't make a single dime from doing this, either upfront or based on sales. All the money -- which won't be dramatic, because it's just $1, people! -- will go directly to Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke and Little Monster. Just click on "Get it Now" and you'll be able to purchase it in mere seconds. Instant gratification. One final caveat -- this offer is only good through January 1, 2010. After that, the offer (and the digital EP and this stream) will disappear. Ed: And so it has...

Listen To This: "Halloween" - Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke

Some of you (like, er, me) haven't yet finished your Halloween kids music mix CD, but sometimes procrastination pays off. Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke put together a new track titled, simply, "Halloween," which features some mean surf guitar and has offered it to you, my readers, for your listening and downloading pleasure. It's a demo, but sounds pretty good anyway; I'd also note that the very littles may be slightly spooked by the track, but it's fine, really, for kids. And adults, too. By the way, that digital EP of theirs will be appearing "any day" now, according to Wilde. Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke - "Halloween" [mp3]

Key Wilde Goes All Digital On Us

I love love love Little Monster Records but feel a little saddened by how long it sometimes takes for their albums to reach the public. Rise and Shine, the debut from Zooglobble fave Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke is no exception, as it's now been pushed back to a January release date. But, but, but. They're getting better at making us feel better in the meantime as they'll be releasing HELLO, Our Names Are Key Wilde & Mr Clarke, a digital EP, later this month. The EP will include the awesome "Favorite Names" plus two more previously unreleased songs not on the full album. The digital EP will also include plus an animated music video of "I Had a Little Dog." I liked this a couple years ago -- I still like it.