It's mid-March, which means it's almost time for our nation to ignore work, significant others, and child-rearing responsibilities in lieu of watching people running and jumping around with orange balls in their hands on large televisions.
Well, here at Zooglobble, we'd like to bring families together. By watching people running and jumping around with variously-colored guitars in their hands on small computer screens.
So I'm happy to announce Zooglobble's first (and maybe last, depending on how well this goes) KidVid Tournament. That's right, over the next 2+ weeks, we'll be pitting 16 of the best kids' music videos from the past year or so head-to-head with readers voting to determine the best video of the year.
Who was the selection committee which decided the 16 best? Well, it's a committee of one -- me. I picked videos that showed some level of production value and had a decent song. I stayed away from live cuts. I also was limited to picking videos whose complete versions are available on the Internet (so you Ralph's World fans can blame Disney for Mr. Covert's absence here).
Here, then, are the seedings:
Lead Belly Region:
1. "I Hog the Ground (Groundhog Song)" - Steve Burns / Steven Drozd
2. "Tricycle" - Frances England
3. "Bees, Butterflies, and Bugs" - Sir Jerry
4. "Forest Rhymes" - Farmer Jason
Pete Seeger Region:
1. "Let's Shake" - Dan Zanes
2. "I'm From the Sun" - Gustafer Yellowgold
3. "I Hope My Mama Says YES!" - AudraRox
4. ????
Woody Guthrie Region:
1. "Willy Was A Whale" - Justin Roberts
2. "I Found It!" - Brady Rymer
3. "Toenail Moon" - Wee Hairy Beasties
4. "Polar Bear" - The Quiet Two
Ella Jenkins Region:
1. "Pieces of 8ight" - Captain Bogg & Salty
2. "Farm Song" - Laurie Berkner
3. "Ya Gotta Have Pep" - John Lithgow
4. "Picnic in the Graveyard" - Uncle Rock
Sharp readers will notice that I've listed just 15 videos. Well, in addition to you voting on the videos in general, I've left room for a "play-in" game for the #4 seed in the Pete Seeger Region. Who will be this tournament's Niagara? Well, that's up to you, too. To nominate videos, click here.
The first two matchups will be posted later today. Come back and vote for your favorites.
KidVid Tournament 2007: Nominate the 16th Video
As I discuss elsewhere, we're running Zooglobble's first KidVid Tournament over the next couple weeks or so. I'm looking to readers to pick the 16th video. (It's a play-in game!)
Nominate your favorite(s) in the comments below. The video with the most comments will be picked, as long as the video conforms to the following rules (there are always rules, aren't there... it's a parenting thing):
1. The video has to be publicly accessible on the internet -- sites requiring registration to view the whole video will not be accepted.
2. The whole video has to be available (I call this the "Ralph's World" rule because the Disney website only includes 1-minute selections of his videos).
3. The video has to be from the past year or so. The song doesn't have to be, though.
4. Artists with a video already in the tournament (see list here) are ineligible for this final slot.
I reserve the right to modify the rules above to account for things I'm not bright enough to anticipate.
Deadline for nominations/votes: 8 PM West Coast time / 11 PM East Coast time Monday, March 19.
Power to the people! (Or something like that.) Show me what I've missed.
KidVid: "Picnic in the Graveyard" - Uncle Rock
Hey, everyone, it's a kids' song about death!
Really.
Actually, this song is one of my favorites from Uncle Rock's Plays Well With Others album just because it's a disarming approach to the subject of death.
I'm not sure the "hey, lookie, it's your dead Aunt Petunia" part of the video will advance that concept with all but the most metaphorically advanced of kids (or with those who, well, believe in ghosts), but this is a great video to show how to put together a compelling video on what looks to be a relatively small budget.
Check out the glasses on the dad character -- I kept on expecting him to rip off the glasses and become Superman.
Or Uncle Rock.
KidVid: "Juice Box Rock" - Ellen and Matt
There's nothing about this video by Los Angeles-based Ellen and Matt that is particularly amazing. It's a live concert video of pedestrian video quality and decent editing. The song, however, is a catchy pop-punk tune. And the real reason to watch is the kids in the audience, who pogo hard. Those of you with kids will not be terribly surprised by the energy.
(Bonus amusing moment -- the kid with the spray-painted hair about 3:30 into the video. Looks like somebody removed his hair and put a big blob of cotton candy in its place.)
Geckos Rock!
Thanks again to Bill and Ella for having me on this morning's Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child broadcast. I had a great time playing some rockin' tunes talking about the care and feeding of geckos with the two of 'em. And happy early birthday to Liam, too!
For those of you who care, my notes on my playlist...
1. The Call - Let the Day Begin -- I heard this recently and was reminded how much I like this song. An anti-lullaby song of sorts. In a good way.
2. Ralph's World -- The Coffee Song -- My wife loves (or at least needs) coffee while I can't stand the stuff. This is her favorite Ralph's World song.
3. Anne Hathaway -- Great Big World -- Our daughter loves this song and sings along. (Listen to the broadcast for my discussion with Ella on why you can't find it in stores anymore.)
4. The New Pornographers -- The Laws Have Changed -- The insane number of layers this song has sonically floors me. And it is, as far as I can tell, kid-friendly. (Bill says he's checked.)
5. Asylum Street Spankers -- Sliver -- I like this version better than the original.
6. Lunch Money -- I Want A Dog -- We do not have a dog, but lyrically Molly Ledford nails the pleading/hopeful voice of a child perfectly -- for any object. (It's about here that the show digresses into a gecko-fest. My wife wishes me to emphasize that gecko invasions only happen during the summer.)
7. Dan Zanes -- Rattlin' Bog -- A couple years ago when our daughter was obsessed with this song, she could track back the order better than I could.
8. Gabby Pahinui -- Aloha Ka Manini -- Our few slack key guitars CDs get a lot of play. They're excellent quiet time music.
9. Elizabeth Mitchell - Jubilee -- This song makes me feel warm all over.
10. Semisonic -- Closing Time -- Go ahead and guess what this song is about. (You'll have to listen to the broadcast, or read drummer Jacob Schlichter's excellent set of diaries on life as a musician on a major label, So You Wanna Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star, to find out.)
11. Justin Roberts -- Cartwheels and Somersaults -- There might be better songs by Roberts, but this is the one that meant the most to our family after our son's arrival
12. Talking Heads -- This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) -- Because "Stay Up Late" was too obvious and "The Great Curve" wasn't nearly so kid-friendly. "Love me 'til heart stops. Love me 'til I'm dead." It might just be the best rock song about family ever.
13. They Might Be Giants -- Theme From Higglytown Heroes -- Our daughter has never seen "Higglytown Heroes," only the video promo on the "Here Come the ABCs" DVD. But she loves the song anyway. (Y'know, maybe it's because of the video promo...)
And just because it is a cool (and kid-friendly) video...
KidVid: "I Found It!" - Brady Rymer
The first video from New York musician Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could, for the peppy roots-rockin' "I Found It!," has been available on Rymer's website for a couple weeks now, but I was waiting for it to appear on YouTube.
Well, now I've found it! (Groan.)
I like the song, I like the way the backup singers appear everywhere, I like the general good-naturedness of the video. It's actually reminiscent of a lot of videos for adult bands. It's a concert video with a lot of happy fans, but it's that general good-naturedness -- the way Rymer sings about his '57 Gibson guitar -- that distinguishes it from what you might have seen on MTV 20 years ago.
