Radio Playlist: My Favorite Kids Albums of 2009

People Really Like Milk - Billy Kelly Thank You For Joining the Happy Club Thank You for Joining the Happy Club Billy Kelly Thank You For Joining the Happy Club (Let Me Tell You) What I Like About You Billy Kelly Thank You For Joining the Happy Club Velveeta Girl and Sqatsie Bunny Clogs More! More! More! Are We There Yet Bunny Clogs More! More! More! Midtown Greenway Bunny Clogs More! More! More! Brown And Lonely Worm Caspar Babypants Here I Am! Billy Pringle Caspar Babypants Here I Am! Monkey River Caspar Babypants Here I Am! Nice 'N' Clean Chromeo Yo Gabba Gabba! Music Is Awesome Trousers Dan Bern Two Feet Tall Mister Lister Dan Bern Two Feet Tall Working On A Building Dan Zanes The Welcome Table: Songs Of Inspiration Jesus On The Mainline Dan Zanes The Welcome Table: Songs Of Inspiration We've Been Down This Road Before Dan Zanes The Welcome Table: Songs Of Inspiration Mad Dreyer Family Band Family Photograph You Get What You Get Dreyer Family Band Family Photograph How To Be Happy Dreyer Family Band Family Photograph Salvador Duplex! Worser (Listening Master) Orange Popsicle Duplex! Worser (Listening Master) September Is My Favourite Duplex! Worser (Listening Master) George Washington The Galactic Heroes Greasy Kid Stuff 3 Just Becaue It's Different Doesn't Mean Scary I'm From Barcelona Yo Gabba Gabba! Music Is Awesome The Lawnmower - John And Mark John And Mark John And Mark's Children's Record A Counting Error - John And Mark John And Mark John And Mark's Children's Record Colors - John And Mark John And Mark John And Mark's Children's Record Every Day Is A Summer Day Keith Munslow Homemade Fun Watchin' All The Cars Go By Keith Munslow Homemade Fun Spork Keith Munslow Homemade Fun Big City, Little City Laura Freeman Somersault Season Look In A Book Laura Freeman Somersault Season Happy Noodle vs. Sad Noodle Logan Whitehurst & The Junior Science Club Greasy Kid Stuff 3 Heigh-Ho Los Lobos Los Lobos Goes Disney Cruella De Vil Los Lobos Los Lobos Goes Disney It Only Takes One Night to Make a Balloon Your Friend Lunch Money Dizzy Are You A Rabbit? Lunch Money Dizzy A Cookie As Big As My Head Lunch Money Dizzy Enemies Milkshake Great Day When I'm Old Milkshake Great Day Shenandoah Pete Seeger American Favorite Ballads Volume 1 Oh, Mary, Don't You Weep Pete Seeger American Favorite Ballads Volume 1 The Wabash Cannonball Pete Seeger American Favorite Ballads Volume 1 My Trampoline Peter Himmelman My Trampoline Main Dish Peter Himmelman My Trampoline Are There Any Kids Named Steve Anymore? Peter Himmelman My Trampoline Haven't Got A Pet Yet Recess Monkey Field Trip Tiny Telephone Recess Monkey Field Trip The Teens Recess Monkey Field Trip Pink! Rocknoceros Pink! Don't Give Up Rocknoceros Pink! Big Wheel Rocknoceros Pink! Lovely, Love My Family The Roots Yo Gabba Gabba! Music Is Awesome Go Waggaloo Sarah Lee Guthrie and Family Go Waggaloo Take Me To Show and Tell Sarah Lee Guthrie and Family Go Waggaloo Brush Your Teeth Blues #57 Sarah Lee Guthrie and Family Go Waggaloo Seven Is The New 14 The Sippy Cups The Time Machine Don't Remove The Groove The Sippy Cups The Time Machine My Angry Voice The Sippy Cups The Time Machine Panda Brain The Telephone Company Panda Brain! Bomb Pop The Telephone Company Panda Brain! What Am I Gonna Do With This Baby The Telephone Company Panda Brain! Meet the Elements They Might Be Giants Here Comes Science I Am a Paleontologist They Might Be Giants Here Comes Science Put It to the Test They Might Be Giants Here Comes Science Wake Up The Verve Pipe A Family Album When One Became Two The Verve Pipe A Family Album Cereal - The Verve Pipe A Family Album We Are The Not Its - We Are The Not Its We Are The Not Its The Great Compromise - We Are The Not Its We Are The Not Its Shadows - We Are The Not Its We Are The Not Its I Love You Too - Ziggy Marley Family Time Wings Of An Eagle - Ziggy Marley Family Time Future Man, Future Lady - Ziggy Marley Family Time Uploaded February 25-ish. There is a set list, but digital broadcasting rules prevent me from publishing it. Ordered alphabetically (roughly) by artist.

Radio Playlist: New Music February 2010

Alastair Moock - A Cow Says Moo - A Cow Says Moock Alastair Moock - Two Mommies - A Cow Says Moock Brendan Taaffe - Well May The World Go - Little Boots Buck Howdy - Home on the Range - Pete Seeger Trib Caspar Babypants - Itsy Bitsy Spider - More Please! Caspar Babypants - Robin on a Wire - More Please! Charity And The JAMband - Get Your Booty Out of Bed - Party Like a Twinkle Star [[Disc 1] - Party] Charity And The JAMband - Row Row Row Your Boat - Party Like a Twinkle Star [[Disc 1] - Party] Charlie Hope - I'm Me! - I'm Me! (A Collection of Songs for Children) Charlie Hope - Train Song - I'm Me! (A Collection of Songs for Children) Daisy Mayhem - If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out - Ranky Tanky Daisy Mayhem - They All Ask'd For You - Ranky Tanky Dan Bern - Trousers - Two Feet Tall Dan Zanes & Friends - I Won't Grow Up - 76 Trombones Dan Zanes & Friends - The Inch Worm - 76 Trombones Dean Jones featuring the Felice Brothers - Hail! Hail! The Gang's All Here! - Rock Paper Scissors Dean Jones featuring the Felice Brothers - Sing Like a Sparrow - Rock Paper Scissors Earthworm Ensemble - Bear and Dog - Earthworm Ensemble Earthworm Ensemble - We Are Birds - Earthworm Ensemble Haley Bonar - Beautiful You - Sing With Me Haley Bonar - Sing With Me - Sing With Me Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke - 18 Wheeler - Rise And Shine Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke - Rattling Can - Rise And Shine Laura Freeman - Look In A Book - Somersault Season Los Lobos - Heigh-Ho - Los Lobos Goes Disney Pete Seeger - Shenandoah - American Favorite Ballads Volume 1 Ralph's World - All About Bob - All Around Ralph's World Ralph's World - The Robot Looked At The Stars - All Around Ralph's World Renee & Jeremy - C'mon - C'mon Renee & Jeremy - Mama Papa Love - C'mon Sarah Lee Guthrie and Family - Go Waggaloo - Go Waggaloo Stan Ridgway & Pietra Wexstun - Bring It On In The House - Silly Songs For Kids, Vol. 1 Stan Ridgway & Pietra Wexstun - Spider's Web - Silly Songs For Kids, Vol. 1 The Deedle Deedle Dees - Little Red Airplane - American History + Rock-n-Roll = The Deedle Deedle Dees The Deedle Deedle Dees - Tres Muralistas - American History + Rock-n-Roll = The Deedle Deedle Dees The Jellydots - Adventure Quest! - Jelly Jukebox The Jellydots - O-Bounty - Jelly Jukebox The Telephone Company - What Am I Gonna Do With This Baby - Panda Brain! The Verve Pipe - Wake Up - A Family Album They Might Be Giants - Meet the Elements - Here Comes Science Uncle Rock - You Look Good in the Rain - The Big Picture Various Artists - Humpty Dumpty - The Youngster Parade - House of Mercy Kids' Album, Volume 1 Various Artists - Oh Susanna - The Youngster Parade - House of Mercy Kids' Album, Volume 1 Uploaded: February 27-ish. Played randomly. Due to Internet broadcasting regulations, songs listed in alphabetical order.

Radio Playlist: Lullabies March 2010

"Kounandi Déni" - Abdoulaye Diabate African Lullaby "Monkey River" - Caspar Babypants (Here I Am!) "August Lullaby" - Central Services Presents... The Board Of Education "Goodnight Child" - Chuck Cheesman A Family Songbook "Hush Little Baby" - Dan Zanes The Fine Friends Are Here "Sweet Rosyanne" - Dan Zanes & Friends Catch That Train! "Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)" - Dixie Chicks Home "Fais Do Do" - Elizabeth MItchell & Lisa Loeb Catch The Moon "You & Me" - Frances England Family Tree "Beautiful You" - Haley Bonar (Sing With Me) "Isle au Haut Lullaby" - Mae Robertson & Don Jackson All Through the Night "My Bonnie" - Music Together Bongos "Harvest Moon" - Neil Young Harvest Moon "Shenandoah" - Pete Seeger American Favorite Ballads Volume 1 "Goodnight, Irene" - Raffi The Corner Grocery Store "I'm Not Tired" - Ralph's World (All Around Ralph's World) "Is There Really Any Wonder" - Renee & Jeremy C'mon "Brush Your Teeth Blues #57" - Sarah Lee Guthrie and Family Go Waggaloo "Old Friends [Live]" - Simon & Garfunkel The Concert In Central Park "Goodnight Children Everywhere" - Sixpence None The Richer For The Kids "Thank You and Goodnight" - Uncle Rock The Big Picture "Go To Sleep" - The Verve Pipe A Family Album "Gymnopedie No. 1" - Yutaka Sado; Lamoureux Concert Orchestra Bedtime Beats Uploaded: March 2nd-ish. Played randomly. Due to Internet broadcasting regulations, songs listed in alphabetical order by artist.

Video: "A Song About Ferrets" - Karen Potje

This video for "A Song About Ferrets" from Karen Potje's 2008 jazz-folk disk (with a hint of country) Can't Help But Love You, Baby is a mix of Eric Herman's "The Elephant Song" and Rocknoceros' "Trying To Write a Song." That's not a bad pair of songs to be reminded of. Perhaps not quite in either song's league, but definitely amusing enough. Karen Potje - "A Song About Ferrets" [YouTube]

Check Out That New Logo!

zooglobble_2color_a_CROPsmall.jpgHopefully you're seeing a fancy new logo up there at the top of the page and down a bit along the right-hand side of the link bar. Isn't it pretty? I think so (though I probably need to increase the resolution a bit). When I first started thinking about getting a professionally done logo to replace my own poorly-crafted one, for a variety of reasons the first name that came to mind was that of Brandon Reese. I knew there was a lot of talent in the kids music field -- Billy Kelly, for example, or Kevin Kameraad, not to mention musicians with a nice eye for design, such as Frances England. But Brandon was definitely my first choice. You're probably familiar with Reese's work -- he's designed album covers for Lunch Money and The Jellydots, not to mention a bunch of games and other stuff for eeBoo. (And I interviewed him a little more than a year ago.) He has a sense of whimsy and play along with a strong design sense, two things I wanted to convey with this new logo, and I think he nailed it. That logo on the right is what I like to think of as the main logo, the one that if I were to sell all sorts of stuff would be plastered all over it. (Anybody need a men's organic t-shirt?) But it's got a very portrait orientation and sometimes I'm all landscape-y, so Reese designed a second logo that incorporated part of that first logo... zooglobble_2color_b_NAME_CROPsmall.jpg Anyway, I'm very happy with the logo. Thanks to Brandon for taking some pretty vague design concepts and turning them into something with a virtually no fuss. If you want to learn a little bit more about the design process for this logo and Reese's next projects, read on...

Crowdfunding, Part 2: Matt Clark Kickstarts His Project

FunnyLittleFella.jpgTwo or three weeks ago, Jim Cosgrove, AKA Mr. Stinky Feet made a splash in the kids music world by announcing he was "crowdfunding" his next album by asking for supporters to pledge money toward the costs of recording, producing, and distributing the next album. Cosgrove's views on why he went this route are essential reading for kids musicians. He also noted that he hadn't previously heard of Kickstarter, a site which helps musicians (and countless others) do the same thing. One major difference, though, between Cosgrove's approach and Kickstarter's is that Cosgrove's going through with the project regardless. (In fact, I'm pretty sure he's starting recording this week.) But if a person seeking Kickstarter help doesn't reach the required amount, they receive squat. So let's hear it for Portland, Oregon's Matt Clark, who's established the first genuine kids music Kickstarter project. That's right, if you go here, you can be part of another crowdfunding experiment. $3 gets you 1 mp3; $5 gets you 2, and so on. My favorite level -- $50 gets you (among other things) 3 chances to name the new disk. Clark's debut, Funny Little Fella, was a nice little disk -- here's hoping he gets the $3,000 to have round 2 see the light of day.