New Album from Ella Jenkins On Its Way

EllaWithUke.jpgIt's a little hard to get a handle on exactly how many albums Ella Jenkins has released for the Smithsonian Folkways label. I've seen 28 mentioned; her Wikipedia discography suggests 30, if you include 2004's cELLAbration!. Really, the last proper Ella Jenkins album -- Sharing Cultures with Ella Jenkins was released in 2003, and I think we can agree than 7 years is too long to hear from her. But we don't have much longer to wait, as Smithsonian Folkways confirms it is indeed releasing a new Ella Jenkins album of, yes, newly recorded material. It's recorded, but the other stuff (art design, etc.) is yet to be finished. And so it'll probably take a little while longer, but between this and that new Pete Seeger album, 2010 is looking to be a very good year for the oldest of old school artists. Count me in that camp. (Photo courtesy Adventures in Rhythm)

Kindiefest 2010: The Hipwaders

Hipwaders_KF.jpgThe Bay Area trio The Hipwaders took advantage of their showcase at Kindiefest to play some of their hits ("Educated Kid," natch -- see below -- and "Art Car," for example) but also roll out some new songs that they've been working on. "My Dog Steve" was a crunchy rocker so new that lead singer/guitarist Tito Uquillas (he of the lovely Cort guitar) hadn't even done all the necessary copyrighting, while "Go Go Girl" has a pleasant Byrds-ian melody and ends with "ba ba bas." Sounded nice in Brooklyn; look forward to hearing it when it finally makes it to record. The Hipwaders - "Go Go Girl" (Live @ Kindiefest 2010) [YouTube]

Kindiefest 2010: Rhythm Child

RhythmChild_KF1.jpgWatching Norman Jones, the force behind Rhythm Child, can be a bit hypnotic. Those hands of his are constantly in motion; his body doesn't necessarily move a lot, but it's definitely moving in rhythm. At his Kindiefest set on Saturday night, he and his guitarist gradually got the crowd grooving and clapping hands to classic kids music standards. He apologized for not having the musical instruments he'd normally bring for the kids, but I'm pretty sure if he'd had them, the mostly adult audience dancing in the back would've taken them (as would have the kids dancing up front). By the end of his set of positive vibes, when he asked the audience for an "Amen," the audience gladly complied. Rhythm Child - "Oh Susanna" (Live @ Kindiefest 2010) [YouTube] RhythmChild_KF2.jpg

Share: "Sleepoverland" - Justin Roberts

JG_(CS07)-1.jpgWhy beat around the bush with this? Justin Roberts is offering you -- yes, you, well-dressed and considerate Zooglobble reader (and, er, anyone else who stumbles onto the site) -- an opportunity to download "Sleepoverland" for free. What is "Sleepoverland"? Why, it's a horn-accented pop confection replete with "ba-da-da-das" from Roberts' upcoming album Jungle Gym. It's definitely one of my favorite tracks on the new album and it's free for the price of an e-mail (which, let's face it, probably Roberts already has -- he's got mine). Just go here and follow the instructions...

Share: "Always Mom" - The Hipwaders

The Hipwaders' track "Always Mom" from their Goodie Bag EP had totally slipped my mind when I put together my list of songs for moms for Mother's Day. Shouldn't have, 'cause it's good. And now Tito's reminded us that the song is available for a free download (the link's from last year, actually). Just click on the link right there. Now to go update that list.

Songs For Moms (Updated, With Feeling!)

It's Mothers' Day Sunday? OK, so this is a bit late for burning a CD and mailing. Perhaps your mom can handle a zipped file (or iTunes gift card). For some reason I skipped this last year, so I've got 2 years of songs to add to my last list. Here's a list of songs for mothers or songs about mothers, in no particular order. I've avoided lullabies (songs by moms, typically), as well as songs about general parentual units, or songs about moms and dads. If a song isn't on the list, it's because of one of the three "O"s: Oversight (I knew about the song and just forgot), Omission (I knew about the song and chose to exclude it), or Obtuseness (I didn't know about the song at all). I expect the third category to be fairly large -- it is every year -- so feel free to add your suggestions in the comments section. List after the jump...