Video: "All These Shapes" - The Pop Ups (plus free download!)

When it comes to '80s-aping synth-pop kindie tunes, there is nobody who's currently writing them any better than The Pop Ups.  "Box of Crayons," the lead single from their latest album, Radio Jungle, was awesome, and they've earned their next "awesome lead single" badge for the song "All These Shapes."  It's the first track on Appetite for Construction, their eagerly-anticipated third album, out later this spring. (They've also earned their "awesome album title" badge, as well.)

The song is wonderful -- a soaring, synth-y chorus, and lyrics that both inspire the little ones (and maybe the big ones) and have enough Easter eggs of lyrical content to keep the big ones amused.  The video, featuring hand-drawn art from Pop Up Jacob Stein (if you see them in concert, you'll know that drawing is a feature of their gigs), illustrates (in many ways) the themes of the song.  Much fun.

The Pop Ups - "All These Shapes" [YouTube] (via Cooper & Kid)

P.S. -- would you like a free download of the song?  Here you go:

Video: "When Pigs Fly" - Ryan Adams Sings Sandra Boynton

One of the highlights of Sandra Boynton's Frog Trouble is the tender ballad "When Pigs Fly," sung by Ryan Adams.  It is earnest and not at all as humorous as you'd expect a Boynton take on that familiar cliche.  It's quite beautiful.

Boynton directed and storyboarded the animated video for the song.  There's a tad more humor in the video, but there is also, dare I say it, more tenderness in this recounting of some adventures of parent and child.

Ryan Adams - "When Pigs Fly" [YouTube]

Sugar Free Allstars, Record Store Day, and Vinyl's Allure

Chris "Boom" Wiser and Rob "Dr. Rock" Martin -- known as the Oklahoma-based duo Sugar Free Allstars -- are every bit as energetic in front of the mic, B3 organ, and drum kit as they are behind them.  In addition to touring, organizing the second annual Wiggle Out Loud kids music festival (set for Sept. 14, 2014), they're bringing kindie to the vinyl hipsters with a brand new 45 for what just might be a national holiday in some neighborhoods around the country -- Record Store Day.

They're releasing a brand new song, the little bit funky, little bit soulful "My Daddy's Record Collection," on a colorful 45, along with their classic track "Banana Pudding" as the B side.  The duo will premiere the 45 at OKC's Guestroom Records.

Wiser and Martin -- er, "Boom" and "Dr. Rock" answered a few questions about vinyl's allure and the new 45...

Zooglobble: Did your parents have a record collection?  What do you remember about it?

Boom: I remember my parents having some records, Ray Charles' Volcanic Action of my Soul and Jeannie C. Riley's Harper Valley P.T.A. are the first ones that come to mind. My sister and I had some records too because at the time that was still the main way you listened to music. We had a lot of book and record sets, where you would listen to the story on the record and follow along in the book. A bell would ding to tell you when to turn the page. We also had the Peter Paul and Mary children's album, one by Dora Hall, and a record from Disney with songs from several movies. We spent a LOT of time listening to all those records!

Dr. Rock: We mainly had 45's as all we could afford but quite a few of them and I still have most of them and they will still play. I grew up in a rock house so there was always music playing and my big brother and mom helped shape the music I like early in life. 

What was your own first album?  Was it vinyl, cassette, CD (or, dare I say it, 8-track)? What was your own first vinyl album?

Boom: My first vinyl record was a 45 of the theme song for the TV show The Dukes of Hazzard, a song called "Good Ol' Boys" by Waylon Jennings

Dr. Rock: I had and have all of the above media. I only recall my first 45 I bought with my own money and it was the Rolling Stones' Miss You. Had lots of cassettes in the 80's. Not a good medium to last but sound great. 

What inspired the song "My Daddy's Record Collection" and your desire for the RSD vinyl?

Boom: Dr. Rock got me back into listening to and collecting vinyl records again and my son Boom Jr and I listen to them together sometimes. He's 3 1/2 now, but when he was a little younger he liked to watch the label as the records would spin. He still likes to look at some of the album covers, like Talking Heads' Little Creatures. Now he has his own little record player and a copy of Abbey Road by The Beatles (it was a copy I got at a garage sale when I was in high school that was WELL broken in already back then). He likes to listen to that records sometimes, he'll turn on the player and put the needle on by himself.

As for releasing it on Record Store Day we thought it would be cool because there are a lot of musical acts that will release new vinyl or special editions on that day but no one in the Kindie/children's music world had that we were aware of.  [Ed. note: I think Dan Zanes was the first to release a kindie vinyl, but I'm pretty sure "Daddy's Record Collection" is the first new kindie RSD release.] And it helps to draw more attention to the release, hopefully encouraging more parents to expose their kids to the joys of music on vinyl records.

Dr. Rock: Boom and I love vinyl and wanted to put some out. 

What's coming up for SFA this summer?

Boom: We have a jam packed summer full of shows all over the Midwest region of the country, have some fun video projects in the works and will be working on putting together the second annual Wiggle Out Loud family music fest in OKC 

Dr. Rock: Lots of shows, lots of libraries! We play like mad in the summer, sometimes four times a day. But it's worth it to help everyone get their rock on in the summertime. 

World Premiere Video: "No School Today" - Danny Weinkauf (plus free download!)

Setting aside the fact that Danny Weinkauf has not, up to this point, released a kids music album, he's got a pretty good resume -- for many years he's played bass with a little band known as They Might Be Giants and has written kids' songs for them, including "I Am a Paleontologist."

But on April 29 all that changes with the release of No School Today, his first solo collection of family-friend pop-rock, powered in part by Kickstarter.  And while you'll have to wait another 3 weeks or so to hear the whole thing, today I'm proud to world-premiere the first video from the album.

The video for "No School Today" (directed by Ryan Hanrahan) matches the good humor of the power-pop song with a little bit of lyric video and a WHOLE BUNCH OF SOCK PUPPET.  The sock puppets -- including a Weinkauf lookalike -- I can almost guarantee will bring a smile to your face (especially if you're a TMBG fan).

As a bonus, you can download the track free for the price of an e-mail address in the widget at the bottom of this post.

But really, check out the video.

Danny Weinkauf - "No School Today" [YouTube]

KidVid 2014 Tournament Champion: Karen K and the Jitterbugs - "(I Woke Up in a) Firetruck"

It went from my list of favorite kids music videos of 2013 to voting for the initial stage of the 2014 edition of the KidVid Tournament to voting in Semifinal #1 and Semifinal #2 to a championship match, but during the entire week, the eventual winner seemed to be pretty clear: Karen K and the Jitterbugs' "(I Woke Up in a) Firetruck."

The Boston-based band had the loudest (or click-iest) fans in this year's contest, supporting this sitcom-esque (in more ways than one) video featuring a firefighter-themed cumulative song.

So, congratulations, Karen K and the Jitterbugs!  Don't let your KidVid 2014 title go to your heads!

Karen K and the Jitterbugs - "(I Woke Up in a) Firetruck" [YouTube]

Listen To This: Follow Me - Little Miss Ann

Oh, look, it's a new album from Chicago's Little Miss Ann.  It's Follow Me, and although it's officially released May 1, she's put it up for the world to stream.  The album, pushed out into the world courtesy of a Kickstarter campaign, features some sprightly originals like the title track and "Can You Make a Circle?," not to mention the classic "Bushel and a Peck" from Guys and Dolls.  Worth some time to check out.

Little Miss Ann - Follow Me [Bandcamp]