Bill Harley's ode to spinners of tales (and cookies), "A Walk Around the Block," from his album The Best Candy in the Whole World. The illustrations from Laura Dowling make for a nice mix of retro and fanciful, an appropriate accompaniment for Harley's gentle tune.
Bill Harley - "A Walk Around the Block" [YouTube]
The longtime reader of this site will deduce that I have not been the biggest fan of music for kids written or performed by kids. There are exceptions, more on the performing than songwriting side, but they tend to be the accent on music from adults, not the other way around.
Enter Rainbow Beast, the San Francisco trio of Brian Gorman, Marcus Stoesz, and Jen Aldrich. Brian Gorman and Marcus Stoesz run “Rock Band Land.” Over six weeks they take a class of 4-to-8-year-olds, help them craft a story, and turn it into a song they perform together on stage. And earlier this year Rainbow Beast, along with the "Rock Band Land Rockers" (AKA some of their prepubescent collaborators) released Tales from the Monstrosity Scrolls, an album of what's essentially a "best of" those songs.
This collaboration between adult musicians and some very young songwriters is the kind of thing that I approve of, but in theory have little interest in listening to. But these songs are far afield from the musical styles and subjects of many kids' music songs. Have folks in your family who like The Flaming Lips, the Kinks, Built to Spill, or Metallica? They'll hear echoes of those bands here.
And once you add the surreal imagery to the often tripped-out arrangements, you can hear just how... tame kids music can sometimes be. You'll hear songs about poisonous snakes ("Remblin Race"), a girl who shoots ice -- and ice cream -- from her fingers ("Ice Girl"), and a pool that traps people who dive within it as a jewel forever ("Pool of Light"). A character's flesh falls off in "Fish Wife," while the title character in "Oliver in the Wrong Cast" loses his skin and is known as the "polka dot skeleton boy."
Puts those songs about learning to brush one's teeth into perspective. The songs really aren't violent -- they're just epic adventures starring the kids at the center. In fact, probably the biggest problem with the album as a whole is that it's one epic song after another, and after 71 minutes, it can feel exhausting.
Done well, a lot of kids music speaks to kids’ everyday experiences in language they understand. But kids ages 4 through 8 -- the same ages as the songwriters -- will also respond to these flights of fancy and stories of worlds far, far away. This album speaks to that need in kids, and, just maybe, might inspire a few new tales. In the end, the album's mere existence should be considered a victory because it was the result of dozens of kids creating their own songs. The fact that it's often eminently listenable to the outsider is just a bonus. Definitely recommended.
I was going back through my archives and was surprised to find that I've never posted this video on the site (or if I have, I have very poor website indexing and searching skills).
It's the classic song from James Kochalka and The Zambonis, "Hockey Monkey." The animation (and song) was used for the Nickelodeon animation show KaBlam!, but really I'm posting it because 1) the NHL playoffs are underway, and 2) it's never not an awesome song.
The Zambonis - "Hockey Monkey" [YouTube]
Something for everyone this week -- interviews, reviews, videos, carnivals.
OK, just kidding on the carnivals.
Blog: Monday Morning Smile: "The Importance of Kindness" - George Saunders, Interview: Walter Martin, Steve 'n' SteveN: Reclusive, But A Little Awesome, Video: "Marsupial" - Danny Weinkauf, How I Got Here: Randy Kaplan (Harry Chapin), Itty-Bitty Review: D Is for Django - Django Jones, Itty-Bitty Review: Home - Jazzy Ash, Free Comic Book Day 2014 Recommendations
Videos: "Snow Globe (Live)" - Molly Ledford (Lunch Money)
Listen to Music: Road Trip - Hullabaloo
Free Music: None this week
Kids Music Reviews: An Adventurous Day - Lolly & YoYo
iOS Apps: The Disappointing Pancake - Mibblio / Lisa Loeb
Upcoming Releases: Constantly updating...
Podcasts
Kindie Week in Review: Ep. 59: Oddly, Mostly Brony-Free
My Other Other Gig: None this week
Bake Sale: None this week
The annual celebration of comic book nerdery that is Free Comic Book Day is (again) tomorrow, and if I know anything about comic books, it's that I know virtually nothing about comic books. We've been going for 3, maybe 4, years now, but that's usually my only visit every year. (The store we visit tends to offer one free book per person, more if you buy other comics, which is what we usually do.)
So as I planned my visit with Miss Mary Mack and Little Boy Blue to our local participating comic book store, I realized that I needed some expert guidance.
And once I compiled that guidance, I thought that maybe it'd be of interest to you.
First, what I'm writing below is just a compilation of roundups from the following sites; if you have time to just read one, I'd read Glen Weldon's annual roundup for NPR:
But I'll just state the obvious -- you should go read those links to get a better sense of the titles.
The links below are to the Free Comic Book Day page for the book. I've noted recommendations from the links above, though I should note that the Bleeding Cool (BC) recommendations are my interpretations of their comments -- they don't specifically recommend titles. I've marked titles that appear to be appropriate for kids -- at least those under 13 -- with a (K). And not every title will be available at every store (and, even if it is, it might not be by the time you get there...).
Enjoy, and have fun!
2000 AD SPECIAL - BC, Wired, io9, LC
ADV OF JELLABY (K) - NPR, USAT, BC, GM, Wired
ALL ROCKET RACCOON (K) - NPR, USAT, BC, GM, IGN, LC
ALL YOU NEED IS KILL TERRA FORMARS - Nerdist, BC
ARCHIE DIGEST #1 (K)
ARMOR HUNTERS SPECIAL - IGN
ATOMIC ROBO & FRIENDS - NPR, BC, LC someone else I forget so many lists...
BONGO FREE-FOR-ALL (K) - NPR, Nerdist, GM
BUCK ROGERS (K) - NPR, BC, LC
CBLDF PRESENTS RAISING A READER (K) - NPR, BC, io9
COURTNEY CRUMRIN #1 (K) - NPR, BC, Wired
DEFEND COMICS - NPR, Wired, io9, LC
DC THE NEW 52 FUTURES END SPEC ED - USAT, io9, IGN
DH AVATAR HELLBOY JUICE SQUEEZERS (K) - NPR, BC, Wired, io9
DH PROJECT BLACK SKY (NET) (MR) - NPR, BC, Wired, io9
ENTROPY - USAT
EPIC #0 (K?) - NPR, USAT
FINDING GOSSAMYR WAY O/T BLADESLINGER (K?) - BC, io9
FUBAR ACE OF SPADES (NET) (MR) - USAT, BC
GRAPHIX SPOTLIGHT DUMBEST IDEA EVER (K)
GUARDIANS OF GALAXY - USAT, Nerdist, BC, GM, io9, IGN
HATTER M FAR FROM WONDER (K?) - NPR, USAT
HELLO KITTY SURPRISE (K) - BC, GM, IGN
HIP HOP FAMILY TREE TWO-IN-ONE (Net) (MR) - NPR, Nerdist, BC, Wired, io9, LC (non-fiction)
INTRINSIC VOL 2 - USAT
KABOOM SUMMER BLAST (K) - NPR, Nerdist, BC, GM, IGN, LC Adventure Time!
LES MISERABLES FALL OF FANTINE (K?) - GM
MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS (K) - GM
MOUSE GUARD LABYRINTH RUST HC - BC, Wired
OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK MARKETPLACE
RISE OF THE MAGI (K) - NPR, BC, io9
SCRATCH 9 (K) - USAT
SHERWOOD TX BOONDOCK SAINTS DOUBLE FEAT - USAT, BC
SHOWA HISTORY OF JAPAN - NPR, Nerdist, BC, io9 (non-fiction)
SKYWARD & MIDNIGHT TIGER (K) - GM
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG MEGA MAN FLIPBOOK #1 (K) - GM, IGN
SPONGEBOB FREESTYLE FUNNIES (K) - BC, GM, Wired
STEAM WARS - NPR, BC
STREET FIGHTER #0 (K) - BC
TEEN TITANS GO #1 SPEC ED (K) - NPR, BC, GM, LC
THE SMURFS (K) - GM
THE TICK (K) - NPR, BC, GM, LC
TOP SHELF KIDS CLUB (K) - NPR, BC, GM, io9
TRANSFORMERS VS GI JOE (K) - USAT, Wired, io9, IGN
UBER THE FIRST CYCLE (NET) (MR) - USAT, io9
WALT DISNEY SCROOGE DONALD DUCK GRAVITY (K) - NPR, BC, GM, io9
Kindie as a genre is moving away from the folk and rock that were its bread and butter, but oh-so-slowly. Some hip-hop, sure, some classical and other genres represent, but it's still rock (and folk-rock) that kindie is known for. I have to guard against my own tendencies in that regard, otherwise it'd be nothing but power-pop and indie rock here ALL THE TIME, and what would be the usefulness of that?
Of course, it's possible to make a perfectly dull album for kids that just happens to mine a less-traveled musical seam. Luckily, that's not the case with the latest album from Los Angeles-based musician Ashli Christoval, AKA Jazzy Ash. Her new album Home explores the sound of New Orleans, and while it's not the first to tackle the Big Easy's big musical history, it's definitely one of the most vibrant. She moves from the unmistakeable sound of the city's famous second-line bands on the Mardi Gras-themed duet with Mista Cookie Jar on "Throw Me Something Mista" to her zydeco reworking of "Shortenin' Bread" on "Baby Loves Beignets." There's a hint of the overtly educational here (see "Every Family's Different"), but there are more hits than misses, like "Jitterbug," which swings (and dances), and the graceful "Tuba Lullaby." Musically, Ash has put together a solid backing band, and her own voice is one of the most appealing in kindie. She's not at the level of the Okee Dokee Brothers in terms of her songwriting -- to be fair, they're on their fifth album at this point -- but as I listened to the album, there was something about this album that reminded me of the bluegrass duo in their playfulness and exploration of American musical traditions.
The 32-minute album will most appeal to kids ages 3 through 7. Home is a big step forward for Ash, and as she continues her career as a kids musician, I'm eager to see where she lands next. Recommended.
Zooglobble
Zooglobble helps you find kindie music -- news, videos, mp3s, reviews -- for your whole family.
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