Review: No School Today - Danny Weinkauf

Kids music is not exactly short on shimmery, shiny pop with a hint of crunch.

But good shimmery, shiny pop for kids and families, that's a little more rare.

Lucky for familial connoisseurs of said music, Danny Weinkauf is pretty good at it, and his debut family music album No School Today has a handful of excellent, singable power-pop songs for the very young.

Weinkauf is not a stranger to the world of kids music -- he's played bass for a little band called They Might Be Giants, and his handful of songwriting credits for the band include "I Am a Paleontologist" -- so he's not coming to this cold. At its best, No School Today has that same spirit of "anything goes" that animates much of TMBG's work for both adults and kids. The heart of the album -- "Ice Cream," "No School Today," "The Moon Is Made of Cheese," "Whipped Cream" -- features songs that are a little hyper, a little silly, and with little in educational value. In fact, while the songs with a modicum of educational value -- the (appropriately) bouncy "Marsupial" or "Archaeology" -- are fun and poppy, too, I think Weinkauf shines when he's most goofy and least educational. (Though he does have a sweet side as well, shown to best effect on his duet with Laurie Berkner, "Our Love Fits.") There's room for more of that purely silly stuff in modern kids' music, and I suspect that Weinkauf has more of those nuggets in store. I'd also note that the album does have a very synthesizer-y sheen to match its power-pop sound, so those of you looking for a more organic sound may not be interested.

The album's going to be more appropriate for kids ages 5 through 9. You don't have to be a They Might Be Giants fan to appreciate this album (though TMBG fans are most likely to go nuts for this), just a fan of nicely-crafted, occasionally goofy, kid-pop. Which probably includes a lot of you. Definitely recommended.

Itty-Bitty Review: In a Heartbeat - Laura Doherty

Chicago-based musician Laura Doherty is one of a number of kids musicians who should probably be more well-known nationally than they are. Doherty makes the same kind of gentle folk-pop for preschoolers that has helped make Raffi and Laurie Berkner superstars, but without all the attention they receive.

I would be surprised if fans of Raffi and Berkner -- no matter if they're 4 years old or the minder of such 4 year olds -- didn't recognize in Doherty's music many of the same things that give those two a timeless appeal. On her new album In a Heartbeat, Doherty uses her warm, inviting voice to sing simple (in a good way) songs about ocean creatures (the wonderful leadoff track "I'm a Little Fish"), feelings ("It's OK To Be Shy," "Butterfly"), and making music ("Electric Guitar" and "Drum Kit," the latter of which features Wilco's Glenn Kotche on yes, the drums). Doherty and producer Rich Rankin have surrounded themselves with musicians who give the songs are solid musical footing, unfussy but sophisticated.

The album is most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7. There are many kindie artists who are producing (wonderful) kids music that stretch the boundaries of the form in topic and musical approach -- Doherty is not traveling this path. Which is perfectly OK. This is reassuring music and what it lacks in "edge" it makes up for with the warm fuzzies. I like it a lot, and there's no reason why your favorite preschooler with a pig on her head wouldn't groove to the music here, too. Definitely recommended.

Video: "Love Bug" - Raffi

Raffi's got a new album, his first of original kids music in more than a decade, coming out later this month. It's titled Love Bug, and one of the album's strongest tracks -- and certainly one of the most "Raffi-like" in nature. While his brand new video for the song isn't his first in the decade (here's "Hockey Days" from just a couple years ago), its existence is something to celebrate.

And, luckily, it's good, too. Nothing terribly original -- a little fingerpainting, a little facepainting, and a little more "Kids Say the Darnedest Things" -- but it's stitched together nicely and fits the snuggly song so very well.

Raffi - "Love Bug" [YouTube]

How I Got Here: Brady Rymer (The Grateful Dead's Steal Your Face)

Musician Brady Rymer is known for his positive attitude and for heading up Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could, one of the best live bands in kindie. Oh, and in a former (and occasionally) current life, playing with the band From Good Homes.

The GRAMMY-nominated Rymer and his Little Band That Could have just released their latest album Just Say Hi!, but in this latest installment of "How I Got Here," Rymer goes back nearly 40 years to talk about an album important to his musical development, the Grateful Dead's double live album Steal Your Face.

***

I bought Steal Your Face at the Rockaway Mall in Rockaway, New Jersey, in 1978, the summer before 8th grade; I was 14.

Steal Your Face is a 1976 double album of live recordings from The Dead's Wall of Sound/Farewell to Winterland tour. They carried around a huge sound system, designed by the band and top engineers, and recorded crystal clear sound for the time. The album has gotten very mixed reviews -- mostly not good -- and even the band didn’t like it all that much, but it was the first Dead album I bought with my own money. Plus, I loved that cool red, white and blue skull on the cover.

The first time I listened to the album in my basement, it sounded very strange. I couldn’t figure it out, but I still related to it on a gut level. It sounded so different than David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust, or Neil Young's After the Gold Rush, or Kiss Alive, or Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, or anything I ever heard on Top 40 radio. It was the first time I was so intrigued by what I heard that I picked up my guitar and tried to figure out how they were doing it. I didn’t know where to begin. It didn’t even sound like they were playing chords; it was more like each song was a jigsaw puzzle with all of its pieces scattered. Slowly, I started to put it together.

The band was a simple combo. Similar to other rock ‘n’ roll or rhythm & blues bands, it consisted of two guitars, piano, bass, two drummers (I always loved that!) and lots of singing. But the music came across like a Cubist painting – the picture broken up into pieces, parts here, other elements over there, counter melodies. Everyone not playing the same way at the same time, and going in different directions. The underpinning percolating and chaotic at times, relaxed at other times – but still holding together somehow, in some way, and sounding like a song. And all with this happy, feel-good groove and spirit that I could feel was similar to the records and artists I knew – Chuck Berry, Elvis, the Rolling Stones, The Jackson Five, Stevie Wonder, the Beatles.

As I worked on playing the music on my guitar, to see how they created this magic, I realized it was actually simple – and then again, not so simple. Mostly, they were playing chords and progressions I knew, but they were doing it in such a different kind of way: not playing the whole chords, or plucking notes or little melodies in between strums, changing their parts – leaving space, playing alternative notes, but mostly what I heard was a monster of a band playing together – this organic growing, moving thing – alive in the moment. That was thrilling.

I fell in love with a few things.

Jerry Garcia. His voice and guitar playing was so beautiful. So soulful, laid back at times, on fire at times. I could hear rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm & blues and gospel all rolled into one.
Bob Weir's rhythm guitar playing. I am a rhythm guitar player; back then I was just learning about rhythm guitar’s role in a band. Bob played such cool variations and voicings of the chords, adding in little counter-melodies to his rhythm, adding spaces to let the other instruments peek through; all the while acting as the bonding glue between the lead guitar, bass and drums. His rhythm guitar lived right in the middle of the overall sound, adding very colorful parts but still holding it all together, creative and integral.
The songs. Their originals were a combination of rock ‘n’ roll, country, gospel, rhythm & blues, jugband. I didn’t really know all of these strains of music when I first listened to Steal Your Face, but the Dead led me back to all of those treasures: Hank Williams, Chuck Berry, Howlin’ Wolf, Elizabeth Cotton, gospel music; really, all American roots music. And their lyrics were poetic, impressionistic; filled with images and cool scenes, rich language and mysterious characters. The words worked perfectly with the music. What I didn’t realize until now is how many cover songs are on the album: songs by Johnny Cash, Jesse Fuller, Chuck Berry, traditional American songs. Wonderful musical markers of our past which are hard to come by as a kid, and markers which inevitably lead further down the trail of wonderful musical discoveries.

After that album, my bandmates and I started playing more Dead and trying to improvise, as they did. This led us to writing our own songs and developing a sound of our own; something that felt good, natural and honest. The sound was laid back but still rockin'. We began listening to each other and playing off each other instead of just churning through learned parts. We learned how to trust the song, trust each other and let the song go, grow and move where it wanted to take us. As we learned the music never played out the same way twice, it became very exciting, and addicting, to revisit the material night after night.

Who would have guessed that about two decades later, three of us from that original garage band who learned how to play from listening to Dead records would get the opportunity to tour with The Dead’s Bob Weir (as the band From Good Homes). We got to see him work – how he structured his shows, sculpted his sound. We asked about songs; he told some amazing Grateful Dead stories, but the most memorable things for me was when I asked him how he’s been doing this for so long. What has kept him going, I asked. He immediately replied – by having fun! The Dead always approached the music with the attitude, “it has to be fun or we ain’t gonna do it!”

It became so clear to me: that’s exactly what I was hearing and responding to in the music. The joy, the togetherness. It’s what I loved about playing music and being in a band, and it’s what we just naturally did. And it’s been the kind of music I’ve been consistently drawn to – gospel, bluegrass, rhythm & blues, rock n roll – the kind of music that’s full of joy or a strong spirit – where there seems to be some kind of something important going down – some kind of gathering of the spirits – an uplifting experience – a higher purpose.

I don’t listen to The Dead much these days, but every spring or early summer I get a craving to hear some of their live concerts; the shows from the years when I was seeing them perform. Listening, I’m reminded of the power and effect that a rock band can have. Their incredibly nimble, colorful sound washing over me; this group of 6 players with traditional instruments, playing a smorgasbord of traditional American/modern music, creating a wall of sound all their own, something that gets thousands of people moving and shaking together as one. Getting out of the way of the music, letting it lead the way. I always was amazed by that, and loved the feeling of being in the audience and experiencing that collective joy. Like going on a thrilling amusement ride together. Whenever I’m on the stage I guess that’s one of the things I strive for – that connection with the music and the audience. Kind of like a ping pong match; giving music to audience members, then giving energy back to the band and so forth until we’re all eventually moving as one, feeling good and trusting that the music will take us on an uplifting and fun journey. An amazing thing to create for just a few people with guitars, piano and drums!

So yeah, this not-so-loved, certainly not best Grateful Dead album, Steal Your Face, made me want to be in a band and play music for a lifetime. It started me down roads of musical discovery which I’m still traveling today. It showed me how music of all genres can span, reach and stretch out across all generations, and be dusted off and reinterpreted at any time, at any moment, in any way. And it showed how a band can have all different types of music that inspire them thrown into one big bubblin’ stew of songs. That still sounds pretty good to me.

Photo Credits: Brady Rymer: Jayme Thornton; From Good Homes: Vic Guadagno

Video: "Haircut" - The Not-Its

Seattle's sartorially-superior schoolhouse rockers The Not-Its are releasing their fifth album Raise Your Hand in a couple weeks and judging by their brand new video for "Haircut" (premiered this morning over at USA Today's Pop Candy blog), they have chosen to not cut their hair until the album actually drops. This will amuse the kids and parents for different reasons -- the kids for the silly hair, the adults for the silly... OK, it'll amuse 'em for the same reason. (Is it churlish to wish they'd also thrown in a Pavement reference?)

The Not-Its! - "Haircut" [YouTube]