Video: "Mister Cloud" - Caspar Babypants

To go into my appreciation for Chris Ballew's Caspar Babypants project would take far more time than I have at the moment (not to mention a ruthless editor prepared to cut my ramblings to an acceptable length.

And I feel like that would go against the spirit of CB's music for kids, which is simple, stylish, and incredibly catchy. It's not that he dashes off the music -- or his videos -- there is attention and craft in his output. But there's definitely not a feeling of overthinking things, and as he's been cranking out more than one album a year for several years now, he doesn't have time to overthink things.

The latest Caspar Babypants album Away We Go! was released last week, and the first single from the album is "Mister Cloud." Like many of his videos, the video for "Mister Cloud" has a very simple concept -- it's a hand-drawn cloud looking very cute -- neatly executed. I like it a bunch.

Caspar Babypants - "Mister Cloud" [YouTube]

Video: "Players' Life" - Alphabet Rockers (World Premiere!)

Back to school season is in full swing, and the Bay Area's Alphabet Rockers have a brand-new video to help your favorite kindergartner slide back into life on the school playground.

OK, I promise that their video for "Players' Life" is, unlike my dad-joke of a sentence above, entirely cool. The song's off their new album The Playground Zone and the video features a whole bunch of kids dancing with the duo (Kaitlin McGaw and Tommy Shepherd) on a playground, a sight which in my eyes very rarely gets old. (Choreography is courtesy of Samara Atkins from Oakland's Destiny Arts Center.) The kids themselves are from Shepherd's son's second grade class (his son, also named Tommy, is one of the mini-me's, who might be my favorite thing about the video). Director Julio Salcedo, who directs the Rockers' web series, keeps things moving along here, too.

Just an all-around fun little video, one I'm happy to be world-premiering here.

Alphabet Rockers - "Players' Life" [YouTube]

Short and Curly team in Sydney office in 2016

Interview: Kyla Slaven (Short & Curly)

One of my favorite podcasts for kids right now is Short & Curly, a production of Australia's ABC. You can read my review of the show if you'd like, but basically it's an ethics podcast for kids and families that delves into ethical issues without being ponderous. It's the product of those four people striking a pose in the picture above, giving you a sense that they're not taking themselves too seriously. The three in front are the "on-air" talent: Molly Daniels, an actor and writer; Carl Smith, a reporter for ABC TV; and Dr. Matt Beard, from Australia's The Ethics Centre.

The woman in the back is the engine that makes everything go -- she's Kyla Slaven, the producer for Short & Curly. I wanted to get some background on her, the show, and how the Australian kids podcast scene compares to the American one. (Spoiler alert: a lot of it is going to sound familiar to American podcasters and podcast listeners.)

Zooglobble: How did you get into radio/audio production?

Kyla Slaven: I got into radio accidentally. I was studying journalism at university a long time ago and the documentary film subject was so popular they balloted students for a place. My number didn’t come up, I gave radio a go, and fell in love with it.

How was Short & Curly created (e.g., where did the idea come from, how did you get ABC to support the show, etc.)?

Short & Curly has been on my mind for a few years now. I have previously worked as the producer on a philosophy show for adults at the ABC (The Philosopher’s Zone), and once made a program about studying philosophy in primary school. The kids, the ideas and questions, the whole ethos of it all in the classroom was exciting to me. So I just kept thinking that children were up for a program which appealed to their curious and interesting young minds. I didn’t study philosophy at school or university, another regret of mine, but always wanted to be a journalist or a teacher, so this kind of combines the two. I applied for a secondment [or temporary transfer] from the station I usually work at (RN at the ABC) to come to this digital first/podcast project (called First Run, which also made Science VS – now a Gimlet show) and this was one of the ideas I pitched.

I think the ABC was interested because it was a group of people not really being serviced by audio/radio at all (kids). The show is aimed at children listening with the families and also the show builds in things which are only possible in a podcast format, i.e., the pause button approach.

How long did it take you from getting the OK from ABC to having the show ready to air?

This is a bit hard to answer because I was also overseeing pilot podcasts being produced by other people in this First Run project as part of my job, but it was at least 6 months. We had to find/cast the hosts and our in-house ethicist, thinking through how it might sound, we had to find a school to be our brains trust and play around with ideas for topics and sound. I think we have already gotten better at working out how many ideas you can get into one show before it becomes unwieldy.

Our team live in different cities and come together for an intense week for production with me in Sydney, but they all have other jobs as their main gig. The hosts do scripting over a few days each (in the lead up to our week together) and our ethicists is always bouncing ideas around with us, but mostly it is just me working on the show, in all the pre- and post-production tasks. But I really love the week in the studio when I sit in the control room and watch the three of them in the studio riffing off each other and bringing the whole thing to life. There is a fair amount of fun and laughter that week though we are zonked by the end.

What were/are your goals for the series?

The goals were to help develop the culture of families listening to podcasts together (especially on car trips for holidays or stuck on traffic on the way to sports training and the like); the ABC had research showing parents were keen for non-screen based media and entertainment for children. We wanted to reach number one in the kids and family iTunes category in Australia, which we did. (Most of the programs are about parenting, though, rather than being podcasts for children.) I think we still have a lot of work to do in terms of creating a family podcast listening culture (that such podcasts exist, then how to listen to them).

What has been the response to the series in Australia? Internationally?

We have done pretty well, but not as well as some other ABC podcasts. I think some of this is about the issues in the [previous] answer. There is also so much work in getting the word out, targeting people and groups who might be interested in the broader concept or individual programs.

Co-host Molly in recording studio with a couple kids

Did you learn anything, particularly as it relates to creating audio for kids, in the first season of the show that you incorporated into your production of the second season?

What we have learnt, and are still fumbling our way around, is to be really clear in our heads what the two or three main “stops” in the journey are for each episode. We have also tried to do more rather than less signposting of where we are heading and where we have come from. Again, it’s a work in progress but these are probably the two main things we know we have to really nail. We have also tried to amp up the silliness and the colour of each episode using [sound effects] and the host interactions to set up self-contained little worlds.

Who’s your favorite ethicist/philosopher?

I don’t have a favourite philosopher, but I realised when producing the philosophy show that the host (who WAS trained in academic philosophy) was always at his most excited when we were looking at philosophy of science and some of the more esoteric stuff (to me, at least) like about time or reality, whereas I have always been more taken with philosophy and philosophers really grounded in political and social questions, whether in ancient times, during the enlightenment or now. But like I say, I am by no means an expert on philosophy or ethics.

What’s next for the show? For you?

I’m not sure what is next for the show, given we are not even one year in. There is a lot more to explore, as well as the potential for expansion into other areas of philosophy. We are hoping to do a live show later this year, partly so we can just have the fun of being in a big room full of children who are interested in curly questions about the world. My official job is at RN, a national mostly talks-based radio station that is part of the ABC. I would love this show to continue and would love also to do more in the kids audio world, but who knows?

Radio Playlist: New Music August 2016

The summer new release doldrums plus some vacation on my part (read: can't listen to much new music) means that this month's list of new music for your family's listening pleasure is a bit shorter than usual. (If you want to catch July's slightly longer list, you can see that playlist here.) But just because it's short doesn't mean it's not good -- this is 18 minutes of premium music. (And just wait 'til the September list!)

As always, it's limited in that if an artist hasn't chosen to post a song on Spotify, I can't put it on the list, nor can I feature songs from as-yet-unreleased albums. But I'm always keeping stuff in reserve for the next Spotify playlist.

Check out the list here (or right here in you're in Spotify).

**** New Music August 2016 (August 2016 Kindie Playlist) ****

"Botany" - Danny Weinkauf

"1-2-3-4-5-6-7 a Song" - Doctor Noize

"Miss Mary Mack" - Ella Jenkins

"Secret Superhero" - Secret Agent 23 Skidoo

"Willy Was a Whale" - Justin Roberts

"Byke" - Baron Von Rumblebuss

Video: "Young Soul" - Secret Agent 23 Skidoo

I know, I just posted the video for "Secret Superhero" 2-3 weeks ago. But if you and the young 'uns don't have some sort of smile on your face after listening to and watching the dance-filled video for "Young Soul" from Secret Agent 23 Skidoo's latest Infinity Plus One, then... I suggest you watch it a second time.

Secret Agent 23 Skidoo - "Young Soul" [YouTube]

Interview: Eric Herman

Eric Herman and I go way back -- his album Monkey Business was the very first album on I received from a kids' musician for possible review.

Since that time, we've both had our share of success in the kids' music world, though I would defer to Eric in terms of success given the fact that his stone-cold classic song (and video) "The Elephant Song" is approaching 29 million views on YouTube.

Earlier this summer he released Bubble Wrap, an album filled with both humorous songs (as is his wont) but also more serious songs, songs colored by his experience of the death of his wife Roseann, who played a big role in his musical career (and animated the aforementioned video for "The Elephant Song").

Eric answered some questions about the new album, both the serious side (how Roseann's illness and death affected the album) and the not-so-serious side (his favorite comedic bits from Bubble Wrap), plus has some perspective on a kids' music career that's stretched for nearly fifteen years.

What are your first musical memories?

When I was about 4 or 5 I had a cheap little record player and a few 45s of Elvis and Johnny Cash. I had memorized "One Piece at a Time" and would belt out that and "Hound Dog" to anyone who would listen (i.e., my poor sisters and parents). I'm sure my vocal stylings left something to be desired, but the enthusiasm to perform was definitely there.

This was also the heyday of Sesame Street, Electric Company, and Schoolhouse Rock (yes, I'm old), so I have early memories of grooving to that great stuff.

When did you decide you wanted to make music for families?

Back in 2002, several different people encouraged me to do music for kids. It seemed like an odd convergence, so I thought I should at least consider it. At the time I was living in Buffalo and doing a lot of live theater and singer/songwriter shows at coffeehouses, and making a kids' music album was just another thing to do on the side.

If you'd have told me then that I'd be doing nothing but kids/family music for the next 14-15 years, I'd have scoffed. But that kind of took off and felt like a really fun and fulfilling direction to go. When I realized you could write and perform various styles of music and also include a range of ideas from comical to more serious, all within the banner of "children's/kids/kindie/family music," that was very appealing. Also, working with kids entertainment in some way was always a dream of Roseann's, and while she never pushed me in that direction, once I moved that way she was thrilled, and it was a good fit for our fledgling family.

You've been pretty open about how the death of your wife Roseann played a significant role in parts of Bubble Wrap -- what made you decide to talk about that so openly?

For one thing, Roseann deserves to be talked about. She was always a huge force in what I do, and she did have some input and influence on some of the songs that ended up on Bubble Wrap. For songs like "Sunflower Seeds" and the title track, she had direct input about some words and vocal lines, and in some cases, she was a catalyst for the band, where at a rehearsal she'd say something like "reggae" or "Fleetwood Mac" and we'd start ad-libbing music based on that prompt. Those particular prompts yielded "What I Want" and "Everybody's Watching," neither of which sound like reggae or Fleetwood Mac, but it was a useful tool to get something going, and she was great about encouraging things in positive directions like that. I treasure the original recording I have for our "Everybody's Watching" jam, because she can be heard laughing exuberantly and commenting on things as we were finding the different changes of that song in the moment.

Moreso, though, it's probably my last real chance to memorialize Roseann in connection with our music and my career. There may be other songs I'll write about her, and her influence will always be deeply within me and our daughters, but it felt important to share that her life and her loss were a part of this work. Of course, I'm much more on my own from this point forward, and about half of Bubble Wrap came together or was developed after her death, so it also feels like a bridge in that way.

Did writing the song "Okay" help you accept Roseann's death more, or did acceptance lead to the song -- or a bit of both?

The former, though it wasn't written with that intention. "Okay" began musically three months before Roseann died, and the only lyric I had initially was "You did the best you could. It's all good." I thought it might be a song about an adopted child speaking to their biological mother, in understanding for the choice they made at the time. We had been trying to adopt, so I thought Roseann would like that idea, though I never actually shared it with her (which was unusual, but I wanted to flesh out the idea better before bringing it to her).

But I couldn't get any farther on the lyrics, so I set it aside until just a few days before she died, when I suddenly got a burst of input to write most of the rest of the words. Even then, though, I didn't think it was about her or anyone dying... She had been very ill recently, but that had been the case on and off for four years, and I assumed she'd bounce back again.

The night after she died, I picked up my guitar and started playing that song and suddenly realized that not only was it really about a child losing their parent, but it had a lot of deep personal resonance between us. And it was an incredibly cathartic coping tool for me and my girls in the weeks that followed. I must have listened to the rough demo of that song a hundred times that first week. It was as if we were still communicating through the music, and it worked as a message between us, going both ways... "It's okay. You did the best you could. It's okay. I'll love you always." I don't know about her, but I needed to hear that.

Eric Herman with daughters Evee and Becca

Which do you find writing more difficult: serious or silly songs?

I find all writing difficult, especially lyrics. But I suppose I'll go with the old acting adage - tragedy is easy, comedy is hard. Drama and tragedy can be expressed more from the heart and in many different ways that might be effective and meaningful and emotionally resonant. But for comedy to work, the words and phrasing often need to be very particular, as well as the timing and the setups for the jokes or payoffs. Not to diminish the craft and work that can make a serious song great, but I think that dramatic writing is more likely to come organically for me, where comedy requires much more wrestling.

What's your favorite silly/funny song on the album?

I'd say that Bubble Wrap is less silly/funny than most of my other albums, although I think there's a fair amount of humor and some wit in there. "Take a Bath" is probably the most comedic song, building on a simple idea to increasing absurdity. The stinger line from the astronaut was the last thing added to the recording and I'm so glad we thought of that at the last minute, to one-up the joke yet again.

The album does have some of my favorite individual lines, like the "baloney" part in "You Are What You Eat," the epic "fale" in "Where's Saturday?" and the intro line of "Everybody's Watching," which I'll admit might be a darling that should have been killed, but I love it.

You've been making music for families for nearly 15 years -- what have been the biggest positives for kids musicians during that time... and the biggest challenges?

The biggest positive is that the genre itself opened up so much during that time, so that the idea of having specific music for your kids or to share as a family was more widely embraced, in general. Sure, there were people like Raffi and Joe Scruggs and Trout Fishing [in America] doing family music in the '90s, but I think it grew so much more with The Wiggles, and with Ralph [Covert] and Justin [Roberts] and others coming on at that time and expanding the range of the genre. The rising tide lifted all boats and made opportunities to find a direction and an audience much more possible for everyone.

An obvious challenge during a time of plenty is distinguishing yourself among the many others, and finding ways to connect with an audience and get your work out there.

In retrospect, there are things that I could have done (and can do) better in terms of connecting with others and also as far as defining myself better. I've always done a variety of different things on my albums and that's selfishly what interests me, but I can see where some albums haven't been as cohesive because of that. I'm content to do what I do, but I can acknowledge where a tighter focus has served others very well.

What's next for you?

I'm working on a stage musical about Alexander Hamilton's life, tentatively titled "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Duel with Aaron Burr." Should be a big hit, eh?

Other than that, I'm not sure. There are a few different ideas in the *maybe* stage, but nothing has lit a fire under my butt yet. Every time I'm in this limbo between specific projects, I start to doubt whether I can ever create anything again. But then at some point, a direction or idea hits me and I'm off to work. I should know to trust that will happen, and yet, I still have that period of severe doubt every time. I suppose that may be essential to the process.

In the short term, stay tuned for a few more Bubble Wrap videos, including "Phone," "You Are What You Eat," and "Hello."

Photo credits: Larissa Workman (Eric on tightrope), Eric Herman (Eric, Roseann and daughters), Darin Warnick (Eric with daughters), Denise Culver (Thunder Puppies)