Top Kids and Family Podcasts (October 2016)

If it's approaching the end of the month, that means it's time once more to take a look at the nebulously-ranked world of podcasts, this time for October.  (Here is September's list of top-ranked kids and family podcasts.)  For the most part, the order is the same, and the rankings of these particular podcasts within the "kids and family" charts in the iTunes and Stitcher kids and family charts are generally in the same range as last month.

As with last month, none of the podcasts here ranked within the "all podcasts" chart on iTunes, but the number of podcasts on one of the two lists remains at 29, an all-time high, up from 22 in June.

As always: this is a blunt instrument, combining pure rankings from two fairly opaque charts, and for a variety of reasons has only marginal value as a measure of quality.  (Results compiled from Top 100 podcasts on iTunes and Stitcher "kids and family" charts on Monday, October 24, 2016.  Podcasts that appear on both charts are listed with numbers; remaining podcasts only appeared on one list.)

Two other reminders:

1.  If you're looking for a list that has most (or all) of these podcasts, check out my comprehensive list of podcasts for kids.

2. If you're interested in the future of podcasts for kids, you might be interested in Kids Listen, a grassroots organization of podcasters and folks like me interested in helping high-quality audio for children thrive.  We're looking for other interested folks -- producers or otherwise -- to join in!

With that out of the way, let's get to the chart.

1. (tie) Stories Podcast

1. (tie) Brains On

3. Storynory

4. Tumble

5. Radio Adventures of Eleanor Amplified

6. The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd 

7. Story Time

8. Story Pirates

9. Spare the Rock Spoil the Chld

Others (listed alphabetically): 1001 Classic Short Stories and Tales, Activated Stories, Barefoot Books, But Why, Children Stories and Joyful, Children's Fun Storytime, The Cricket, Disney Music Block Party Podcast, Ear Snacks, Family Folk Tales, Kid Friday, Little Stories for Tiny People, Molly and the Sugar Monster, My Baby Monsters, Official Adventures in Odyssey, Podcast Kid, Sparkle Stories, The Story Home, That Story Show, The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel

Radio Playlist: New Music October 2016

Near the end of October, and there's a whole bunch of music as the Grammy window comes to a close.  I've probably missed a few, in fact, but that just means next month's list might also be full of stuff.  (As for last month's list, you can list to that here.)

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 October 2016 (October 2016 Kindie Playlist) ****

“Heroes” - Ted Leo

“Countdown Kids with Lucky” - Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band

“I’ve Got So Much To Give” - The Laurie Berkner Band

“Live in Colour” - Marlow & the MIX

“Bottom of the Ocean” - Todd Downing

“Zoo ’n’ Doo Dah” - Valerie Smalkin

“Aint Nothing Like a Friend” - Mauro Magellan

“You’ve Got Me” - Sara Lovell

“Dissolve” - The Deedle Deedle Dees

“Round and Round We Go” - Vanessa Trien and the Jumping Monkeys

“Hello Moon” - Jennifer Paskow

“Farm Animals” - The Alana Banana Show

“Senor Opuesto” - Nathalia

“Rolling Down the Hill - Justin Roberts

“How Can You Tell If It’s Going To Rain” - Andrew & Polly

Video: "Me on the Map" - Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could

Still image from Brady Rymer's "Me on the Map" video

Nothing fancy about this brand new video from Brady Rymer -- just a well-done video with shots of Rymer playing music by himself, making music with kids, and roasting marshmallows in the woods, fields, and beaches near his Long Island home.  A great match for the celebration of home --think Springsteen at his happiest -- from Rymer's latest album Press Play.

(Don't think he's gonna catch many fish with his mandolin, though.)

Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could - "Me on the Map" [YouTube]

Interview: Justin Roberts

Some of my favorite power-poppy songs for kids ("Recess," "Trick or Treat," My Imaginary Rhino") have come from kids music superstar Justin Roberts, but on his just-released album Lemonade, the Chicago-based musician took a slightly different songwriting approach.  For Lemonade, Roberts wrote and performed the music using the ukulele and took a more stripped-down approach to arranging it on record.

As a ukulele noodler, the idea that a longtime musician would pick up the ukulele as a new instrument and proceed to craft an entire album intrigued me.  In the interview, Roberts talk about which longtime kids duo got him into the ukulele, what it's like to write an album with a uke, and whether he'll be playing it in his upcoming fall shows (for example, in Albuquerque in November and New York's Symphony Space on December 10th).  Also, find out whether Roberts, like me, finds strumming to be the hardest ukulele skill to master.

---

Zooglobble: What are your first ukulele memories?

Justin Roberts: Well, I always wanted to play the ukulele and I'd been talking with Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer for years about their amazing Uke Fest in Maryland. I was also getting advice about which ukulele to buy. About a year and a half ago, Cathy and Marcy were staying with me while they played shows in Chicago. I was trying out Marcy's personal uke and said "I think I'll just buy one of these." It was her Kala signature model. And she said, "You can keep it!" This was the ukulele that she had been playing and recording with for years and Cathy and I were a bit shocked. But after I realized she was serious, I knew I would have to actually learn to play. It turned out to be in the inspiration behind most of the songs on Lemonade.

You said you wanted to take a different approach in writing Lemonade than your other recent efforts -- why is that?

I decided I wanted to try to write somewhat simpler songs with a little more space and not as much wall of sound production as I'd done in the past. I wanted it to be welcoming like hearing people play on a front porch. My songs from the first several records are usually 3 or 4 chords and I love songs like that. I just made that my goal when writing songs for this record. Now, you will hear songs that could have been on Recess ("Dodgeball," for example), but we recorded it with upright bass and cardboard box snare instead of with a giant rock band. 

How did you decide to make the ukulele a central focus of your writing?

It was hard writing Lemonade after making a musical ("Hansel & Gretel") where all the content was handed to me.  I'd been writing mainly on my computer since "Meltdown," and I still did it that way this time around, but I tried to start with a song I could simply play on  the uke alone without a million other instruments. That sort of simplicity continued to be the theme as we recorded.  The goal of simplicity also helped me define the musicians we ended up asking to perform on the album (Robbie Fulks, Nora O'Connor, etc.).

How is writing or crafting music on a uke different from how you’ve written music before?

Since I only knew a few chords and sometimes didn't even know what chords I was playing as I moved my fingers around it was like returning to the simplicity of just learning a new instrument.

Justin Roberts Lemonade album cover

This might be a difficult question, but how do you think the music on Lemonade turned out differently as a result of how you wrote the music?

Well, I wasn't thinking of a five-piece rock bank when I wrote the songs and when I recorded the demos. So, I was more like, "Let's add a few notes of piano here or a hand clap there," rather than starting with bass and drums and adding guitars and ten vocal harmonies. I just tried to give the songs what they needed to make them interesting without sticking to a power pop band formula.

What was the hardest thing for you to master on the ukulele -- fingering, strumming, or something else?

I'm still trying to master the strumming. It's hard to not mimic holding a pick when you play with your fingers. But some of it came very naturally like the riff in "Long As I Got You." Every time I picked up the uke, that melody got played.

Are you planning to play the ukulele live?

I already am. It's so fun. I love to change between that and guitar.

Any secret ukulele-playing tips to share?

There are a lot of secrets on the internet. Whenever I was looking for a chord or wanted to learn something new, I turned there. You can also take lessons from Marcy Marxer, the master herself, on sites like TrueFire, Peghead Nation and others. That's a great way to learn.

hoto credit: Todd Rosenberg

Video: "Two Trees, Old Friends" - Molly Ledford & Billy Kelly

This video for "Two Trees, Old Friends," the sweet and wistful song from Molly Ledford & Billy Kelly's incredible album Trees is... well, I hesitate to describe it too much, because you and your kids will only get one chance to see it for the first time, and I firmly believe in the power of wonder and awe.

And I think that's what you might feel when you see this for the first time.

(Tip of the hat to Fort Psych, the Atlanta-based company who put together the video, and Lyon Forrest Hill, who directed and designed it.)

Molly Ledford & Billy Kelly - "Two Trees, Old Friends" [Vimeo]

Video: "Love Light Shine" - KB Whirly feat. Mista Cookie Jar

So for those of you needing a little positivity and sunshine as we head towards the short, cloudy days of winter, I present to you KB Whirly and Mista Cookie Jar teaming up for a bicoastal jam.  A little soul, a little hip-hop, and a bunch of flowers, this brand-new single will make you and your kids feel allllllll right.

KB Whirly feat. Mista Cookie Jar - "Love Light Shine" [YouTube]