Next up in my list of the best kids music of 2011 are my favorite songs. Now, seeing as I listen to literally thousands of kids songs every year, picking out 25 (less than 1%, probably) is very difficult, and if you asked me to make this list up next week I'm sure at least a couple of songs here would be replaced by others. Growing this list to 25 (last year's was 20) didn't make things any easier -- it just shifted the bubble.

But these 25 (listed alphabetically by song title) are definitely among the year's best recordings.

-- Bad Blue Jay - Caspar Babypants (Sing Along!)
-- Bonfire - The Jimmies (Practically Ridiculous)
Bonfire
-- Cooperate - Sugar Free Allstars & Secret Agent 23 Skidoo

-- The Crocodile Synchronised Swimming Team - Too Many Cookes (Down At The Zoo)
-- Dandelion - Steve Weeks (Dandelion)
-- Didn't Know What I Was Missing - Alastair Moock/Lori McKenna (Planting Seeds, These Are My Friends) -- listen here
-- Freeze Tag - The Not-Its (Tag, You're It!)

-- Garbage Man - Mr. Richard & The Pound Hounds (Backyard Astronauts) -- download free here
-- Henry (Hudson), How Ya Gonna Find a Way? - The Deedle Deedle Dees (Strange Dees, Indeed)

-- Hey, Josie - The Hipwaders (Golden State)
Hey, Josie!
-- Hey Pepito! - Key Wilde & Mr Clarke (Hey Pepito!) -- listen here
-- I Think I’m A Bunny - Todd McHatton (Galactic Champions of Joy)

-- John Kanakanaka - Dan Zanes and Friends (Little Nut Tree) (this is a solo performance below)

-- Let's Dance - Lucky Diaz And The Family Jam Band (Oh Lucky Day!)
-- Metaphor - The Alphabeticians (Rock)

-- Mushy Berry Pie - The Thinkers (Oh Zoooty!) -- listen here
-- A Piano Is Stuck In The Door - Beethoven's Wig Featuring Richard Perlmutter (Beethoven's Wig: Sing Along Piano Classics)

-- Place in My Heart - Frances England (Mind of My Own) -- listen here
-- Quarter Moon Shining - Chip Taylor & the Grandkids (Golden Kids Rules)

-- Please Don't Move (to Another Time Zone) - Lunch Money (Original Friend)
-- Skywriter - Baron Von Rumblebuss (Agreeably Loud!!)
-- Soft Things - Brady Rymer/Laurie Berkner (Love Me for Who I Am) -- listen here
-- Waters of March - Jamie Broza (I Want a Dog!)

-- Wisconsin Poncho - Gustafer Yellowgold (Gustafer Yellowgold's Infinity Sock)

-- Your Favorite Book - Recess Monkey (FLYING!)

Posted by SAShepherd at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I could take a lot of time talking specifically about Gustafer Yellowgold's Infinity Sock, the fourth Gustafer Yellowgold DVD/CD set from musician/illustrator Morgan Taylor -- how it's another collection of mellow pop-rock tunes, alternately humorous and wistful, accompanying the slightly surreal adventures of our yellow friend from the sun, Gustafer Yellowgold. Or maybe how it features an honest-to-goodness narrative from start to finish.

But what I'd rather do is spend a few words about what Taylor has done with Gustafer, and that's nothing less than create a totally immersive world of characters that Taylor could easily spend another ten, twenty, or thirty years exploring. Just as Dan Zanes has crafted his own niche of family music that never really delves into the specific lives of kids, with Gustafer Yellowgold Taylor has written "kids music" that has (seemingly) nothing to do with the specific lives of kids. After all, on this adventure (featuring Gustafer trying to find the toe-end of the titular sock), Gustafer visits a beehive to see an amazing bee-band ("Beehive") or visits an all-cheese clothing store (the very funny "Wisconsin Poncho"). These are not concerns of your typical 5-year-old.

What this story and all the Gustafer Yellowgold stories are is Children's Literature, Fanciful and Fantastic Division. Gustafer is just as much the descendent of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are as it is the descendent of Harry Nilsson's The Point. Which isn't to say that kids might not learn lessons here (the interconnectivity of life, inherent value of all beings, the need to explore), but they're born out of Taylor's basic philosophy, not forced upon the watcher or listener, and they assume that kids are smarter than we often give them credit for. (Which is a pretty good assumption.)

This DVD/CD set is appropriate for kids ages 4 through 10. You can watch video clips from the half-hour story here. Visually the DVD, as always, looks great -- minimally animated but distinctive. (The bonus features, including a mockumentary and guitar and drawing lessons, aren't essential but nice to watch at least once.) Current Gustafer Yellowgold fans will enjoy Gustafer Yellowgold's Infinity Sock no less than the previous DVDs, and for the rest of you, this is as good a place as any to start. Like the best kids' lit, your kids could still be buying new Gustafer Yellowgold DVDs when they become parents themselves. Definitely recommended.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the DVD/CD set for possible review.

Posted by SAShepherd at 06:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hopefully this isn't news three years from now, but for the moment, every recognition of kindie music by the public at large (or in this case the market at large) is still news. So, yeah, it's a big deal that Amazon picked "Slim Gets In 'Em" from the latest Gustafer Yellowgold album Gustafer Yellowgold's Infinity Sock as a free download. Given how rarely family music makes it onto Amazon's list of free mp3s, I think it's a Good Thing. Anyway, no need to feel down about it, grab the free song here.

And, hey, why not watch the video, too?

Gustafer Yellowgold - "Slim Gets in 'Em" [YouTube]

Posted by SAShepherd at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I see a lot of stuff. I don't always have time for a separate post. Here, then, is a collection of random pieces of information -- videos, downloads, news -- that never made it into its own neatly-titled post.

-- Aaron Nigel Smith is offering up a free mp3 of his song "In a Book," a slow reggae jam not featured on his forthcoming Let's Pretend album. Pick it up here.

-- I'd read somewhere -- probably a comment on its Facebook page -- that there was going to be a Kidzapalooza in Chile this year. That struck me as odd, but sure enough, yes, there is. April 2nd and 3rd, while Lollapalooza entertains a whole bunch of folks in Santiago, acts such as Achú, Cuchara, Fractal + Joe Vanconcellos, Los Pulentos, Los Plumabits, and Magictwins will be rocking the Kidza stage (though in the case of the Magictwins, I'm not sure "rock" is the word, even though they rock... magically). Kidzapalooza co-founder Tor Hyams reports he is indeed making the trek down to South America to produce the stage, a trek which makes the cross-country flights folks like Hyams and myself will make for Kindiefest seem like small potatoes.

And, Tor, please see what you can do about bringing Los Plumabits -- featured on a Chilean kids' TV show which seems to be somewhat analagous to Yo Gabba Gabba! -- to the States.

Los Plumabits - "Disco Laser" [YouTube]

More -- much more -- after the jump.

Continue reading "The Ketchup Report, Vol. 7" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 06:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yay, it's here! What's that, you say? Why, the Gustafer Yellowgold Infinity Sock World Premiere Video Week. Hopefully you caught yesterday's world premiere of "Slim Gets In 'Em" at the Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl, but even if you didn't, you can still enjoy today's world premiere right here for "Infinity." It's a mellow horn-accented song that sets up the central plot question of the whole video quite nicely. Tomorrow's track, "Beehive," will be premiered at Out With the Kids. (Also, make sure to catch Jeff Giles' interview with Morgan Taylor, which I liked even more than my interview with Taylor.)

Gustafer Yellowgold's Infinity Sock is out March 1, but you can pre-order it at a discount here or also order it from Amazon.

The window has closed... you'll have to wait for the release to see it again... but here's a 1-minute taste...

Gustafer Yellowgold - "Infinity" (excerpt) [YouTube]

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It's not quite as lengthy as the trip he takes in his forthcoming DVD/CD set Gustafer Yellowgold's Inifinity Sock, but Gustafer Yellowgold will be making a number of appearances next month at many family music sites. Gustafer Yellowgold’s Infinity Sock World Premiere Video Week will feature seven videos (in order) from the March 1 release, but unlike the sock whose origin Gustafer seeks out in the album, the length of time you'll have to see each of the videos is very finite -- only about 24 hours. So you'll want to make sure not to miss each site each day. The schedule is below - see you here on February 2nd.

Tuesday, Feb. 1: The Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl - “Slim Gets In ‘Em”
Wednesday, Feb. 2: Zooglobble (that's right here!) - “Infinity”
Thursday, Feb. 3: Out with the Kids - “Beehive”
Friday, Feb. 4: Gooney Bird Kids - “Snake Proms”
Saturday, Feb. 5: Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child - “Cheddar”
Sunday, Feb. 6: Ages 3 and Up! - “Wisconsin Poncho” (I know it's Sunday, folks, but make sure you don't miss this one)
Monday: Feb. 7: Boston Children’s Music – “Question Marks”

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Another Ketchup Report, slathering kids music news all across the internet with all-natural ingredients.

-- Bill Harley channels a little Dylan and Guthrie on his song "Enough Is a Feast," which he's now offering as a free download here through Thanksgiving. (If you want to contribute to or volunteer at a food bank at this time of year when food is maybe even more important than it usually is, Harley suggests finding one here.)

-- I'm a longtime fan of the Tricycle Music Fest, even after its cross-country move to San Francisco. Check out the videos from last month's edition here, including "Tricycle," of course, from Frances England and other videos from Charity Kahn and the Time Outs.

-- Twin Cities folks, heads up, Clementown, the Okee Dokee Brothers, and Adam Levy are playing a benefit show on Saturday, December 4 for friends of Clementown's, Krista and Terry, who've both been diagnosed with cancer. Great lineup, good cause. More details here.

-- I'm also a fan of the "Listen To Your Buds" campaign encouraging kids not to turn up their speakers (or headphones) to 11. This fall's performers? Oran Etkin, who's performing in Philadelphia public schools this week and Brady Rymer.

-- Gustafer Yellowgold, back on (off-)Broadway! Gustafer Yellowgold’s Infinity Sock will have a run of Saturday performances (11 AM and 1 PM) at the DR2 Theatre, 103 E. 15th St. New York City, from February 26 through April 2. It apparently will include the song "Wisconsin Poncho," which is "set in an all-cheese clothing store." This, friends, is why I love kids music.

-- The Kindiependent concert at the Seattle Public Library some of you may have heard about? 1,500 people, folks. Strength in numbers, that's what it's about. The group's got a couple new concert series coming up in the Seattle area starting this fall, too...

Posted by SAShepherd at 06:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I tend to think to think of Gustafer Yellowgold as a real character, with thoughts and feelings just like any other person. Which is a mistake, of course, because as most readers of this site know, he's actually from the sun and he's a fictional, animated character. Credit for this feeling really goes to Morgan Taylor, the musician and animator behind Gustafer, who in three DVDs has imbued his yellow creation with a three-dimensional character space via song and animation that exceeds many cartoons.

The fourth Gustafer DVD, Gustafer Yellowgold's Inifinity Sock, will be released on March 1, and in addition to letting us see the DVD cover, Taylor recently talked to us about AM radio, Gustafer's origins, and how evidently I'm not the only person who thinks of Gustafer as being real.

Zooglobble: What are your first musical memories?
Morgan Taylor: I remember the A.M. radio always playing when we were getting ready to go to school in the mornings. It's funny, when I recall the mornings, I remember it being cold. This would have been spanning around 1974-1980? The radio was a safe and constant home thing. Besides that I remember that before I could read, I knew which songs were which of our old 45s that my older brother and sister had collected. I knew from the designs on the paper rings, what song it was. I used to love playing, and drawing and making stuff while listening to records.

Were you an artist or a musician first?

Continue reading "Interview: Morgan Taylor (Gustafer Yellowgold)" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 06:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I optimistically titled my first attempt at a generic roundup of Volume 1, but, hey, here's Volume 2! All the news too small for its own post, super-sized for you.

-- As previously noted, Tor Hyams was developing a new podcast and the first episode of Kindiecast premiered last weekend. Thirty minutes, 8 songs -- stream or download it here. (And today the website notes that Recess Monkey has another batch of songs ready to go, but those guys write songs in their sleep, I think.) Anyways, iTunes podcasting will be happening shortly...

-- Speaking of Hyams, Frances England's Mind of My Own (produced by Hyams) is released Nov. 9th and she's got a lot of new stuff associated with the release. This weekend she's got a new show on Sirius-XM's Kids Place Live (check there for details), she's selling artwork, and, while I have a vague memory that Frances told me about these "Creative Family Challenges" contests, the first one is now here and embedded below:

-- Speaking of upcoming albums, The Baby Grands release their new album The Baby Grands II on Nov. 16, and today only they're running a deal on Plum District's Atlanta site to get that and their debut album for just $9 plus shipping... I like the creative thinking on getting their music out in front of a wide audience...

-- To complete the upcoming album trifecta, The Boogers' second album Let's Go! comes out Nov. 23rd and they're letting you have one of the energetic album's best tracks, "Otto's Orange Day," for the price of an e-mail address. Go here to grab it.

-- The Deedle Deedle Dees' Lloyd Miller will be recording his November sing-a-alongs in Brooklyn for a new album to be released soon. For free. Woot!

-- Gustafer Yellowgold has a blog. Yes, a blog.

Posted by SAShepherd at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the midst of Hanukkah, and only a week or so before the solstice, Christmas, and Kwanzaa, it's prime time for holiday music. No sooner do I post about a free track than the folks at Jitterbug's let me know about their holiday playlist. It's a good one and even better, it's a free one, available for downloading or streaming. Music from The Hipwaders, Brady Rymer, Didi Pop, Gustafer Yellowgold, Princess Katie & Racer Steve, Rock Daddy Rock, and David Tobocman. Good stuff (I've already talked about a few songs on the list), downloadable here and in a few cases, nowhere else.

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've been resisting the urge to post winter holiday-related videos and stuff because I'm that grumpy old man who gets irritated when hearing Christmas carols the day after Halloween.

Rest assured, I'll get to them eventually (maybe after Thanksgiving), but I'll make an exception for this new video from Gustafer Yellowgold. It's mellow (natch) and neatly captures the warmth that the Gustafer-se generates and ties it to the season. Add some chords, and perhaps you could carol that thing.

Gustafer Yellowgold - "Fa and a La" [YouTube]

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In case you missed it, we're offering you, lucky readers, a chance to win the excellent new Gustafer Yellowgold DVD/CD set, Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever. All you need to do is go here and enter a comment by midnight tonight (Thursday). Good luck...

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I reallyliked the latest Gustafer Yellowgold DVD/CD release, Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever, and now thanks to Gustafer and his pals, I'm going to give you a chance to win it.

That's right, you could be the lucky winner of the latest collection of Gustafer (mis-)adventures. All you need to do is enter by writing your favorite summertime adventure in the comments below. One entry per household; all entries due by midnight East Coast time Thursday night. I'll pick a winner at random. Good luck, and to get you inspired, here's Gustafer's memories of his summers on the sun.

Gustafer Yellowgold - "Butter Pond Lake"

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

It's a sign, I think, of how popular Gustafer Yellowgold has become that I don't feel the need to spend much time explaining the character or the whole concept in this review. A lot of readers will probably be familiar with Gustafer and his fellow characters and the "moving picture book" style of animation developed by the songwriter and illustrator behind Gustafer, Morgan Taylor.

It's actually that familiarity that Taylor uses to his advantage in Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever, his third collection of Gustafer tunes and animated videos. Instead of focusing mostly on Gustafer, some of the songs/videos here focus on other characters, almost to the exclusion of Gustafer. "Sugar Boat" (which features Wilco's John Stirratt and Pat Sansone and a soaring chorus) revolves around Gustafer's biggest fan, Wincey the ferret. Sisson the blue worm is the focus of "Quite Easily Lost," animated to a gentle pop duet between Taylor and Lisa Loeb. It's no longer necessary to have Gustafer be the protagonist all the time. Indeed, the funniest track on the collection, "Panther Stamps Pants" features the pterodactyl Forrest Applecrombie and some excellent whistling.

There's also more backstory to Gustafer than we've had before, which provides some of the more moving moments on the disk. "Butter Pond Lake" should've been a hit on AM radio 35 years ago, telling the story of summer family vacations back on the sun. "Sunpod" obliquely tells the story of Gustafer leaving his home on the sun to live on earth, and while it's not depressing, you can't tell a story like that using humor. (And, hey, the tinge of sadness that runs through some of the Gustafer songs is one of the things that sets it apart.) The story of his arrival is carried on in a later video for "Underwater Stars," and it's that unity in the disk (shown also in "Constellation Pies," which is essentially an instrumental recap of the songs that have come before) that make it the most solid disk yet. If there's a downside, it's that I didn't like the songs overall quite as much as I did on Have You Never Been Yellow?. The songs are good, they just had slightly less "oomph" for me overall compared to its predecessor.

The disk is most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 8. You can watch videos at the Gustafer website or on YouTube. The package includes both a DVD and a music-only CD, so you can whistle along to "Panther Stamps Pants" at work or in the car. The DVD also includes a mockumentary "Looking For... Gustafer Yellowgold" which will completely mystify your kids but bring a chuckle or two to the adults.

Three albums in, I think Morgan Taylor is just now scratching the surface of what he can do with Gustafer Yellowgold. Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever is another collection of strong indie-pop songwriting from an increasingly confident storyteller and illustrator. Can't wait for the fourth set. Definitely recommended.

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Our other semi-final in KidVid Tournament 2009 features the Pete Seeger Region champ, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo's video for "Gotta Be Me" off his debut Easy, against the Woody Guthrie Region winner, Gustafer Yellowgold's "Getting in a Treetop" from the new DVD/CD set Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever.

Even if you know who you're going to vote for (and especially if you don't, natch), please watch both videos -- they're each excellent in their own ways.

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below, but the official results are based on the poll at the bottom of the page. One vote per household, please. Votes due by midnight tonight (Thursday) East Coast time. And play nice!

Secret Agent 23 Skidoo - "Gotta Be Me"

Gustafer Yellowgold - "Getting in a Treetop"

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The final matchup of the second round of KidVid Tournament 2009 moves to the Woody Guthrie Region. In this contest we have the top seed, Chris Ballew's Caspar Babypants project and the video "The Island Hop" from his debut Here I Am! disk matched up against Gustafer Yellowgold's "Getting in a Treetop" from the new DVD/CD set Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below, but the official results are based on the poll at the bottom of the page (after the jump). One vote per household, please. Votes due by midnight tonight (Tuesday) East Coast time. And, as always, play nice!

Continue reading "KidVid Tournament 2009: Caspar Babypants vs. Gustafer Yellowgold" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Our final first-round matchup of the week is in the Woody Guthrie Region for KidVid Tournament 2009It's a matchup of #2 vs. #3: Gustafer Yellowgold's "Getting in a Treetop" from the new DVD/CD set Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever going up against Eric Herman's video for "The Tale of the Sun and the Moon" off his Snail's Pace collection.

Comments welcome below, but the videos and the all-important official poll are after the jump. All votes due by midnight tonight (Thursday) East Coast time. One vote per person, please. And, yeah, play nice.

Continue reading "KidVid Tournament 2009: Gustafer Yellowgold vs. Eric Herman" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It's not news that I'm a big fan of Gustafer Yellowgold. And I already told you about how Gustafer creator Morgan Taylor won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest's 2008 Session I Children's Music category for "Mint Green Bee." Well, Gustafer has met his match. Literally. The Session II winners have been announced, and winning the category this go-round is "One Wasn't Enough," from Bangor, Maine's Flannery Brothers.

And now the decision as to the best song of the year is up to you, folks. After listening to both songs (you can download the Flannery Brothers song at the link above), go here to cast your vote. (Voting ends May 1.) And while I'm a big Gustafer fan, I think it's really hard to listen to the Flannery Brothers track (off their upcoming debut Love Songs for Silly Things) and not have a smile on your face. An old-school Trout Fishing in America-style track. Tough choice.

Posted by SAShepherd at 03:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I don't typically talk about single shows featuring just one performer, but I thought the latest effort from Gustafer Yellowgold deserved a brief mention. This weekend Morgan Taylor will premiere Gustafer Yellowgold’s Golden Heart Symphony, which will take place in the Presidio Middle School auditorium on Saturday, March 21 at 11 AM & 3 PM and Sunday, March 22 at 2 PM and 5 PM. (Again, that's this weekend, folks.)

Taylor commissioned orchestral arrangements of many of the Gustafer Yellowgold songs and these concerts will involve Morgan, his full band, and a 52-piece orchestra of San Francisco’s finest public school music students. The whole extravaganza will benefit music enrichment in the San Francisco public schools, specifically the SF Unified School District's “Save the Summer Music Workshop” campaign.

When I talked with Morgan and his wife (and bandmate) Rachel when they were here in Phoenix a couple weeks ago, the project sounded very cool. I mean, a 52-piece orchestra. I'm not sure there's another kids artist that would put 'em to better use.

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Again, before it gets too far past the event, wanted to throw out a few thoughts about the first-ever Arizona appearance of Gustafer Yellowgold this past weekend. Morgan Taylor and Rachel Loshak performed a couple brief sets at the Children's Museum of Phoenix. Little Boy Blue and I attended the first set, which we enjoyed, except when I wouldn't let him use my tiny camcorder, at which point he pitched a fit. (Which is why you won't be seeing "Butter Pond Lake.")

In any case, it was a good show, and what was interesting for me was seeing the DVD translate to a live setting. I mean, the insertion of between-song banter was something I'd never really considered while watching the DVDs (for obvious reasons). Taylor's a funny guy, which comes through in the videos, of course, but the concert confirmed the fact.

We chatted a bit after the show (and before the noon show) and we bought a Gustafer doll. Now to figure out where to pose him for a picture...

Gustafer Yellowgold - "Your Eel" (Live)

One more picture after the jump...

Continue reading "Concert Recap: Gustafer Yellowgold (Phoenix, March 2009)" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Well, on Friday night I was on NPR.

Then on Saturday I saw Gustafer Yellowgold in concert, something I helped put on.

And I just got back from being Justin Roberts' roadie. (Seriously, unloading and setting up, then taking down and loading, the sound system.)

It's been a blast, and a great weekend of family music -- pictures and video to come -- but I'd like to rest now. I probably didn't need to have all that beer last night, either, but it went great with all that Iranian food I ate.

Posted by SAShepherd at 04:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The first video from the upcoming Gustafer Yellowgold CD/DVD set, Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever (out March 17), has been posted to YouTube. It's the mellow (of course) "Getting in a Treetop," which features a pretty vocal line from Morgan Taylor and some acrobatic somersaulting from the man in yellow.

Gustafer Yellowgold - "Getting In A Treetop"

Posted by SAShepherd at 02:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The weekend of March 7 and 8 is going to be, hands down, the biggest in Phoenix kids music history. I'll announce the March 8th thing shortly, but today I'm talking about the first Arizona appearance of Gustafer Yellowgold. Morgan Taylor will be bringing his Gustafer show to Phoenix on March 7, as part of the concert series I'm organizing at the Children's Museum of Phoenix.

They'll be playing two 25-minute sets -- one at 10 AM, one at noon -- on the 7th. I don't think they're bringing the vine-covered set, but I'm guessing you won't care about that. The show is free with Museum admission.

I am very excited.

(Oh, and if you're in Arizona but for some reason can't make it the 7th or are the world's biggest Gustafer fan, there will be a Gustafer Yellowgold show Sunday the 8th at 3 PM at Tucson's Loft Cinema.)

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I gotta admit, Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever is a slightly odd title, though I like the symmetry/replacement thing of sorts going on with this and his last title (Have You Never Been Yellow?).

Aw, but who am I kidding -- it's a new Gustafer Yellowgold set!

Due out March 17, this third Gustafer DVD/CD set features some guest stars -- John Stirratt and Pat Sansone of Wilco and Lisa Loeb, not to mention some characters, such as Wincey the ferret and Sisson the blue worm, that haven't received a lot of (or any) attention on disk. (Plus a mockumentary, "Looking For... Gustafer Yellowgold." When does "Behind the Music: Gustafer Yellowgold" get its release?)

Here's the track listing:

Continue reading "New Gustafer Yellowgold Disk Due March 17" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Well, when you're Gustafer Yellowgold, why, yes, you can. Morgan Taylor credited the writing of "Mint Green Bee" to the yellow dude with the mellow 'tude (except, of course, as pertaining to cheese or cake), and now Gustafer's won Session I of the Children's Division of the 2008 John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Go there to download a copy of the song and congratulations to him for joining other previous Grand Prize Winners such as Joe McDermott, Kristen Andreassen, Thaddeus Rex, and Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer.

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ah, back to 2 KidVid Tournament 2008 matchups a day. Over at Offsprung we have a battle to be the champion of the Pete Seeger Region -- Gustafer Yellowgold's "Pinecone Lovely" against Mr. Richard's "Cheese."

Vote here by 9 PM Thursday night.

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The final day of the first round of KidVid Tournament sees a matchup from the Pete Seeger Region, with the #1 seed -- Gustafer Yellowgold's "Pinecone Lovely" (off the Have You Never Been Yellow? CD/DVD) -- taking on the #4 seed, Asheba's "No More Monkeys," most recently found on Putumayo's Animal Playground disk.

Who will win? That's up to you -- vote in the comments below, one per family, please. The voting deadline is 9 PM West Coast time tonight (Friday). And vote nicely.

Gustafer Yellowgold - "Pinecone Lovely"

Asheba - "No More Monkeys"

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)

It's time once again for me to list my favorite kids and family albums from the past year or so.

As I noted in last year's list, I don't put tremendous stock in individual "best of" lists, because taste is idiosyncratic. (Please note the title here is "favorite," not "best," a deliberate choice of words.) The idiosyncracies of taste are one reason why I came up with the idea for the Fids and Kamily Awards. The fact that I think Recess Monkey's Wonderstuff is one of the year's best CDs might be more easily dismissed if it weren't for the fact that a good number of 19 judges happened to agree with me.

As for my list, the top 10 below reflects my Fids and Kamily ballot. But as with last year, limiting a list of favorites to just 10 albums would leave off a number of very, very good albums. In fact, as a whole, 2007 was even stronger than 2006, making this year's decisions even more difficult. Although I lost count some time ago, I'd guess that I probably heard 250 to 300 new albums this past year -- even at 20 albums, I've left off some great music from this list.

So without further ado...

Continue reading "My Favorite Kids and Family Albums of 2007" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 06:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I have come to think of Morgan Taylor, the creator of Gustafer Yellowgold, as the exemplar of the Kids New Wave, the term I have coined just now to encompass the genre and the artists responsible for its resurgence, especially in the past five years. A background in making music for adults, the unplanned shift into making music for kids, the occasional difficulty in figuring out where the distinction lies between the two -- the New York-based Taylor fits all of these categories. By no means is Taylor the only artist these apply to, but he's done a great job creating a musical path all his own, on his own terms.

Taylor's second foray into the world of Gustafer Yellowgold, the DVD/CD set Have You Never Been Yellow?, released this week, is every bit as wonderful as the debut Wide Wild World and shows that Taylor has a fabulous career ahead of him.

What distinguishes Taylor from many other talented kids' musicians is his visual artistic skills, which are obviously on prime display on the DVD. If you're not familiar with the Gustafer "animation," I can try to describe it, but it's easier to just show you. Here's the leadoff clip from the DVD/CD, "Pinecone Lovely"

As you can see, it's animated in only a minimal sense -- the camera pans and scans, zooms in and out, and various components of picture move around, and that's about it. But it's very absorbing to watch. Taylor does the drawings but does get some help with animation aspects. While the animation on Wide Wild World was fine, the pictures and animation here are crisper and sharper -- the difference is small but noticeable.

Of course, the animation could be done by Pixar and if the music (and images) were dull, you wouldn't care. Luckily, that isn't the case. As a group, I think the songs are stronger here than on the debut. "Pinecone Lovely," with its ode to nature ("Pinecone Lovely / To thee I sing") and sing-along chorus, I think finally fulfills the promise of the karaoke audio option that is once again present on the disk. "Beard For All Seasons" has a touch of Beatles to it while "The Bluebird Tree" gives Ralph Covert's "Hideaway" a run for its money for the title of "Best Song About Needing Time By Yourself." There are some tracks I think are only OK musically, but there's definitely no filler. Pop and power-pop, well-played, with some brass instruments providing some sonic boost, particularly on the closer, "Dream In Green."

And the images are strong, too. The aforementioned "Bluebird Tree" has some of the most stunning visuals (the title is literal) on the disk, while "The Mustard Slugs" pairs amusing images with the silly math story. And, yes, "Punching Cheese" is the sequel to Wide Wild World's "I Jump On Cake" and every bit as funny. In fact, the whole disk feels ever so slightly lighter than the original, if only because the videos here seem a little more like vignettes rather than part of a story (Wide Wild World has a slightly stronger narrative drive). That's neither good nor bad, just that if you're looking for something with a concrete beginning/middle/end, you'll be disappointed here.

I should also note that the DVD comes with, yes, an audio commentary. Morgan Taylor does the honors, of course, and it's definitely worth a listen for an adult Gustafer fan (or older child with the patience to listen to someone talking over the music for 30 minutes). Finding out which Steve Martin movie helped inspire "Aye, Aphid" or which '70s band "Dream In Green" apes was a cool bonus. Repeating spins probably aren't necessary, but it's worth at least one run-through.

Kids ages 2 through 7 are most likely to enjoy the animation (and songs) here. In addition to "Pinecone Lovely," you can also watch the clip for "Birds" here. (Gustafer's two YouTube pages are here and here.) Or listen to "Beard for All Seasons" and "The Mustard Slugs" at his Myspace page. For being from the sun, Gustafer's adapted quickly to our modern technological modes of communication, no?

Gustafer Yellowgold's Have You Never Been Yellow? is a fabulous DVD/CD set. Taylor has a gift for memorable images both visual and musical and I'm looking forward to many more images from him in the years to come. This set is highly recommended.

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Ever since the New York Times used the phrase “The show is a cross between ‘Yellow Submarine’ and Dr. Seuss" to describe Gustafer Yellowgold, it's been plastered all over their promo materials. Hey, if I were them, I would too. But I always thought it was just barely appropriate -- yes, it's animated and poppy, but those weren't quite the musical and lyrical influences I was hearing on the debut DVD.

But they've posted another track off their upcoming Have You Never Been Yellow? CD/DVD set, "Beard For All Seasons," on their Myspace page. And "Beard" definitely sounds like the Beatles (a clean melody, horns, handclaps) aided by a touch of Seussian lyrical whimsy. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

(Oh, and the DVD, which comes out October 16, has an audio commentary from creator Morgan Taylor. While the idea of an audio commentary on a kids movie isn't weird at all, I'm pretty sure this is a first for the kids' music world. DVD geeks unite!)

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It's been a little while since I checked in with the coolest dude from the hottest thing in our solar system -- that's right, Mr. "I'm From the Sun" himself, Gustafer Yellowgold. Well, not literally, mind you, since he's an animated character, the creation of New York artist-musician Morgan Taylor.. What I mean is, it's been awhile since I paid close attention to their Myspace page, and lo and behold, a new song is up.

"The Mustard Slugs" starts out with a cheesy Casio keyboard $80 full-sized Lowrey Genie family organ from 1979 (that's Rachel's description, not mine) that never really goes away, but is joined by other supporting instrumentation (including an irresistible bout of hand-clapping) and a fun story about some multiplying mustard slugs.

"The Mustard Slugs" is one of the tunes on Gustafer's second DVD/CD set, Gustafer Yellowgold's 'Have You Never Been Yellow?' (hah!), which will be released on October 16 (with pre-ordering available at the Gustafer website starting September 10. I have no reason to believe that this new album will be any different from the first (Gustafer Yellowgold's Wide Wild World), in which the Nick Drake/Matthew Sweet-esque retro-poppy tunes mixed with the slightly odd "musical moving book" style of animation makes for a hypnotic viewing experience, and even separated from the visuals, the songs stand up on their own.

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Little Monster Records released Gustafer Yellowgold's Wide Wild World earlier this week. I originally reviewed the DVD nearly a year ago. I've updated the review below -- if you already have the earlier version of the DVD, go to the end of the review for my comments on this new version.

Continue reading "DVD/CD Review: Gustafer Yellowgold's Wide Wild World" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Moving on to the second day of KidVid Tournament 2007, this matchup pits the #2 seed in the Pete Seeger Region, "I'm From The Sun" from Gustafer Yellowgold against the #3 seed, "I Hope My Mama Says YES!" from AudraRox.

Vote in the comments below. Rules: Video with most votes wins. One vote per e-mail address, please. Votes due by Saturday noon-ish East Coast time.

[Note: Sorry about just showing links instead of embedding the videos. I'm trying to keep the playing field relatively level here -- if I can't show both videos here (i.e., they're not both on YouTube and clearly placed there at the artists' request) I'm only going to show the links for both of 'em.]

"I'm From the Sun" - Gustafer Yellowgold
To view this video, click on the YouTubed version here.

"I Hope My Mama Says YES!" - AudraRox
To view this video, head to Jack's Big Music Show player. Roll over the picture of a red-hair-streaked Audra on the right, kid on the left.

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

The tentative showcase list for the 2007 South by Southwest Music Festival has been posted, and a brief perusal of the 1,300 (yes, you read that right) bands indicates at least 3 artists whose primary medium is kids' music: Daddy-A-Go-Go, Gustafer Yellowgold, and The Sippy Cups. The Sippy Cups' newsletter from Tuesday night indicated that they'd be headlining a free family concert at Auditorium Shores, so I wonder if the three bands are on a (pretty cool) triple bill...

Oh, and there might be a couple other bands in that list worth seeing.

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Perhaps patrons of the Bowery Club on Dec. 31 will find out, as Gustafer Yellowgold will be opening up for the jazz musician Hayes Greenfield for an early New Year's Eve show, complete with noon ball drop. Two of New York's finer kids'-related artists teaming up -- should be awesome.

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Well, then, pick up your CDs, dear."

On the eve of Gustafer Yellowgold's and Robbert Bobbert's CMJ-related appearance at Joe's Pub on Saturday, I thought I'd note that their new label, Little Monster Records, has put together quite the diverse lineup of kids' releases. A Beatles tribute album, All Together Now, featuring members of the Bangles, Grandaddy, among others, will be released next week. A Medeski, Martin & Wood kids' album will be released next year along with Soulville, a collection of R&B and soul tunes that includes a kids chorus. (And then there are releases from Gustafer and Robbert Bobbert.) I can't imagine many families buying all 5 releases, but unless they're all awful, I can't imagine many families not finding something appealing in at least one of them.

I've often thought that there was room for kids-focused boutique labels. Frankly, even with Little Monster's creation (along with a re-energized Kid Rhino and ever-expanding Rounder Records), I think there's room for even more. Maybe not labels in the traditional sense (in which the labels often own the recordings), but labels as management companies, serving as filters and helping with distribution, production, and promotion.

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

News that Gustafer Yellowgold, or at least his nifty creator Morgan Taylor, has been signed to V2's new kids' imprint Little Monster Records comes amid changes at Gustafer's Myspace page.

That's right, folks, he now has 710 friends, the most important of which seem to be from "Sesame Street," primarily.

Oh, and there are a couple new tracks streaming there for your listening pleasure. "Cooler World" is sort of an introductory song, OK, but nothing special. "Birds," however, is a blast of Beatles-ian (or, if you're younger and/or hipper, XTC-ian) pop confection. ("Rocket Shoes" is also new, but has been streaming on the site for many months now.) Could "Mellow Fever" be the working title for the next DVD or CD following the rerelease of Wide Wild World?

In addition, there's an amusing video promo for Gustafer which includes news that Taylor's working on the next DVD (Have You (N)ever Been Yellow) -- which I think I knew, or maybe that was just a falling-on-cake-inspired reverie -- and an illustrated book (natch) called The Inifinity Sock, which was news to me. (Love that title, in spite of or perhaps because it makes no sense whatsoever.)

But the best part is that the first half of the video is done as if it were a preview for some awful Michael Bay flick.

"Part yellow, part gold... all Gustafer." I'm still chuckling.

Posted by SAShepherd at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

News is slowly trickling out about V2/Artemis Records' new kids music imprint, Little Monster Records. And so far, they're batting 1.000. (See? It's baseball playoff time, and I made a baseball reference? Get it? Yeah, OK.)

Not only have they signed up Gustafer Yellowgold, as previously rumored (they'll be re-releasing Gustafer Yellowgold's Wide Wild World DVD in March), they've also signed Robert Schneider, leader of the indie rock band The Apples in Stereo. Schneider's alter ego Robbert Bobbert and the Bubble Machine (with the year's best PR line -- "If the number of B's in a name represented fun, Robbert Bobbert & The Bubble Machine have cornered the market!") will release an album for Little Monster in spring 2007.

They'll be performing together at Joe's Pub in New York City on Saturday, Nov. 4. Should be a blast -- if you're in NYC, go.

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

One takes publicity in the New York Times wherever one can. Morgan Taylor, the man behind Gustafer Yellowgold, and his wife Rachel Loshak, appeared in the "Habitats" section of the Times on Sunday. It's a nice little profile of the couple. (Thanks to Bill for the link.)

It also contains an interesting tibit of info -- "They are also negotiating a contract with the V2 label’s new children’s imprint, Little Monster."

Good on them.

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:30 AM | Permalink

Welcome to those of you finding us because of the Salon article on "kindie rockers". (Welcome also, as always, to people looking for downloads of and lyrics to "Great Big World," from Hoodwinked. I still can't help you with those, despite your insistent pleas.) Thanks, Salon, for the link, and for posting some fabulous mp3s from said rockers. (Scott Lamb's article is worth sitting through the Honda ad non-subscribers will have to watch in order to read the article -- it's a nice summing up of the current state of kids' music.)

If you're new to the site, I encourage you to look around -- links to other kids'-music-related blogs as well as to every full album review (including Justin Roberts, Dan Zanes, Laurie Berkner, and Milkshake) can be found on the right. If you're wondering what to get that 4-year-old nephew for his birthday, check out my page of album recommendations by age. I treat kids' music the way any parent who really likes music would -- with my own set of interests but with an understanding that perhaps not every song off Spoon's Gimme Fiction is going to appeal to my 5-year-old (let alone my 1-year-old).

There's so much great kids' music being made, and not just by the rockers mentioned in the article who have made their way to kids' TV screens. Dig in -- you're bound to find something you and the kids in your life will really like.

Saturday AM edit: You know, I could actually help readers "dig in" if I specifically mentioned a few artists and albums that readers might not be familiar with if they're only sticking to the TV/Noggin crowd. No disrespect meant to the Noggin crowd -- Zanes, Roberts, and TMBG, in particular, are all among my favorites kids' artists -- but these four albums are tremendous, too.
Silly Reflection, by Lunch Money (review)
If You Ever See An Owl, by the Terrible Twos (review)
Fascinating Creatures, by Francis England (review)
Gustafer Yellowgold's Wide Wild World DVD, by Morgan Taylor (review)

Posted by SAShepherd at 11:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Did you know Gustafer Yellowgold has his own MySpace page? And blog? Who knew he was a Ween and Sun Kil Moon fan? And does he have latent cheese anger? (The blog, while not inappropriate, is really for the adults, not for the kids.)

You can also check out his music page, from which you can stream 3 songs, including a new track, "Rocket Shoes," which is a sparse, melodic track reminiscent of the first DVD's songs. Stills from the upcoming DVD are also available.

Incidentally, the Hollow Trees also have a MySpace page. But it's not quite as... different... as the Yellowgold pages.

Posted by SAShepherd at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This week at Zooglobble, we're going from LA to New York (with a review of Dan Zanes' Catch That Train!) and back again. See -- we exhibit both East Coast and West Coast Bias! (I can do the Chicago thing -- Justin Roberts and Ralph's World -- only so often. Though there are more reviews coming from those two, too.)

Also, it's been just over a month since the NPR interview that sent many of you here. Thanks again to everyone who's read, commented, e-mailed, or linked here. Also, many thanks to all the artists who have sent me their CD or DVD. I'm still working my way through them all, and while I won't review all of them here, I've got a lot of reviews (and other things) lined up in the weeks ahead.

Finally, here are links to a few posts in case you missed 'em the first time around.

Frances England's Fascinating Creatures -- review, interview
Lunch Money's Silly Reflection -- review
Bruce Springsteen's We Shall Overcome (The Seeger Sessions) -- review
Gustafer Yellowgold's Wide Wild World DVD -- review
Anne Hathaway's "Great Big World", from the Hoodwinked Soundtrack -- review. Goodness, there are lots of people wanting lyrics and mp3s for that song. (Too bad I don't actually have the lyrics or mp3s.)

Thanks again for reading.

Posted by SAShepherd at 06:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An innocent wandering through the world is hardly an original concept for a story. The Who's Tommy, for example, or countless first novels.

To say that Gustafer Yellowgold's Wide Wild World borrows the concept, then, is no knock on this "Musical Moving Book," as it's called. The concept may be borrowed, but the execution is quite unique and wonderful.

Gustafer Yellowgold is the brainchild of New York-based songwriter and illustrator Morgan Taylor. Taylor has previously self-released several CDs but here has combined his songwriting talents with his illustrating skills to produce a concert which combines live music from Taylor and a small band of musicians with illustrations projected on large screens. It's the music and illustrations behind this live "moving book" which are captured here on the 24-minute DVD. There isn't much of a plot; it's more of a series of character sketches.

Gustafer is an alien from the sun who tells his story of life on the sun in the opening song "I'm From the Sun." It's an uptempo number which shows exactly how difficult life can be on the sun. ("No snowflakes on the tongue" is one of the complaints.) It's a jangle-pop tune with bongos, giving it a little Guster-like feel. The best song on the DVD is the concluding "New Blue Star," which is about, well, a new blue star, but could just be easily interpreted as a love song -- it's a gentle midtempo rockersworthy of Matthew Sweet in his less guitar-focused work (think Blue Sky on Mars without all the synthesizers). Another one of my favorite tunes is "Pterodactyl Tuxedo," a friend of Gustafer's who may be exasperating at times but is also a true friend ("He's always had the time / To pick up the phone / When you're calling way too late / He's always been the kind / To help you pickin' bones / When your faith begins to fade.") The music is hard to peg, but besides the bands listed already, there are hints of the Beatles (in the slow songs), World Party (yeah, a Beatles tribute band, virtually), and the Flaming Lips.

The lyrics here make it sound rather serious, and there's an undercurrent of sadness in Gustafer's story. His eel Slim ("Your Eel") will leave one day. The "Mint Green Bee" is sad and cries. But that sadness is leavened by the whimsical illustrations. This isn't really animation; particular animations are moved around the screen to give a primitive sense of animation. It might not sound compelling, but it's quite engrossing. It's used to particularly good effect in the surreal, vaguely They Might Be Giants-like "I Jump On Cake" ("I jump on cake from up above / I step on pie so warm and lovely / It's mine to punt, vanilla bundt / All freshly baked, I'm on your cake"). A picture of Gustafer moves (with blinking eyes) from up above onto a tempting cake. Pies explode like fireworks.

I'm always one to find nits to pick, and the only thing I can come up with here is that it's a DVD only. Perhaps in the future they'll consider bundling the DVD with an audio-only CD. Other than that, it's great. The album is probably best for kids age 3 through 8. You can see (and hear) video clips from "I'm From the Sun" and "Your Eel" here. You can purchase the DVD from the Gustafer website. Of note as well is the ability to sing along with the video, karaoke-style -- not sure how popular that will be, but since the videos all have the words on the screen, it's not inconceivable that it'd be used.

Gustafer Yellowgold's Wide Wild World is a work of great creativity, visually and musically. It's definitely worth your time to check it out.

Posted by SAShepherd at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)