I can't say that the latest video from the hardest-working man in kids music, Florida's Mr. Richard, breaks much new ground in the kids video world -- OK, it breaks no new ground whatsoever -- but I've always liked the track, so here you go:
Mr. Richard - "Treehouse"
Florida's Mr. Richard has no kids of his own, but he's got plenty of fans in the single-digit set. He has three albums of kids' music to his credit, the most recent being Polka Dot Puzzle, and a most devoted fanbase (which helped him take the 2008 KidVid Tournament crown for his "Cheese" video).
Mr. Richard (real name: Richard Peeples) recently sat down and answered a few questions about himself and his music. Read onward for his thoughts on his guitar influences, the problem with delayed gratifications and kids, and the most perfect pop song ever.
Zooglobble: What were your musical influences growing up?
Mr. Richard: When I was little, I knew all the words to “Bottle Of Wine” by the Fireballs, and my brother and I wore the grooves off our copy of “The Jungle Book”, which gave us an early appreciation of Louis Prima. Like most kids, I heard what my parents listened to on records and the radio, so that meant the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, and all those great AM pop hits of the late 60’s/early 70’s.
When I started learning the guitar in 9th grade, I was totally into the Rolling Stones, so it was all about Keith Richards. He’s such a rhythm master. I also loved Hendrix and Brian May, but it was Keith’s licks I tried to copy, although my playing is closer to another hero, Dave Davies of the Kinks. However, I am first drawn to the words and emotion in a song, so I always ended up being the front man in bands, with better guitarists handling the gun-slinging duties.
Since you never stop “growing up”, other favorites are the Beach Boys, Elvis Costello, Replacements, Young Fresh Fellows, Wilco, Guided By Voices, and I am drawn to smart-alecks like Todd Snider and Randy Newman.
How did you find yourself playing kids' music?
For a variety of non-music-related reasons, I've been slack in formally noting this on the front page of the site, but I wanted to extend my congratulations to Florida's Mr. Richard, who took on all comers in KidVid Tournament 2008, and took the title of KidVid Tournament 2008 with the help of a most remarkable fanbase. (I always knew he had an active fanbase -- I had no idea just how active until the Tournament.)
Congratulations to him and all the other performers (especially New York's The Jimmies, who took on Mr. Richard with their video for "Cheese" and together broke all commenting records to smithereens in their epic semifinal matchup, extended.) I don't quite know what form KidVid Tournament 2009 will take, but it'll be here...
Anyway, for one last time, here is Mr. Richard and "Cheese."
Here we go, everyone, the final of KidVid Tournament 2008. This contest pits "Cheese" from Mr. Richard's Polka Dot Puzzle (video directed by Banks Helfrich) against "The Seven Days of the Week (Never Go To Work)," from They Might Be Giants' Here Come the 123s CD/DVD (video directed by David Cowles and Sean McBride).
As always, vote once per family only, please, in the comments below. Votes are due by 9 PM West Coast (midnight East Coast) tonight (Tuesday). And, remember, vote nicely.
Mr. Richard - "Cheese"
They Might Be Giants - "Seven Days of the Week (Never Go To Work)"
Yes, there was a KidVid Tournament 2008 semi-final between the Jimmies and Mr. Richard. Which ended in a tie.
But just like that other March Madness permits its 40-minute games to go into 5-minute overtime, so will I. Given that the voting window has generally been about 12 hours long, I'm going to open voting IN THIS THREAD for about 90 minutes (that's 1/8th the length of regulation), 'til 1:50 PM as time-stamped below.
The rules: One vote per family/household in the comments below. I will be checking IP addresses, so don't even think about voting twice, 'cause I'll delete both votes. I'm not going to delete votes for trash talk, but c'mon, folks, be nice. (Besides, I don't think you're going to convince someone to change their vote.)
Moving on into the semifinals of KidVid Tournament 2008, we have a matchup between two popular videos thus far in the competition. The first video, The Jimmies' Latin-tinged (of course) "Spanimals," is off the Jimmies' 2007 debut CD, Make Your Own Someday (review). Its competition will Mr. Richard's Italian-tinged "Cheese," which is from his late-2007 release Polka Dot Puzzle (review).
Please read these voting rules carefully...
1. Vote in the comments below.
2. One vote per family.
3. Vote by 9 PM West Coast time tonight (Wednesday).
4. Please vote nicely. Anything that smacks too much of, well, talking smack won't be counted as a vote. It's OK to say how wonderful your favorite is. It's not OK to say how awful the other is.
5. Just as a reminder, comments aren't posted immediately -- for spam-prevention purposes they need my OK before being posted. So if your vote doesn't show up immediately, don't worry -- it will get posted eventually.
OK, so on to the videos (which you should watch both of, even if you already know who you're voting for.)
The Jimmies - "Spanimals"
Mr. Richard - "Cheese"
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.
In day two of KidVid Tournament 2008 we feature a matchup from the Pete Seeger Region -- the #2 seed "The Elements" from The SqueeGees from their self-titled CD and Meet The SqueeGees EP versus the #3 seed "Cheese" from Mr. Richard (off his Polka Dot Puzzle album).
Vote in the comments below. One per family, please. Play nice. Votes due by 9 PM West Coast time today (Wednesday).
The SqueeGees - "The Elements"
Mr. Richard - "Cheese"
I can't say that I've been the biggest Mr. Richard fan in the past. On his first couple CDs, while they were enjoyable enough, I just couldn't quite hear what it was that attracted Florida-based Richard Peeples one of the most devoted fanbases in the genre. It might have been me, but more likely it was that Peeples' live show didn't translate perfectly to disk.
But with his most recent disk, Polka Dot Puzzle, I think Mr. Richard finally has a CD that will play well with those who won't get to hear his live show. Musically, the album covers a broad stylistic range, from the sunny pop-rock of "Treehouse" to the lo-fi "Woo Woo Truck" to the Italian pastiche of the jokey "Cheese." Such stylistic diversity is not rare anymore in the genre (if it ever was), but at least it's well-done. Check out the horns on "Bubble Bath" -- it's little well-thought-out additions such as those that elevate songs from pedestrian to something kinda special. I also need to commend "Butterfly Day," on which Lunch Money's Molly Ledford sweet voice harmonizes nicely with Peeples' gruff one.
Lyrically, Mr. Richard is definitely in tune with his inner 7-year-old, such as on "Treehouse." "Sorry, there's no girls allowed / But it's OK since you brought your dog / It's way cooler than the Honeycomb Hideout." (OK, perhaps that last line really shows he's in tune with his own inner 7-year-old.) I can hear how, even without his backing musicians, the songs here (even the ones I didn't enjoy as much) would really communicate kids ages 3 through 8. Right now you can hear "Treehouse" at his Myspace page or sample all the tracks at the album's CDBaby page.
At barely 24 minutes in length (with 2 1/2 minutes of that a "hello" song and a "goodbye" song), Polka Dot Puzzle is barely more than an EP. But it's a fun EP, and one showcases Mr. Richard's strengths, even to those who probably won't be hearing him live any time soon. Recommended.
This video, for the song "Cheese," may make you smile a bit.
The song is from Mr. Richard's upcoming album Polka Dot Puzzle, due out December 11th. His voice isn't the smoothest of the bunch, but he's got a sly ear for kids' (and parental) frustrations especially, and he rocks the mandolin here. His legion of fans are undoubtedly waiting eagerly...
I should note that I'm not posting this because fans of Mr. Richard are without a doubt the most devoted kids' music fans I know of. (Don't believe me? Check out this Fids & Kamily post for a taste.)
OK, maybe just a little bit.
dyspeptic, adj., or, causing, or having dyspepsia (impaired digestion; indigestion).
How you respond to Tummy Talk, the 2nd album from Florida-based musician Mr. Richard (originally released in 2005 and recently re-released on New Orleans' 219 Records) might depend on your reaction to that word.
The good? "Dyspeptic" is a complex word to use in a kids' song, and broadening kids' vocabulary is, we can all agree, a Good Thing.
The bad? Well, Mr. Richard (Richard Peeples) does stretch things lyrically in order to fit the word in (appropriately) on the title track.
Throughout this CD, produced by the Squirrel Nut Zippers' Jimbo Mathus along with Will Dawson, Mr. Richard doesn't dumb down his vocabulary or his music. The title track is a funky rocker, "Stinkeroo!" has a very Southern rock-vibe (minus the two drummers, sadly), and "Cry Baby" is a nice bluesy number. I also enjoyed the echoey voice and finger-snaps of "Buddy the Back-Alley Cat." Musically, the lo-fi production serves the songs well -- there are some very appealing melodies here played by a real band with the occasional banjo and accordion thrown in for good measure.
Lyrically, well, the CD didn't appeal to me as much, in part because it seemed some of the square rhymes were forced into the round hole of meter. And in some cases, the parental frustration of some of the tracks ("Milking It," "The 'Please-Don't-Tell-Me-You're-Gonna-Wear-That-Super-Hero-Costume-Again' Blues") struck me like it would go over way over the head of the younger listeners. It seemed like those songs (which were amusing to me as a parent) were from a completely different album than that the one that included "Buddy the Back-Alley Cat."
Kids ages 4 through 7 are most likely to enjoy the songs here, for which you can hear samples at the album's CDBaby page.
While some listeners will probably find not much new in Tummy Talk, others will certainly find the album a collection of fun, bluesy homemade rockers. At the very least, you won't find yourself dyspeptic listening to it.
