It's been about a month since Randy Kaplan came through Phoenix and played a couple sets at the Children's Museum of Phoenix. As always, his storytelling was a hit with the audience. The title track (so to speak) from his new album The Kids Are All Id features words tumbling out of his mouth at a rapid speed and, as Kaplan admitted after the song, is probably more for the parents than the kids. But I like it. (And so do the kids.)

Randy Kaplan - "The Kid Is All Id" [YouTube]

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It's taken me a little time to fully appreciate Randy Kaplan for what he is -- one of family music's most inventive storytellers. There were times at which I thought songs like "Shampoo Me" were, though amusing, a little silly and not quite the Dan Zanes-like music I thought Kaplan could -- or maybe should -- make.

I was wrong. It's songs like "Shampoo Me" that are what make Randy, Randy. The fanciful stories sprung from the conjoined heads of Shel Silverstein and Bob Dylan are Kaplan's calling card, and he's very, very good at them. His third album for kids, The Kids Are All Id, is to my mind, his most story-intensive collection yet. From the get-go, Kaplan tells inventive stories in folk songs about characters you haven't heard from -- "The Hebrew-Speaking Bear," an Elizabeth II-aping queen bee on "Little Bee," or his monkey Kqxhc, who makes a return appearance on "Is She a Girl or Is She a Monkey." Kaplan doesn't dig too deep into lessons -- his cover of "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'" and his original "My Little Laugh," about laughing at situations that might otherwise make him cry are about as deep as he gets.

The album is titled The Kids Are All Id on purpose -- there are lots of characters here who are somewhat exasperating -- Joe, of course, the title character in the folk-punk "The Kid Is All Id," Kaplan's younger self in his rreworking of "Don't You Leave Me Here," or the toddler who responds to every joke setup line with "This Guy." The first ten or so songs are, if not frenzied, at least active. As a result, the trio of Ezra Jack Keats-based songs about two-thirds of the way through the disk come like a soothing balm. "I Like Cacti" is a sweet, sweet song -- I can't get over the line "What attracts us / About a cactus?" Indeed, while I've been focusing on the words here, Kaplan writes some great musical bits (there's a part in "The Kid Is All Id," in which the adult supervisor breaks free with a plaintive, soaring chorus) and he and his producer Mike West give the album a natural, expansive sound.

The 54-minute album will be most appreciated by kids aged 4 through 8. You can listen to 3 of the tracks at Randy's Myspace page. The Kids Are All Id is Randy Kaplan's best album yet, and shows Kaplan's greatest strength -- his ability to listen to and interact with the kids who are his audience and to turn that into stories in song. Instead of suggesting that Randy could be the next Dan Zanes, perhaps I should've suggested Bill Harley. Definitely recommended.

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The idea of a "release date" in the music industry is a slippery one these days -- is it when you start selling the disks at shows? When it shows up on iTunes? When you tell a major magazine it is so it meets their 4-month lead time? No matter when it's released, there's definitely some anticipation for Randy Kaplan's new disk The Kids Are All Id. If features the by-now-standard Kaplan approach of mixing standards and buried classics with original songs that tell stories in Kaplan's unique style. It also features some really cool cover art, about which Kaplan reports:

I did all the drawings of the faces and my designer in Paris, Laurent Rivelaygue, created the overlapping collage. The cover was originally yellow but my friend Michelle said it was too close to Five Cent Piece. So I asked for orange and teal and I chose the orange one.

If you want to read more, Jeff over at Out With the Kids talked with Randy a little while back.

And while you'll have an opportunity to see Randy on the east coast a few times, I'm happy to report that he's coming back to Phoenix again next month, this time at my series at the Children's Museum of Phoenix. He'll be playing a couple of sets on June 13 at 10:30 and 11:30 AM.

Track listing and a sneak preview of one track after the jump...

Continue reading "Randy Kaplan: The Kids Are All Id (and Orange-y)" »

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The other first-day KidVid Tournament 2010 matchup from the Ella Jenkins Region features Debbie and Friends' "Willy Won't" from the forthcoming More Story Songs and Sing-Alongs CD up against "The Ladybug Without Spots" from the Randy Kaplan's Loquat Rooftop album.

Continue reading "KidVid Tournament 2010: Debbie and Friends vs. Randy Kaplan" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 06:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

When I was putting together my recap of Doug Snyder's performance here in Phoenix a week or so ago, I realized that I'd totally skipped providing a recap of Randy Kaplan's show here back in November -- heck, I hadn't even uploaded the videos from the show.

So there's little I can say about the show three months after the fact other than: 1) Kaplan's a really good live act, and 2) he played some new songs. That's right, Kaplan's got a new album coming out this spring, but even last fall he treated the Phoenix crowd to some new songs, including the one below, which, appropriately enough for the desert, featured cacti.

Randy Kaplan - "I Like Cacti" (Live) [YouTube]

Continue reading "Concert Recap: Randy Kaplan (Phoenix, Nov. 2009)" »

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I always liked the half-loping/half-strutting horn-filled "The Ladybug Without Spots" from Randy Kaplan's fine Loquat Rooftop album, and now he's got a cute animated (albeit abbreviated) video to go with it. (And, yes, he's wearing the hat.) Even better, it's the first of a promised few from a collaboration with MindSmack (you can't miss it, with the logo burned in at the bottom corner). Between the videos and his upcoming third kids album, Kaplan's gonna have a busy 2010.

Randy Kaplan - "The Ladybug Without Spots" [YouTube]

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I probably would have made a bigger deal about the whole Kids' Day at Amoeba Records in Hollywood tomorrow (Sunday). Peter Himmelman in concert at 1 PM, assorted Yo Gabba Gabba! giveaways, et cetera, later in the day. (Hey, any place that features TMBG and Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang in-stores is OK by me.)

But Randy Kaplan is in concert tomorrow here in Phoenix at almost exactly the same time, and so he gets my time. The concert is at 2 PM at the Church of the Beatitudes and is part of the Not Just For Kids concert series. Tickets are just $3 per person, $10 per family. If you're in Phoenix, you've probably already heard about it, but if you haven't, do join us. It will rock, not in the strictly rock sense, but it'll be fun, just like it was last time.

Randy Kaplan - "Mosquito Song"

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I love doing the interviews I've done here on this site -- Dan Zanes, Ella Jenkins, Justin Roberts, so many great ones -- but I've got to admit that the e-mails I do over the phone or in person are a pain-and-a-half to transcribe.

So I'm really excited about this interview with Randy Kaplan, filmed just before his show here in Phoenix at the end of last year. I'm excited not just because it's a cool interview and provides some insight into Randy's musical beginnings, how songs like "Shampoo Me" came to be, and how Kaplan pictures, but also because I filmed it and uploaded it to YouTube. No work.

Of course, the sound is a little odd, and occasionally the camera pans left or right just so it's not 7 minutes of Randy on camera, but I still think it's cool.

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I look at the date of my last post, and clearly I've been taking an unofficial vacation from the site. Lots of stuff to do, both pleasant and less so, but before it gets too far in my rear-view mirror, I wanted to be sure to talk about and post some photos and videos from last weekend's concert by Randy Kaplan here at Church of the Beatitudes in Phoenix.

One of the first songs Randy led off with was a cover of Elizabeth Cotten's classic "Frieght Train"...

Continue reading "Concert Recap: Randy Kaplan (Phoenix, December 2008)" »

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Uh, like the title says -- Randy Kaplan in concert. Don't forget about it -- Saturday, Dec. 27th at 2 PM at Church of the Beatitudes in Phoenix. (7th Ave and Glendale -- soooo central.) Tickets are just $3 per person, $10 per family.

It will be lots of fun -- hope to see you there.

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Over the next few days I'm going to be announcing a number of kids music shows taking place here in Phoenix in 2009, but let's kick off the list with a show squeaking in 2008 -- Randy Kaplan, who'll be officially releasing his second album Loquat Rooftop (review) this fall.

Randy will be making his way east from LA to play a record release show at Symphony Space in New York City in November, then eventually heading back west. On Saturday, Dec. 27th, Randy will be playing a show at central Phoenix's Church of the Beatitudes (555 W. Glendale Ave., the corner of 7th Ave and Glendale). It'll be a 2 PM show, with tickets just $3 a person. Come get the kids (and yourself) out of the house and enjoy a great show.

This isn't a "Zooglobble" show -- it's being put on by the Church (its first kids show, but definitely not the last) -- but I've helped coordinate it, so consider it Zooglobble-approved.

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It is possible that Brooklyn-based Randy Kaplan could become, if he wanted to, the next Dan Zanes, playing for the moms and dads a mixture of blues and rock that works well for both the kids and adults.

But on Loquat Rooftop, his second album for kids, Kaplan continues to follow his own idiosyncratic path that might not generate a deal with the Disney Channel next week, but shows off both his musical and storytelling chops.

Those musical chops are certainly there, as Kaplan's voice, ever-so-slightly nasally and raspy, blends in perfectly with his song choices. A couple songs, such as producer Mike West's amusing "Clothes Dryer" (on which Kaplan dryly notes that he used to love doing laundry so much, he went to "laundry camp") and "The Ladybug Without Spots," employ a strolling New Orleans-jazz-style approach. "Mazal Mazal" is a punkish song about a little kid, while the title track is a gentle folk song. Kids are used as chorus and occasional counterpoint (and a kid named Joe does a great "Boogie Woogie Washer Woman") to good effect.

Kaplan's choices of covers are well-selected -- Huddie Ledbetter's "Good Morning Blues" is a gentle blues which, as you might expect from the title, is more blues in 12-bar structure only. Hank Williams ("Move It On Over"), Lieber and Stoller ("Charlie Brown"), and the musical Annie ("Tomorrow") also make and appearance here, and one of Kaplan's strengths is making those songs sound fresh (and appropriate for kids).

Finally, Kaplan comes from the stories-and-(and-in-)song wing of kids' music, as heard on the silly story about monkeys and ducks "No Nothing" or the sweet "(Don't Say) Anything At All," a message song about not using words as violence. It's the kind of song that, strung together a dozen times, would make most parents' eyes roll, but, as a single song interspersed all the other goofiness and gladness sounds just about perfect.

With the exception of the "The Fire Engine," whose chorus "It's big / It's red / It's metal with water" is now unfortunately lodged in my brain, the 42-minute album is mostly targeted at kids ages 4 through 8. You can hear some tracks from the album (and its predecessor Five Cent Piece) at Kaplan's Myspace page for his kids stuff or at the album's CDBaby page.

Perhaps Randy Kaplan won't be the next Dan Zanes -- his love of storytelling puts him more in the camp of Pete Seeger or Trout Fishing in America perhaps (not bad company there, either). But it would be nice to see a bit of Zanes' popularity rub off on Kaplan, because Loquat Rooftop's mixture of blues and folk-rock, laced with good humor and heart, will appeal to many kids and their adults. Definitely recommended.

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Compilations are notoriously hard things to compile. Any fool can put together a CD of good or popular songs, but their appeal as a single entity often fades after time. (Really, who listens to those Now! CDs, like, six months later?) The key is finding some loosely unifying theme or spirit to guide the collection.

Park Slope Parents The Album (Vol. 1) has just enough theme to carry the day. The 17-track collection plucks chooses songs old and new, released and not, from mainly New York City artists. There are a few tracks that deal with life in New York City -- David Weinstone (Music for Aardvarks) contributes his simple "Subway" ("Bing bong / the doors open on the train / bing bong / All the people pile in") while Michael Leyden has a more rocking take in "I Hear a Train."

Any compilation should also be measured by how well it does in helping you to discover new artists, rediscover chestnuts from old artists, and getting new tracks from your favorite artists. In terms of discovering new artists, Courtney Kaiser and Benjamin Cartel's "The Season Song" is a perfect pop tune from an adult band (whose members both teach in schools) writing a kids' song (specifically for this album). Dan Zanes contributes the "The Monkey's Wedding" from his Parades and Panoramas disk while Daniel Schorr's "Good Boy with a Bad Reputation" (off his first album) is a great example of his countryfied Dwight Yoakam-esque rock.

And the new tracks. These, my friends, are why you should get yourself on the CDBaby waiting list and order the disk. Smack dab in the middle of the disk are two great new cuts. The Deedle Deedle Dees contribute their ode to New York City roadways (had to balance out the public transportation songs, I suppose) with "Major Deegan," which was recorded for their upcoming album. The loping song sounds timeless, especially with those "whoo-whoo's". And The Quiet Two continue their surreal attack on kids' music with the loopy and giddy "When I Dream." AudraRox's reggae song of tolerance "Moms & Dads" and the sometimes-out-of-control (in a good way) "Drunken Sailor" contributed by Astrograss (with backing vocals from AudraRox's Audra and Jen) are just as good.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the sweetest track, the album closer "Fools Will Try." Somehow these Brooklyn parents got Ralph Covert to contribute a track from his 1997 album Birthday, and it's nothing less than some of the best advice you can give to a child. This is one of those songs that should appear on a lot of new parents' mix CDs...

The album is probably most appropriate for kids 3 through 8 (who probably don't care less about the appropriateness of a compilation and who just care whether a CD has good songs, which this one does in spades). The album is a fundraiser for Park Slope Parents, an informational website for parents in Park Slope, Brooklyn. For those of you who don't live in New York City, I'd recommend the CDBaby page, where you can hear samples. (The cover, by the way, is by children's author and illustrator Mo Willems, who contributes drawings that are more "Knuffle Bunny" than "Pigeon.")

Though collected for kids living in New York City, Park Slope Parents The Album (Vol. 1) is appropriate for families visiting New York City, learning about New York City, oh, heck, lovers of good music. It's a great collection of music and it's definitely recommended.

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Another week, another bluegrass-inflected album for kids from New York City.

Unlike Astrograss' more esoteric approach, Randy Kaplan folds in more traditional approaches to bluegrass on his first kids' CD, Five Cent Piece, released in November. Which isn't to say there isn't some oddness of other kinds on the album.

Kaplan has released five CDs for adults, but has also taught and played for kids often. His debut CD is a mix of well-chosen (and often reworked) covers and skewed originals. Artists covered include Jonathan Richman (the winsome "I'm A Little Dinosaur"), Arlo Guthrie ("Motorcycle Song"), and Elizabeth Cotton (the timeless "Freight Train") among others. One of the best tracks on the disk is "Grape Juice Hesitation Blues," his reworking of the traditional "Hesitation Blues," which features some great Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus-style interplay between Kaplan and a ragged chorus of kids.

The originals are a little odder, featuring songs about sharks in the bathtub (the spacy "Shampoo Me"), pesky mosquitos (the bluesy "Mosquito Song"), and, well, "Roaches," which features little squeally roachlike-sounds in the background.

For the most part, Kaplan plays it straight and lets the music do the talking -- indeed, one of the best things about the album is the terrific musicianship, especially when they're playing traditional songs such as "Freight Train" or "Over the Rainbow." But Kaplan likes to tell stories, and so a number of songs include spoken word portions including... wait for it... "You Can't Always Get What You Want." Yes, my friends, the Stones cut has been put on a kids and family album, a decision so shocking that my wife, whose interest in music doesn't quite match mine, sputtered, "But, but, that's a classic!" For those who are worried, don't be, Kaplan has crafted a 10-minute story using only the occasional chorus for punctuation.

As adventurous as the album is, it's not perfect. "Mostly Yellow (Big Bird's Song)" is a lovely but sad song about Big Bird's inner life that as amusing as it is for the parents, really doesn't fit on an album that regular (young) viewers of Sesame Street would listen to. And at a length of just under an hour, it's just too long -- the tracks aren't bad, but it's overwhelming when heard in one piece.

"Mostly Yellow" aside, this is a good album for kids ages 3 through 8. You can hear samples at the album's CD Baby page.

With his mixture of somewhat different arrangements traditional bluegrass and folk instrumentation, affinity for storytelling, and wide choice of covers, Randy Kaplan comes off as sort of a combination of Enzo Garcia, Bill Harley, and Elizabeth Mitchell. On Five Cent Piece, Kaplan has fashioned one of the more unusual kids and family albums of the year, good for chilly winter afternoons or late summer days. Recommended.

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