I can't say that the video for "Black Hole in My Room" from Recess Monkey's The Final Funktier is all that specifically related to the song itself. It does feature, however, an over tooth-pasted drummer, fancy editing techniques, and a lovable Alf doll. So, on the whole, a big Daron Henry-provided thumbs up.
Recess Monkey - "Black Hole in My Room" [YouTube]
I saw "for road trips" not because these are travel-themed but because there are seven of them. Seven seems like enough to get through at least a day or two of your drive across or through the country. Let's get to it, then.
I don't think the guys in Seattle's Recess Monkey actually sleep. They already release more CDs than just about anybody else, and now they're cranking out a DVD a year, too. Like their first volume, Field Trips with Recess Monkey Episodes 5-8 features a combination of band "field trips" (Sirius-XM studios, Ella Childs at Spare the Rock, illustrator Jarrett Krosoczka), live shows, and their stellar videos. The videos are the highlight of the DVD ("The Teens" and "Sack Lunch" in particular) -- should episodes 9 through 12 be in the works (knowing the trio, they probably are), the band should consider creating a menu that'll allow viewers to just access the videos. Recommended.
The Nields' Organic Farm DVD is, as you'd expect, an appealingly low-fi (dare I say "organic") affair. It's mostly a collection of tunes recorded in front of a live audience, and features the Nields singing a number of hits from their two family albums. As they were on record, the Nields sisters are joined by their father on a few songs. Among the non-live tracks are a couple songs showing how a parent or teacher might use a song as a simple teaching tool. It's a nice little bonus treat. Recommended.
If you go over the 3 1/2-year archival history regarding Seattle trio Recess Monkey on this website, you'll see a gradual progression from "hey, these guys put out a fun album" to, well, "the heart of kids music today."
I said that because the band has worked its way into national exposure through talent, hard work, and a recognition that working together will get them further than going it alone. But it's also because over the past 4+ years, they've released 5 solid albums, the latest of which, The Final Funktier, was released this week.
The guys all seem too nice to have sold their soul to the devil for the ability to write and record catchy, danceable, and just plain fun songs, but whatever they've done, they haven't lost their touch one bit on the new record. As you might guess from the title, it's a more danceable album than previous efforts -- "Moon Boots" and "Booster Seat" are just a couple of the songs that will probably get your kids and you up off the floor shaking your, er, boots. The band once drew their inspiration from the Beatles, but now their pop-rock confections are more diverse, source-wise. "The Galax Sea" throws in some strings, "Constellation Conga" is, well, a gentle little conga, and several songs sound like they were recorded by the secret love children of the Go-Go's and Devo. (I'd also note that the band's commitment to the kids music scene is pretty big, with no less than 7 different kids musicians or bands making appearances on the disk.)
The album is also -- loosely -- space-based, though the album is less likely to inspire your kid to beg you for a telescope than it will to have them ask you for a stand-up microphone to practice their jokes. The lyric matter is right down the early elementary school alley -- little brothers ("My Brother is a Satellite"), robots ("How Do You Build a Robot?"), and aliens ("Ukulalien"). And everywhere it's leavened by a second-grade sense of humor that will make the kids giggle. (OK, maybe not "One Tiny Light," the sweet album closer.)
The 34-minute album is most appropriate for kids ages 5 through 9. You can hear samples at the album's CD Baby page, or full tracks at the band's website.
So, yeah, at this point Recess Monkey is a machine. A finely-tuned kids-music-hit-making machine. The Final Funktier is as good as anything they've done, maybe the best. They may not inspire the next generation of astronauts, but they may have a better chance than anyone else to inspire the next generation of kids musicians. Which I think is just as important. Highly recommended.
Disclosure: The band provided me a copy of the album for possible review. And I streamed "Constellation Conga" as a world premiere.
"Hey, you got my Readeez in my Recess Monkey!"
"Hey, you got Recess Monkey in my Readeez!"
Mmmmm....
Recess Monkey - "Jet Pack" (Readee-Oh Version) [YouTube]
I am definitely not a skit fan, but I've always thought that Recess Monkey's were better than most. This by far has the funniest line (to me, anyway) in a Recess Monkey skit ever, but is amusing even if you're not that dialed in to the kids music scene. "Space Elevator Music" is from The Final Funktier, out next week.
Recess Monkey - "Space Elevator Music" [YouTube]
The first thought I had upon seeing the video for "Jet Pack" from Recess Monkey (off their forthcoming album The Final Funktier) was that the person who cleans our offices has a new vacuum cleaner just like Drew's and we have totally made jet pack references whenever we've seen it.
The difference between me and the RM boys, apparently, is the willingness to turn that observation into a catchy three-minute video.
Well, that and the ability to use blue screen while we're at it.
Recess Monkey - "Jet Pack" [YouTube]
Recess Monkey posts the first of 4 videos they'll be debuting from their upcoming album The Final Funktier (with more possibly on their way later this summer). This one is for the leadoff track to the disk, and recounts the band's trip to the moon. You can tell what kind of trip it'll be when the suits clearly were the most expensive part of the shoot. Way more entertaining than Capricorn One.
Recess Monkey - "Moon Boots" [YouTube]
At Kindiefest a couple weeks ago, one of the few sustained conversations I had was with the guys from Recess Monkey. We talked about how the key with the kids music genre is the continued sharing -- rather than fighting over limited pieces of a pie, try to make that pie bigger so everybody gets more. Especially if it's pecan pie. Mmm, I love me some pecan pie.
But I digress.
Anyway, the guys in the band said they'd been working with some of the other Seattle kids music bands to try to cross-promote their shows and music, but they didn't reveal their secret weapon, which is the most awesome name: Kindiependent, which almost makes me like the whole "kindie" name which I've never fully been able to embrace. It's a Seattle kids music collective featuring Recess Monkey, Caspar Babypants, The Not-Its, Johnny Bregar, and the Central Services Board of Education.
Check out the cool poster art from Kate Endle (Chris Ballew's wife, who's also done both Caspar Babypants covers) -- with help from Johnny Bregar and Jack Forman -- for a show on June 13th. It's the record release party for RM's The Final Funktier -- apparently it's going to be one seamless set where each band's set overlaps with the one preceeding it.
So, yeah, Seattle's totally going all for one, one for all, 5 Musketeers-style. (And maybe more, once other Seattle folks get the word.) Other areas might be thinking the same thing, but Seattle's taken the visible step. And secured the website.
Dan Zanes may be the godfather; They Might Be Giants, the legitimizer; and Laurie Berkner, Ralph Covert, and Justin Roberts the genre's superstars.
But Recess Monkey is the heart of kids music today.
There was nobody at Kindiefest who was in more places at once (except for maybe the organizers) than the band. (And that's not just because there are three members in the band.) Jack Forman appeared on a video panel, and all 3 of them were always engaged in discussion with other folks. They're successful enough to be emulated but not popular enough - yet - to be unapproachable. (Heck, they all still have "regular" jobs.) So they were approached - a lot.
And their commitment to the scene is total. I don't think there was anyone else in the audience who was as supportive of the other artists playing the Saturday industry showcase as they were -- if there was handclapping to be done, they did it. During their own Sunday showcase, they brought in Chris Wiser from Sugar Free Allstars to play on "Booster Seat," Johnny Bregar on "Knocktopus" and Tor Hyams on "Moon Boots." And although I'd left by then to head back home, they filled in for Aric Bieganek's stuck-in-traffic bandmates and played 5 songs with him during the Royal Order of Chords and Keys showcase later Sunday afternoon.
And the silver pants. Man, the silver pants. Commitment. Owning their stuff, indeed.
Fun set, fun guys. Kids music needs them, and not just because they rock.
Recess Monkey - "Booster Seat" (Live at Kindiefest 2010) - [YouTube]
One more video and pictures of the band and Mayor Monkey, the band's hand puppet band manager, after the jump.
The other semi-final matchup of KidVid Tournament 2010 is an all-Seattle affair. (We've had a number of those this year.) It features the Leadbelly Regional winner Recess Monkey and their "Marshmallow Farm" video from Field Trip -- the video defeated the Not-Its in an epic Round 2 Seattle-based matchup. That video's going up against the Woody Guthrie Regional winner Brian Vogan and "That's How a Pumpkin Grows" from his Little Songs album -- it defeated a Readeez video in Round 2.
Continue reading "KidVid Tournament 2010 Semifinal #2: Recess Monkey vs. Brian Vogan" »
The first round is for weeding out the pretenders -- the second round of KidVid Tournament 2010 features nothing but heavy-hitters -- or, to mix sports metaphors, it's the Slam Dunk Tournament of kids music. The first matchup today is the Leadbelly Regional final featuring Recess Monkey's "Marshmallow Farm" from their Field Trip CD against "Come Play at Our House" from The Not-Its' We Are the Not-Its! album.
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 person, please. One vote per person! Votes due by noon tomorrow (Thursday) East Coast time. And, as always, play nice -- that means encouraging folks to watch both videos and avoiding trash-talking. Don't make me come back there.
Recess Monkey - "Marshmallow Farm" [YouTube]
The Not-Its - "Come Play at Our House" [YouTube]
That's right, it's your chance to listen to "Constellation Conga," a powerful sludge of a hard rock/polka/chillwave tune from Seattle's Recess Monkey... ahhhh, who am I kidding? It's a breezy, danceable tune from their upcoming album The Final Funktier, out June 15. Listen to the song below, courtesy of the band, then listen to a variety of new tunes from the album throughout the weekend... more details here.
Sorry, too late. I'll be posting this track on my radio station soon...
Photo: Kevin Fry
If it's Day Three of KidVid Tournament 2010, it must be the Leadbelly Region. The first matchup pits the top seed, Recess Monkey's "Marshmallow Farm" from Field Trip, against (ironically enough) "Field Trip" from The Hipwaders from their Marshmallow Farm album. (Just kidding -- it's from their Goodie Bag EP.
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 person, please. Votes due by midnight tonight (Thursday) East Coast time. And, as always, play nice!
Recess Monkey - "Marshmallow Farm" [YouTube]
The Hipwaders - "Field Trip" [YouTube]
But other than that, just like it.
Anyway, for those of you eager to get your first taste of Recess Monkey's upcoming album The Final Funktier, stop by here on Friday when I'll be world premiering one of the tracks from the album, the alliteratively-titled "Constellation Conga." As band manager Mayor Monkey described it last week: "Hey all you planets: Get in line! It’s time to dance!"
Anyway, I'm just kicking off Recess Monkey's takeover of the kids music world -- check out the entire world premiere lineup...
Friday, 3/26: Zooglobble: "Constellation Conga"
Friday, 3/26, 5pm EST/2pm PST Absolutely Mindy: "Jet Pack"
Saturday, 3/27 8-10am EST: Spare the Rock: "How Do You Build a Robot"
Saturday, 3/27 8-10am EST: Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl: "Ukulalien"
Sunday, 3/28: Gooney Bird Kids: "My Brother is a Satellite"
Band photo by Kevin Fry
One of these days, Recess Monkey will make a video I don't feel like posting here.
This is not one of those days.
I can only imagine what the folks swarming around Powell's Books in Portland (swoon!) must have been thinking as they watched the trio film shoes with chalk lines around them.
Recess Monkey - "New Shoes" [YouTube]
I suppose if Drew Holloway hadn't been filmed wearing a brown paper bag and black tights through Washington, DC, Jack Forman's trip through Jack Meyer with a centipede pirate face mask would be more impressive. (The Onion "Area Man" t-shirt dims the effective, no?) I love the posters, though, and the gratuitous recycling plug (I'm guessing there's a theme there for an episode on the new, upcoming Recess Monkey DVD.)
Recess Monkey - "Centipede Pirate" [YouTube]
I don't know who had the more dangerous job here in the latest video from Recess Monkey -- Drew and Daron, for doing all those falls without the apparent aid of stunt doubles, or Jack, for rockin' the most ridiculous hair/stache combination since late '70s SuperSonics basketball. (Sorry, guys, that probably hurt.)
Oh, and as I theorized just this weekend, this new slew of videos will be part of a new DVD due out this December. Most excellent.
Recess Monkey - "Ice Pack" [YouTube]
The advantage of Field Trips with Recess Monkey, the first DVD from Seattle's Recess Monkey, is that it does a good job of conveying the band's essential nature, that of kids music's funniest band. This is not to say they're "ha ha Weird Al" funny (usually), more that their joy and sense of humor is way up front, part and parcel of all they do. (For example, the band continues to put on their materials, "Unauthorized duplication or other use prohibited by law and by Mayor Monkey, our hand puppet band manager.")
The DVD consists of 4 episodes, each roughly 23 minutes in length, containing some combination of videos (the band consistently makes good cheap but good-looking and effective videos), concert footage, field trips, and natterings from Mayor Monkey. (I have been on the record with my adoration for MayMo. "Natterings" is a term of love.) If you had to watch all the field trips (to Seattle institutions like Pike Place Market or the Fremont Bridge) in a row, it would make for dull viewing (as would the concert video), but all mixed together, it's a reasonably entertaining sequence. I particularly enjoyed the trip to illustrator Matt Hawk's studio (he did the art for Field Trip) and the "Yellow Trike Races." In all the segments, you can tell the band's having fun, joking around, sometimes for the kids' benefit, and occasionally for the parents'.
This video will be of most interest to kids ages 3 through 7. You can purchase the video at Amazon and see assorted clips (the videos and concert stuff) at the band's YouTube channel. Hopefully the fact that the band's continuing to produce videos means that this isn't the last set of episodes.
I can't expect that many readers of this review aren't familiar with Recess Monkey. If you're not familiar with the band, Field Trips with Recess Monkey is a decent introduction to the band's killer songwriting and sense of humor. And if you are familiar with the band, then you'll appreciate the whole package here. Even (and especially) Mayor Monkey. Recommended.
The only thing cuter than the winsome "Tiny Telephone" from Recess Monkey's Field Trip is the game of tic tac toe in this, the video for the song. Who knew Daron and Drew lived across the street from one another? Methinks this is common in rainy Seattle...
Recess Monkey - "Tiny Telephone" [YouTube]
One of my favorite tracks from Recess Monkey's Field Trip is the Elvis Costello homage "The Teens." Now the band's got Daron Henry in the goofy (but kinda tecnically advanced) video for the song, starring as Nineteen, Eighteen, Seventeen, Sixteen, Fifteen, Fourteen, Thirteen, and, er, Twelve...teen.
Recess Monkey - "The Teens" [YouTube]
There have been a lot of Recess Monkey videos this year, but I think this is the most amusing of all, for the utterly winning "Sack Lunch" off their Field Trip disk. Or maybe I'm just impressed with Drew's willingness to do anything for a video. (Bonus points for a "Singin' in the Rain" reference.)
Recess Monkey - "Sack Lunch" [YouTube]
It's been, what, four or five months since we last heard from Seattle's Recess Monkey, but clearly there have been some tensions between the band and its hand puppet band manager, Mayor Monkey -- tensions that are played out in "Bubble Factory," the latest video from the trio's fine Field Trip album...
Recess Monkey - "Bubble Factory" [YouTube]
It's hard to write a review about Field Trip, the recently-released fifth album from Seattle's Recess Monkey. Not because it's bad, mind you, just the opposite -- it's just that the band's run of great albums and songs has been going on for so long now that it's getting more difficult to find new and interesting ways of saying "these guys are really good -- your family should listen to 'em."
From the two-minute simple Beatles-esque "Fort" to the fanciful power-pop of "Marshmallow Farm" to the sweet "Sack Lunch" the album starts off with great pop tunes and doesn't really ever stop. "Sack Lunch" manages the odd trick of not only writing a song from the perspective of a kid's sack lunch but also making it stand as some sort of metaphor for a really powerful love. (It also does so with the Northwest Boychoir singing the phrase "sack lunch" chorally, which makes me smile every time.) On the album goes, through '80s dance of "Haven't Got a Pet Yet" and the funk of "Hot Chocolate."
Recess Monkey has always been willing to approach the "novelty song" line much more than a lot of bands, and I can't say it always pays off -- the spaghetti western of "Ice Pack" is just OK and did the world need a song (no matter how catchy) about lice ("L.I.C.E.")? (The answer is no.) But that song is sandwiched between a tender love song ("Tiny Telephone") and the best kids song Elvis Costello never wrote -- "The Teens," which is ostensibly about difficulties in counting past ten but will get parents nodding about their kids' forthcoming teenaged years. The most exciting thing to the long-term listener of the band is that expansion of world view -- figuring out how to encompass more experiences of older listeners without sacrificing their core audience of young school-aged kids.
The album is still primarily targeted at kids aged 4 through 9. You can listen to samples from the 41-minutes album here.
So, yeah, Field Trip is another excellent string of songs from Recess Monkey. If you're a fan, you'll love it. If you're not a fan, though you'll probably be a bit mystified by the John Vanderslice bit at the very end, this is as good a place to start as any, as it's their best album yet. In the end, all I can say is that these guys are really good -- your family should listen to 'em. Highly recommended.
You are unlikely to see a more minimalist kids music video this year than this one from Recess Monkey, the fourth from their upcoming Field Trip album and Field Trips with Recess Monkey DVD. It's not funny ha-ha, and might've taken just 5 minutes to film but it'll probably inspire your kids (or you) to create a fort of your own.
It shouldn't be too surprising that the same band whose upcoming album art is pretty cool would also have cool poster art for a big ol' benefit show they're putting together. Yeah, Seattle's The Not-Its have put together a pretty awesome poster for "Timeout To Rock," which is being billed as "Seattle's First Annual Children's Music Festival." (I dig the positive attitude assumed in that billing.)
If it were just a single-band show benefiting Juvenile Diabetes research, I probably wouldn't post about it, but since the poster's gone public and has a pretty awesome lineup -- the Not-Its, Recess Monkey, Caspar Babypants, and Central Services Board of Education -- I thought I'd share. (Seriously, folks, think about the assorted Seattle-area artists not performing -- Johnny Bregar, Eric Herman, the Harmonica Pocket, Eric Ode -- and try to come up with another locality with as many vital performers. Maybe NYC, and that's it.)
Anyway, that awesome lineup will be playing Saturday, June 27th starting at 11 AM at Seattle's Vera Project. Tickets are just $8/person, $25/family. Such a deal. Make it if you can. And pick up a poster for me. (Poster after the jump.)
I've posted the first couple videos from Recess Monkey, so why not finish the triumvirate? This one's for the funky "Hot Chocolate" and features Jack Forman skiing his way across Seattle.... er, sort of. Field Trip the album is set for release June 9th and Field Trips with Recess Monkey the DVD is set for release later this summer.
Recess Monkey - "Hot Chocolate"
The latest video from Seattle's Recess Monkey features one of my favorite tracks from their upcoming Field Trip CD, "Haven't Got a Pet Yet" (a zippy number that must've been preserved in amber in 1986 somewhere), the Aretha Franklin-cribbed lyric "R-E-S-P-onsibility," and Jack Forman in a dress. I think we can all agree that Jack is the Recess Monkey member most likely to appear in a dress for a video.
How can you not watch?
Recess Monkey - "Haven't Got a Pet Yet"
I already mentioned the new video for "Marshmallow Farm" from Seattle's Recess Monkey, but what I didn't mention was that the video's actually from an upcoming DVD release from the band. Subsequent to posting the video, the band sent me the cover to the DVD, Field Trips with Recess Monkey. (See the band rockin' the... Futura font?) According to RM's Jack Forman, the DVD includes four episodes "each hosted by Mayor Monkey, sort of like American Bandstand meets This American Life." That's either the worst American Bandstand ever or the best This American Life ever. Part 1: MayMo visits Gasworks Park -- I give it an 85. (Details of the first episode after the jump.)
Continue reading "Mayor Monkey Gets a DVD to Call His Own" »
Yeah, it's about as silly (and fun) as you'd expect a video for a song about a marshmallow farm from the goofy guys in Recess Monkey to be. (Too many prepositions!) The song's from their upcoming album Field Trip. No word on where Drew learned how to stuff all those marshmallows in his mouth.
Recess Monkey - "Marshmallow Farm"
Ooh. Ooh. Ooh.
Take a look at that cover.
It's the cover for Recess Monkey's next album, Field Trip, set for release on June 9th. Sweet, no?
The artwork is by Seattle cartoonist Matt Hawk who, judging from his homepage does a lot of myth and fantasy stuff too (though I gotta say, there's a picture there on the homepage that looks a looooot like Captain Bogg & Salty). Anyway, Hawk does the interior art work for the album as well.
But you're probably even more interested in the track listing. And that's after the jump, with a few comments from the band...
Continue reading "I Will Take This Lunch: Recess Monkey's "Field Trip" Almost Ready" »
Mmmm... another year, another album from Seattle's Recess Monkey.
The guys are back soliciting backup choral help from the kids, this time on Valentine's Day in Seattle, for five tracks on their upcoming album, to be entitled Field Trip. Go here for all the details, Seattle-area folks.
I could've made a statehood day reference, but that's really only relevant for us Arizonans, so, uh, never mind.
So I've been getting newsletters from Elizabeth Mitchell on a regular basis talking about her late summer tour of the West Coast. I knew, therefore, that she was going to be singing with Renee & Jeremy earlier this month (Suni Paz in LA was a surprise) and Frances England and Charity Kahn this past weekend. I even knew (I think) that she was going to sing with Justin Roberts last month. (They sang the Velvet Underground's "Sunday Morning.")
What I didn't expect is that nobody was going to upload any video to the Internet. C'mon, people! I don't have one of those fancy iPhones or other cell phones with a camera in them, but somebody out there must've gone to the show with one in hand.
And now I hear that the lads from Recess Monkey are going to be joining Elizabeth on stage for their shows in Seattle this Saturday.
Seattle -- you can do it! Video! Video! Video! (Hey, I gave you, like, fiveRecess Monkey videos.)
(Note: Unless, of course, recording is expressly prohibited by the terms and conditions of the ticket entry. Then, er, forget I ever asked.)
After their long, long national tour, the boys at Recess Monkey made it back to Seattle A-OK and, last weekend, played a show at the Experience Music Project. Joined by Matt Swanson, the boys played a medley of "Under My Bed" and "Green Monster," accompanied by video screens that look like they were swiped from the U2 tour, goodness, those look gargantuan.
I believe the show was actually recorded in HD, which explains why it sounds and looks just a wee bit better than my videos from their show in Phoenix.
OK, it's not quite Live At Budokan, and I'm definitely no Scorcese or Demme, but I've got 12+ minutes of video from Recess Monkey's show at Phoenix's Modified Arts. One's below, four more after the jump.
Recess Monkey - "S-L-Double-E-P-Over"
Drew's foot reminds me, vaguely, of the Robert Klein "I can't stop my leg" bit.
Recess Monkey have come and gone, but I'd be remiss if I didn't post a few photos from the show, along with my thoughts. (It should be noted that since I, well, presented the show, this really isn't a "review.")
Readers who've already purchased the band's latest disk, Tabby Road, will recognize the band's iconic Honda Element and trailer. OK, perhaps it's not really iconic, but maybe it'll become like Abbey Road and find itself in hundreds of thousands of pictures as the years go by. Hey, wait, guys -- they totally need to ship that thing to London and have it photographed crossing the Abbey Road intersection. How mind-blowing would that be?
OK, not really at all, but still, kinda cool.
Anyway, the band got to Modified about 1:30, got set up, and waited for the throngs to arrive. And sure enough, by 3 PM, there was a healthy crowd of people (not quite full, but definitely not empty, ready to rock out.
Actually, with the air conditioning not being very strong on a 114-degree day, there was comparatively little rocking out, though one of the fun parts of seeing a band live after they've played songs for a while was seeing how the audience interaction developed -- "Down Down Down" and "Boogie Monster" are two songs that really do lend themselves to crowd participation. And of course, the band sounded really good live.
After close to an hour of playing, the band wrapped up with "Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road." We had dinner at the grandparents' to get to, so we didn't literally see them off, but you can find out much more about the day at the band's ever-amusing tour blog.
Thanks very much to the band for making room in their schedule for Phoenix. It was a great show. We hope it's not the last time -- as the band's suggested before, spring training makes for an excellent excuse to visit the Valley of the Sun.
More photos after the jump, and videos from the show later today.
Continue reading "Concert Review: Recess Monkey (Phoenix, August 2008)" »
I know, I know, I've told you many times before, but in case you need to be reminded, Recess Monkey continues its national tour on Sunday right here in Phoenix at Modified Arts downtown (407 E. Roosevelt). Doors open at 2:30, show starts at 3:00, with tickets $6 for adults, $3 for kids, and free for infants. Don't miss the fun at Modified's first kids' show. Just think, when they're hosting shows for kids weekly, you'll be able to say you were there.
OK, I leave town, and the tumbleweeds blow across the website like a movie cliche.
Recess Monkey leaves town, and they're like Paul Theroux, writing up a storm. (Clearly, I should have asked them to be my guest blogger in my absence.) If you have not been reading their tour blog, you must stop what you are doing, and start reading. Pronto. It'll make slightly more sense if you start from the bottom and work your way up, but if you're thinking you don't have quite that much time, the most recent entry (from DC) will suffice.
More importantly for you Phoenix/Arizona folks -- the Recess Monkey show this Sunday will start at 3 PM, with doors at 2:30 PM, at Modified Arts in Phoenix. $6 adults/$3 kids/infants and monkeys free.
So Daron, Jack, and Drew are off on their million-mile cross-country Recess-Monkey-ish ciruit of the United States, and it turns out that if you head on over to Spare the Rock occasionally you'll get to hear the boys blogging their way around the country. No word if they'll eventually produce Hamlet at random, but at the very least you'll find out about their adventures as they make their way to Phoenix.
That's right! Phoenix, people! Remember? I told you they're playing Phoenix -- Sunday, August 3rd, 3 PM. Modified Arts in downtown Phoenix. Do not miss this show! Don't make me use more exclamation points!
Over the course of four albums, the Seattle trio Recess Monkey have gone from nice little side project to full-fledged rock stars to the Seattle-area kid-set. Take three guys with elementary education experience, mix in a healthy dose of songwriting chops, and add a bit of humor, and it's not too surprising they've built up such a devoted fanbase.
Their latest CD Tabby Road, officially released this week, gives no indication that their star will wane anytime soon. As you might expect from the album title, the band are big fans of the Beatles. (Longtime fans will not be surprised, given that Aminal House featured a Sgt. Pepper's homage cover, and the 2-CD set Wonderstuff was nicknamed the "Yellow Album" for its all-yellow cover.) There's definitely a '60s-era vibe throughout the CD, especially on tracks like "Robin (Sugar Goblin)" and "Kitty Sister" -- the former is probably an unrecorded Beatles track the band found and decided to pass off as its own, the latter also recalls the Beatles in a melody with some harmonizing and a gymnastic vocal line that's completely infectious.
Unlike Wonderstuff, which moved into the '80s even with its influences, Tabby Road stays much more in '60s-inspired sounds, hewing more closely to a pure pop sound. A totally engrossing pure pop sound, to be sure, but there's less power-poppy crunch here. Topically, the band continues its fascination with pets (including the tender "KC in the Clouds," about a pet that's passed away), friendship ("S-L-Double-E-P-Over"), and kids' rites of passage ("Birthday Bite"). They also mimic the second side of Abbey Road with a whole "Monster Medley" that's, well, insanely catchy (check out the album's "Boogie Monster" with its "whoop-whoop" singalong -- you and your kids will find it impossible to put your hands in the air or move side to side) and totally not scary. The medley doesn't blend quite as well as the Beatles' version, but I did like the repetition of the bridge line from the medley's start in "Under My Bed" in "Monster Truck," the last song (before the quiet "Wolfman," which isn't quite as short as "Her Majesty," but oh well).
If you're wondering what's changed from the prior albums, well, it's probably the tightest of the band's albums and, because it wasn't recorded as part of the "camp weeks" that the two prior versions grew out of, with slightly fewer kids' voices (though they still show up). Those of you who thought Wonderstuff was all a bit too much at 80 minutes long or who thought Aminal House was just a bit too all over the place will appreciate the 40-minute brevity. I missed some of the goofiness that marked those earlier albums (more Mayor Monkey, please!), but what's sacrificed here is replaced by a focus that serves the band well. Every track is solid. (And, yes, there's a John Vanderslice reference. I will be disappointed if the next album doesn't feature John Vanderslice himself as the John Vanderslice reference.)
Kids ages 3 through 8 will most appreciate the songs here -- you can listen to four full tracks (including "Boogie Monster") at the band's Myspace page or sample all tracks at the album's CDBaby page.
Over the course of four albums, Recess Monkey has slowly staked its claim to being the best kids music band in the business. Tabby Road is jam-packed with first-rate songwriting, matched by strong musicianship and kid-focused subject matter. These guys are great, and so's the album. If you're not familiar with the band yet, you should be and you may as well start here. Highly recommended.
[Ed. note: Just to get the potential-conflict-of-interest statements out there, I'll note here that I'm presenting them in concert next month here in Phoenix (which means that my take is, uh, $0). I wouldn't present 'em if I didn't think they were really good. But just so you know.]
Zooglobble!
That's right, the great Seattle trio Recess Monkey is making their way around this great country of ours this summer promoting their upcoming album Tabby Road. (Despite $4/gallon gas, they will not be riding the tricycle as in the picture above to get around the country.) Chicago, Northampton, DC, Austin, and, hey, what's this, PHOENIX!
Yep, on Sunday, August 3rd, 3 pm, you can see Recess Monkey at downtown Phoenix's Modified Arts, $6 for adults, $3 for kids, and infants free. And despite the fact that the phrase "presented by Zooglobble" makes me giggle, it's true. We're thinking of something special for the kids (in addition to seeing the band).
So come join us next month -- it will be a blast. (And I'm working on some other shows -- this may be the first Zooglobble-only presentation, but it won't be the last.)
Band photo by Kevin Fry.
You know, when Recess Monkey recorded "I Went to the Zoo (w/the Dalai Lama)" on their debut CD, Welcome to Monkey Town, I don't think they were engaging in wish fulfillment.
But the Dalai Lama is visiting Seattle in April as part of the Seeds of Compassion event and on April 12, the band is essentially going to be the Dalai Lama's opening act, a sweet gig if there ever was one. (Because, hey, nobody going to see the Dalai Lama is going to boo them for not playing "Stairway to Heaven.")
And for those of you going to Recess Monkey's shows this weekend and a couple weeks from now as part of the recording for their upcoming July album Tabby Road or if you're just curious about the new album, click ahead, why don't you, and see the tracklisting...
Continue reading "Recess Monkey Plays For World Dignitary, Screaming 6-Year-Olds" »
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" »
I think the world of Seattle's Recess Monkey, and so does Seattle local television. One station recently featured the band on its nightly newscast, and it's notable for clips of the band in concert and (teaching individually) in the classroom. It's also notable for the anchor saying at the end of the clip, "They even have CDs and t-shirts," as if the idea that a band playing for kids might actually record some of their songs is a bunch of insanity. Crazy!
When the Seattle band Recess Monkey aped (pun somewhat intended) the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover on their 2nd CD, Aminal House, it wasn't a random reference -- they really did sound a bit like the Beatles on that fine CD. So with their Sgt. Pepper's under their belt (and maybe their fun but a little rough-around-the-edges debut Welcome to Monkey Town standing in for Please Please Me), all that's left is to release a double album, right?
Uh, right.
Set to be officially released this weekend, Wonderstuff is the year's most ambitious kids' music album. A double-CD set (a first for the genre as far as I'm aware) telling the story of Everett the Wonderbee, who along with some friends, travel far and face danger as they seek the mysterious Gray which threatens the meadows where Everett and his friends all live. Oh, and the songs and the stories were created (and performed) by the band with the help of a bunch of elementary-school-aged summer campers. (Really. I sat in on the tail-end of one the days of camp as an invited guest of one of the campers.) So, yeah. Ambitious.
Although the band joked this summer that they were making their "Yellow Album," as I listened I thought more of another late '60s double-CD set from another English band -- the Who's Tommy. Though miles away from Pete Townshend's somewhat dark and disturbing storyline, Wonderstuff is, at its heart, also a rock-pop opera. It intersperses its songs with narration and dialogue from the characters which move the story along. These snippets, usually a minute or so in length, are often quite amusing (for both parents and kids, though not always at the same time). The story itself -- a hero quest worthy of Joseph Campbell -- will be of interest to kids. (I must say, though, I actually missed "Mayor Monkey" from the previous CDs, which is one of the first times I've ever actually missed a skit character.)
Of course, the heart of the album are the 20 songs here. There are a fair number of songs that one would describe as Beatlesque ("My Pet Rock" is one such song, featuring the album's best melody), but other styles get their day -- the later Beach Boys sound of "The Pool," the Byrds-ian jangle-pop of "Down Down Down," even the Who get a cut ("Round and Round"). Which isn't to say newer artists get ignored. Some of the tracks on the 2nd CD have to me a more minimalist Spoon vibe, the dour "The Gray" could be a cut from Stephin Merritt's Gothic Archies side project, and the boys give another shout-out to John Vanderslice in the power-pop of "Backpack." Lyrically, the songs are split between those that hew closely to the narrative (e.g., "Magical Meadows") and those whose relationship to the story is tenuous ("Down Down Down" is really about a roller-coaster ride). In other words, take out the overarching story and you'd have a completely different album.
It would also be probably 30 minutes shorter, and when you're talking about 81 minutes worth of entertainment that's currently on the two disks, that's a big difference. In fact, if there's one drawback to the CD, it's the length. It would sound great on a long car ride (the story is interesting enough to keep the attention of the listener), but it may be too long for many listeners.
The album will be most appropriate for listeners ages 5 through 10. You can hear samples at the album's CD Baby page. I also think you'll be able to listen at the album's website, but that function doesn't seem to be up and running just yet.
With Wonderstuff, Recess Monkey have recorded another album bursting with energy and good spirits. Even if you're not interested in the rock-pop opera, there are a bunch of fabulous songs at the heart of this album worth your time. Definitely recommended.
Note: The album's release party is this Saturday, Oct. 20, at the Experience Music Project in Seattle Center. If you can make it, go. I think it'll be ten tons of fun.
Clearly, I'm a big fan of Seattle's Recess Monkey, so I won't apologize for posting every time a band member sneezes, but they've put a new song from their upcoming double album Wonderstuff on their Myspace page, and "My Pet Rock" is a simple, Beatles-y blast. I love me some "la la la la" choruses.
Oh, and for those of you needing video stimulation, watch Jack do his best Buddy Guy impersonation -- not playing blistering blues guitar, mind you, just leading kids on a conga line during "Monkey Bars" while the rest of the band vamps
Monkey Bars Conga Line at the Fremont Fair
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He doesn't have a lot of friends, though you can change that. Or check out Harold or Penelope, perhaps.
(Really, it's nothing that hasn't been done before -- if a Wendy's hamburger patty can do it, why can't these guys? Too bad it'll only be the parents and not the kids who get to join the viral party.)
Another week, another piece of mine on Education.com. This time it's "Five Great Kids' CDs You've Probably Never Heard." Regular readers probably have heard all of these CDs (heck, a couple of the bands listed have been discussed here in the past couple weeks), but if your kids' music diet has been limited to intakes of Jack (the music show, not the bourbon), Disney, or NPR, or assorted award-giving sites, here are five CDs you should get to know ASAP. Go forth and enjoy.
I was in Seattle last week with my family and although there were a number of kids' musicians playing in the area at the time (Captain Bogg & Salty, and Eric Herman, I believe), I didn't want to turn the family vacation into a total kids' music busman's holiday. After all, we had lots of pictures of the Seattle skyline to take so when we got home we could ask ourselves why we took so many pictures that weren't cropped anywhere near tight enough. Oh, and we needed to watch people throw fish at Pike Place Market. (Not really sure about that in retrospect.)
But when loyal reader Katy mentioned that her daughters were participating in the Recess Monkey camp and said I was welcome to sit in on one of their end-of-the-day performances, I thought that it'd be a fun way to spend an hour or so. So my daughter and I joined up with them.
For those of you unfamiliar with Recess Monkey's last album, Aminal House, it was made with lots of help from kids at a similar camp last year (read more about that camp here). The basic process was the same this year, with the band coming up with some basic song structures, and the kids helping fill in some of the gaps musically and lyrically.
The result, if the 25-minute set of song highlights the trio performed on the last day of that week's camp is any indication, will be an album that will meet the high level of expectations set by Aminal House. I didn't take notes or pictures (because, let's face it, that just would have been waaaay too weird), but there was lots of cool poppy goodness in those song snippets. With studio wizardy and the promised "sick guitar licks," I think it'll be a big hit, both with kids and their parents.
The album -- "Wonderstuff" -- will be a double-CD set, which, I don't know, might be a first. The band's nicknamed it the "Yellow Album," though I'm hoping the Beatles references end there and that drummer Daron Henry doesn't walk out on the recording for a while. (If they play the roof of the Sub Pop building and break up, we'll know they've taken their Beatles idolatry too far.)
The story that loosely ties the CDs together concerns the Wonderbees who, according to guitarist Drew Holloway, "gather nectar from the magical meadows and turn it into Wonderstuff. The bees sting wonderstuff into people and creatures, providing them with dreams, good ideas, and inspiration galore. One day however, the bees travel to the meadows only to discover the grass and flowers have been replaced by an endless grey." This story will be told in part by song and in part by narration, hopefully by bassist/keyboardist Jack Forman, who delivered his narrative amusingly while, for reasons best left unexplained, dressed in a barrister's wig.
The track list (at the moment):
Disc One
1. The Wonderbees
2. Busy Bees
3. My Pet Rock
4. Don't Wanna Go to Bed
5. Magical Meadows
6. Bad Ideas
7. The Rat
8. The Sun Will Shine for You
9. Backpack!
10. Best Friend
Disc Two
1. Pool
2. Come Out of Your Shell
3. The Funniest Thing I Ever Did See
4. The Grey
5. Rollercoaster
6. The Golden Seed
7. Hula Hoop
8. My Friend Shadow
9. Helping Hands
10. The Wonderbees #9
OK, I'm kidding on that last one. It's just a reprise.
Anyway, the CD should be out by October.
Earth Day songs generally preach, and I think one thing that a lot of parents really dislike about a lot of kids' music is when that music tells listeners what to do. So, the trick in writing an Earth Day song for kids that parents will tolerate is writing a catchy tune.
Which Recess Monkey did with "3Rs for Ours," which debuted on last weekend's Spare the Rock show and is now available for listening and downloading at the band's Myspace page.
Yeah, it's April 25th, but get it now anyway. Because every day is Earth Day, right?
Listening to Seattle-based Recess Monkey's first album, 2005's Welcome to Monkey Town is a bit like watching some show called "Before They Hit the Big Time" -- even if everything isn't quite in place, you can definitely see the outlines of what's to come.
Whereas their breakout follow-up album, 2006's Aminal House had a stronger Beatles influence, this CD has more of a non-Beatles British Invasion feel to it, with the occasional veering into jangle-pop (the opening "We're Recess Monkey") or even something vaguely Doors-like (but not, you know, "The End"-Doors-like) closer "Math Vitamin." The best tracks here are the uptempo ones, such as "Monkey Bars," with a muscular guitar line, hand claps, and the occasional "la la la." I also really liked "I Got a Toy (But I Played with the Box)," all about imagination, and with a few nice melodic touches (the "beep-boop" signifying the robotic arm toy). (As for the slow songs, "Can You Build a Bridge?" has some nice lyrical touches - "Can you build a bridge to someone / By tearing down a wall?")
The difference between this CD and its follow-up lies in production quality and absurdist humor. To my (non-music-production) ears, the mix here felt muddier and distant, the lyrics not always crisp. Compared to the sonic bloom on Aminal House, the CD just didn't feel quite as alive -- I would love to hear what the band would have done with "Nancy (Librarian Extraordinaire)" two years later -- here it just feels flat. Also, there's some of the goofy humor that made the follow-up standout, but not enough. Songs like "Math Vitamin" or "Mercado" are more the exception here than the rule. And, I never thought I'd say this about a kids' CD, but I kinda missed the skits -- Mayor Monkey only makes the briefest of appearances.
Given the lyrical matter, the 33-minute CD's most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7. You can hear 4 cuts from the album at the band's music page and can order it from the band or through the Land of Nod here.
This review sounds more negative than it really is -- I quite liked Welcome to Monkey Town. It just isn't the absolute hoot that its successor is -- if your family is new to the band, you should start with Aminal House. But if you liked Aminal House (or if you're new to the band), I think you'll like its predecessor. Recommended.
I really liked Recess Monkey's album Aminal House, but was curious what role the kids in the Seattle UCDS summer music camp played in the album.
So I asked singer and guitarist Drew Holloway for more details.
"It was a week-long camp but the three of us did a fair share of tracking in the weeks before and after camp. Jack [Forman, bass & piano] did the massive job of mixing the cd which we then had professionally mastered.
The camp was made up of over 80 kids. 30 of the kids were 3-6 years old and spent the bulk of the day in a separate camp on site. In the morning, however, those children joined the other group, 6-11 years old, for a "gig" [group sing-along] and some big group recording [like in "Aquarium" and "Fred"].
Each afternoon consisted of three sessions [songwriting, recording, and artwork]. We divided the 50 kids into three groups [land, water, and air] and they rotated through each activity.
I worked with the songwriting group. For the most part I was the Elton John and they were the Bernie Taupins. Sometimes small musical snippets made their ways into songs ["Squirrels" was based on a camper-generated bass line]. The kids worked mostly in pairs and small groups to draw and write stories. When it worked we combined ideas like in "Chicken" and other times we voted for favorites "Pet Shark."
Daron [Henry, drums] led the art contigent. Kids created animal-letter typography and foot-high self-portraits. The portraits were used in an installation that later, through the magic of photoshop, became the cover.
Jack was the captain of the recording booth. He taught the kids about basic engineering and multi-track recording [We used protools]. In the studio, campers laid down vocal and percussion tracks. Their favorite part was always listening back.
We ended the day by singing some songs and doing a guitar solo overdub in front of the whole group. What a blast."
Holloway also reports that they'll be doing two weeks of the camp this year, maybe with a video/DVD component.
Others have wondered in the comments, and I agree -- why don't more artists try this? You'd certainly have to have a certain patience to deal with dozens of elementary school students, but a lot of kids' musicians have at least some familiarity with teaching kids.
A (summer) school of rock (or folk or pop or whatever) would be pretty awesome for a lot of kids.
If you weren't convinced by the cover that Aminal House (yes, that's spelled correctly) had some Beatles influences, the liner notes, which thank, among others, Billy Shears, would seal the deal.
So what about the album itself -- is it worthy of such blatant Beatles homages?
Well, yes.
Aminal House (late 2006) is the second album from Seattle-based band Recess Monkey and whereas The Sippy Cups sort of tap the psychedelic part of '60s and '70s rock for their sound, Recess Monkey sticks more closely to the Beatles for their sound and inspiration. Which isn't to say that they sound like the Beatles -- they often sound more like Beatles-inspired bands such as Crowded House. At they very least, they, like the Beatles, are willing to explore a wide range of rock sounds, from the funk of the opening, title track to the singalong chorus of "Aquarium" to the Elton John-like piano ballad "Grey Zebra." (They're fine with more direct homages, too, pulling out a very "Blackbird"-like acoustic guitar figure for "Butterfly," for example.) One of my favorite tracks is "Cookie," a '60s rocker with a hint of Motown about a very nervous pointer dog ("Cookie don't crumble now / Cookie don't fall apart"). Musically, the group is tight; singer Drew Holloway uses the occasional falsetto to good effect, too.
Thematically, the songs are all animal-related, treating animals as characters with personality. The album also has a few sketches which are mostly amusing and very reminiscent in spirit (and somewhat in vocal characterizations) of SteveSongs' Marevlous Day! album. (And, hey, it's not every day you listen to a kids' album that makes a John Vanderslice reference, and a funny one at that.) At 54 minutes in length, it runs on a bit too long, but at least they're experimenting to the end.
The album is most appropriate for kids ages 5 through 9, which isn't surprising since the album includes kids voices on some tracks and their ideas from a summer camp led by the band in summer 2006. You can hear the album's first five tracks here and purchase the album here.
Aminal House is an album that must have been a blast to make, chock-full of creativity. The album is never less than interesting, and always a melodious spin. Definitely recommended.
(More details on the process of recording the album can be found here.)
