Zooglobble

Really. Sure, the Yo Gabba Gabba! folks went and hit NYC and LA, but now Yo Gabba Gabba Live is hitting the nation's breadbasket, with March shows lined up for Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Toronto (listening to live music is awesome, eh?), Cincinnati, St. Louis, and, yes, Fort Wayne, Indiana, population, just over a quarter million (with an MSA total of almost 400,000). For those of us in Phoenix (5th largest city in America, 4.3 million in the MSA), seeing shows like this go to Fort Wayne and not Phoenix (I know, this isn't a southwest tour, but you get my point) is just another reminder of how messed up the live music market here is. Maybe if they came here, Amare Stoudamire would join them on stage. Assuming he doesn't get traded soon.

Anyway, the NYC and LA shows had some pretty cool live guests (Dinosaur Jr., Snoop Dogg, the Roots), so I'll be curious to see who -- if anyone -- joins the fun in these slightly less major media markets. Tickets go on sale this week -- tour dates after the jump.

Continue reading "Yo Gabba Gabba! Live... in Fort Wayne, Indiana?" »

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

We are no longer the Imagination Movers' target audience, if indeed we ever were. Back before they were a Disney sensation, they were known to us only via CDs, CDs that I was just sort of "meh" about. And their good fortune (based on a lot of work) of securing a Disney TV show didn't help us, a non-cable-TV household. (We've only seen the show maybe a couple times.)

So while I was definitely interested in seeing the band in concert on their West Coast swing, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, either from my own perspective or that of Miss Mary Mack and Little Boy Blue.

First off, I expected, and found, a sizable audience for the band. The lovely new Mesa Arts Center was hopping Friday with attendees for various events, but the Movers had the biggest theatre and given that the Ikeda Theatre seats nearly 1,600, I'd guess that at least 1,000 of those were filled, which, well, beat out Dan Zanes when he last came through on a Friday night.

It helps to have Disney's muscle backing the band, I suppose, so I got this shot of labelmates' TMBG's cover/reworking of "Davy Crockett (In Outer Space)" playing on the video screen before the show. (I have chosen to omit photos of my kids' slackjawed appreciation of the familiar video.)

But 7:08 rolled around, the scrim went up, the band came out, and we were off.

Continue reading "Concert Review: Imagination Movers (Mesa, December 2009)" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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"

Posted by SAShepherd at 06:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last month I mentioned how the Decemberists were going to kick off a new music/variety series for kids in Portland, Oregon called You Who. Well, a Zooglobble reader was there and sent in these impressions (along with a couple pictures)...

Continue reading "So How Was That Decemberists Kids Show?" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So I've talked a lot about Austin Kiddie Limits and the 2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival generally. (Need proof? Here's Day 1, part 1, Day 1, part 2, Day 2, and Day 3.)

I thought I'd wrap up my coverage with a few final thoughts and suggestions for improvement about the AKL stage, plus add a few pictures.

1. The revised stage configuration of this year's AKL stage was an improvement. Less sound bleeding from the Xbox 360 stage next door meant that the AKL artists were never drowned out. Yay! And maybe it was just my imagination (or possibly the cooler weather), but the new layout seemed blessed with more shade.

2. It's still too loud between sets. Lord knows we're big fans of Romeo and his BBoy City crew (quite possibly Miss Mary Mack's favorite part of the festival this year), but they're forced to crank the volume to a point that it drives all the families away from the stage. Perhaps next year they can swap the dance stage and the pottery/kefia tents so that it's pretty close to the stage and the volume can be reduced.

3. There are probably points where the sound on the AKL stage during sets can be reduced -- I could hear 23 Skidoo's set close to half a mile away as we were crossing Lady Bird Lake.

4. Moving on to the weather -- I will gladly take a chance of (or actual) rain in return for cooler weather. I'm so glad that the festival's been gradually pushed back into October and am happy to see it further pushed back to the second week of October (Oct. 8-10, 2010) next year.

5. The guest sets have been really cool, and I'd love to see them used even more to drive families to see bands they wouldn't have seen otherwise. That was the case for me with K'Naan on Friday. I also got a chance to meet Ben Sollee backstage briefly on Sunday before heading back to Arizona, and based on this clip of Sollee covering "Wild World" later that day, I have a feeling that if I'd seen him at the AKL stage playing his cello, I'd have been sure to see him later that day on a bigger stage. (Though it should be noted, I did see him playing with Abigail Washburn the year before.)

6. The fact that the AKL stage hosted both K'Naan and Ben Sollee, both Mr. Leebot and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, speaks to the fact that the stage can handle a fair amount of diversity, which is somewhat reflective of the ACL Festival as a whole. There's obviously only so much diversity you can have when you've got just 8-10 acts playing a set or two, but I encourage Tor to continue mixing it up as much as possible.

7. Can these festivals really be done with families? Well, it's definitely hard work, but if you're willing to sacrifice some of your own needs (sorry, Karen O, maybe next time), you can definitely see a lot. I'm conflicted because I have to balance my own musical tastes with that of my kids with my need to cover the festival (and the AKL stage in particular) on the press pass with the fact that my family lives in Austin and I want to see them, too. Sometimes I felt like I did none of those things well. But the AKL stage is situated about as well as it can be to serve as a base station for families exploring the festival. (And, hey, there's always babysitters.)

8. Finally, thanks to everyone at C3, particularly Tor, for making the AKL stage (and the press area) run so smoothly. Hope everyone reading got a good sense of the weekend of fun... Pictures after the jump...

Continue reading "Austin Kiddie Limits (ACL Fest) 2009: Final Thoughts" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Believe it or not I spent some time at the rest of the 2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival. I have so many conflicting obligations when I visit the Festival, that I never feel like I see enough of the non-Austin Kiddie Limits music. The first part of the day was cool enough, but it was time for the adult in me to enjoy a little music without the kids. So after helping my wife, Miss Mary Mack, and Little Boy Blue get back to downtown Austin (they're not quite the festival hounds I am), I finally made it back to Zilker Park and made my to the Wildflower Center stage to see K'naan.

Every year there's one performance I didn't quite anticipate that ends up blowing me away. K'naan's set, or at least the last 30 minutes that I caught, was that experience for this year. How good was this Canadian hip-hop artist originally born in Somalia? I bought his album Troubadour at the Waterloo tent pretty much right after his set ended. His set-closing performance of "Wavin' Flag," of which he did an abbreviated version that I half-caught at the Austin Kiddie Limits stage, might very well be the single best musical experience I've had in 3 years of attending ACL. This YouTube clip can't do it complete justice, of course, but the way he works the crowd together freestyling for about 6 minutes before launching into the music is masterful. "When I get older / I will be stronger / They'll call me freedom / Just like a wavin' flag / And then it goes back / And then it goes back / And then it goes back." I'm still singing this nearly a week later.

K'naan - "Wavin' Flag" (Live @ Austin City Limits Festival 2009)

K'naan - "Bang Bang" (Live @ Austin City Limits Festival 2009)

On my way to the Waterloo tent after his set, I stopped by the BMI stage to hear the Greencards (nice bluegrass with a hint of gypsy and non-North American influences). After picking up the CDs, I made my way over the Xbox 360 stage to hear Them Crooked Vultures, a supergroup featuring Dave Grohl on drums, Josh Homme on guitar, and Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. I'm not sure I'd buy their album and listen on a regular basis, but in a live setting on a beautiful evening, they absolutely rocked. Even a kajillion miles away I could see Grohl drumming away, grinning like Animal. Makes me happy everytime I seem him drum.

Them Crooked Vultures - "Mind Eraser" (Live @ Austin City Limits Festival 2009)

And, conveniently, I just needed to turn around and see the Yeah Yeah Yeahs open up on the AMD stage. But by that point it was getting late and I knew I had another 45 minutes (or more) of traveling before seeing my family again. So I stayed for 3 songs of Karen O and her boys, then took off in the perfect Austin night.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Runaway" (Live @ Austin City Limits Festival 2009)

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

On to Day 3 of the Austin City Limits Festival 2009, or at least the Austin Kiddie Limits stage. (If you missed it, read my thoughts and watch YouTube from Days 1 and 2 here and here.

So remember all that rain from Saturday? Remember the nice green grass the city had installed with C3's money with great fanfare?

It wasn't, like, Glastonbury mud, but it was deep enough in some places that, as Gwyneth noted to me, it felt like it could suck the shoes right off.

Anyway, after meandering through the media area and (ever-so-briefly) the Artists' Lounge (cleaner than the media area, and with ice cream), we (Miss Mary Mack and I) headed to see Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears from backstage. Saw Bill and his family up there. Jammed to the last few songs of the set. Made our way through the mud to the AKL stage. There we saw Ralph's World play their second set of the festival. Ralph Covert has a pretty tight band at this point, and he's got his live act down pat...

Ralph's World - "The Rhyming Circus"

Ralph's World - "Dumptruck"

Ralph's World - "Sunny Day Rainy Day Anytime Band" (particularly apropos for the weekend, always a good set closer)

After Ralph, Romeo and the guys from BBoy City came on and did their stuff, which is pretty incredible and has been each year. Might have been Miss Mary Mack's favorite part of the festival...

(Check out this last one. Oh my.)

At this point, it was either fight the mud and crowds to catch the second half of the B-52s' set or stick around at AKL. And while I'd've been willing, asking Miss Mary Mack to do that before a long series of transportation options that would park us back home 5 hours later was too much.

Of course, at least we got to see another Secret Agent 23 Skidoo set...

Secret Agent 23 Skidoo - "Boogieman"

Secret Agent 23 Skidoo - "The Whalephant" (new, unreleased track)

And then we skidaddled across the mud, onto the shuttle bus, into the car, and after many more transportation changes, made it back home. I'm not finished yet with my AKL/ACL thoughts -- more to come...

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Day 1 of the 2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival is in the books, and what did we learn? Apparently leaving a little later, great weather, and threats of rain for the rest of the weekend makes parking in downtown Austin a lot harder to find. As opposed to getting downtown around 11 AM, we got there around 12:30 PM, and it took us a good 20 minutes to find parking. By the time we actually found a spot, walked to Republic Park, took the shuttle, got our wristbands, and found our bearings in the media tent, it was 2:00 PM. So, sorry, Stoosh! Our bad, Paul Green School of Rock All Stars (I've seen you plenty, though)! And really sorry to have missed The Telephone Company. Maybe Sunday, guys!

But even with missing half of Friday's Austin Kiddie Limits stage, we still had a good time. They've changed the layout this year, so that the stage is on the east end of the area, facing (north)west, and the whole layout seems shadier. Or maybe it was just the 74-degree weather. Anyway, we got there in plenty of time to see Milkshake take the stage. They put on a good 25-minute-or-so set, mostly stuff from their new album Great Day, along with some older material.

One of the things I like about AKL (and ACL in general) is that artists do feel the need to step up their game a bit. So I don't know if Milkshake normally brings a couple dozen inflatable baseball beach balls for "Baseball" (they probably do), or if the band brings graying wigs for "When I'm Old," but it just shows the band's trying. Also, Milkshake in particular, with six folks in the band, sounds good live on stage. Kids on the ground seemed to enjoy it.

Milkshake - "When I'm Old" (Live)

Milkshake - "Enemies" (Live)

After Milkshake was a brief set from K'naan, which I couldn't pay full attention to because I was shuttling Little Boy Blue from activity to activity (including green punk hairdo), but I really liked.

K'naan - "Take a Minute" (Live) (for what it's worth, there were a fair number of kids, despite what the uploader says)

Then Lunch Money. It's OK, guys, you do indeed rock. Lots of dancing and a good-sized crowd (for AKL, anyway). They're also getting really good at incorporating crowd participation into their songs. Here's a new(-ish) song, with a couple more familiar ones to follow:

Lunch Money - "Spicy Kids" (Live)

Lunch Money - "Are You a Rabbit?" (Live)

Lunch Money - "Roller Coaster" (Live)

OK, there's more to talk about, but it's time to head back to Zilker Park before the skies open up.

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In years past, I've done a much more thorough job breaking down the Austin Kiddie Limits stage at the Austin City Limits Festival. This year, you're going to have to make do with a more abbreviated post.

Which doesn't mean the lineup isn't worth the effort; on the contrary, it's the most solid top-to-bottom lineup in the event's history. Anybody with a kid in tow at the festival can stop by at any given point and be guaranteed to hear something worth hearing, either some great artists for kids, or some kids doing amazing stuff. Here's the schedule -- some live YouTubery after the jump.

Continue reading "Austin Kiddie Limits 2009 Preview" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

A band whose leadoff single from their latest album featured a narrator singing about how he killed his three kids might not be my first choice for playing for kids. Until you suggest that it's Portland's Decemberists. They're kicking off the "You Who" series, a new monthly "children's rock variety show" co-created by the band's Chris Funk. The second-best part (besides, you know, the Decemberists), is the "beauty salon where kid's [sic] are the stylists and then go on parade!" And if they get Spoon's Britt Daniel to play, I might just have to fly out to Portland.

Update: More details on the series here

And, you know, since International Talk Like a Pirate Day is tomorrow, here's a video from a band I once compared to the Decemberists, Captain Bogg & Salty.

Captain Bogg & Salty - "Pieces of 8ight"

Posted by SAShepherd at 04:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Another fun set of shows at the Children's Museum of Phoenix this past weekend, this time featuring Flagstaff's Chuck Cheesman. The set we saw was a nice mix of originals, familiar tunes (Woody Guthrie, the Beatles, Joel Frankel), and movement stuff appropriate for preschoolers. To avoid copyright concerns, Chuck and I decided not to post covers. Unfortunately, that's usually when I happened to push "record" on my Flip. Little Boy Blue deleted another video, leaving me with this. It's not that I don't like this particular song (the last time we saw Chuck, we said "Ahoooooooy, mateys. Arrrrrgh!" for, like, a month). It's just that it doesn't quite show off his wonderful voice to best effect. Anyway, those of you in preschool (OK, and those that mind them) will appreciate this.

For Arizona-area folks, Chuck's playing (as is Laura Freeman) at the Pickin' in the Pines festival up in Flagstaff this weekend. Weather should be awesome.

Chuck Cheesman - "The Pirate Song" [YouTube]

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A fun show this afternoon from Phoenix's own Todd Baio -- a whole host of instruments (you ain't lived 'til you've heard a "can-jo") and songs going back 150 years (or 500 if you count "Froggy Went A Courtin'"). Definitely a fun kickoff to the 2009-2010 season for the "Not Just For Kids" Concert series. Lots more to come over the next few months. Anyway, here's "Ezekiel Saw the Wheel," with a couple more familiar tunes after the jump (as soon as YouTube cooperates). More videos at the concert series' Facebook page.

Todd Baio - "Ezekiel Saw the Wheel" [YouTube]

Continue reading "Concert Recap: Todd Baio (Phoenix, September 2009)" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've tended not to talk much about the Phoenix shows I've been putting on, given the more national focus of the site, but a quick heads up for anyone from the Phoenix area who isn't on my e-mail list or didn't hear about this through Facebook and the like. Tomorrow (Sunday) there will be two different shows set up with my assistance. First up, the Children's Museum of Phoenix continues its 2009 series of concerts with a pair of sets from Flagstaff-based artist Chuck Cheesman. Chuck played in the famous Wiggleworms program at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music and I've seen him a number of times here in Arizona. If you've got preschoolers, this'll be a fun show for them. The show is free with museum admission. Shows are at 10:30 and 12:30 and require tickets, which I believe are sold out, but as people move in and out of the shows, you'll probably be able to get in even if you don't have a ticket and are willing to wait just a little bit.

Second, Church of the Beatitudes here in Phoenix (which just so happens to be my church) is starting a full season of Not Just For Kids Concerts (we kicked it off last season with Randy Kaplan and Justin Roberts) and the first show will feature Todd Baio playing his ukulele with songs for young and old. The show starts at 2 PM and is free. I will get around to talking about the Not Just For Kids Concerts soon enough 'round here because we're going to have 6 or 7 shows this season and it's going to be pretty darn cool...

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've followed the Tricycle Music Fest at the public libraries of Charlotte and Mecklenburg Country, which brought some pretty big-name acts to that North Carolina neck of the woods -- They Might Be Giants, Gustafer Yellowgold, Father Goose, Lunch Money, Frances England, and so on. So it was with some sadness that I noted this past summer that the event was taking a hiatus.

But never fear, Tricycle fans -- San Francisco is filling the gap. That's right, Tricycle Music Fest West is coming to San Francisco in October, Charlotte tricycle and all. No big national names, but for an area with so many great bands/musicians, you could put on a pretty good show with just local acts, and the Fest has. A big October 10 show and the main library will feature Charity and the JAMband, Frances England, and the Hipwaders, along with the Time-Outs, and the Devil-ettes and Pip-Squeak-A-Go-Go. Charity, Frances, and the Time-Outs will also be playing shows at local branches.

Yay libraries! Yay music at libraries! Yay tricycles at libraries! (OK, I'm still working on that last one.)

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I mentioned a few weeks back the Bumbershoot offspring Youngershoot, and now it's here. The Seattle fest features Central Services Board of Education hitting the stage in about a half-hour, with Recess Monkey tomorrow, but here for your viewing pleasure is The Not-Its from Saturday's set playing one of the best tracks from their We Are the Not-Its! debut, "Shadows." Besides the fact that the brought their horn section to the show, I love the fact that the female trumpet player also donned a poofy skirt to blend in.

The Not-Its - "Shadows" (Live at Bumbershoot)

Posted by SAShepherd at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the second piece of news from today regarding corporate behemoths trying to cash in (more) on kids music, word this morning that LiveNation is starting the "House of Kids" music series at he Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza this fall and winter.

Forget the press release text that says "House Of Kids is aimed at bringing parents and kids together through a shared appreciation of live music, as well as fun and educationally enriching activities." House of Kids is about figuring out what to do with a large venue that sits empty for a good 16 hours or more each and every day. The first 4 artists -- Justin Roberts & The Not Ready For Naptime Trio (October 17), Father Goose (November 14), The Sippy Cups (December 5) and Gustafer Yellowgold (January 9) -- are definitely promising, though $20 per ticket ($70 for the series) is a price range that could only work in New York City. (And, to be fair, each show will also feature performers from the Big Apple Circus, guest storytellers, child performers, fire safety education from FDNY, and more.)

Now if only we could get Justin Roberts to record a live album so that the Irving Plaza location could join all the other Fillmores that have been graced with a Live at the Fillmore designation.

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

You know what I like about this video of the teenaged trio Care Bears on Fire from Lollapalooza's Kidzapalooza stage?

The fact that the audience is a group of roughly-five-feet tall tweens and teens rather than a group of roughly-six-feet-tall adults and therefore the videographer has a clear view of the stage as opposed to a lot of the other stuff I've posted here.

Oh, and the song rocks quite a bit, too.

Care Bears on Fire - "Superteen" (Live from Lollapalooza 2009's Kidzapalooza stage)

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I know, I already posted one Band of Horses live video from the Kidzapalooza stage from this Saturday's Lollapalooza. But this might be my favorite song from the video uploaded thus far. Not only that, but the band says that this song, "Nature," will be on Yo Gabba Gabba!'s upcoming Season 3. Not sure humidity in a Chicago summer is awesome, but this song might be.

Band of Horses - "Nature" (Live at Lollapalooza 2009's Kidzapalooza stage)

Posted by SAShepherd at 06:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Not at the same time. OK, so it's a 9-year-old playing a 40-year-old song, but at least we're getting a little closer to seeing a family music act on video from Kidzapalooza 2009.

Yuto Miyazawa - "Purple Haze" (Live at Lollapalooza Kidzapalooza stage 2009)

OK, here's the Band of Horses song from Saturday. No word if they started 20 minutes late because Care Bears on Fire ran long (inside joke)...

Continue reading "Video: Yuto Miyazawa and Band of Horses (Live @ Kidzapalooza)" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Y'know, those iPhones have video cameras now and the Flips are easy to use (I should know). I'm with Tito, it shouldn't be this difficult to have any of the other folks who make music on a more regular basis for kids (or the kids themselves) captured on camera. This sounds like a nice cut (I'm unable to figure out which one specifically) from Joshua James, Sunday's special guest at Lolla's Kidzapalooza stage. But I know there was a lot more that brought down this house this weekend...

Joshua James live at Kidzapalooza stage, Lollapalooza 2009.

Posted by SAShepherd at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So, yeah, I already covered Lollapalooza's Kidzapalooza lineup a few months back, but in case anyone out there who isn't a regular reader stumbles across this thanks to the magic of search engines, here's some thoughts and recommendations on what to see and when to see it. All set times 30 minutes unless otherwise noted.

Friday, August 7
11:30 Yuto Miyazawa
12:30 Paul Green's School of Rock All Stars
1:30 Frances England
2:15 Secret Agent 23 Skidoo
2:45 Zach Gill
3:30 Special Guest
3:45 Lunch Money

Thoughts: Yuto Miyazawa is playing three sets at the Kidzapalooza stage -- everyone else (save the Q Brothers and Quinn Sullivan) plays two. I think it's safe to say you could probably miss one of them... My general feeling is that the non-Kidz schedule on Friday midday is weaker than on the weekend so you should definitely make sure you catch Frances, Lunch Money, and especially Skidoo on Friday. By Saturday, word will have traveled and Skidoo's set on Saturday may be packed.

Continue reading "Last-Minute Kidzapalooza 2009 Recommendations" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, Kansas City's KC Jiggle Jam holds the title for the best kids music festival anywhere, and this weekend's Kidzapalooza will again rock Chicago's Grant Park with a stellar lineup, but there's always more room for additional family music in the midwest. Des Moines, a city I have a soft place in my heart for (seriously, folks, sweet city there), joins the club on Sunday, Sept. 27 with their Every Family Rocks festival. Any lineup that features not only big names Dan Zanes and Justin Roberts, along with regional stars like Funky Mama and Truckstop Honeymoon (featuring Mike Ward, who's recorded folks like Randy Kaplan and Laura Freeman), to go with their local acts, has got me on board. All that for just $8 (in advance).

Now to start working on the Upper Midwest (or the Southwest).

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

A few months ago, I called the kids' music series at the DC-area club Jammin' Java the "best kids music series in the country, hands down".

How impressed am I? Well, you can now find my comments on selected artists in their Tot Rock series on their website. Not everybody gets a comment (don't worry, Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, we'll get some special quotes up there shortly), but a lot of folks do.

Now to work on getting Jammin' Java Southwest.

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I promise, this'll be the last Wiggles post for awhile, but since I went to the show and wrote a review of it for the Phoenix New Times, I thought I'd at least note it -- you can read the review -- with 10% extra snark -- here.

I'll try to update this post with a few slightly grainy photos later, but for now, here's some cheap front-row cellphone footage from a drumline Anthony and Captain Feathersword performed during the show. This was kinda cool, actually...

Continue reading "Concert Review: The Wiggles (Phoenix, July 2009)" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

I know, I spend a lot of time talking about Austin Kiddie Limits, but there are some pretty cool fests that, even though they don't have quite as much kids music, are still sufficiently kid-focused.

Seattle's annual Bumbershoot festival, which is being held this year, as always, on Labor Day weekend (Sept. 5-7), has kids bands playing for the first time. Luckily, Seattle's got a great crop of bands, so they can be local, too -- the Not-Its! play at 1:30 Saturday, Central Services’ Board of Education at 1:00 Sunday, and Recess Monkey 1:30 Monday.

You can't have a kids section at a music festival without having a cheeky name, and Bumbershoot is no different -- welcome to Youngershoot. In addition to the bands, they've got movies, animation, and all sorts of other cool stuff going on. They even take a crack at suggesting kid-friendly "adult" artists -- I've got a feeling there are some other folks who would second the Michael Franti & Spearhead suggestion...

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Three months ago, I posted my list of the best kids music venues in the country. I'm not sure the No Nap Happy Hour organized by Bill would appear in that top 5 list yet, but take a look at the first six bands in the series and tell me that it wouldn't be in the Top 10 at least:

7/26 Lunch Money
8/23 Justin Roberts & the Not Ready for Naptime Trio
9/20 Deedle Deedle Dees
10/18 Uncle Rock & the Playthings
11/8 Brady Rymer & the Little Band That Could
12/6 Bill Harley

That's a great lineup, a nice blend of local(-ish) and not-so-local musicians. And it kicks off with Lunch Money, folks! All shows are Sundays at 2 PM at the Iron Horse Music Hall. It's the best lineup north of the 42nd parallel. Go!

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The first annual "Timeout To Rock" event in Seattle is now over, but this video of The Not-Its playing "Watch Me Share" from their upcoming debut made me smile. Not so much the opening sax solo as the pogoing kids. I think they all drank their parents' Starbucks.

The Not-Its - "Watch Me Share"

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.)

Continue reading "I Might Pay $8 Just For The Poster" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I talked a couple weeks ago about the best places to see kids music live, but I specifically excluded summer festivals from my list. Now, sometimes those are big weekend festivals like Kidzapalooza or the KC Jiggle Jam, but they could also include ongoing series like Mad. Sq. Kids (that's their abbreviation, not mine) in New York City. It's their ninth season, and their lineup this year includes Elizabeth Mitchell, Father Goose, Trout Fishing in America, AudraRox, the Deedle Deedle Dees, Dog on Fleas, The Jimmies, and more. For free.

Sigh. If you live in NYC (or visit between June 9 and August 13), your cup runneth over. Here's the lineup:

Continue reading "New York City-Area Families Viewed Jealously By Phoenix-Area Dad" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The lineup for the 2009 Austin City Limits Festival (Oct. 2-4) has been announced, including the Austin Kiddie Limits stage...

Ralph's World
Milkshake
Q Brothers
Telephone Company
Lunch Money

... are definitely there. It's unclear whether Quinn Sullivan, Palm School Elementary, and Loose Cannons are playing the AKL stage or one of the other stages. Secret Agent 23 Skidoo is also listed (at his site) as performing at AKL, so I'm kinda thinking there are a couple more acts to be added.

Top of the bill is a little OK, not great (Pearl Jam, Dave Mathews, Beastie Boys); it's the undercard, as always, that's where it's at (Levon Helm, Sonic Youth, Lily Allen, Blitzen Trapper, etc.) And for those of you looking for (potential) kids stage cameos, look no further than Medeski Martin & Wood, Terri Hendrix, and Andrew Bird...

Posted by SAShepherd at 06:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

... must be for Ziggy. It's a lousy Scrabble hand, but a busy spring for Ziggy Marley. His Family Time album comes out May 5th, then a month later, Marley's playing Club Nokia on Saturday, June 6th as part of the GRAMMY Museum's monthly "Musical Explorations" program for families. It's Marley's first family-specific concert along with Rhythm Child and unsurprisingly, it's for the "What Is Reggae?" show.

And if that wasn't enough, on June 23rd Marley will release B Is For Bob. As previously reported, the album features Ziggy tackling his father's catalog, remixing, adding some tracks, reimagining, as it were, some classic Bob Marley tracks. The album cover art and track listing after the jump...

Continue reading "B Is For Bob, G Is For Grammy, so Z..." »

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It was a whirlwind weekend for Brooklyn's Deedle Deedle Dees here in Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun. On Friday they played 3 shows at local elementary schools. Then on Saturday they visited the Children's Museum of Phoenix and played a couple sets in the gorgeous first-floor atrium. Nice mix of the history stuff and sillier, slightly younger stuff. But all I got is new stuff. Remember the "Have the Dees write a song" contest? Here is the winner:

The Deedle Deedle Dees - "Little Red Airplane" (Live)

One of the things I noticed about the show, both at the Children's Museum and at Church of the Beatitudes, where the Dees played a show Sunday afternoon, was just how much more active Lloyd Miller (Ulysses Dee) was than the last time I saw him play (at the Family Music Meltdown Bill and I put on in Austin in 2007). To be sure, the fact that Lloyd was without his standup bass was the primary facotr, but they interacted much more with the crowds I saw. Yay for between-song banter! Yay for band-assisted dinosaur feet!

The Deedle Deedle Dees - "Vegetarian Tyrannosaurus Rex" (Live)

Anyway, the shows were a blast. Look for the Dees' new album (from which 4 of the 5 videos' songs are drawn)sometime in September.

More video and photos after the jump.

Continue reading "Concert Recap: The Deedle Deedle Dees (Phoenix, April 2009)" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I live in Phoenix, which, as anyone who lives in Phoenix will tell you, is not the most scintillating of live music towns. There are many reasons for that, but I'm doing my best to change that, at least in the kids' music field.

There are certain venues across the country, however, that I draw inspiration from -- venues that manage to find space for both local and national artists, building a kids music community through live shows.

One note -- unfortunately, I've never been to any of these venues. My declaration of these sites as "the best" is based solely on the quality and diversity of their concert lineup. I should also note that this list explicitly excludes libraries and festivals as the former tends not to be able to bring in a bunch of touring musicians and the latter only gives you a weekend of music each year.

Of course, I want to hear about your favorite places to hear music with your family, not just for the quality of the music but also for the quality of the experience. Because no matter how good the show, if there's no place to change your kids' diaper, it's hard for anyone to be a happy camper.

On with the list...

Continue reading "What's Playing This Weekend? Best Kids Music Venues in the Country" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I'm a little late spreading the news here on the website, but I've been looking forward the first appearances of the occasionally raucous Brooklyn band The Deedle Deedle Dees in Arizona next weekend. Ulysses, Booker, Innocent, and Otto will be playing no less than 3 shows open to the public. On Saturday morning the 18th they'll be playing 2 shows at the Children's Museum of Phoenix in downtown Phoenix, one at 10 AM, the other at 11 AM. The shows are free with admission to the museum. Then on Sunday afternoon the 19th at 2 PM, the Dees will be playing a show at the Church of the Beatitudes. Tickets are just $4/person, $15/family. The Church is at the corner of 7th Avenue and Glendale in Phoenix.

Long time readers will know that I've helped put on a show with the Dees, so I'm very excited to have 'em make it all the way out here...

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:03 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)

Seeing as the 2009 edition of South By Southwest's Music Festival starts tomorrow, I thought I'd summarize some of the kids music-related activities going on.

In terms of showcasing bands, the highlight is the free show Saturday afternoon at Auditorium Shores:
Astrograss 12:30 p.m.
Joe McDermott 1:05 p.m.
Daddy a Go-Go 1:45 p.m.
Biscuit Brothers 2:25 p.m.
Jambo 3:20 p.m.
The Telephone Company 4:00 p.m.

That's a nice mix of out-of-town and local shows. But wait, there's more!

Continue reading "SXSW 2009 For Kids" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of the things you don't really appreciate if you've spent time putting on small shows or Family Music Meltdowns (Austin division) is how much time it takes to set up a Big Show. I'm not just talking about the all the work leading up to the day of the big event -- I'm talking about the big day itself. Sure, I've been to the Austin Kiddie Limits stage a couple times, but that was always after everything was set up (and before everything was taken down).

So I spent basically a good part of 4 hours helping to get Church of the Beatitudes ready for the Justin Roberts concert this past weekend and another 2 hours after it ended. Bringing in the backline (drums, amps, additional speakers, etc.). Setting it up. Welcoming the band (hi, guys and gal!). Getting the instruments and voices warmed up. Running through sound-check which, for a band which has as many singers and multi-instrumentalists as Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players has, takes a while, even with a pro running the soundboard. All the other little things and then...

Showtime!

As I would have expected, the band sounds great in concert. They ran through a set of song selections from every Justin album, including all the big hits ("Pop Fly," "Our Imaginary Rhino," "Yellow Bus"). No "Cartwheels and Somersaults" or "Fruit Jar," but I wasn't really expecting them to do the latter (nor was I surprised by "Cartwheels'" absence. Show was only an hour long, after all.) And Roberts is good at getting the healthy-sized crowd (for Phoenix) involved with a lot of the songs -- I never would've expected "She's A Yellow Reflector" to lend itself to crowd participation, but there it was...

And just like that, it was over. Good time.

Justin Roberts - "Pop Fly" (Live)

More live video and pictures after the jump.

Continue reading "Concert Recap: Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players (Phoenix, March 2009)" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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)

I already told you what I'll be doing on March 7, but I mentioned I had something else to announce for the weekend.

It's going to be a busy weekend, because on Sunday, March 8, Justin Roberts will be coming to town for his first-ever Phoenix concert. Justin and the Not Ready for Naptime Players will be playing at Phoenix's Church of the Beatitudes at 2 PM that afternoon. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for kids, and just $30 for a family of four. The show is part of a kids series I'm coordinating for the church, which was kicked off by Randy Kaplan late last year.

Tickets are available at the door, or call the church office (602-264-1221) to purchase tickets in advance.

Tell one, tell all. (Tucson folks, he's playing the Rialto Theatre Saturday the 7th.)

Photo copyright Todd Rosenberg 2006. Used by permission

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:15 AM | 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)

A couple months back, I let you know that the Grammy folks would be hosting a new kids music series at their new Grammy Museum, including a show tied to the kids music genre.

Well, that show is coming up here -- this Saturday in fact -- and if you're in the LA area, heck even if you hate the Grammys, this should be one heckuva show. Brady Rymer and Buck Howdy, both nominees in this year's kids audio categories, will be performing. Add to them Tom Paxton, who's receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys next weekend, and Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, who will be presenting some awards at Sunday afternoon's Grammy ceremony, and it's a sweet little concert. Starts at 10 AM, tickets just $8/person, or free with Museum admission.

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bill's been hinting at this for a while now, but he announced today the inaugural The River's Family Music Meltdown and Book Bash, which if you're anywhere in the Northampton area, sounds like a lot of fun. The Nields, Deedle Deedle Dees, Uncle Rock, plus more artists, not to mention a number of children's book authors and illustrators.

I have no small affinity for the phrase "Family Music Meltdown," so I'm glad it's getting put to good use up there. (Maybe we'll have a good reason to use it down here soon as well.)

Anyway, March 28th and it's free. Can't beat that.

Posted by SAShepherd at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's been a crazy-busy week for me, but I've got my calendar clear to see the Jellydots' Doug Snyder play a show at the wonderful Children's Museum of Phoenix this Sunday, January 11. Sets are at 2 and 3 PM, free with Museum admission. I'm so geeked I was able to help the Museum with their new series, especially with Doug.

Make sure you get there early, for two reasons:
1) Space is limited. (Check out the CMOP calendar for how to make reservations, though they're leaving a few spots open for walk-ins.)
2) Your kids (and you) will be so distracted by "Whoosh!" on the ground floor that it'll take you a good 20 minutes to get up to the 2nd floor...

See you tomorrow!

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

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)" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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)

Well, the contest to win tickets to Dan Zanes' Holiday House Party has come and gone, but someone's finally gone ahead and posted a clip from his performance at Seattle's Moore Theatre. Even with the MST3K-like heads obscuring part of the action, you can see that there must be, like, a dozen people up there on stage. The Zooglobble winner for the Seattle show reports that there was tap dancing and shadow puppets.

And, by the sound of this clip, yodeling. Lots of yodeling.

Dan Zanes and Friends - "Shining Star"

Tickets for the NYC run, which starts next weekend, are here.

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A while ago, main Jellydot Doug Snyder lived in Phoenix, even playing a Sing-Along Saturday at Stinkweeds Records. Well, Doug moved on to New Mexico, but he's returning to the Valley of the Sun to kick off a great 2009 kids music-wise when he plays a couple of sets at the Children's Museum of Phoenix on Sunday, January 11. Come at 2 PM, or come at 3 PM (or maybe even stay for both). The show is free with CMOP admission and if you haven't yet visited the museum and you've got kids who are still in the single-digit age range, you really should stop by -- it's a really cool museum.

I've helped CMOP put together a whole concert series for 2009 -- more details on the rest of the series coming soon!

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

If you've been reading your Dan Zanes newsletters (and, really, why aren't you?), you know that Dan Zanes has announced his Holiday House Party set of concerts. He's going to San Francisco Nov. 29/30; Davis, CA Dec. 2; and Seattle Dec. 6/7 before heading back to New York City for a long run at the New Victory Theatre Dec. 19 through Jan. 4.

For those of you who haven't been reading the e-mails, let's let the folks at Festival Five describe it...

Take a seat in the theatrical living room of Grammy winners Dan Zanes and Friends, America’s premier family music band, for a 21st century all-ages holiday celebration. If you feel that the festivities of the season are incomplete without disco Hanukkah rave-ups, raucous Arabic worship songs, a Korean new years anthem, high octane Mexican fiddling, tap dancing, shadow puppetry, snow, laughter, and the occasional Christmas carol, than this is your party. Everyone is invited and now that includes you. The New York Times says “concerts by Dan Zanes are always a cause for celebration” and the Holiday House Party may just be the wildest concert of them all.

Well, thanks to Festival Five, we here at Zooglobble are happy to give away a set of 4 tickets to one show in each of San Francisco (Sunday Nov. 30th @ 5 pm), Seattle (Sunday Dec. 7th @ 4 pm), and Nueva York City (Wednesday Dec. 31st @ noon) for you, loyal readers. How, you might ask?

Continue reading "Contest: Win Tickets to Dan Zanes' Holiday House Party!" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If they get nominated, I don't think that Justin Roberts or Laurie Berkner are going to be performing at the big Grammy ceremony on Sunday, February 8, but at the very least a nomination will get them a Grammy weekend performance. Word from Muddy Girl Productions' Karen Rappaport McHugh that all 2008 Grammy Award nominees in the children's music category will be invited to perform at Los Angeles' new Grammy Museum. (The museum is so new, it isn't even open yet -- it opens December 6.) Anyway, the nominees will perform on Friday, February 6 (for school-children) and Saturday, February 7 (for families) from 10 to 11 AM. Spoken word nominees will also be included in the event.

Even potentially more interesting (if you're in the LA area, at least), the Grammy Children's Music Showcase is just the first in a new concert series at the Museum. Rappaport McHugh's been planng a monthly children’s music series which will take place in their 200 seat theatre. The series will focus on a different genre of music each month. They've already compiled a list of bands that the museum is interested in inviting to perform, but artists who believe they fit into a particular month's genre are still welcome to contact Karen at "muddygirlproductions AT verizon.net."

The schedule by genre is as follows:

Continue reading "It's Not A Performance On Grammy Night, But Still..." »

Posted by SAShepherd at 12:54 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.

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Details come trickling out about They Might Be Giants' forthcoming kids music album Here Comes Science (which, as I've said before, is not the most scintillating of titles to my ears, but hey, they're the creative folks).

This time, the source is Bill and Ella from Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child. Ella (with help from her friend Sam) interviewed John and John Friday and, among other things, found out a lot about Nikola Tesla while telling John and John even more about Benjamin Franklin. All about the Benjamins, indeed. (And Sam's question about "Dr. Worm" produces quite a nugget, too.) In all, well worth the 12 minutes.

Bill also noted that their adult show Friday night included a new song from the upcoming Here Comes Science CD -- "The Sun Is A Miasma of Incandescent Plasma," a response song to their own cover of "Why Does the Sun Shine?"

In rooting around YouTube, it appears they've been playing this song for a little while now, but here's TMBG doing the song in Northampton...

They Might Be Giants - "Why Does the Sun Really Shine? (The Sun Is a Miasma of Incadescent Plasma)"

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OK, if you're in the Phoenix area on October 25th, I've already told you about the free Mr. Steve/SteveSongs performance.

But maybe you don't live near Phoenix. Maybe you live near, say, Nashville? Knoxville? Well, then, perhaps a live performance by Conductor Jack and the Zinghoppers might fit the bill. Two shows, 10 AM and 2 PM, with the show being filmed for a possible DVD release. Should be fun.

More details here. And perhaps he'll cover a song by a fellow Tennessee resident...

Continue reading "October 25th Activities for the Non-Phoenix Area" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As I'm starting to wrap up coverage of the 2008 Austin City Limits Festival and the Austin Kiddie Limits stage, I thought it might be nice to add some video to go along with the pictures and words I've been posting. So read on ahead for a whole bunch of sights and sounds (simultaneously) from this weekend's activities. Not just the usual suspects -- the Jimmies and Uncle Rock and Buck Howdy -- but also some other artists and other stages...

Continue reading "ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2008: The Festival in Video" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After two days of hanging around mostly with Miss Mary Mack at the Austin Kiddie Limits stage (not to mention the Family Music Meltdown 2), I thought it was important that she experience some other genres of music in other parts of Zilker Park. So after getting to the park after noon, we went over to the AT&T stage on the east side of the park to catch Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet featuring Bela Fleck. I thought she might dig the violin and banjo action. It was also early enough in the day that I felt like I could put her on my shoulders without offending the people behind me (because, at 12:30, I could still get close enough to feel, well, close, even at the back of the non-chair-sitting crowd). Washburn has spent a number of years in China, and so when she sang Chinese folk songs in a bluegrass arrangement, it didn't sound anywhere near as pretentious as you might think reading that description. In fact, it sounded, well, cool. But by about halfway through their set, we were getting hungry, so we left as the quartet riffed their way through "Eleanor Rigby."

Continue reading "ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2008: Day 3 Report" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We made it! To Day 2! After a nice breakfast/brunch with the family, Miss Mary Mack headed back out to downtown Austin, snagged a shuttle, and made it to Zilker Park in time for most of Uncle Rock's Saturday set. I figured that since Saturday would involve not only ACL but also aftershows (i.e., Family Music Meltdown 2), we could get there a little late. Unfortunately that meant missing Jambo's set, but since we'd seen him Friday (not to mention last year), I figured that'd be OK. Uncle Rock's set contained some music from yesterday's set (the superhero medley, for example), but also some new stuff (compared to Friday), but because I'm not the assiduous set list chronicler that Gwyneth is, I couldn't tell you what that new stuff was. Here he is performing with Abu from the Lannaya Dance Troupe that's been showing off African dance during the breaks all weekend. He did wear his big black shirt, which, I gotta tell you, must have helped him sweat off a bunch of fluid, because it was slightly warmer Saturday...

Continue reading "ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2008: Day 2 Report" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OK, do you really want to know how tiring a musical festival can be? At some point late in the afternoon on Friday, Day 1 of the Austin City Limits Festival, 2008 edition, as I left the media tent, I realized that I was missing my green wide-brimmed hat. I turned around, looked at the computer area for it -- not there. I went to the media area's welcome table and asked if somebody had turned in a green hat. One of the ladies there looked at me and said, "You know, you've got one hanging around your neck..."

So the first thing you need to know about a festival is that it can be an utterly exhausting experience, even if you're the type of person who handles utterly exhausting experiences well (as I do).

Continue reading "ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2008: Day 1 Report" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OK, Miss Mary Mack and I are hanging out at the airport. We've made it through security, Miss Mary Mack's e-mailed her teacher a couple photos, and I've just tweaked my (our) schedule for the whole of Austin City Limits Festival 2008.

Voila!

It is still too crowded -- there's no way I can be at 3 shows at once, and after you throw in interviews and a 2nd grader in the mix, clearly this is half realism, half insanity. But I'm an experienced ACL / Austin Kiddie Limits veteran now, as is Miss Mary Mack, so I think we'll be OK.

I'll try to post throughout the weekend -- we'll see how successful I am in that regard.

I'm obviously bringing the computer with me, though I'll probably only be checking at non-festival hours. If you're there, e-mail me and we'll try to say hello.

And don't forget -- Family Music Meltdown 2. Saturday, 6 PM, Ruta Maya, just $5, free for infants.

Woo. Hoo.

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've written a lot about the Austin Kiddie Limits stage at this weekend's Austin City Limits Festival, but I'd be derelict if I didn't mention Family Music Meltdown 2, the show Bill and I are throwing early Saturday night at Ruta Maya Coffeehouse. Five great Austin bands for just five bucks. That's a great band per buck (or for free if you're an infant). Regardless of how you spell it, it will rock.

The set order will be as follows:
Super Pal Universe (acoustic)
Mr. Leebot
Telephone Company
Laura Freeman
Joe McDermott and the Smart Little Creatures

There's no better excuse to keep your kiddos up late than to have 'em dancing 'til 9 PM. Heck, even if you can only stay for an hour or so, it's a heckuva deal. For more details on these fine Austin artists, read on...

Continue reading "Family Music Meltdown 2 Preview" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 02:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, if I don't finish this series of previews of the artists who will be playing the Austin Kiddie Limits stage at the 2008 edition of the Austin City Limits Festival soon, I'll never finish. So I'm going to wrap up by briefly mentioning the rest of the artists. (Previous artists: Buck Howdy with BB, Uncle Rock, Jambo, The Jimmies, Big Don, mr.RAY.)

First off, the Q Brothers:
-- Official Website
-- Myspace page

The Q Brothers are the other hip-hop artist(s) to play AKL this year. They performed last year. I didn't see 'em perform on stage, but I did see them teach a whole bunch of kids how to scratch and rap at their booth between sets. They'll be doing that again this year.

The Q Brothers play 12:30 Friday.

The Q Brothers - Promo for "Funk It Up About Nothin'" (a promo for a blend of Shakespeare and hip-hop)

More artists after the jump...

Continue reading "Austin Kiddie Limits 2008 Preview: The Rest of the Weekend" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We're nearing the end of our ongoing series of previews of the artists who will be playing the Austin Kiddie Limits stage at the 2008 edition of the Austin City Limits Festival. Today it's mr. RAY. (Previous artists: Buck Howdy with BB, Uncle Rock, Jambo, The Jimmies, Big Don.)

First, the technical specs...
-- Official Website (or here if you're British)
-- Videos
-- Myspace page
-- Zooglobble archives.

mr. RAY might just be the biggest artist to play the AKL stage this year... if you're British. That's right, the New Jersey-based mr. RAY (aka Ray Andersen) is signed to Universal Records for the UK and Ireland and has a big following across the pond. Here in the US, his fanbase isn't quite as big yet, perhaps, but those of you in Austin next weekend will get a chance to hear his Beatles-y pop for preschoolers and see what'll definitely be the coolest guitar on stage barring the surprise appearance of Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen.

mr. RAY plays 1:30 Saturday, 2:30 Sunday.

mr. RAY - "Roy G. Biv"

One more video after the jump.

Continue reading "Austin Kiddie Limits 2008 Preview: mr. RAY" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 02:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No secret that we're big Biscuit Brothers fans 'round these parts. Currently we're watching their Go Make Music Vol. 1 DVD just about daily, with Little Boy Blue asking constantly, "Watch tuba?" (one of the episodes is loosely tied around a tuba that is inexplicably producing high notes rather than low ones).

So it was with a "woohoo!" that I read in the Brothers' latest newsletter that they're working on new Biscuit Brothers episodes to air starting in early 2009. Not only that, they've produced Christmas and Holiday specials for airing this year. Perhaps a DVD for those of living in areas with PBS stations insufficiently clued in to start airing the show isn't far behind...

I'd also note that although I happen to think our soiree in Austin next weekend will be lots of fun (6 PM Saturday the 27th at Ruta Maya, just $5, hint hint), I'm also very impressed by the lineup the Brothers have put together for their Austin Family Music Festival the following Saturday, October 4th. Besides the Biscuit Brothers, the Festival will feature performances by Mr. Steve (aka SteveSongs), Lucas Miller, Super Pal Universe, and maybe coolest of all, Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison. Plus lots more.

So go to Family Music Meltdown a week from today and AFMF two weeks from today. Or move to Austin.

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We're continuing our ongoing series of previews of the artists who will be playing the Austin Kiddie Limits stage at the 2008 edition of the Austin City Limits Festival. Today it's Big Don. (Previous artists: Buck Howdy with BB, Uncle Rock, Jambo, The Jimmies.)

First, the technical specs...
-- Official Website
-- Videos
-- Myspace page
-- Zooglobble archives, though this entry is it for the moment.

For those of you thinking you can't break into Austin Kiddie Limits, Big Don (aka Austin hip hop artist Don Robinson) proves ya wrong. How do I know? When I was at Austin Kiddie Limits last year, I got a copy of Big Don's Big Beat... because somebody was passing them out to any interested party. I'm assuming Tor Hyams was one of those people who got the CD, too. Anyway, the album is nothing too complicated, just good, solid hip hop for preschoolers, mostly. I have no idea how he'll be in concert, but I'm looking forward to bopping along.

Big Don plays at 2:30 on Friday and 11:30 Sunday.

Big Don - "Humpty Dumpty"

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Another day, another entry in my ongoing series of previews of the artists who will be playing the Austin Kiddie Limits stage at the 2008 edition of the Austin City Limits Festival. Today -- The Jimmies. (Previous artists: Buck Howdy with BB, Uncle Rock, Jambo.)

First, the technical specs...
-- Official Website
-- Videos
-- Myspace page
-- Zooglobble archives, including an interview with lead Jimmy ("lead Jimmie"?) Ashley Albert.

The Jimmies will rock harder than anyone else at the AKL stage next weekend with the possible exception of the Paul Green School of Rock All-Stars, and is the School of Rock bringing a giant tap-dancing robot? I didn't think so. Well, neither are the Jimmies, but they've brought one to a concert taping before, so they've got that going for them. Anyway, their debut album Make Your Own Someday features some great powerpop and a sense of humor that will greatly amuse your seven-year-old. And probably you.

The Jimmies play at 3:30 Saturday and 2:30 Sunday. Bring your own tap-dancing robot.

The Jimmies - "Do The Elephant"

More videos, including the much-loved "Spanimals," after the jump...

Continue reading "Austin Kiddie Limits 2008 Preview: The Jimmies" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Remember last week when I begged residents up and down the West Coast for video of Elizabeth Mitchell performing on her kids music swing up the coast?

Well, I'd completely forgotten she was also playing the Greasy Kid Stuff -curated Tiny TBA Festival in Portland. And luckily, Beth Blenz-Clucas was on the case. Thanks, Beth!

I totally want to learn that violin part.

Elizabeth Mitchell - "What Goes On" (Live)

Posted by SAShepherd at 04:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In my ongoing series of previews of the artists who will be playing the Austin Kiddie Limits stage at the 2008 edition of the Austin City Limits Festival, next up is Jambo. (Previous artists: Buck Howdy with BB, Uncle Rock).

First, the technical specs...
-- Official Website
-- YouTube channel
-- Myspace page
-- Zooglobble archives

Whereas Uncle Rock explores the "rock" side of roots rock, Jambo (AKA Steve Pierson and his band), from Southern California, explores the bluesier side of roots rock. Not in any "my baby left me" sort of way, but he does play a pretty slick guitar. Oh, he also sings about ladybugs, dogs, and other topics left virtually unexplored by, say, BB King. Jambo is one of the AKL veterans -- they played the stage last year -- so he'll at least be smart enough not to wear something insanely warm. And it'll be a good, solid set.

Jambo plays Friday at 1:30, and Saturday at 11:30 as well.

Jambo - "Where Do They Go?" (Live)

One more live video after the jump.

Continue reading "Austin Kiddie Limits 2008 Preview: Jambo" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 06:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the days leading up to the 2008 edition of the Austin City Limits Festival, I'm going to be giving brief previews of the artists who will be playing the Austin Kiddie Limits stage. This is the second in the series (Buck Howdy with BB's preview is here).

So, first are the technical specs for Uncle Rock...
-- Official Website
-- YouTube channel
-- Myspace page
-- Zooglobble archives

Uncle Rock (AKA Robert Burke Warren), from upstate New York, plays all-ages roots rock. But he doesn't limit himself just to straight-ahead roots rock. His latest album, Uncle Rock U., shows Warren's willingness to assume character personas in song, play homage to James Brown, and generally have lots of fun. Given his background playing bass for the Fleshtones and portraying Buddy Holly in Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, it should be a solid live show.

Uncle Rock kicks off the AKL stage on Friday at 11:30, and plays Saturday at 12:30 as well.

Uncle Rock - "Break A Few Eggs" (Live)

My favorite Uncle Rock video, plus one more from his latest album, is after the jump.

Continue reading "Austin Kiddie Limits 2008 Preview: Uncle Rock" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A quick shout-out to Bill over at Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child, who's putting together a sweet little concert series up in Northampton, including Elizabeth Mitchell, Uncle Rock, and Aric Bieganek. (And maybe more.) See? This is why I like co-sponsoring shows with him. (Austin folks! Family Music Meltdown 2 is just 2 1/2 weeks away!)

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the days leading up to the 2008 edition of the Austin City Limits Festival, I'm going to be giving brief previews of the artists who will be playing the Austin Kiddie Limits stage. I'm attending with Miss Mary Mack again this year, but as I'm planning my own schedule for the fest, I'm again facing the incontrovertible fact that I can't be in two (or even three) places at once. And I don't think anybody else has solved that problem. So for those of you wondering how in the world you're going to see Uncle Rock, the Old 97s, and Fleet Foxes Saturday at 12:30, I'll be giving just a little bit of information on the artists and bands playing down in that little AKL nook so you can plan your day accordingly.

First up, Buck Howdy with BB...
-- Official Website
-- YouTube channel
-- Myspace page
-- Zooglobble archives

Buck Howdy plays smooth Western swing -- the fact that the songs are sometimes about farting or the farm is just sort of a side note. Both Buck and his co-singer BB have great voices that meld really well together. And his fine album Chickens! (review) was nominated for a Grammy this past year.

So, yeah, this'll be a fun set. In fact, this might be one of the most country sets at the entire ACL 2008 festival.

Buck plays Saturday at 1:30, Sunday at 12:30.

Buck Howdy With BB, "Friends" (off Chickens!)

(One more video, from Giddyup!, after the jump.)

Continue reading "Austin Kiddie Limits 2008 Preview: Buck Howdy with BB" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.)

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I don't typically mention single concerts around the country (unless, you know, I'm helping to put on the show), but occasionally a lineup stands out.

Like next weekend's Target Children's Book Festival in Bloomington, Minnesota. On Saturday, Sept. 13th, at Hyland Lake Park Reserve, the Festival's hosting a great lineup of kids musicians to enjoy for free. And, yeah, I guess since it's a book festival, there might be a few authors hanging around. Books, music, it's all good.

Set times for musicians (there are authors scattered in between there) are...
10:00 The Jimmies
11:25 Justin Roberts & the Not Ready for Naptime Players
1:10 Nick Jr.'s The Wonder Pets!
12:35 Lisa Loeb
1:55 The Jimmies
3:05 They Might Be Giants
4:25 Justin Roberts & the Not Ready for Naptime Players

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Everybody loves cupcakes, blowing out the birthday candle, and most of all, great music.

Jay from Lunch Money outdoes himself (last year's poster) with this, the poster for this year's Family Music Meltdown. (Though the type is sorta hard to read in this JPG version, it looks awesome in its 18 MB glory.)

Saturday, Sept. 27th -- doors at 5, show at 6, and tickets just $5 (infants free). With Super Pal Universe, Joe McDermott and the Smart Little Creatures, Laura Freeman, Telephone Company, and Family Music Meltdown name-creator Mr. Leebot. (And who knows who else might show up?)

Woo. Hoo.

Posted by SAShepherd at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A week after the fact, but I thought I'd share a few pictures and thoughts from the Terrible Twos I helped put on here in Phoenix.

First, Matt Pryor and his Terrible Twos bassist Eric McCann are, unsurprisingly, really nice guys. That's one of the nice things about this genre -- I have this mental picture of the music scene for adults being rife with ugly personalities, and I just haven't seen that at all in this genre. Anyway, Matt and Eric are down-to-earth guys; some people you know are lawyers, some are teachers, and some happen to write or play music for a living. Matt and Eric are in that last category.

Continue reading "Concert Recap: The Terrible Twos (Phoenix, August 2008)" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by SAShepherd at 03:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Terrible Twos (or, at least, Matt Pryor and Eric McCann) put on a great show last night at Phoenix's Modified Arts. I'll have a recap with photos up soon, I hope, but in the meantime, here's 19 minutes of video from the show, featuring songs from both their albums, split up into 8 tiny nuggets.

The Terrible Twos - "Old Man Miller"

"A song about a porcupine..."

Continue reading "WooTwoZooTube! (Or, The Terrible Twos in Phoenix, Now on Video)" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OK, I probably have. But, you know, I tell you all about shows like Kidzapalooza or the KC Jiggle Jam and nobody seems to mind that much, so why should I be so worried about telling you about a Phoenix show most of you won't get to see (live, anyway).

So for those of you who might not care about tomorrow's show because they're, like, 1,000 miles away, here's a stellar interview with Terrible Twos main man Matt Pryor. It's only maybe a quarter about the Twos (as opposed to Pryor's solo album), but there's also some great stuff on there about what it's like to be a working musician with family. Oh, and there are some mp3s from the first album plus some demos definitely worth checking out.

And just so you don't forget: Wednesday, Aug. 20th -- the Terrible Twos at Modified Arts (407 E. Roosevelt) in Phoenix. Doors at 5:30; show at 6:00. Tickets just $5 for adults, $3 for kids...

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OK, not me. Next time, I hope. I can't help present every show. (Time for the unsubtle reminder that the Terrible Twos show, presented by, yes, Zooglobble, is next Wednesday, August 20th at 6 PM. Details here.)

But I am happy that Ralph Covert is heading down to Tucson with his band. That's right, on Saturday, November 8th, Tucson's Rialto Theatre will host Ralph's World in concert, doors at 10:30, show at 11:00, tickets $16 each. The show is being presented by Mrs. Tiggy Winkles, a Tucson toy store which carries a nice selection of kids music. Plus, they also have link for the bathroom.

And, apropos of nothing other than I saw the embedded video, which I'd somehow not seen before, for Ralph's wonderful "We Are Ants," here's a video.

Ralph's World - "We Are Ants"

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Perhaps forgotten amidst the controversy over Laurie Berkner's hair and the lengthy, ongoing discussion on the near-cancellation of the Disney Music Block Party Tour (yes, Bill, I agree that on the website, it's like Disney is taking the Obi-Wan Kenobi "these aren't the droids we're looking for" approach) and its lessons (consensus: all kids music is local) is the fact that a major kids music festival actually took place last weekend.

Kidzapalooza once again took over a tiny corner of Chicago's Grant Park as part of Lollapalooza, any while pickings are few, there are some details on YouTube.

Most people seem to be most excited about the Jeff Tweedy appearance at the Kidz stage. This video captures Tweedy cussing, catching himself, turning it into a lesson, then finally playing "Hummingbird." No, I'm not entirely sure what this has to do with kids' music, but it's still a sweet little song. Who ever would've thought A Ghost Is Born would be heard on the Kidz stage.

More videos after the jump.

Continue reading "You Know, Some Music Festivals Actually Happened Recently" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Continue reading "Recess Monkey - Live At Modified Arts" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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)" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by SAShepherd at 03:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by SAShepherd at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OK, if you're going to name your festival the On The Waterfront Festival, you can't expect me not to make a bad movie reference, right? (Oh, I see I made the same joke last year. So predictable.)

Aaaanyway, the four-day fest features a nice little lineup of local and not-so-local acts for the kids interspersed amongst a much larger set of bands. Might be worth a trip if you're in the area Labor Day weekend.

Saturday Aug.30th
Mindy Hester (who I don't see listed on the schedule at the moment, but I've been told is playing)
The Deeedle Deedle Dees

Sunday Aug. 31st
The Chickadees
Jim Gill

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Terrible Twos are releasing their new album Jerzy the Giant next week (have you heard it yet?) and to mark the occasion, they're doing some touring the next couple months. At the same time, chief Two (Number One Two?) Matt Pryor is also releasing his first solo record, Confidence Man and to mark the occasion, he's doing some touring the next couple months.

Coincidence? Who cares! There's a show in Phoenix! Presented by Zooglobble (a phrase which I still can't say without chuckling a little). On Wednesday, August 20th, at 6 PM (doors open at 5:30) at downtown Phoenix's Modified Arts, you'll get to see the Terrible Twos in a special early show. It will be energetic, fun, and no small party. Tickets are $5, $3 for the kiddos. Other Terrible Twos dates after the jump.

Continue reading "Afterschool Special: The Terrible Twos in Concert (Presented by Zooglobble)" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 06:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's true, folks, we'll be heading back to Austin in late September for this year's Austin City Limits Festival, and in particular, the Austin Kiddie Limits stage. Now I can engage in my own schedule-balancing as I try to figure out how to maximize my time at the AKL stage while not missing good shows elsewhere around the festival and simultaneously making sure my daughter is having a good time and not getting too tired.

That's right, Miss Mary Mack will be joining me again, and I'm hoping she'll help her dad out a little more this year, what with her new-found experience as a returning festival-goer.

We'll be staying with the Official Brother, Sister-in-Law, and Nephew of Zooglobble, since the Official Mom of Zooglobble will be out of town that weekend. We'll also be flying into Austin instead of Dallas, thereby saving us 3 hours of driving each. Yay!

And, no, I am not the secret replacement for Brian Eno in David Byrne's set (probably my most-anticipated non-AKL set).

But wait, there's more!

Continue reading "Back To Austin" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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!

Posted by SAShepherd at 03:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by SAShepherd at 04:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you do like Jeff Tweedy, and you are planning on being at Lollapalooza this year then get yourself over to the Kidz stage at about 3:00 on Friday, 'cuz he's playing a set. "Just A Kid," indeed. (I'm thinkin' "Shot in the Arm" or "Handshake Drugs" might not be the best choices for his setlist.)

Yeah, the schedule was announced a while back, but now we have days and times. The full schedule for Kidzapalooza after the jump.

Continue reading "Kidzapalooza 2008 Set Times: Do You Like Jeff Tweedy?" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A few weeks ago, the Austin City Limits and Austin Kiddie Limits lineup was announced, now comes the hard part -- figuring out what shows you're gonna see at this year's ACL Festival.

Austin Kiddie Limits lineup after the jump. Now updated for a totally revised schedule. Oh, and I hope you're not a big fan of both Beck andRobert Plant and Alison Krauss, 'cuz your Saturday night will now be fraught with confusion...

Continue reading "Austin Kiddie Limits: Schedule Set, Let Schedule-Balancing Begin." »

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

The Disney Music Block Party Tour took for. freakin'. ever. to get their site up and running. I mean, news of the tour has been floating around for at least a couple months now, and it became almost amusing to see the "Full Site Launches May [insert date here]" change every couple days, but midday today they finally came through on their promise.

Dan Zanes, They Might Be Giants, Barenaked Ladies, Imagination Movers, and Choo Choo Soul is a pretty sweet lineup, though they won't all be appearing at each concert. $36 a person is a bit steep, though kids under the age of 3 are free, and some of the other activities (the PLAYSKOOL play areas, NAMM-sponsored areas with musical instruments for the kiddos) look nice. (I'm a little dubious about having a tent with nothing but Playhouse Disney TV -- just stay at home if you're gonna do that -- but, hey, don't tell me that place won't be packed after the kids have been there an hour or two.)

No, They Might Be Giants and Barenaked Ladies will not be playing at the same show. Value for money, the last show in the Nassau Coliseum is your best bet. As for you Canadians, the good news is that you get a show. The bad news? The Toronto show gets one less act than everyone else.

Aaaand, of course Phoenix (not to mention the entire country west of the Mississippi) doesn't get a single show.

Full details (dates, locations, hours) after the jump.

Continue reading "Disney Music Block Party Tour. Finally." »

Posted by SAShepherd at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's a little hard to tell because the only place it's available is a less-than-helpfully-formatted Myspace page, but here's the lineup for the Chicago edition, set for August 1-3, 2008.

The Jimmies
Tiny Masters of Today
The Dream Jam Band
Homemade Jamz
The Q Brothers
The Terrible Twos
Perry Farrell
Peter DiStefano & Tor
G Love
Suzy Brack and the New Jack Lords
Paul Green School of Rock All Stars
John Yost's Rhythm Revolution

Considering one of the few bands I'm not familiar with - Suzy Brack and the New Jack Lords - is pegged as "tiki-punk," it's safe to say the stage will bring no small amount of rock.

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Attention Phoenix-area peeps: Eric Herman continues his worldwide tour (OK, perhaps not worldwide, but it's been going on for more than a month, so that's impressive enough). This Saturday Herman will be playing at Sunset Library in Chandler (location), starting at 11 AM. Herman's been honing his show for a long time now (more than just a month), and it should be lots of fun.

We'd try to go, but we have two kids with two separate parties to go to at the same time. You do the math.

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I first saw this weekend's press release announcing the announcement of the Kidzapalooza 2008 lineup, I was somewhat confused. Lollapalooza and its Kidzapalooza stage is scheduled for CHICAGO August 1-3. The Paul Frank Store Los Angeles is, uh, located in LOS ANGELES. As the poster announcing the announcement says, "Of course!" What better place to announce a lineup for a Chicago show than in LA? Perhaps they can also tell us what's coming to the Art Institute of Chicago in early 2009.

But then came this announcement (hat tip: Idolator) that Kidzpalooza is getting its own stand-alone concert at the Hollywood Bowl September 28, with pre-show activities starting at 4:30 PM and the show starting at 6:30 PM. The only artist currently announced is chief Lollapalooza poobah Perry Farrell.

While I think this is a great idea, and one producer Tor Hyams had previously suggested would happen, two concerns:
1) Ticket prices are $12 to $70 (!) dollars. I know, I know, a bunch of people can afford that on the upper end. And that's a pittance compared to, say, Hannah Montana tickets. But I gotta tell you, it was hard enough convincing people to plop down $20 for a Dan Zanes ticket. Anything more than that, even for more multiple artists, is going to be hard...
2) 6:30 PM on a Sunday night? Monday morning's going to be a pain getting the kids ready...

I'd also note this is the same weekend as Austin City Limits Festival, which will certainly make Tor a busy man that week.

Anyway, tickets for the Hollywood Bowl show go on sale Saturday morning at 10 AM. And once you've done that (or not), go over for the events at the Paul Frank Store Los Angeles (which also includes a raffle for a trip to the festival in Chicago). Schedule is after the jump.

Continue reading "Kidzapalooza Branches Out" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sigh... while Bill and Audra stink it up with a whole bunch of people out in Brooklyn this weekend (in a good way), there are bunch of artists headed out to Stagecoach to play their Half-Pint Hootenanny.

I've got a full weekend myself planned, but, y'know, Indio is pretty darn close...

For those of you interested in Half-Pint Hootenanny, the schedule's after the jump, plus details on the special something organizer Karen Rappaport McHugh promised for the weekend....

Continue reading "Stuck in Flyover Country" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While I think that the Asylum Street Spankers' Mommy Says No! was definitely one of the best dozen or so CDs from last year, there's no doubt that it was definitely on the edge as kids' CDs go -- it's not for everyone, and some families won't like it at all.

On top of that, one song -- "You Only Love Me For My Lunchbox" -- has achieved what I believe to be a singular achievement in the kids' music genre. It is, to my knowledge, the only kids' song -- recorded specifically for kids -- to be edited for language. That's right, XM Radio is playing the song, but without the last part of the tongue-twister breakdown.

Why? Well, you'll have to watch this video from a Spankers' show in Dallas back in March.

So, anyway, to answer my own question - from about 4:00 to 4:30 or so, most definitely not, unless you want to have a lengthy and probably unproductive discussion with your impressionable child. (Note: the actual cursing is not part of the CD, just to make that clear.)

Asylum Street Spankers - "You Only Love Me For My Lunchbox"

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

... so why wouldn't you host a kids' music concert there?

OK, that probably wasn't the thinking of XMKids when they set up a concert for Saturday, May 24, but, hey, why not? The XMKids' Traveling Roadshow will broadcast from 11 Children's Miracle Network hospitals across the country starting May 12 as part of an effort to raise $10 million for the non-profit group.

And at the end of the trip they'll host a live, free show from noon to 4 PM at the Sylvan Theatre on the National Mall. Musicians playing at the show include Lisa Loeb, Meredith Brooks, and the ubiquitous Jimmies, who are well on their way to becoming the Jack Johnson of this year's summer concert circuit, appearing seemingly everywhere.

Nice lineup for a good cause.

Posted by SAShepherd at 02:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, they've announced the Austin City Limits Festival lineup for the 2008 edition, and it's a doozy. Foo Fighters, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, and Beck appear to be the 3 headliners based on the fact they're listed first, and there are a lot of bands on the undercard worth seeing (David Byrne, Neko Case, Gillian Welch, Mates of State are just some of the intriguing names on the list).

But this is Zooglobble, and so here I am with the Austin Kiddie Limits lineup:

Jambo
Q Brothers
Buck Howdy with BB
Uncle Rock
Big Don
Mr. Ray
The Jimmies
School of Rock

With the exception of Jambo, Q Brothers and School of Rock, all are new to the AKL stage. The lineup is a little more country (Buck Howdy), a little more hip-hop (Big Don, who was there last year passing out CDs, so that seemed to work out well for him), with perhaps the Jimmies trying to fit the large showmanship shoes of the Sippy Cups.

Austin City Limits Festival this year is Sept. 26 - 28.

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Kansas City kids musician Funky Mama (aka Krista Eyler) pointed out yesterday that Kansas City, Missouri will host its host its own kids music festival, the first Kansas City Jiggle Jam Family Fest, Memorial Day weekend (Saturday and Sunday, May 24 and 25).

"Don't forget the Midwest family music," asks Eyler, and with a lineup including They Might Be Giants, Justin Roberts, Trout Fishing in America, Tom Chapin, John McCutcheon, not to mention KC-area favorites Jim Cosgrove and Funky Mama, it would be hard to. Especially when the cost per day is $10/kid ($8 in advance, kids under 2 free) and $5/adult. Heck, at those ticket prices, you're losing money if you don't pack those kids of yours into the car/minivan/refurbished school bus and head out.

(Hey, I spent a number of years in the Midwest -- can't ever forget the Midwest family music.)

Anybody else have some sweet tours or multi-multi-artist festivals they know of? Let me know...

Posted by SAShepherd at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Perhaps you're thinking you don't want to wait until August or September to see a whole bunch of kids' music artists. Perhaps you're also thinking, hey, I'd like to see the Judds reunite! (Coachella's got Portishead, you decide which you'd prefer.) Well, then, Coachella's countryfied cousin, Stagecoach has come to rescue. In addition to booking the Eagles for the festival's second, Stagecoach also is doing its Half-Pint Hootenanny once more and announced its lineup today, with some familiar names on the list:

Brady Rymer
Buck Howdy with BB
The Bummkinn Band
Tom Freund and Friends
Uncle Ron and Aunt Sandii
Kid Fiddlers
The Bon Family and California All-Star Cloggers
Croakers Youth/Family Square Dancers Club

That's a decent lineup there. Stagecoach is May 2 through 4 in Indio, California.

And what if you prefer Austin in springtime?

Continue reading "For Those Who Can't Wait For Summer Music Festivals" »

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

I feel compelled to jot down a few words about the Dan Zanes show we saw a couple weeks ago, and not just because I've got this cool photo of Dan wearing a scarf my daughter gave him (you'll have to click through to see that).

I was glad to see that Phoenix managed to turn out a decent-sized crowd, a good 700 people, maybe more, in the gorgeous Orpheum Theatre. Really, for a Friday-night show that might have impeded attendance by families with younger kids, I'm pretty happy.

There were clearly families for whom this was not their first DZ show -- I recognized people from the Tucson show last April. But many, including Miss Mary Mack's younger brother, who, let's go ahead and call him Little Boy Blue, were seeing him for the first time.

Continue reading "Concert Review: Dan Zanes (Phoenix, February 2008)" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I've hear rumors of particular bands being booked for C3's twin titans of summer kid-friendly music festivals, Kidzapalooza and Austin Kiddie Limits, and some of those rumors would appear to be inching toward the realm of reality.

Austin Kiddie Limits has posted some new tracks on its Myspace page. New to the page are The Jimmies, Buck Howdy, Uncle Rock, and Mr. RAY. These artists would all appear to be on the bill for AKL, set for September 26 through 28. (Buck Howdy already has AKL dates on his live calendar.) And The Jimmies have a Kidzapalooza date set on their calendar. (Kidzapalooza is set for August 1 through 3.)

These aren't all the bands I've heard rumors of, so more will be announced at some point, to be sure. But, hey, it's only February -- ACL is 7 months away, after all. Now you can plan your summer 2008 road trips accordingly.

Posted by SAShepherd at 03:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

With Dan Zanes visiting Phoenix for the first time on tour with Dan Zanes and Friends less than two weeks from now, I thought it'd be a good time to catch up with the singer. I've done both these things before (seeing him perform in Tucson in April 2007 and interviewing him back in summer 2006), but nothing ever stands still in Dan Zanes' world these days. So I called him up in Puerto Rico and chatted a bit.

Read on for his views on what makes a good Dan Zanes and Friends concert and what he does the first time he visits a city. (Phoenix-area readers, feel free to chime in with suggestions for what he should do here.) Find out about the upcoming album, ¡Nueva York!

And even if you've never even been to Phoenix, you'll want to read the end of the interview where I find out exactly what he was doing in Puerto Rico and what Paul McCartney has to do with it. Trust me, it's worth the time. (And thanks to Dan for making the time.)

Zooglobble: How would you describe a Dan Zanes and Friends concert?
Dan Zanes: As much like a little Grateful Dead show as possible. I try to make the theatre feel like your living room. There's lots of people singing along, lots of people on stage, and as much roaming around, laughing, and crying as possible. And then the whole dissolves into a whole dance party. I want everybody who comes to feel like we're all in this together.

What's your favorite part of the show?
Two things: first, how much people throw themselves into singing. Are they singing their heads off? Second, what's the level of the dancing? Are the aisles filled? How many people are upfront? How much chaos? How intense does it get?

I can't even remember the last show where people didn't dance. In the world of young people, it's so much how they relate... in a physical way.

Continue reading "Interview: Dan Zanes" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I try not to get too provincial here at Zooglobble HQ. Physically we're in Arizona, but, hey, I've got readers all over this wonderful country of ours, the world even -- no need to spend so many electrons on my own little corner of the world.

But I noticed that Dan Zanes had announced some new tour dates including... three whole concerts in Arizona. That's right, on Friday, Feb. 8, Zanes and friends will hit Phoenix's Orpheum Theatre, then will head two hours south for a concert at Tucson's Rialto Theatre on Saturday the 9th, then back four hours north to Flagstaff's Orpheum Theatre for a concert on Sunday the 10th. (Yeah, I can't figure out that order, either.)

Needless to say, I'm excited about this, for a couple reasons, actually. First, obviously, is because it means another chance to see Zanes in concert without having to travel down to Tucson. If we go, I guess the question is whether our son, less than two years old back in April, would join us at a 7 PM Friday night show... Hmmm....

The other reason I'm excited is that it's really the first time that a major kids' musician (excluding the Wiggles, who are in their own category) is making multiple Arizona stops. Heck, it's really the first time that a major kids' musician is coming to Phoenix. (For those of you who want to list their own musician who has, in fact, played the Phoenix area, I'm sorry, "major" includes maybe five or six artists.)

So, if you live anywhere near Phoenix, please, please, please make it to this show. If you can't, tell your friends to make it to this show. I think Phoenix is on the verge of no longer being stupidly ignored by kids' music bookers (I hear rumors of other artists looking into the area), but the reluctance of artists to book shows here won't appear so stupid if Zanes plays to a half-full house.

Posted by SAShepherd at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

News from Elizabeth Mitchell that she's spending the rest of 2007 finishing her next children's music album. "If you have any song suggestions, now is the time to let us know," Mitchell says. (For the lazy among you, that address is: mail AT youaremyflower DOT org.) If it's half as good as any in her You Are My... trilogy, it should be great.

And for those of you around New York City next weekend, Mitchell is playing Symphony Space November 10. How is that different from any of her other shows? Well, Mitchell's Catch the Moon compatriot Lisa Loeb and Laurie Berkner partner-in-crime Susie Lampert will be joining in on the fun. Admit it, those harmonies might be sweet.

Posted by SAShepherd at 04:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This has been available for awhile, but I wanted to point out that Brady Rymer has three new songs available for download as part of his Children's Dimetapp Breathe & Boogie Tour. Go here to download "Healthy Livin'" and "Even the Animals Sneeze," a couple mid-tempo folk-rockers that would've sounded fine on his recent Every Day is a Birthday CD.

Also available for download is "We are the Sniffles," which also has a video on the site. I'm sorta bummed because it's the best of the three tracks -- propulsive, great harmonies -- but it's got a couple shout-outs to Dimetapp (both in the song and on the video). It's worth a spin, though, because aside from the commercial reference (which kinda kills any repeat-listening value for me), it shows Rymer and his band at their best.

Rymer, incidentally, will be releasing his latest album, Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could, on March 4. You can hear one of the songs from the upcoming CD, "Road Trip" by attending one of his final shows on this tour in Rochester (NY), Houston, Dallas, and Madison, New Jersey (details here) and picking up the free six-song Rymer CD they're distributing.

So, yeah, I'm just waiting for the edited version...

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Ah, Austin, a city I've called home (or home-away-from-home, or home-away-from-home-away-from-home) for well over twenty years.

Which means that I'm entitled to feelings of "when-the-hey-did-they-build-this-thing?," even if I was just there a couple months ago. Driving from the airport to the Glenn at the Backyard, site of the first Austin Kid's Day, held this past Labor Day weekend, I was constantly amazed at the width of the freeways and the number of power centers I passed. (Of course, this being Austin, many of those power centers are tastefully tucked in behind some trees so they're not nearly so noticeable from the road.)

I take that brief detour (metaphorically) to suggest that Austin, while it might have been able to put together a music festival 20 years ago, it certainly wasn't at the point where it might have supported a long afternoon of quality kids' music.

Continue reading "Austin Kid's Day, A Recap" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OK. It's 11:15 AM Sunday, and I'm in the press tent. I am -- of course -- sweating like a really sweaty dog. The kid-band We Go To 11 start in about 15 minutes, and I'm probably about a 14-minute walk from the AKL stage, so, uh, I'm going to be brief. (Well, probably not, but briefer than I otherwise would be.)

Miss Mary Mack and I had a leisurely morning on Saturday. Since the Bummkinn Band and Jambo were playing the first two sets on Saturday and we'd seen 'em on Friday, we took a pass. (The fact that we'd be watching music until 9 PM thanks to the Family Music Meltdown also, uh, played a role in the decision here.) So we got to the Austin Kiddie Limits stage a little into the Sippy Cups' first set of the day.

The Sippys had the most impressive stage setup of the day. Banners on the side and bright day-glo costumes to rival Bjork's for long-distance visibility. The crowd was definitely bigger today than on Friday. Must be something about that whole school is on Friday thing. Their first set was mostly covers, finishing with their reworking of "I Wanna Be Sedated," changed into "I Wanna Be Elated." Can you call it a mosh pit if nobody's actually bouncing off one another, just bouncing up and down?

Continue reading "ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2007: Day 2 Report" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm sitting in Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, availing myself of their free Wi-Fi, and I'm proud to say that the first 90 minutes of this trip has gone off without a hitch. Without a hitch, I tell you!

Boarding passes retrieved? Check!
Last-minute bathroom run made? Check!
First snack selection given my daughter's A-OK? Check!

My goal for the flight? To get to Dallas with everyone happy and with a website name for my daughter so I don't have to constantly call her "my daughter."

With any luck, I'll have a Day One post sometime Saturday morning.

Gotta go -- they're boarding.

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Even though the White Stripes have cancelled their Saturday night show at the Austin City Limits Festival, there is absolutely no truth to the rumor that the Deedle Deedle Dees will abandon their 8 PM-ish slot at the Family Music Meltdown to fill the Stripes' 8:30 slot.

Again, to repeat, the Deedle Deedle Dees will be playing at the Family Music Meltdown Saturday night, not at Austin City Limits.

Thank you for your concern.

(Oh, and thanks Jumping Monkeys for the plug. They had nothing to do with the whole Deedle Deedle Dees rumor.)

Posted by SAShepherd at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

OK, not endlessly, but it's an honest-to-goodness tour. Those of you in Pennsylvania (sorry, that was today), Kentucky, Texas (including something called FAMILY MUSIC MELTDOWN -- c'mon and join us!), Arkansas, and Virginia, come on out and see The Deedle Deedle Dees. Lots of fun.

The tour, with some notes from Ulysses Dee himself, Lloyd Miller.

Sep 10, 2007 10:00 AM Barnes & Noble Pittsburgh, PA -- The Dees return to the venue Ulysses S. Dee calls "the nicest Barnes & Noble in the country. It feels more like a yarn outlet in Western Massachusetts than a chain store."

Sep 11, 2007 9:00 AM elementary school show Frankfort, KY

Sep 13, 2007 4:00 PM Austin Public Library: Spicewood Springs Branch, Austin, TX
Sep 14, 2007 9:00 AM elementary school shows Austin, TX
Sep 15, 2007 10:30 AM Austin Public Library: Terrazas Branch -- The home library of Joanna Nigrelli, the reigning champion of American library science.
Sep 15, 2007 2:00 PM Austin Public Library: Harmon Branch
Sep 15, 2007 6:00 PM Ruta Maya -- The Dees' first trip to the home of Ulysses S. Dee's original songwriting partner, Greg "El Mato" Helmick.

Sep 16, 2007 3:00 PM Little Rock Zoo Little Rock, AR -- The co-author of "Henry Box Brown" lives in Little Rock, but no longer in the zoo.

Sep 19, 2007 TBA TBA Lexington, KY

Sep 21, 2007 5:30 PM Charlottesville Pavilion Charlottesville, VA -- A benefit for the Virginia Discovery Museum. The show is free for the whole community, but if you can please donate to this awesome family destination.

Sep 22, 2007 11:00 AM Jammin Java Vienna, VA -- First show in the DC area. The Dees are thrilled to be visiting the greater metropolitan area of the third and current home of the nation's capital.

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Seriously, doesn't that look great? I'd think it was pretty cool even if my website's name wasn't on there.

Remember, the Family Music Meltdown will be Saturday, Sept. 15th, starting at 6 PM, at Ruta Maya in Austin, Texas. Great lineup (Deedle Deedle Dees, Joe McDermott, Laura Freeman, Telephone Company), cheap tickets, it will be lots of fun.

And many, many thanks to Jay from Lunch Money for designing the poster.

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A brief note about an interesting-sounding show tonight in New Jersey. Danny Adlerman and Yosi are appearing at the same show tonight in Metuchen, New Jersey, opening up for Mr. Ray. That by itself wouldn't necessarily lead to a mention here, but what I love about it is that Danny and Yosi are going to play each other's songs. It's kind of like a kids' music hoot night except that it's two artists, not the more typical one, and the hooted artists are actually on stage together, and other people aren't singing. So, really, nothing like a hoot night at all. But still kinda cool.

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Amy Winehouse won't be there, the Paul Green School of Rock will. The schedule was always set before, but the Austin City Limits Festival (Sept. 14-16) has added some more details regarding its 2007 Austin Kiddie Limits activities. Instruments to noodle on, tattoos, dance lessons, hip-hop lessons -- lots of stuff to do.

See the complete schedule here.

Let the rumors for the "Special Guest" each day from 3:15 to 3:30 begin!

(My suggestion? The Del McCoury Band finishes their set 2:30 Friday. I think they could do a little Little Mo McCoury stuff at 3:15, no? Jack White on Saturday? Jeff Tweedy Sunday?)

Posted by SAShepherd at 03:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Remember I told you that Bill and I would be hosting a really cool kids' and family music show on Saturday, Sept. 15th in Austin?

Really, with the Deedle Deedle Dees, Joe McDermott, the Telephone Company, and Laura Freeman? How could you forget?

Anyway, we have a name for the evening of music, seeing as how "Austin Kiddie Limits" and "Kidzapalooza" were already taken: the Family Music Meltdown. The title comes courtesy of Austin-area musician Mr. Leebot. (Thanks!)

And if you're gonna be in Austin that weekend, you need to join us. Well, not "need" as in you "need" air to breathe, but, y'know, it'll be lots of fun.

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I tend not to report on single-artist tours, but a note from Gwendolyn of Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang made me realize that we're starting to see more cross-country tours here. I mean, sure, Dan Zanes is like the Bob Dylan of kids' music, playing anywhere they'll have him, and Ralph's World and Justin Roberts are racking up the frequent flyer miles, too. (Laurie Berkner would as well, but she's not touring much, period.)

But now we're seeing slightly less familiar artists making the trek across the country. Brooklyn-based The Deedle Deedle Dees are heading out to Texas, Arkansas, and Kentucky. Melissa and Ellen & Matt, both LA artists, recently trekked out to the New York area (they popped up on Spare the Rock last week. (The The Sippy Cups are playing everywhere in between, too.)

And now Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang are putting together an honest-to-goodness East Coast tour. If you're in the neighborhood of the following venues at the following times, do stop by...

Sat/Sun Oct 21 & 22
Children’s Museum of the East End - Bridgehampton, NY

Sat Oct 27
11am: PB & Jams at World Café – Philadelphia, PA

Sun Oct 28
10am: Citibabes Annual Halloween Bash - Manhattan, NY
2pm: Brooklyn Botanic Garden – Brooklyn, NY (“Ghouls and Gourds” festival)

Mon Oct 29
4 pm: Brooklyn Central Library, Dweck Center - Brooklyn, NY

Tue Oct 30
4 pm: Bay Ridge Library - Brooklyn, NY

Wed Oct 31
6:30pm: Mamalu – Brooklyn, NY (Halloween show)

Thu Nov 1
10 am: Williamsburgh Library - Brooklyn, NY

Fri Nov 2
9:30am: Elephant Steps - Norwalk, CT
6 pm: Borders Books - Simbsbury, CT

Sat Nov 3
2pm: The Children’s Art Museum – Shelburne Falls, MA

Sun Nov 4
11am: First Act – Boston, MA
3:30pm: Brookline Music School – Boston, MA

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

There are a number of releases in the works for the rest of 2007, but none I am anticipating more than the second album of South Carolina-based trio Lunch Money. It's approaching three years since the release of their debut CD, the small gem Silly Reflection (review), and that's just way too long, y'know? Their lo-fi songs, slightly remiscent of Yo La Tengo or Spoon at its most minimalist, have stayed fresh after repeated listening...

So thanks to Gwyneth, who caught the band's set at Chicago's Summer on Southport Festival a couple weeks ago, and preserved this new track for the world (or at least the world with access to YouTube) to see. "Cookie As Big As My Head" is another instantly catchy melody (though the bass seems particularly high in this mix) married to sharp lyrics ("By the way, my cookie policy is / I'm a chocolate chip girl / We can [something] Pecans and walnuts / [something else] Is winter coming? / Are you trying to tell me that I look like a squirrel? / I want a cookie as big as my head...") OK, I'm sure the lyrics will be sharper on disk. [Note: Thanks to Lunch Money songwriter extraordinaire Molly Ledford for setting things straight in the comments.]

Posted by SAShepherd at 03:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I've already given you a brief guide to the Kidzapalooza festivities which kick off tomorrow with the rest of the Lollapalooza.

I won't be attending (actually, I'll be handling both kids by myself as my wife heads out of town for a girls' weekend away), but if I did, I'd be getting sunburned, feeling dehydrated, and running my very own Chicago Marathon as I dashed between sets as follows... (Note: If I were there with, say, my two kids and not my wife, my actual schedule would be a lot different. Maybe I'd catch the Wee Hairy Beasties and play the rest by ear.) Click on the dates to see the master schedule for each day.

Friday, August 3rd
11:30 - Rock for Kids Youth Jam Band
12:00 - Illinois (caught 'em with the Hold Steady. Good set.)
12:30 - last 15 minutes of the Hipwaders set (don't worry, I'm catching their full set on Saturday. Or, er, if I were actually attending, I would.)
1:00 - G Love
1:30 - Son Volt or Ted Leo, can't decide (The Sippy Cups are playing, too, but I'll catch their set on Saturday).
2:30 - last 15 minutes of Peter Himmelman (catching his full set on Sunday).
2:45 - last 45 minutes of the Polyphonic Spree
3:30 - Sparklehorse (I'll catch the School of Rock Allstars on Sunday)
5:00 - The Rapture
6:30 - The Black Keys
7:30 - LCD Soundsystem (though Femi Kuti would be hard to miss)
8:30 - Daft Punk (I mean, c'mon, coming from an LCD Soundsystem set, you have no other choice but to go hear Daft Punk)

Saturday, August 4th
11:30 - Wee Hairy Beasties
12:15 - The Blisters
1:15 - The Sippy Cups
1:45 - Tapes 'n' Tapes (catching the middle 30 minutes of their set)
2:15 - The Hipwaders
2:45 - Alvin Ailey Theatre
3:15 - "Very Special Guest" on the Kidzapalooza stage
4:30 - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
5:30 - The Hold Steady. Do not miss the Hold Steady, even if it means missing Roky Erikson, whose return is a pretty big deal, considering his medical/mental health issues.
6:30 - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
7:30 - Spoon
8:30 - Interpol

Sunday, August 5th
11:30 - Peter Himmelman
12:15 - Q Brothers
1:15 - Candy Band
1:45 - Smoosh
2:30 - tail-end of Peter DiStefano & Perry Farrell
2:45 - tail-end of Amy Winehouse. Assuming, of course, she even shows up.
3:15 - School of Rock Allstars featuring "very special guest"
4:15 - Hmmm... Iggy and the Stooges or Kings of Leon. Iggy, just to say I did...
5:15 - Yo La Tengo
6:15 - My Morning Jacket
7:15 - Cafe' Tacuba
8:00 - Pearl Jam

Anybody going, even if they don't plan on attending any of the Kidz acts? Anything I missed?

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I got word that Brady Rymer and The Little Band That Could will be heading off on a 12-city national tour starting in August and on through the fall.

I don't usually comment on single-artist tours unless there's something different about the tour, even for artists I like such as Brady, so why am I mentioning it? Well, this particular tour is going to be under the sponsorship of Children's Dimetapp. I know what you're saying, you're saying, oh, Stefan, you're a tool of the children's cold medicine-makers, but there's something else.

Besides being saddled with the somewhat clunky name of the "Children's Dimetapp Breathe & Boogie Tour," the other noteworthy thing is that the entire tour will be free. (Apparently attendees will even receive a Rymer compilation CD, among other goodies.)

So for the first time as I can tell, a company has figured that it's worth the money to fly a kids' musician (and a sizeable band) around the country to play for free in the hope that the association will pay off for the company. I don't think it'll be the last time.

I'll be curious to hear whether the new songs Rymer has written for the tour have any direct Dimetapp references, a la Ralph Covert's Rice Krispie jingle for his tour. But, of course, I won't know that because once again, despite the fact that the Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the country and has a very young population, a major tour is skipping the area.

Tour dates for those of you living in other areas of the country that apparently suffer from more children's colds than I do after the jump...

Continue reading "Brady Rymer Tours US, Doesn't Make It To (Cough, Cough) Phoenix" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Really. I dig the preschool our kids attend(ed), but it's safe to say the White Stripes never played a secret show for them like they did a couple weeks ago at a Toronto YMCA. The setlist included “Cannon,” “Sugar Never Tasted So Good,” “Apple Blossom,” “We’re Going to be Friends”, “Martyr for My Love for You” and “Hotel Yorba.” Oh, and then kids came up and sang songs -- "Wheels on the Bus" and "I Believe I Can Fly" among the selections.

Y the Y? Well, apparently it came up first when the band's manager searched for "Toronto" and "fun" on the internet.

Oh, and if you haven't seen this, the Stripes' last "secret show" in Canada, this is kinda funny. Make sure you stick around for the crowd chant at the very end.

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Now, Kidzapalooza will rock Chicago August 3 through 5 (for more details, see here).

But the previous weekend is, well, pretty darn good in its own right if you'd rather fight local neighborhood throngs than fight the Pearl Jam and Ben Harper-obsessed throngs in Grant Park.

I've been waiting to post about the Summer on Southport festival on the 28th and 29th because I wanted to know the times, and I'm glad I did... check out the lineup.

Not only does it include Lunch Money... and ScribbleMonster... and Justin Roberts, it also includes, well, see for yourself:

Saturday
Lunch Money 10:00 am
Seussical the Musical 11:00 am
Scribble Monster noon
Little Nashville 12.30 pm
Girl Authority 2:00 pm
Justin Roberts 2:00 pm

Sunday
School of ROCK 11:30 am
Ralph’s World 2:00 pm

Girl Authority and Justin Roberts will be playing on different stages Saturday, though the '80s references on Roberts' classic Meltdown! might be a little bit up their alley.

Hey, Chicago, did I miss anybody?

Posted by SAShepherd at 04:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Y'know, now that kids' music is the bee's knees, the cat's pajamas, and the kangaroo's Underoos, you can't take three steps without running into some new kids' music program. Except now they're moving into even older or less traditional locations. Such examples (and suggested alternative locations) include:

Enzo Garcia -- playing at Golden Gate National Park's Crissy Field. If your kids don't like the show, you can always tell them that Alcatraz is but a short ferry ride away. (Uh, wait. They'd probably like that. Never mind.)

SteveSongs -- playing at the Life is Good Festival in Fenway Park. No word on whether he'll do "Sweet Caroline" for the kiddos. Please take this opportunity to tell your kids how inferior Fever Pitch the movie is compared to Fever Pitch the book.

Hot Peas 'n Butter, Little Nashville, and Babaloo -- playing at the On the Waterfront festival in Rockford, Illinois. If your oldest kid keeps complaining about his brother and how he coulda been a contender over and over and over, just explain to him that you'd be glad to Leave. This. Stage. Right. Now. and take him to see "The New Cars" (playing Saturday night) and explain to him ad nauseam how there's no way that can be better than the original lineup. Also, you had to listen to music at home on something called a stereo when you were his age and so can he please take off the headphones right now.

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Well, the schedule for the 2007 Austin City Limits Festival was announced today, which is a good thing, seeing as the three-day passes are sold out and those without tickets must now resort to individual day passes. (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3)

Of course, you don't really care that Bjork is headlining Day 1, do you? Or that you'll have to choose between the Arcade Fire and the White Stripes on Saturday? Oh, yes, you probably do, because even if you don't care about Bjork, there are lots of other people who do, and so if you want to see particular bands on the Austin Kiddie Limits stage, you better keep in mind that those lots of people who want to see Bjork don't care that you really want to see a kids set from Sara Hickman -- they'll have bought all the tickets in advance.

Unfortunately, the organizers have done a good job of forcing people to buy all three days' worth of tickets spreading the quality acts all around -- there's no single day that's head-and-shoulders above the rest. (Except, of course, when they're scheduling great acts at the same time -- I'm lookin' at you, Wilco and My Morning Jacket on Sunday night.)

Anyway, here are the Austin Kiddie Limits times:

Friday, Sept. 14th
Sara Hickman, 11:30 - 11:50
Bummkinn Band, 12:30 - 12:50
Jambo, 1:30 - 1:50
Daddy-A-Go-Go, 2:30 - 2:50
Paul Green School of Rock All-Stars: 3:30 - 3:50

Saturday, Sept. 15th
Bummkinn Band, 11:30 - 11:50
Jambo, 12:30 - 12:50
Sippy Cups, 1:30 - 1:50
Sippy Cups, 2:30 - 2:50
Farmer Jason, 3:30 - 3:50

Sunday, Sept. 16th
We Go To 11, 11:30 - 11:50
Farmer Jason, 12:30 - 12:50
The Jellydots, 1:30 - 1:50
Q Brothers, 2:30 - 2:50
Paul Green School of Rock All-Stars, 3:30 - 3:50

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Well, thanks to Karen in Chicago, who attended the Kidzapalooza kickoff party in Chicago a few days back, this question is a little more relevant. I noted the Kidzapalooza lineup a few days ago, but Karen in Chicago went to the party and noted an additional performer: G. Love.

Now, the only kids' song I know G. Love has recorded is "Jungle Gym," with Jack Johnson on the Curious George soundtrack. Assuming he's not going to play that song a dozen times straight (how punk would that be?), maybe he's got some new stuff up his sleeve. Heck, if you can tolerate a few references to adult beverages, "Cold Beverage" itself would be easily G-rated.

Posted by SAShepherd at 03:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you live in the Phoenix area, don't forget that Doug Snyder, main man of the Jellydots, will be playing a free Saturday Sing-Along at Stinkweeds this Saturday, June 9, starting at 10 AM.

(If you don't live in the Phoenix area, well, I can't help you then. Make your own Saturday music experience. Do Breakfast with Enzo Garcia in San Francisco. Or go to Baby Loves Disco in LA. Or listen to Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child or Greasy Kid Stuff. Or just sing and dance in the comfort of your own home. Whatever.)

Doug's relocated here to Phoenix, so if you're in the area, this is a great chance to meet him. (And, if you or your kids have a hankerin' to learn guitar, to schedule a lesson.)

Stinkweeds, located at Central and Camelback, will be opening up at 10 AM for this, and the weather looks like it'll be tolerable. (Whoo-hoo! Tolerable!) Come early, 'cuz based on the attendance last time, I think it'll be pretty packed.

Look for me -- I'll be the guy with the lime-green uke.

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Hold Steady are not kids' musicians.

This will come as a shock to absolutely nobody, but I felt like stating that before explaining exactly why I thought a brief review of The Hold Steady's Saturday night show at the Brickhouse in Phoenix was appropriate for this site.

Goodness knows that the lyrical content of the band's songs are NSFK. If Craig Finn had lent his hand to popular kids' songs, Mary would have developed a nasty heroin habit after Little Boy Blue sold her lamb to pay off a gambling debt incurred somewhere in St. Anthony Falls. (It would've sounded awesome, though.) As Finn quipped when noting that they'd be playing Vegas the next night, a city they'd never played before, "I enjoy a lot of vices, but gambling's not one of them. But here's a song about it." And then they launched into "Chips Ahoy!"

I'm rapidly approaching that point in my life where rock concertgoing involves serious cost-benefit analysis, and of course I treat it in such a way that my younger self would've mocked. Avoid the alcohol because it'll mess up my sleep? Check. Wear comfortable shoes? Check. Use earplugs? Check. My younger self? Heck, the band would've mocked me. (Except for the earplugs part.)

But the show was worth it, in large part due to Finn's energetic showmanship, muttering to himself, leading the crowd in singalongs, encouraging them to clap along, dragged the crowd by force of will alone. It was oddly reminiscent of... wait for it... Dan Zanes.

Really.

Remember that concert down in Tucson? Yeah, well, for the first twenty minutes Zanes, like Finn, pleaded, cajoled, and begged the crowd to get into the show, and by the end of the show, they were completely part of the experience. (Finn isn't hurt by having four very talented musicians helping him to put his words into energetic songs.)

I doubt the Hold Steady and Dan Zanes, even though they both call Brooklyn home, would get together to just play music. Heck, keyboardist Franz Nicolay founded the "Anti-Social Music" collective, while Zanes almost called his Catch That Train! album "Social Music."

But they do share an infectious joy in performing, something that Finn noted from the stage. I'm sure it's something he says at the end of many shows, but seeing Finn grin for most of the concert made it easy to believe him when he said that "There's a lot of joy in performing up here." It's a sentiment that Zanes would agree with completely.

And one of these days when Finn settles down a bit and decides to write about people becoming (probably bad) parents, perhaps he can sing about getting home from the club at 1 AM and being woken up at 5:30 AM by the kids.

Harrowing, I tell you.

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

So even though Lollapalooza is a good six weeks after the Austin City Limits Festival, those good folks in the City of Broad Shoulders just got around to announcing their Kidzapalooza lineup. Slowpokes.

As with the Austin Kiddie Limits lineup, this one too can be divided into two camps:
1) Adults Playing For Kids
2) Kids Playing For Adults

In the first category, you have the following (artists playing ACL Fest noted with a happy *):
-- Peter Himmelman: Kids' singer-songwriter of the highest order
-- Wee Hairy Beasties: Americana/insect-based rock from Jon Langford, Sally Timms, and other Bloodshot Records staples
-- The Sippy Cups* -- Psychedelic-inspired rock and pop
-- CandyBand: Punk music from four Detroit-area moms
-- The Hipwaders: Occasionally retro power-pop
-- Q Brothers* -- Hip-hop
-- Peter DiStefano & Perry Farrell: This has nothing to do with their appearance here (replicating their appearance last year), but that new Satellite Party album cover is one of the weirdest I've seen in some time. (Note: "Weirdest" is a gentle term for "bizarre." Or "awful.")

In the second category are bands made up of youngsters or recently-adulted young folks. Again, I don't know much about these bands, though I believe the Blisters and the Alvin Ailey Dance School both showed up at last year's Lollapalooza.
-- Paul Green School of Rock All-Stars*
-- The Blisters: Oddly enough, Jeff Tweedy's kid is playing Lollapalooza while his dad isn't. (Even though Wilco -- but not the blisters -- are playing the ACL Fest. Weird.)
-- Rock For Kids Youth Jam Band: I keep having this feeling that they're gonna break into an extended version of My Morning Jacket's "Mageetah."
-- Alvin Ailey Dance School
-- John Yost's Rhythm Revolution

Lollapalooza is August 3-5, 2007 in Chicago's Grant Park.

And for those of you looking to score some free tickets, the Paul Frank Store in Chicago is hosting a party this Saturday, June 2, from 11 AM to 1 PM. You can tell me how those Paul Green's School of Rock All-Stars sound, and maybe win some free tickets.

Posted by SAShepherd at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

[Read to the very end to find out a cool announcement about a Phoenix-area show.]

Unlike some of my Offsprung colleagues (Dr. Flea, Erica Perl, do stop by), I'm an amateur practitioner of music, kids' or otherwise. I enjoy playing, but my audiences are rarely any larger than the 3 other members of my immediate family.

So, remember the Singalong Saturday that my local record store, Stinkweeds, was going to host with my help? (Humor me and say yes.)

Yeah, it was lots of fun. Lots of people -- maybe 40 -- for something that was publicized at close to the last minute. I brought some rhythm instruments (shakers, Casio drum machines... OK, no drum machines). The weather cooperated -- wonderfully mild.

And the music? Well, it can be viewed in one of two ways.
1) Dario's Magic Bus was a nifty little trio of Dario on guitar and Jason and Justin playing upright bass and a single-drum drum set.
2) I played, too.

That's right. In the corner stood me and my lime green Dan Zanes ukelele, playing along with "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Old MacDonald," and the like.

There's just an itsy bitsy problem.

My current chordal knowledge on the uke is limited to 5, maybe 6 chords, much less if I don't have my chord book in front of me.

And so, if the band wasn't playing in the key of the chords I was familiar with, I was forced to strum idly with a silly grin on my face. Which is a not uncommon expression for me, but typically I'm not looking that way in front of three dozen strangers.

I really don't mind improvising, but if I were going to do that, I'd much rather pull out my violin, where my ability to transpose is crudely competent.

But when I'm asked to lead the crowd in "Pay Me My Money Down" (Dario, while very cool, didn't have a setlist long enough for the full hour) it's, well, a lot harder than you'd think.

It's not just skill in playing music, there's a definite art in working the crowd, and one that I've got a lot to learn about.

That's why I'm very excited that Stinkweeds will have the Jellydots' Doug Snyder at their next Singalong Saturday, on June 9th at 10 AM. It'll be the last Singalong before the summer break, so come early as I think this free event will be even more popular than the first one.

Don't worry, the owner and I are already thinking about events for the fall. And, as far as I'm aware, I'm not on that calendar of events.

By the way, Doug's now living in Phoenix, and so if you or your kids are lookin' for guitar lessons (you've always wanted to learn how to play "Bicycle," right?), drop him a line through his website.

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm typically either way ahead or way behind of the curve 'round here. In this particular case, I'm behind the curve as I'm mentioning the Stagecoach Festival, the country festival put on by the Coachella folks the week after Coachella. The Festival which, uh, happened last weekend.

But I wanted to mention it because it showed that country music is beginning to realize that maybe there's a market opportunity for them, too. Stagecoach had its own kids' music stage which featured, among others, Buck Howdy, Farmer Jason, The Hollow Trees, and The Bummkinn Band. (My personal favorite amongst these? The Hollow Trees, who do hootenannies up right.)

I heard that Sharon, Lois & Bram were gonna reunite for the festival but got booed offstage by Rage Against the Machine fans who were still stuck in the parking lot leaving the Coachella show.

Did I just make a Sharon, Lois & Bram joke? Goodness, I have issues.

There are a whole bunch of YouTube videos from the festival, but they mostly involve guys like George Strait and Kenny Chesney and other men with large hats worn unironically. So I'll just leave you with this video of Farmer Jason (Jason Ringenberg of Jason and the Scorchers fame, for those of you new to this whole kids-music thing). He's got a hat, too, but he's playing in some guy's backyard.

The Wiggles, this genre ain't.

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm typically either way ahead or way behind of the curve 'round here. In this particular case, I'm behind the curve as I'm mentioning the Stagecoach Festival, the country festival put on by the Coachella folks the week after Coachella. The Festival which, uh, happened last weekend.

But I wanted to mention it because it showed that country music is beginning to realize that maybe there's a market opportunity for them, too. Stagecoach had its own kids' music stage which featured, among others, Buck Howdy, Farmer Jason, The Hollow Trees, and The Bummkinn Band. (My personal favorite amongst these? The Hollow Trees, who do hootenannies up right.)

I heard that Sharon, Lois & Bram were gonna reunite for the festival but got booed offstage by Rage Against the Machine fans who were still stuck in the parking lot leaving the Coachella show.

Did I just make a Sharon, Lois & Bram joke? Goodness, I have issues.

There are a whole bunch of YouTube videos from the festival, but they mostly involve guys like George Strait and Kenny Chesney and other men with large hats worn unironically. So I'll just leave you with this video of Farmer Jason (Jason Ringenberg of Jason and the Scorchers fame, for those of you new to this whole kids-music thing). He's got a hat, too, but he's playing in some guy's backyard.

The Wiggles, this genre ain't.

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Thought so.

Since before we joined it, our kids' co-operative preschool has eschewed a yearly fundraiser for a flat "fundraiser fee." Now, why they just don't increase the actual tuition by 10 bucks a month is beyond me, but that's probably just a clear indication of why I don't have a bright future in sales.

And given the virtual 24/7 fundraising our daughter is now asked to participate in through her (public school) kindergarten ("Mom, they say we need to order pizza tonight or they can't keep our music teacher"), I can assure you that the simple check-writing the preschool approach entails is a vastly superior approach. (Again. Not a retailer.)

Having said that, if my neighborhood preschool actually put together a spring fair that included, among other things, sets from The Hollow Trees, the Squeegees, and Ellen & Matt, I'd probably go. Which means, if I lived in Silver Lake and my kid(s) attended the Neighborhood Nursery School, I'd probably attend their Spring Fair on Saturday May 19.

As a side note, the "about" section for the fair says "No Bounce Houses, no corporate sponsors and no plastic bottles." Now, I'm with 'em on the plastic bottles, but why does NNS hate bounce houses so much? Bounce houses rule.

Also, "no corporate sponsors?" Does that mean there are preschool fundraisers in LA that have corporate sponsors? Do companies fight to sponsor the pony rides?

Like I said, Not. A. Retailer.

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I don't really want to be a concert producer.

I just want a cool concert poster with my name (or this website's name) on it.

Well, I'm still not a concert producer -- and there's nary a poster in sight -- but I'm helping my great neighborhood record store host a show this weekend.

Stinkweeds Record Exchange is holding a Saturday Singalong this Saturday (May 5th). They did a small number of kid-friendly singalong shows a while back at their old Tempe location, but with my instigation, they're restarting the series. Saturday Singalong version 2.0, I guess. And it happens to be during Stinkweeds' 20th Anniversary celebration (as well as the 1st Anniversary of their next-door neighbor, Frances), so there will be a definite party vibe going on. (Well, above and beyond the fact that it's Cinco de Mayo, which is about 2 or 3 years away from overtaking St. Patrick's Day as the national drinking holiday.)

So if you're in the Phoenix area, stop by at 11 AM Saturday for an hour of free music from Dario's Magic Bus. (Sorry, no Myspace page or website. How retro.) Weather promises to be not so hot (in a good way), and they have a lovely and slightly shaded patio. Do join us.

Posted by SAShepherd at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I've been to a lot of great concerts in my life -- Bruce Springsteen, Buddy Guy, U2. One of the key factors is the feeling that the crowd is having a shared experience -- amazement at Bruce's endurance, Guy's prowess, or U2's yearning. But that communal experience is one that ends up being focused on the performer(s) on stage (or not, as Guy ended up his concert jamming on the sidewalk in front of the Cats Cradle in Chapel Hill (back when it was in Chapel Hill) while his band played on inside).

The wonder of a Dan Zanes concert, then, is that he produces a very communal experience that isn't so focused on him. Instead, the community itself is the communal experience...

Continue reading "Concert Review: Dan Zanes - Rialto Theatre, Tucson" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

OK, I actually spent last weekend with my wife and away from the kids, which was very relaxing. And fun. Amazing how long of a conversation you can have.

But it's also clear that last weekend's Spare the Rock / AudraRox hootenanny and the Park Slope Parents concert in Brooklyn was a blast. So to stave off any thoughts of jealousy I'm only going to provide the links here once.

Yeah, I know Gwyneth beat me to this, but I blame that on laziness on my part, not lack of creativity. Besides, for some reason I can't explain, some of you still aren't reading her site. You people. (Besides, I've got some new stuff here, too.)

-- The artist list for Saturday night, along with a picture from Bill. (Edit: More thoughts and pictures here. Warning: Takes for-freakin' ever to load.)
-- Amy's inital thoughts here, with pictures from both concerts here.
-- Gwyneth's thoughts and photos.
-- Yosi's thoughts and a few photos.
-- Warren weighed in.
-- Hilltown Familes made the trek -- here are their photos (those may be gone -- try here instead). Also, Hilltown Families also put together a sweet collage.
-- Photos of Saturday's hootenanny here, from Susan Fox, who clearly left early because, you know, she was putting on Sunday's concert.
-- A video of Audra and Jen from AudraRox doing "D is for Drums" with Marty Beller [warning: very large file]
-- Speaking of Sunday's concert, see a long slideshow with a fun though unrelated rendition of "Enjoy Yourself" here. Note: Adam from Astrograss just let me know they played "Enjoy Yourself" as a group finale.
-- Here is another slideshow with (studio) versions of songs from the compilation.

Now to check in on the other hootenanny/fests in the works...

Posted by SAShepherd at 04:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Yeah, I know there was a show or two in Brooklyn last week, but I would be remiss if I did not direct you to Belinda and Hova's recap of their Grease Ball on March 18th. Doug Snyder of the Jellydots played, and Captain Bogg and Salty played at least one new song, "Don't Drink Sea Water."

Another report can be found here. I can't decide if their description of one of Doug's songs ("a song about multiplying by three") was either very laconic humor or surprising lack of pop-cultural knowledge, but in either case it made me chuckle.

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Sippy Cups and Daddy-A-Go-Go went back to the late '60s in namechecking the past at SXSW this weekend. The Jellydots didn't go quite that far back. Think late '80s. Think rappers wearing large clocks.

Continue reading "The Jellydots LIVE at SXSW" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 06:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I'm not sure that Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix are the best artists to show off the future of kids music, but you blog with the YouTube video you have, not the YouTube video you need.

See what an intrigued parent chose to upload to YouTube after the break.

Continue reading "Sippy Cups / Daddy-A-Go-Go LIVE at SXSW" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's no detail on the website at the moment, but The Green Apple Festival, a 3-city 200-artist music and arts festival schedule for Earth Day weekend (April 20-22, 2007) will include a free concert featuring The Laurie Berkner Band and Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could. Rymer will open up the Sunday, April 22nd show in New York City's Central Park at noon, with Laurie headlining at 1 PM. Should be pretty cool...

No word on who's scheduled to shout "The Sounds of Silence!....." into the deep Manhattan night.

Shows are also scheduled for Chicago and San Francisco -- I can think of a few bands in both places that might be a good Earth Day backing band...

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Well, spurred in part by my challenge to the West Coast to come up with some hootenannies and kids' music festivals of our own, at least two people have offered to organize something:

Eric Herman doesn't even live in Seattle and is offering to organize something for Northwest-area artists. (Live in Vancouver? Portland? If Eric can drive 4 hours, so can you!) If interested, drop Eric a line at ericATbutter-dogDOTcom (you'll obviously have to unSPAMify that e-mail address).

Loyal reader Deb in SF has also offered to organize an event in the Bay Area. If you're in the area, contact Deb at
debraunATsbcglobalDOTnet (again, unSPAMify that).

Are any of you interested in traveling out to Phoenix? You know how to reach me...

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Ted Williams was the last person to hit .400 for a baseball season, and now I'm duplicating the feat (using my own, very narrow, self-selected definition). 5 shows, 2 with our family's attendance...

-- Trout Fishing in America: They played here the weekend before last. I know that Trout's music appeals to all ages, but the fact that they played at the auditorium smack-dab in the community of Sun City -- which prohibits kids from living there -- amused me slightly. In any case, it's a long drive out there from our house, and since we were co-hosting a Chinese New Year's party that night, we took a pass. Hopefully next time...
-- Baby Loves Disco: All four of us attended the soiree in Scottsdale this weekend and had a fun time (again). I'll have more on this maybe next week.
-- The Terrible Twos: Argh. This show was schedule at the very last minute, so late that there was zero confirmation of the show except on the band's myspace page. We had guests visiting that afternoon, and shooing them out the door a little early so we could see a show that no human had actually confirmed seemed, well, my wife drew the line at that. And, yeah, that would have been bush-league. (So needless to say, I was a little disappointed when the venue's owner called up later that night and said that, yes, the show did indeed go on.) Hopefully next time...
-- Dan Zanes: Sunday, April 22nd, Tucson. We are there. I can't wait. I'm bringin' the uke.

-- Finally, some radio show's hootenanny in Brooklyn on March 24: Either that or the Park Slope Parents CD-release party on March 25th would be a lot of fun. It would also be terribly inconvenient, geographically (not to mention I'm already out of town that weekend).

So are you listening, West Coast? San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland -- I'm talking to you -- each of you have enough kids' artists that you could put together a pretty good hootenanny yourself. (Or if you all want to come out to Phoenix, let me know...) Don't let the East Coast Bias win!

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Yes, it's all about making punny headlines that don't really make sense in the context of the article around here.

Anyway, for those of you wondering what's next on the plate of San Jose-based Mr. David, he notes on his show page that his next album, Jump in the Jumpy House, will be released in June 2007. And for those of you wanting to hear songs off the new album, get on over to Technology Credit Union in San Jose next Tuesday, March 6th to see Mr. David in concert.

So... I'm wondering... is it "jumpy house" on the West Coast? Because we call 'em "bouncy houses" 'round these parts... Is this like a "cola"/"soda pop" thing here?

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I know that bar on the right side of the main homepage is a bit on the long side, but it's time for some updates...

Planet KidVid is a new enterprise from longtime Friend of Zooglobble Monty Harper and kids' musician Mr. Billy. If they keep up with the posts, this could be a website that causes lots of families to go over their allocated "screen time."

The Harper family is evidently trying to take over the web as Monty's wife Lisa and her daughter Evalyn have established the Kids Music Planet podcast. What is slightly different about this podcast from many other kids' music radio shows is that they play multiple selections from a few albums. So if for some reason my review of an album isn't clear enough you can decide for yourself. ;-)

Belinda and Hova finally seem to have settled on a new internet location for their Greasy Kid Stuff playlists. If you go to their website, you can also find out all about their Mar. 18th "Grease Ball" with Captain Bogg & Salty, The Jellydots, and The Sprockettes. You can also hear They Might Be Giants' penned-just-for-Belinda-and-Hova "Greasy Kid Stuff."

I've also added Fred Koch's new children's music-related blog to the sidebar. Fred is another longtime listener and reviewer of kids music and I'm glad to see him start up a blog.

Regular readers will certainly be aware of Amy's appearance on WNYC's Soundcheck on Tuesday. Amy made a lot of excellent points (and ones I mostly agree with) and is to be commended for always sounding coherent, a not at all easy thing to do live on the air. Listen to the 20-minute segment here.

Finally, children's media publicist (and, well, fan) Beth Blenz-Clucas talked about a couple of her clients and other kids' musicians and topics on Vicky and Jen's Grammy-related podcast. The podcast also includes discussions with Richard Perlmutter (he's working on Beethoven's Wig 4, apparently), Dan Zanes, and Ezra Idlet from Trout Fishing in America. (Beth was also kind enough to mention this website as a good resource...)

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By the end of March those of us in Phoenix are typically slathering on sunscreen and complaining that summer and 110-degree weather can't be far away. The fading days of spring would be made considerably more tolerable if we had a few Elizabeth Mitchell concerts to attend.

Unfortunately for us, Mitchell lives in New York state and as a result those folks get some sweet music to go along with their March (and April) snowstorms.

To wit: Mitchell and Uncle Rock will be playing at Levon Helm's awesome Midnight Ramble series on March 31st. The good news for the kids is that it's not at midnight, but rather at 2 PM. The bad news is that it's already sold out. (Unless you have tickets, in which case I ask you not to lord it over us.)

But fear not, Mitchell fans, for she's also helping to organize a Family Concert Series at the High Meadow School. Besides the wonderful Hayes Greenfield doing his Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz program, the series also features Peter Schickele, creator of PDQ Bach. (Classical geek note: I once owned the PDQ Bach "autobiography." Hi-larious.)

Oh, and Mitchell's playing a show with Dog on Fleas on April 15th. That would be worth driving through a snowdrift of some sort, to be sure.

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)