Video: "New Accordions" - Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could (World Premiere!)

While I can't agree with Disneyland and Target, who start decorating for Christmas, Hanukkah, and the rest of the December holidays while Halloween is barely in the rear view mirror (if at all), I'm willing to occasionally make an exception here to my "no celebrating Christmas 'til after Thanksgiving" rule if the song or video is fun enough.

Consider this an exception. It's the world-premiere of a brand new song from Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could. The song's called "New Accordions," and it's from Revvin' Up the Reindeer, Rymer's first holiday album, and in particular the song features a whole bunch of accordion work from not one but two of the Little Band That Could, Claudia Mussen and Seth Farber.

The video is every bit as energetic as the song, bright colors, fast movement, and the briefest of holiday medleys. (Side note: accordions are guaranteed party generators. I still remember an Oktoberfest party many years ago where a coworker brought her accordion and played, much to the delight of the youngsters and oldsters in attendance.) It's a holiday song that won't make you tired of holiday songs, and I'm happy to be world-premiering it.

AAAAANNNDDDD make sure to scroll past the video itself for some comments about life with an accordion from Claudia Mussen herself!

Halloween 2017 Music for Kids

Prepping to trick or treat tonight? Gathering up the candy to hand out and trying not to dig in early? Kids and parents having last-minute costume emergencies? Here are a handful of (like, literally, five) new Halloween tunes from kindie artists to spin in the background, plus a couple videos to air before or after screening It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! (If you need more, like, waaaaay more, be sure to check out my long list of kids songs for Halloween from 2016 -- no Spotify link, but plenty of suggestions.)

Halloween 2017 Kids Music Playlist [Spotify link, URL]

"Ghost in My House" - Jumpin' Jamie

"Scary Scary Halloween Party" - Rabbit!

"Snowstorm on Halloween" - Turkey Andersen

"Zombie Parade" - Smilin' Rylan

"My Mommy Is a Mummy" - Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats

I included this Turkey Andersen tune on the list even though it's about a year old because there's a Brand New Video!

Turkey Andersen - Snowstorm on Halloween [YouTube]

For the power-pop-loving Halloween fan (or ghoul) in your house, I'd recommend this new track from Jumpin' Jamie.

Jumpin' Jamie - "Ghost In My House" [YouTube]

Song for Mother's Day: "Mother's Day 1976 (The Worst Smell in the World)" - Baron Von Rumblebuss

It's been awhile since I've put together a list of songs for moms -- the list was long 7 years ago, and I have no doubt that there are dozens if not more I could add. In lieu of quantity, this year I'm going for quality. The song is "Mother's Day 1976 (The Worst Smell in the World)," and it's a last-minute entry from North Carolina poptimists Baron Von Rumblebuss. The Baron himself, Tray Batson, notes that he "aimed for a 70’s pop vibe in the vein of ELO, with a dash of Pure Prairie League, maybe," wrapped around a sweet story about boy making a last-minute Mother's Day gift. There's a bit of bathroom humor, but I think the song absolutely nails the tone. Give it a spin below.

Baron Von Rumblebuss - "Mother Day 1976 (The Worst Smell in the World)" [Reverbnation]

Justin Roberts with pipe-cleaner-and-paper-heart crown

Video: "Valentine" - Justin Roberts

I think in terms of the disparity of attitude between adults and kids, there is no holiday greater than Valentine's Day. Adults love it (or, depending on their relationship status, actively loathe it), but kids? Most kids are pretty much "meh" on it. It's like Arbor Day with candy, pretty much.

It's that disconnect that makes Justin Roberts' "Valentine" so appealing to me. It's a song whose chorus leads off with the lines, "I don't wanna be yours / You don't wanna be mine." Imagine a Christmas or Hanukkah song that led off with a similar sentiment -- it'd be shunned. But for Valentine's Day? Aside from the candy, there's very little that kids actually enjoy about the holiday.

For this latest video off his album Lemonade, Roberts wears an appealing dorky pipe-cleaner-and-paper-heart crown and fills it with kids who really get into being, well, just annoyed by the holiday. There will be a lot of sweetness over the next week or so, but this video brings just the right amount of, well, non-sweetness.

(As a song titled "Valentine," I think I like "Valentine" by the Old 97s slightly better, but this is a close second.)

Justin Roberts - "Valentine" [YouTube]

Songs for Groundhog Day

Exactly a decade ago, I published a list of songs for Groundhog Day. "List" is a little overstating things -- it was exactly three songs long.

But now I've expanded the list by more than 100%! It's now seven songs long. [Ed.: With a few suggestions below and on social media, we're up to double-digits!] Which, to be frank, is probably reasonable for the relatively minor holiday that is Groundhog Day. But there's some good stuff here. Unfortunately my very favorite groundhog-themed song, "I Hog the Ground," isn't available on Spotify, but the other six tracks are.

If you've got further suggestions, let me know in the comments. But do it quick before Punxsutawney Phil is called upon!

"I Hog the Ground (Groundhog Song)" - Steve Burns / Steven Drozd (watch here)

"Oh Groundhog" - Lisa Loeb and Elizabeth Mitchell

"Groundhog" - Red Yarn

"Shadow" - Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights

"The Groundhog Song (How Much Wood Could a Woodchuck Chuck?)" - Daria

"How Much Wood Could a Woodchuck Chuck?" - Danny Adlerman and Friends

"Groundhog" - Sam Hinton

"A Shadow" - Gustafer Yellowgold

"The Groundhog's Lament" - Mr. Richard and the Pound Hounds

"Groundhog Day" - John McCutcheon

"Staten Island Chuck" - The Rock-A-Silly Band

Christmas and Holiday Kids Music 2016

It has been a comparatively slow season this year for Christmas and general holiday-themed kids music, at least compared to previous years. But that doesn't mean we've been left with coal. Hanukkah and Christmas are only a week away, so let's jump in!

First, there's the first holiday song from Charlie Hope -- she's released a jolly and bright rendition of "Up on the Rooftop." For the moment, you can still download it for free via the Soundcloud widget below!

Charlie Hope - "Up on the Rooftop" [Soundcloud]

Lard Dog and the Band of Shy - Rudolph cover

If Hope's track offers a simple reminder of youthful anticipation, the following track from Lard Dog and the Band of Shy serves up a blast of Christmas rebellion. It's "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," but a version unlike you've ever heard before, mixing in "Wild Thing," the Ramones" and even "Dreidel, Dreidel" into the holiday classic. I really like both Hope's and Lard Dog's tracks, but they are toooootally different strains of Christmas songs, y'all. Anyway, grab the free download at Lard Dog's website.

And while I would not have expected "hard-rocking" to be the most prevalent holiday song type, with Annie Lynn's "I Kept Your Present," that is, in fact, the case. What to do when you find the perfect gift... for you, not for the person you bought it for? This song has the answer. You can stream it on Soundcloud, but the better version by far is her video. The hands slay me.

Annie Lynn - "I Kept Your Present" [YouTube]

I'm sure I've missed some of this year's holiday music made specifically for kids -- let me know if I have [Ed: I did! Thanks, Sagan, for the reminders and heads up!]

A modern, electronic take on some holiday music comes from the Bay Area's Liz DeRoche, AKA The Singing Lizard. There's not much on her Holiday Party EP that is specifically kid-focused, but the arrangements are fresh and worth exploring, even if you don't happen to have any little ones around.

The Singing Lizard - Holiday Party [Bandcamp]

<a href="http://thesinginglizard.bandcamp.com/album/holiday-party-2">Holiday Party by The Singing Lizard</a>

Speaking of modern takes on Christmas music for kids, Minnesota's Uncle Dox features some fast but laid-back rhymes on "Santa." There's been some really good hip-hop music for kids, and some good Christmas and holiday music for kids, but I'm hard-pressed to think of many hip-hop holiday music for kids. This fits in that small Venn diagram intersection for sure.

Uncle Dox - "Santa" [Soundcloud]

A mellower take on some Christmas songs comes courtesy of Father Goose, who gets Dan Zanes, Sonia De Los Santos and others to help out "Irie Christmas." As you might suspect from the title, his take on a few Christmas classics gets mashed together with a reggae beat.

Father Goose - "Irie Christmas" [Spotify]

While we're on the Spotify edge of the world, how about something new from Colorado's Steve Weeks? It's been a while, right? Well, if you're looking for a tender ode to family togetherness or the meaning of the season, whatever your spiritual persuasion, you won't find it here. Unless, of course, "Decorate the Cat" is how you celebrate the solstice. Maybe it is. I'm not judging. In any case, this is a pretty amusing song. (Again, unless, you're very much anti-cat-decorating.)

Steve Weeks - "Decorate the Cat" [Spotify]

Moving on, then, back to videos and something slightly more sincere. The video below comes courtesy of Sara Lovell.

It's for "Wake Up It's Christmas Time," and it's one of those Christmas songs that celebrates the Christmas season mostly cultural and not spiritually, but makes an effort to celebrate the "spirit of the season," as it were in a most welcoming and non-exclusionary way.

The video itself is pretty simple -- Lovell strumming her (tenor?) ukulele in the woods -- but as a vehicle for the song itself, it works just fine.

Sara Lovell - "Wake Up It's Christmas Time" [YouTube]

You'll notice that these features have been very much in the Christmas realm, albeit secularly and culturally. Luckily, we have at least one entry this year full-on celebrating Hanukkah, which, unbeknownst to me, is now 25% more festival-ly. Let the Macaroons explain in their animated video for "10 Days of Hanukkah."

The Macaroons - "10 Days of Hanukkah" [YouTube]

Finally (he says, not sure what else might come down the pike), there's the latest Caspar Babypants album, Winter Party!.

I'll be honest -- I totally forgot about this album. I mean, I got it in, what? July? August? It's, like, 110 degrees here then, and, well... I really have no excuse, but now we're here in December and we're smack-dab in prime holiday-listening music time.

Winter Party is every bit as delightful and whimsical as you'd expect a Caspar Babypants holiday album. You can stream the entire album via YouTube below, but above that, how about his take -- nature focused as always -- on "The Twelve Days of Christmas?"

Caspar Babypants - "The Twelve Days of Christmas" [YouTube]

Anyway, the songs are a nice mix of traditional songs (including folk songs reworked so that they are holiday songs) and a few originals. Having said that, the Christmas songs are reworked lyrically so that they're not specifically Christian in the spirit of inclusiveness, but that could throw people who are used to the original lyrics of, say, "Silent Night."

If that doesn't bother you, you'll find Winter Party to be lots of fun (and, frankly, even if you do, you'll be able to skip the couple tracks on which that happens). I think it's definitely recommended.

Caspar Babypants - "Winter Party" [YouTube]