I wish I had more bluegrass to share here on the site, just because much of the traditional kids music sounds so good with a bit of banjo. Here's a video from a group billing themselves as "The Stripey Boys." In reality, it's the British bluegrass group The Rosinators. It's a clean and lively rendition sonically; visually, the animation based on Satoshi Kitamura's drawings is a bit dull stretched out over 4 minutes, at least for the adults. But I think the kids'll be amused enough, and I also like the shout-outs to the different instruments used at the end of the video.
The Stripey Boys - "Old Joe Clark"
If you liked that, there's more...
Video: "Fort" - Recess Monkey
You are unlikely to see a more minimalist kids music video this year than this one from Recess Monkey, the fourth from their upcoming Field Trip album and Field Trips with Recess Monkey DVD. It's not funny ha-ha, and might've taken just 5 minutes to film but it'll probably inspire your kids (or you) to create a fort of your own.
Video: "Summer Today" - Egg
I know I just talked about a video with a pre-production reel, but it's also possible to put together an effective video on a minimal budget, so long as there's some sense of editing and the song's good. Jeff Fuller from L.A.'s Egg just got a new Flip video camera and used it to record a video. "Not exactly a proper music video," Fuller says, "but fun none the less." Agreed - I actually think the lo-fi video is an excellent match for the song, one of my favorites off Sunny Side Up.
Egg - "Summer Today" [YouTube]
Video: "Hot Chocolate" - Recess Monkey
I've posted the first couple videos from Recess Monkey, so why not finish the triumvirate? This one's for the funky "Hot Chocolate" and features Jack Forman skiing his way across Seattle.... er, sort of. Field Trip the album is set for release June 9th and Field Trips with Recess Monkey the DVD is set for release later this summer.
Recess Monkey - "Hot Chocolate"
Video: "Little Broken Truck" (Live) - Caspar Babypants
I'm posting this live video of Chris Ballew, er, Caspar Babypants, playing "Little Broken Truck" live at Seattle's Town Hall for two reasons:
1. It shows how compelling a little shaker and a little harmonica can be (reminder to self: sometimes simple is OK)
2. Ballew's daughter Josie singing her parts while swinging her elbows from side to side, just because I totally see Miss Mary Mack in her. Not that she does the elbows swinging thing, but it's that attitude...
Oh, and "Frederick Babyshirt" and "Josephine Babyhat" - hah!
Video: "Haven't Got A Pet Yet" - Recess Monkey
The latest video from Seattle's Recess Monkey features one of my favorite tracks from their upcoming Field Trip CD, "Haven't Got a Pet Yet" (a zippy number that must've been preserved in amber in 1986 somewhere), the Aretha Franklin-cribbed lyric "R-E-S-P-onsibility," and Jack Forman in a dress. I think we can all agree that Jack is the Recess Monkey member most likely to appear in a dress for a video.
How can you not watch?
Recess Monkey - "Haven't Got a Pet Yet"
