When Enzo Met Doug

Enzo Garcia and Doug SnyderA couple months ago, I mentioned that Doug Snyder of The Jellydots would be sitting in with Enzo Garcia at one of Enzo's Saturday morning "Breakfast With Enzo" shows in January. Well, loyal reader Deb in SF sent in this photo from this past weekend's confab. That's Enzo on the left playing saw on Doug's "My Blanket." Sounds like a grand time was had by all... (Photo courtesy Deb Evans Braun)

KidVid: I Hog (the Ground) - Steve Burns with Steven Drozd

[Edit: Copyright infringements everywhere... just go here to watch. I know Mrs. Davis already posted this, but I've been waiting for somebody to get Steve Burns' and Steven Drozd's "I Hog (The Ground)" to YouTube, because, hey, this might be the kids' music song of the year, and it's only January. So I don't care that I was time-crunched and didn't get around to posting this until tonight (like Amy, I searched for this daily), and this rocks.
Steve Burns: I Hog the Ground

michelle | MySpace Video The version below is even better than the version on the Jack's preview disk, because it includes the occasional pop-up comment from Jack. The only thing better than seeing kids jump around playing air guitar is having Jack pop-up and shout "Air guitar!" [Ed: It's worse because it's, er, been removed.] The song sounds like a Dinosaur Jr. cut, and it'll send the parents into air guitar and (in my case) air drumming fits just like the kids. Kinda funny that Burns spends all this time breaking free of kids television, and with this one cut, he's created a song that's an instant kids music classic.

Yes, I'm Back. Get Ready, People.

I spent the weekend playing in the snow, but it's time to get caught up on some stuff. I've got reviews of some great new stuff, plus lots more. And if you haven't thrown your hat into the ring for the four Free Ralph's World tickets, you have until Thursday night to do so. Go ahead -- make me jealous there's not a House of Blues location near Phoenix.

Review in Brief: Never Mind the Rain - Tracey Eldridge

NeverMindTheRain.jpgNever Mind the Rain is the debut album from DC-area musician Tracey Eldridge, but she's been making kids music for a couple decades now. Perhaps that helps explain the evident care and craft that's gone into the CD, a collection of kids' pop originals that traverses many musical styles, from the big band sounds of "Tommy Builds a Band / Tommy's Big Parade" (which mixes in snippets of "When the Saints Go Marching In") to the boogie woogie of "Buzzy Bumblebee." Eldridge will occasionally include spoken-word intros to songs, and on some songs she's clearly try to teach something about the world at large. It's all well-done, but not everybody will groove to that approach, so that's my warning for ya. Personally, I preferred the slightly more offbeat and less message-oriented songs, like the goofy "Corn Chips" (a tribute to the very goofy Slim Gaillard, known for his song "Potato Chips," among others), "Oh, Zydeco" (on which Eldridge channels fellow DC-area musician Mary Chapin Carpenter), or "Beware of the Wily 'Ol Crocodile," where Eldridge cedes lead vocals on a very Grinchian track to her producer and musical partner Mookie Siegel. The songs are most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7. You can hear samples at Eldridge's website or the album's CDBaby page. I know my audience well enough to know that this album won't be the favorite of every family looking for new music. But Never Mind the Rain is a collection of, well, sunny, positive, and occasionally educational kids music of every genre and there will be a few families that find that combination wonderful.

Contest: Win Ralph's World / House of Blues Tour Tickets

Sure, you've had your chance to win tickets for the upcoming Ralph's World tour of House of Blues venues across the United States. But you haven't had a chance to provide Ralph suggestions as to what he should play during this, the first tour of a kids music artist in House of Blues venues (including San Francisco's Fillmore and Portland's Aladdin Theatre). Kinda cool, no? So, here are the rules. By 8 PM MST Thursday, January 25, in the comments below list which city you'd like to see Ralph's World in and the three songs your family would like to see the band play. (If you want to explain why, go ahead!) The winner will be picked at random and notified at the e-mail address you provide when you make the comment. The winner will receive 4 tickets to the concert of his or her choice on the tour below. Four tickets! Sweet! If you don't win (or even if you do), you can get more info on the tour and order tickets by clicking on the link below. rw_437x60.jpg 2/3/2007 House of Blues Anaheim, CA 2/4/2007 Fillmore San Francisco,CA 2/10/2007 House of Blues San Diego, CA 2/11/2007 Aladdin Theatre Portland,OR 2/17/2007 House of Blues West Hollywood,CA 2/18/2007 Moore Theatre Seattle,WA 2/24/2007 House of Blues Las Vegas,NV 2/25/2007 Boulder Theater Boulder, CO 3/3/2007 House of Blues Chicago, IL 3/4/2007 Somerville Theatre Somerville,MA 3/10/2007 House of Blues Cleveland,OH 3/11/2007 Theatre of Living Arts Philadelphia,PA 3/17/2007 House of Blues - Orlando Lake Buena Vista, FL 3/18/2007 Variety Playhouse Atlanta, GA 3/24/2007 House of Blues - Music Hall New Orleans,LA 3/25/2007 The Pageant St. Louis, MO