Concert Review: Dan Zanes (Phoenix, February 2008)

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.

The Last TMBG Post... Until the Next One

It's time I dial back a bit on the They Might Be Giants Here Come the 123s madness. The album's been out for more than a couple weeks, and there's plenty of other music to talk about. Before I completely turn things over to my Here Come the 123s archive, a pair of final thoughts. First, my conjecture that the album might break the Billboard Top 10 proved too optimistic. Thus far, their peak chart position is #172. Given that Herbie Hancock's sales of 5,044 albums that same week put him at #159, it would appear TMBG probably sold just under 5,000 copies their first week. Now, given that they also debuted at #9 on the Kid Audio Chart, and only dropped to #10 in week 2, it's not unlikely that they'll continue to sell four or five thousand albums a week, especially given the ongoing promotion. But doubtful that they'll make the Billboard Top 10. And for those of you who are already awaiting the next TMBG kids' album, the reported album on the planets and science is definitely a go. This article quotes a Disney executive as saying that the album could be released as early as next year. The podcasts will go on forever, one can only hope...

It's Never Too Early To Start Thinking About Summer Music Festivals

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.

Herbie Hancock, the Muppets, and You

I realize that the Grammys have been over for more than a week now, but I wanted to put a few final thoughts down for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards and, in particular, the kids music field... I've already shared with you Buck Howdy's thoughts on his trip to the awards, but Buck wasn't the only one visiting. Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer paid a visit, too. The duo has won Grammys before, and Cathy was a nominee this year for Best Traditional Folk Album, with Banjo Talkin'. They attended a number of events and took a bunch of photos. I don't think I ever quite appreciated how much like a convention the Grammys are for the music industry. And my friend Joel Rinsema, executive director for the Phoenix Bach Choir, nominated for five Grammys along with the Kansas City Choir, did win one award, sort of -- Best Engineered Album, Classical, which goes to the engineer. Still, that's a "Grammy Winner!" sticker they can slap on the CD. "We are thrilled," says Joel, who goes on to say... "We had an absolute blast at the Grammys. The whole thing was surreal; from the Biltmore Hotel, to the pre-telecast and telecast award ceremonies and of course the post-Grammy bash (the bash looked more like the set from the movie Caligula, to be honest!). It was especially exciting sitting with 80 other people who were there for our nominations. I can definitely say that people knew which disc we were pulling for, especially when the winner was announced for best engineered classical album. I don't think John Newton, our engineer on "Passion Week" expected the eruption that happened when his name was called as the winner. It was a thrilling ride to be on, but to be honest it feels good to have it all behind us. Some have said "congratulations and condolences" (we didn't take home the REAL big awards - Best Classical or Choral Performance). My response is "are you crazy!? We are THRILLED that our disc won a Grammy!" It truly was an honor and we look forward to the next time our hard work is recognized in this manner. It is not the reason we do what we do, but it certainly is gratifying to be recognized for making the right decisions and producing high-quality art." But you can't talk about this year's Grammys without talking about Herbie Hancock's stunning Album of the Year win for River: The Joni Letters, beating contenders such as Kanye West and saving Amy Winehouse from winning the Christopher Cross slate (AOTY, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist). Most of the criticism of the win seemed to be along the lines of, "not popular enough, from an artist way past their artistic peak." Sound familiar? Yeah, I had the same thought many of you may have had when I read who won Sunday afternoon for best children's music recording -- the Muppets? Not to mention a Christmas album? You've got to be kidding me.

Video: "Home" - David Tobocman

As you might expect, I get a lot of e-mails from people who make kids music. Sometimes they include links to their own website (which I often peruse, if briefly) or perhaps YouTube videos. I've long since learned not to keep my expectations too high, which makes the occasional discovery that much more fun. I'm clearly not the only person David Tobocman has e-mailed to let people know about his video for his song "Home," but that won't stop me. [Note: Tobocman let me know he hadn't yet e-mailed people, only the artist, and her post generated the viral popularity thus far...] Tobocman's a southern California musician, and "Home" reminds me of nothing so much as the wistful songs on the soundtracks from another southern California musician, Randy Newman. The illustrations of Valerie Walsh make an excellent match. It's a great little video. David Tobocman - "Home"

You can listen to samples from all of Very Helpful Songs here.

A Sticker For Details

From my album submission guidelines:

#2 -- Quotations of two sentences or less on artists' websites or other promotional materials or by other websites/magazines do not require permission from the site owner. Quotations longer than two sentences, or any quotations attached to products actually sold to others, require express permission from the site owner. OK, I realize the very last part of #2 is not common, but I know that artists will quote reviews on websites, promotional materials, and even on CD wrappers/covers. I'm just covering myself in the event that somebody wants to quote me on the latter. I'm not expecting a lot of letters from that provision.

And to be clear, when I said "not expecting a lot of letters," what I meant was, "putting this out there for a cheap laugh." So imagine my surprise when I saw the latest album from Brady Rymer, Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could, in all its shrink-wrapped, ready-for-retail glory:

Look there in the lower left-hand cover. That red sticker. That quotation at top, said by, erm... Who woulda thunk it? I'm pointing this out not out of vanity -- trust me, if I do that, you'll know it. Nor am I pointing it out because I don't think it's true. I meant it when I wrote it two years about Brady's last album, Every Day is a Birthday, and I still think it's a true statement. Nor am I pointing it out to make clear that doing something like this will have absolutely no impact (either way) on my opinion of an album. OK, maybe I am doing it for that last point. But mostly, I just wanted to say that I appreciated my name being spelled correctly. Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could is out on Bumblin' Bee Records on March 4.