ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2008: Day 0 Report

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.

Seven, Eight, Thyme: Yes, This is The Right Place

Did you hear They Might Be Giants' "Seven," Central Services Board of Education's "Eight is a Number," and the Nields "Wild Mountain Thyme" on NPR's All Things Considered Monday afternoon? Then you've come to the right place, as I was the one talking with Melissa Block. You can find out more about this site and me if you go to this post. And thanks for stopping by.

Family Music Meltdown 2 Preview

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...

Austin Kiddie Limits 2008 Preview: The Rest of the Weekend

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...

While We're Talking About Grown-Up Bands Making Albums For Kids...

No sooner do I talk to NPR about kids music than word comes down that British alternative rock band Elbow, who just won the Mercury Prize for best British album of the past year, are working on a kids music album and accompanying animated film. "We initially thought that it would be great to make music for children because the lads in the band have got kids and they were saying how little really decent music for children there is," said lead singer Guy Garvey, in a crushing blow to the British kids music genre. (Note: when it comes to kids music in Britain, he's right.)

Hey, NPR! Thanks Again!

I have it on good authority -- that is, NPR's website -- that they'll be airing the latest in my occasional chats with All Things Considered's Melissa Block later this afternoon (Monday). This time the subject is "Grown-Up Bands Craft Kid Songs". Better, perhaps, than "Grown-Up Bands Sing Kid Crafts," which would have resulted in songs about popsicle-stick ornaments. To those of you stumbling across this website for the first time, welcome. (To those of you, like me, on the West Coast, you might still have time to listen live.) I hope the music struck your or your kids' fancy, that I sounded charming, and I that I provided you with a respite from all the other news of the day/week/month. (Thanks, Melissa, for the chat!) If you are new, here's a brief rundown of what you can find here... -- Off to the right are links to my YouTube page, Facebook fan page, Facebook page for me, and Myspace. Sorry, I'm not Twittering, because I'm about 3 years behind the curve. -- I write occasionally in other spots, such as the fine parenting/humor website Offsprung. -- In case you like the music, but want a different website layout, there are other voices in this genre -- Bill Childs at Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child hosts an excellent radio show among other things, and Gwyneth at Gooney Bird Kids and Warren at About's Kids Music site are good places to go to. Though Amy has recently shuttered her site, the archives are still worth a stroll. -- Bill and Amy and I also run the Fids and Kamily Awards, our attempt to use the hive mind of the kids music world to find the consensus #1 album of the year. -- For those of you in Austin, Bill and Gwyneth and I will all be attending the Austin City Limits Festival and if want to hear some great kids music outside the festival, Bill and I are hosting the Family Music Meltdown 2. Join us if you can! Otherwise, if you're an artist and you want me to listen to some music, or if you're interested in having me write, talk, or perform an interpretative dance about kids music, my e-mail address is over there to the side. More details on the artists in today's piece after the jump, and there are tons of artists linked on the right, both those who "moonlight" in the kids music genre and those who do nothing but. Thanks again for stopping by.