Well, I guess technically speaking I had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Josephine Cameron's recording of "Long Track Blues" was heard on NPR last night as part of a discussion with Nikki Giovanni on her new book/CD collection Hip Hop Speaks To Children: A Celebration of Poetry With a Beat.
But, hey, I did give Cameron's album American Songs Vol. 2 (and "Long Track Blues," first recorded for that CD) a good review last May, so that's got to count for something, right?
OK, not really, but still, that's cool.
Interview: Jason Hammel (Mates of State)
The band Mates of State consists of just two members -- the husband-and-wife team of Jason Hammel (drums) and Kori Gardner (keyboards), though the two seem like such equals that I could've just as easily called them the wife-and-husband team of Kori and Jason.
Their excellent fifth album Re-Arrange Us was released this spring; it finds the duo broadening their sonic palette in a bunch of hook-laden songs. Lyrically, the songs cover relationships -- no surprise there -- but more so about the hard work of relationships after the initial attraction fades.
In addition to their rock albums, Gardner is known for writing a blog about her experiences recording and touring with Gardner's and Hammel's two kids, Magnolia and June. They also covered "Jellyman Kelly" for the For The Kids III compilation and are going to be appearing on Yo Gabba Gabba! this season.
All of which is why I talked with Jason Hammel last for this kids music website. He chatted with me for a few minutes by phone last week. Read on to find out his first 7" record, daughter Magnolia's favorite song off the new album, and what prevents them from recording a kids album.
Zooglobble: So what music did you have around the house growing up?
Jason Hammel: We had that holiday Snoopy album, and my Dad had some Monkees albums... My first 7" record was the theme from The Greatest American Hero...
That's a great song!
Yeah, I remember taking it to school in first great and thinking it was so great to have my teacher play it there in class.
You and Kori made the band a full-time thing in 2001, but did the birth of your kids somehow change how you approached your musical career, business-wise or otherwise?Listen To This: "Lovely, Love My Family" - The Roots (Yo Gabba Gabba!)
Well, I've told you about the second season of Yo Gabba Gabba! -- that's going strong. And I've told you about the upcoming soundtrack, set to be released tomorrow through iTunes.
Now both are set to come together in one giant you-got-peanut-butter-in-my-chocolate sort of combination.
Because I've got an mp3 from that soundtrack for your listening pleasure that -- unlike most of the rest of the album -- is actually a Season Two track.
Trust me, even if you're all Yo Gabba Whatta?, you're going to want to hear this...Review in Brief: Musiplication - Kat Vellos
You've probably noticed that I don't review a lot of "educational" CDs. There are a couple reasons for that -- first, I don't have much of a clue as to their pedagogical soundness. Second, and perhaps more importantly for the purposes of this site, the music usually just doesn't move me. We are about entertainment and community around here -- if your kids happen to learn something found in a textbook, too, well, that's just a bonus.
So let me describe Musiplication With Kat Vellos this way -- I don't envision myself listening to this on my own or after my kids have mastered the times table. But that doesn't mean it isn't good listening. Kat Vellos is a former teacher as well as a spoken word poet and with her first CD Musiplication has put together a sweet little collection of times tables set to music.
Yeah, you heard me -- "times tables set to music." Vellos breaks through the pedagogical boredom barrier that phrase implies in two ways. One, each times table (especially as you make your way into the higher digits) is presented as a story of sorts -- giving each multiple of 6, for example, a distinct family personality type in "6 Family Reunion" or crazy stories in "7's Tall Tales." You're still hearing the same basic repetition of the tables, but at least it's presented with verve; Vellos' spoken word poetry experience gives the stories shape. Second, Vellos' words are underlaid with some laid-back beats courtesy of the producer Batsauce. Layered with old-school funk and soul, it gives the whole CD a deliciously organic feel.
While younger kids might enjoy the stories here, the target audience is clearly slightly older kids, ages 7 through 10. You can listen to samples at the album's CDBaby page. Because it's trying hard to teach times tables, it doesn't quite reach the "listen anytime" nature of something like TMBG's Here Come the 123s -- if you know the times tables, you probably won't spin this too much. But it does its job with as musically pleasant a background as you'll care to hear. It's about as good an "educational" CD as they come.A Whole Slew of Uncle Rock Videos
Fresh off his Austin Kiddie Limits weekend, Uncle Rock is coming out with his first DVD -- Number 1 DVD: Live From Kidtopia & Video Arcade -- very soon, and has posted a whole bunch of video clips from the DVD on his YouTube page. The DVD will feature 30 minutes of his live show from Kidtopia; 5 videos, including the great "Picnic in the Graveyard" and two new videos ("Playin' Possum" and "Nothin' Doin'"); and some extras. Look for it on sale in January.
Anyway, here's one of my favorite Uncle Rock tracks performed live, with another live video and one of those new videos after the jump. (More at his YouTube page.)
Uncle Rock - "It's Hot! (Don't Touch It!)"
Grammy Update: Hey, Musicians! (And Producers!)
I mentioned a while back that for those musicians who wanted to have a bigger say in the Grammy Awards now was the time to join the Academy.
Well, with the big election less than a month away, I just thought I'd update you on the status of the Awards. According to Karen Rappaport McHugh, the deadline for registering to select the Grammy finalists in each category has passed -- it was October 1. But the deadline for selecting the winner among the finalists/nominees is December 1. (Nominees are announced Dec. 4.)
Even if you don't have an album in the running (it's too late to submit yours this year), you musicians and producers and art directors should sign up now... The 51st Annual Grammy Awards are set for Feb. 9, 2009.
