Video: "We Dress Ourselves" (Live) - Princess Katie & Racer Steve

You usually have to watch animated Disney videos to see princesses sing, but if your kids are looking for something that rocks a wee bit more than your typical Disney princess, New York's Princess Katie and Racer Steve are coming to the rescue -- their live DVD Revved Up & Ready To Rock! is set for release in February. They've just posted a cut from the concert recorded earlier this year at NYC's Highline Ballroom. And, yes, Racer Steve's got his baseball cap. Princess Katie and Racer Steve - "We Dress Ourselves" (Live)

Owls and Bogs: New Music from Charity and the JAMband

It's been awhile since we've heard from San Francisco's Charity and the JAMband, but Charity's just posted on her website a couple of tracks that she says are "a couple of the most-loved songs from my kids' time" at their preschool. You can stream or download a peppy "Rattlin' Bog" or a very atmospheric Wise Old Owl", along with chord/lyric sheets. And for those of you wondering when we'll get another funky full album, she notes in her newsletter that it's...
"just about ready for the world. I've been singing about sunsets and moons and stars and dreams and owls and the light and love that inevitably shine through, despite, and because of the darkness."
She also is reluctant to call it a CD and calls it a playlist instead. But I'm gonna call it a CD -- I'm old school like that.

Listen To This: New (Old) Music From Lunch Money!

Lunch Money have helpfully posted a new picture on their Myspace profile illustrating exactly what a cookie as big as each of their heads would look like. Oh, and they've posted the final version of the accompanying song. You've heard "Cookie As Big As My Head," "Dizzy," and "Tiny Dinosaurs" before, but there they are in all their final, mastered glory. Crisp production values, horns, and the tiniest bit of non-Molly lead vocals. The new album (whose name I'm not yet at liberty to reveal) is out January 17.

Review in Brief: Tom Glazer Sings Honk-Hiss-Tweet-GGGGGGG and Other Favorites - Tom Glazer

HonkHissTweetGGGGGGG.jpgSmithsonian Folkways is best known in kids music for releasing classic albums more than a half-century old from Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, and others. Aside from the still-recording legend Ella Jenkins and Elizabeth Mitchell, most of their kids music lineup features musicians who don't have webpages of their own, and must rely on, say, Wikipedia pages. Tom Glazer is no exception. But just because there's no Facebook fan page doesn't mean that a musician's recorded output isn't worth keeping in print. Last week's release of Tom Glazer Sings Honk-Hiss-Tweet-GGGGGGG and Other Favorites, consisting of live tracks from three previously released and out-of-print albums, makes the case for Glazer to be considered alongside his more famous Folkways counterparts as a key early figure in the kids music genre. Which makes it sound like a dry historical recording, which it isn't. From the very first track, "Come Down the Aisle," on which Glazer makes up verses as families arrive at the concert that's just started, Glazer is constantly inventive in his interpretations of familiar classics. "The Bus Song," better known now as "Wheels on the Bus," features the money on the bus going "clink, clink, clink, dunk - dollar bill." Glazer's introduction to "Jennie Jenkins," which features some especially silly banter, keeps the kids in stitches. Really, you can hear how much Glazer has the kids' attention throughout the entire disk. Listen to the kids sing along -- shout, really -- on "Haul Away Joe" (they shout "JOE!"), and tell me there isn't one child in that audience who isn't having a great time. As much as the album is for kids (and it's really more of an album for kids than one which will constantly engage the adults), kids musicians ignore this album at their peril -- it's almost a master class on how to play to kids. And Glazer's voice is in fine form, too -- it's no surprise that he was asked to sing on some famous "Singing Science" albums. This album will be most appealing to kids ages 2 through 7. You can hear samples and download the typically awesome Folkways liner notes (written by Glazer's children) here. Tom Glazer might be best known for writing "On Top of Spaghetti" (yes, that's here, too), but on this album, he runs through a series of kids tunes with consummate child professionalism and enthusiasm. This'll probably be the only Tom Glazer album your family will ever need, but it's a good 'un. Maybe there'll be a Facebook fan page for him yet. Recommended.

Video: "Things" - Barenaked Ladies (Ed Robertson)

This is a couple days old, and I know I've already posted a few of Barenaked Ladies' Ed Robertson's "Bathroom Snacks" videos. But I think everybody 'round here was distracted with something else the past day or two, and this might just be my favorite song off of BNL's Snacktime CD. For some reason I'm thinking of the two fine speeches from last night, which, though obviously different, both conveyed a seriousness of purpose that felt like a nice ending to a long day (and year or two). I can't quite put my finger on why I'm associating those speeches with the song, aside from their effective use of sentimental imagery. Anyway, I like the song and Ed's rendition. Ed Robertson (Barenaked Ladies) - "Things"

Music To Vote By

Arizona has early balloting, but even though I had my mail-in ballot, I took it to the polls this morning. I also took my kids. Given the historical nature of the election, no matter who wins (especially if you're an Arizona resident), I wanted Miss Mary Mack and Little Boy Blue to say they went to the polls on Election Day 2008. (Oddly enough, there were hardly any Obama or McCain signs at the polling place, so the kids got their photos taken in front of assorted signs for the Legislature, school board, and propositions.) They'll thank me when they're older, they will. Even though you don't get a day off, Election Day is a holiday to me. A party for democracy, how aweome is that? My sense is that my (United States) readership probably will exhibit a near 100% turnout this year, but if you need some more kids music to get you in the proper frame of mind to vote (or to register for the next election), Brady Rymer has posted "My United States," a bluesy roots-rocker that, well, lists the United States. Check out the rhyme scheme (and his take on "Mississippi") and listen to or download the track here.