Itty-Bitty Review: Rocknoceros - Rocknoceros

While Virginia trio Rocknoceros finishes up their third album, they've remastered and re-released their self-titled debut CD. I've always thought of the band as the East Coast Recess Monkey -- or maybe they're the West Coast Rocknoceros -- and here's yet another similarity. This debut album is not as good as what follows, but contains glimmers of the talent shown to much fuller extent on Dark Side of the Moon Bounce (review). The songs here are much more direct -- counting songs, songs about hygeine and sharing. But there's subtleties and off-kilteredness, too -- the sadness and acceptance of the stone-cold classic "Big Head," the sparse "Zen Garden," and the too-meta-for-preschoolers "Trying to Write a Song." The 33-minute album features mostly pop and rock stylings, but with some blues and other rootsier music thrown in for color (literally, on "Blue"). It's most appropriate for kids ages 2 through 6. You can hear samples here or some full track at the band's homepage. The debut isn't where I'd direct newcomers to Rocknoceros; for that I'd go to the second CD. But if you like Dark Side..., then you and your kids (especially the preschoolers) will also dig this disk. Recommended.

So How Would Dan Zanes Describe the Holiday House Party Tickets You Might Win?

A gentle reminder: you can win tickets to see Dan Zanes and his Holiday House Party in San Francisco, Seattle, and New York City just by going here and leaving a comment. Entries are due by Monday night. (See the link for more details.) And in case you're not sure what to expect, why don't you let Dan Zanes explain (and duet a bit on "Let It Snow"...)

Jim Gill Likes His Soup

It's been awhile -- OK, too long -- since Jim Gill has released one of his playful albums for kids, but at least he's got a new book out. Titled A Soup Opera, written by Gill and illustrated by David Moose, it tells the story of one man's quest to eat a simple bowl of soup. Since this is a book, you will not be surprised to find out there are complications. Also, because this is a Jim Gill book, you will not be surprised to find out there's a CD that accompanies the book which recites the story in song. (Opera, natch.) See a preview of the book here.

I Always Preferred Micro To Macro

At some point a couple years or so ago, I decided to write the occasional "Review in Brief," reviews that were intended to be slightly less wordy than a full-on review. Well, fast-forward a couple years, and just like small cars inevitably become midsize sedans (Toyota Corolla, I'm lookin' at you), the only thing brief about my reviews in brief is, well, the time they were brief. So I'm going to try to write micro-reviews occasionally. Not those 75-word reviews they make you write for magazines (those are not much fun to write), but much shorter than the 500-word or more reviews I end up writing. Call 'em "Itty Bitty Reviews." (And, yeah, I think microeconomics rocks and macro... well, macro just puts me to sleep usually. There goes my shot at ever becoming Treasury Secretary, I think.)

Beauty, Art, and the L'Enfant Metro Stop

Someone recently drew my attention to a 2007 article in the Washington Post -- written by Gene Weingarten, it recounts what happened when world-famous violinist Joshua Bell busked for 43 minutes in DC's L'Enfant Metro station. I think I have some vague memory of this, but I clearly never read the whole thing 'til recently. There are so, so many reasons why the article is worth your time; this small selection is just one of many nuggets from the article, about one of the few passerbys that stopped to listen:

When Picarello was growing up in New York, he studied violin seriously, intending to be a concert musician. But he gave it up at 18, when he decided he'd never be good enough to make it pay. Life does that to you sometimes. Sometimes, you have to do the prudent thing. So he went into another line of work. He's a supervisor at the U.S. Postal Service. Doesn't play the violin much, anymore.... Does he have regrets about how things worked out? The postal supervisor considers this. "No. If you love something but choose not to do it professionally, it's not a waste. Because, you know, you still have it. You have it forever."

The article was incredibly popular, not to mention well-received -- it won the author a Pulitzer Prize. If you skim through the chat Weingarten hosted after the article came out (note: if you think the article is long, just wait 'til you read the chat), there are some negative comments, but I'm much more in the "criers" camp. I didn't actually cry, but the idea that beauty is all around us, every day, and it's hard for us to notice it sometimes struck home. ("A thing of beauty is a joy forever. My man John Keats said that!") As did the idea that performing music, at whatever skill level, is a lifelong gift. As did the idea that I've been through more than my fair share of Metro stops in my life. Oh, and I still play the violin (very rarely). I'll stop babbling. Go read. If you'd rather watch video (cant' seem to get the Post's unedited clips to work), here's a small (edited) clip...

Review in Brief: Long John - Johnny Keener

I suppose Portland, Oregon-based Johnny Keener could do worse than taking the path Elizabeth Mitchell has blazed before him -- one part covers of old tunes, one part covers of new tunes, add a pinch of original stuff, stir gently. With a mix of rockabilly, blues, and modern pop, Keener further refines the gentle formula above, originally outlined on his debut Elephants Over the Fence (review). What's new is the presence of a kids chorus on several tracks. At its best, the chorus enlivens old tunes, even giving Apples in Stereo's already-awesome "Energy" a tweaking that makes it a great kids' song. Keener's call-and-response with the kids on the title track shows off the chops he's honed at the Portland Children's Museum -- Ella Jenkins would be proud. (I also like the kids on Keener's original "Run Around.") The sound is perhaps a little fuller than the first CD, but there's nothing particularly fancy. Which gets back to how things haven't changed. There's still some nifty guitar work (check out Keener's bluesy take on "The Cat Came Back") and covers that seem odd but make perfect sense (Cat Stevens' "If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out.") The album isn't perfect -- Keener's cover of John Fogerty's "Down on the Corner" doesn't add much to the CCR original, and I'd like to officially put a moratorium on covers of "Three Little Birds" -- but it gets the job done. Oh, and the album packaging is one of the niftiest of the year, a simple yet elegant cardboard envelope. Kids aged 2 through 6 will most appreciate the 25-minute disk, from which you can hear samples at its CDBaby page. Long John shows an artist maturing in his kids music vision, and it's a well-done collection of Americana-influenced tracks young and old. Recommended.