Happy Holiday Greetings from Ralph's World

Everybody's getting in their Happy Holiday greetings except for me (very soon, I hope), but in the meanwhile, here's one from Ralph Covert, better known to some (though not all) for Ralph's World. Here he is singing (part of?) "That's What I Want for Christmas" from the musical Hansel and Gretel he co-wrote with G. Riley Mills. It's short, but still fun. Ralph Covert - "That's What I Want for Christmas"

Video: "Lovely, Love My Family" - The Roots. For Reals.

I can't tell you how many people visit here looking for information on the fabulous song "Lovely, Love My Family" by Philly's The Roots on the new Yo Gabba Gabba! soundtrack. Actually, I can. It's a lot. And so, just because I streamed "Lovely...", that wasn't enough. I also linked to a YouTube video which, unsurprisingly, was taken down. But now you can watch on Nick Jr's own site right here. Yes, there's an ad beforehand. Oh, well... Enjoy. (And stick around, you can also see the video for the Ting Tings' cover of "Happy Birthday").

New Music (and Album) From Dan Zanes: "Jesus on the Mainline"

TheWelcomeTable.jpgUpdated post: The fine folks at Festival Five have provided some clarification on the previously discussed The Welcome Table: Songs of Inspiration, Mystery, and Good Times mostly-gospel album. The album is coming out as an iTunes digital exclusive on Tuesday, December 23rd and an Amazon exclusive in its physical format on the same date. (Though I'd note that I just added the Amazon disk to my cart, so maybe Amazon didn't get the memo from Festival Five.) All other retailers will get the album (physically and digitally) on February 10, 2009. So yay for last-minute Christmas gifts (a gospel album is kinda appropriate for the season, no?) If you want to get a sneak preview besides listening to the clips on the Amazon page, though, head on over to Zanes' Myspace page, where you can hear "Jesus on the Mainline" in its entirety. Nice rootsy gospel with some funky organ work to boot. Anyway, here's the tracklisting...

My New Music -- Sort Of -- From Peter Himmelman

Speaking of artists with Twin Cities roots, I've been hearing that Peter Himmelman was prepping the follow-up to his excellent 2007 album My Green Kite, but now I (and you) can actually hear the follow-up, or at least tiny portions thereof. From the sound of it, if you liked Kite, you're gonna like this. Himmelman's posted clips from 3 new kids' songs at his music page. The songs are the ska-tinged "Imagination," the XTC-ish "King Ferdinand," which is cursed with the shortest clip, and the bluesy title track. What's that? Title track what? The album will be called My Trampoline, thereby continuing Himmelman's run of "My" albums -- this'll make five. Makes you think he and Elizabeth Mitchell totally need to duet on a You Are My... album...

Video (and More!): "The Tale of the Sun and the Moon" - Eric Herman

Another video from Washington's Eric Herman, this one for his "The Tale of the Sun and the Moon" (available on his mellow Snail's Pace compilation). The song, based on a Kenn Nesbitt poem, is not my favorite tune of Herman's by any stretch, but I think the video really adds a lot. The illustrations from Lauren Wilson have an ever-so-slight Gustafer Yellowgold quality to them, though I'll admit to missing Eric's wife Roseann's animations. Eric Herman - "The Tale of the Sun and the Moon" Oh, and all of you who had Sugar Free Allstars, ScribbleMonster, and Eric Herman in the "Name The Next Kids' Music Collaboration" pool, congratulations...