I Will Take This Lunch: Recess Monkey's "Field Trip" Almost Ready

FieldTrip.jpgOoh. Ooh. Ooh. Take a look at that cover. It's the cover for Recess Monkey's next album, Field Trip, set for release on June 9th. Sweet, no? The artwork is by Seattle cartoonist Matt Hawk who, judging from his homepage does a lot of myth and fantasy stuff too (though I gotta say, there's a picture there on the homepage that looks a looooot like Captain Bogg & Salty). Anyway, Hawk does the interior art work for the album as well. But you're probably even more interested in the track listing. And that's after the jump, with a few comments from the band...

Reminder: Win Robbert Bobbert and His Own Bubble Machine

Well, not his bubble machine specifically, but after (or before) you enter the contest to win a couple of Putumayo Playground CDs, go here to win a copy of the self-titled Robbert Bobbert debut album along with an actual bubble machine. Entries (for the Robbert Bobbert package) are due by 8 PM West Coast / 11 PM Snow Coast East Coast tonight. Go now!

Contest: Win A Putumayo Kids Playground Selection!

WorldPlayground.jpgI've already given you a list of recess-friendly disks, but what if you're not near a playground? Well, thanks to the folks at Putumayo Kids, you now have a chance for a little monkey bar time of your own -- we're hosting a contest to win a couple disks from Putumayo. Putumayo's Playground is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, as World Playground was released ten years ago. It's now a dozen albums strong, and there's more on its way -- European Playground will be released in May and Picnic Playground - featuring Johnny Bregar, Asheba and others - will be released in July, accompanied by a summer concert tour. Putumayo will give copies World Playground and Folk Playground to a lucky reader. Just list your (and/or your kids') favorite playground activities in the comments below. I'll pick one reader at random. One comment per family, please; all entries due by Thursday 11 PM East Coast / 8 PM West Coast time. Thanks and good luck!

Songs For Recess

You know, I miss recess. I miss taking a 15-minute break two hours into the day and playing on the monkey bars or getting on the swingset. My office totally needs to get a playground. I'm a little sad that it appears National Recess Week is a corporately-sponsored event, because it seems like recess is one of those public goods that should be more than just a tie-in. Play is an important thing, both indoors and out. So I thought I'd put together a list of a few songs celebrating play in the great outdoors especially. And if you've got more to add, list 'em in the comments. Here we go...

Video: "Cool To Be Uncool" - The Jimmies

I already wrote about this video once - sort of - but the finished product shows that while there may be others who create unique and interesting videos, there is absolutely nobody in the kids music field that creates videos with the same love and attention (and, hey, probably budgets, too) as The Jimmies. Their latest effort, "Cool To Be Uncool," I like to think was filmed in the actual bedroom set for The Princess Bride. It's from their forthcoming DVD Trying Funny Stuff, which'll feature 6 videos, a live concert, other stuff, and a live CD of the concert. Go over to their video page to see all of their videos (or if Flash gives your computer a headache, go see the YouTube version) and go here to pre-order the DVD at a discount until Sunday. The Jimmies - "Cool To Be Uncool"