It's that time of year again. The year's best slugging it out against one another -- who will go on a hot streak and win Zooglobble's 3rd annual family music video competition? That's right, it's KidVid Tournament 2009! Over the next 2 weeks, we'll be pitting 16 of the best kids' music videos from the past year or so head-to-head with readers voting to determine their favorite video of the year.
Who picked the videos? Well, me. And only me. They're not exactly my 16 favorites of the year as I've limited each artist to just one video each and omitted live videos. But they're all among my favorites, and take into account the creativity of the video, the originality of the song, and a whole bunch of undefinable variables.
Now, some of you might remember last year's epic semifinal battle between Mr. Richard and the Jimmies, which after 750 or so votes ended up in a tie and had to go to overtime. In hopes of not having to sort through 750 votes, I've decided to set up the actual polls through PollDaddy. So while you should feel free to comment on your favorites in the comments, each matchup will actually use a poll. Those matchups will start Monday morning.
But without further ado, here are the matchups:
Ella Jenkins Region
1. The Jimmies - "Cool To Be Uncool"
2. Barenaked Ladies - "Pollywog in a Bog"
3. Central Services Board of Education - "The Lonely Tomato"
4. The Hipwaders - "Cat in a Bathysphere"
Leadbelly Region
1. They Might Be Giants - "The Ballad of Davy Crockett"
2. Mark Kozelek - "Bedtime Lullaby"
3. Egg - "Night Time Party"
4. Shana Berry - "The Pink Whale"
Pete Seeger Region
1. The Sippy Cups - "The Day After Halloween"
2. Debbie and Friends - "Hangin' Around"
3. Secret Agent 23 Skidoo - "Gotta Be Me"
4. Readeez - "Circle and Square"
Woody Guthrie Region
1. Caspar Babypants - "The Island Hop"
2. Gustafer Yellowgold - "Getting in a Treetop"
3. Eric Herman - "Tale of the Sun and the Moon"
4. Hullabaloo - "All of These Things"
And as always: please, no wagering!
One Mint Green Bee Wasn't Enough: John Lennon Songwriting Contest 2008
It's not news that I'm a big fan of Gustafer Yellowgold. And I already told you about how Gustafer creator Morgan Taylor won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest's 2008 Session I Children's Music category for "Mint Green Bee." Well, Gustafer has met his match. Literally. The Session II winners have been announced, and winning the category this go-round is "One Wasn't Enough," from Bangor, Maine's Flannery Brothers.
And now the decision as to the best song of the year is up to you, folks. After listening to both songs (you can download the Flannery Brothers song at the link above), go here to cast your vote. (Voting ends May 1.) And while I'm a big Gustafer fan, I think it's really hard to listen to the Flannery Brothers track (off their upcoming debut Love Songs for Silly Things) and not have a smile on your face. An old-school Trout Fishing in America-style track. Tough choice.
Gustafer Yellowgold: Now With Extra Strings
I don't typically talk about single shows featuring just one performer, but I thought the latest effort from Gustafer Yellowgold deserved a brief mention. This weekend Morgan Taylor will premiere Gustafer Yellowgold’s Golden Heart Symphony, which will take place in the Presidio Middle School auditorium on Saturday, March 21 at 11 AM & 3 PM and Sunday, March 22 at 2 PM and 5 PM. (Again, that's this weekend, folks.)
Taylor commissioned orchestral arrangements of many of the Gustafer Yellowgold songs and these concerts will involve Morgan, his full band, and a 52-piece orchestra of San Francisco’s finest public school music students. The whole extravaganza will benefit music enrichment in the San Francisco public schools, specifically the SF Unified School District's “Save the Summer Music Workshop” campaign.
When I talked with Morgan and his wife (and bandmate) Rachel when they were here in Phoenix a couple weeks ago, the project sounded very cool. I mean, a 52-piece orchestra. I'm not sure there's another kids artist that would put 'em to better use.New Music from Uncle Rock
I'm a bit late with this, but I never worry too much about being late with new music, this time it's Uncle Rock, who posted some new tracks on his Myspace page. Uncle Rock is more willing to throw out his musical experiments for your enjoyment than a lot of kids artists, and here they're demos he's recording for tracks on his next album. "There Is No Away" is an atmospheric story song, "Buddy Holly Has the Hiccups" is about as silly/historical as you'd expect, an updated "Garbage Barge," and more. I'm guessing a more environmental vibe and more of a explicit tip of the cap to his musical predecessors on the next go-round.
Also, there's some more music at Uncle Rock's ReverbNation page I haven't before heard "A Very Good Question," which that poses the question "What if I woke up with purple skin?" It is indeed a very good question. And a very good song.
Itty-Bitty Review: Cave Baby - The Mudcakes
It's pretty easy to think of one kids music band from Australia, but once you get past the multicolored gents in the Wiggles, naming a second gets a lot harder if you're here in the Northern Hemisphere. But Australian Sherry Rich and American-born partner Rick Plant make the case for The Mudcakes being a perfectly acceptable alternative. The two of them lived in Nashville for a while and unsurprisingly their band's sound has a very rootsy, Americana vibe to it.
Their second album Cave Baby ranges far along the gamut of Americana, from the shuffling train sound of "Baby's Gonna Crawl" to the roots rock of the title track (with excellent guitar work from Plant) even to a little polka on "Please Don't Polka the Baby." Their rendition of "Shortnin' Bread" might just be my favorite on record. The songs (mostly originals from Rich) are mostly geared at ages 2 through 6, but the melodies and arrangements will appeal to a broader range of folks. You can hear samples of tracks from the 40-minute album at its CDBaby page or a few tracks at their Myspace page.
It might not reach the inspired heights of The Bottle Let Me Down or Session Americana's Table Top People Vol. 1 and 2, but Cave Baby will fit the bill for a sweet little set of Americana. Who would've thought the best kids Americana album in recent memory would come out of Australia? Recommended.Lunch Money Blogs Every Bit As Well As They Write Songs
"I highly recommend having an established cookie policy and communicating it to your friends and loved ones."Would that be before or after I've established my living will and emergency readiness plan, Molly? Yes, the fine folks at Lunch Money have started up a blog. It's worth visiting just for the picture of Molly behind a cookie larger than her head. Oh, I'd seen this video before, but could never find it literally on YouTube to embed for you, loyal readers. But check out the big brain on Stefan: Lunch Money - "Roller Coaster," "Dizzy," "Tiny Dinosaurs" (Live at ImaginOn) Check out more after the jump!
