Moving on today to the Leadbelly Region of KidVid Tournament 2009, we have the top seed, They Might Be Giants' contribution to the better-than-I-expected Disney Music Block Party collection (would only that the party itself lasted so long), "The Ballad of Davy Crockett in Outer Space," going up against Shana Berry and her video for "The Pink Whale" from A Pink Whale and a Very Tall Tree.
Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below, but the official results are based on the poll at the bottom of the page. One vote per person, please. Votes due by midnight tonight (Tuesday) East Coast time. And play nice!
They Might Be Giants - "The Ballad of Davy Crockett in Outer Space"
Shana Berry - "The Pink Whale"
KidVid Tournament 2009: Barenaked Ladies vs. Central Services Board of Education
Our other matchup in the Ella Jenkins Region for KidVid Tournament 2009 is a matchup of the #2 seed vs. the #3 seed. It's the Barenaked Ladies' "Pollywog in a Bog" (from their album Snacktime!) going up against Central Services' Board of Education's video for "The Lonely Tomato" off their self-titled debut.
Comments welcome below, but the videos and the all-important official poll are after the jump. All votes due by midnight tonight (Monday) East Coast time. One vote per person, please. And play nice.
KidVid Tournament 2009: The Jimmies vs. The Hipwaders
It's the very first matchup of KidVid Tournament 2009. It features the Ella Jenkins Region's top seed, The Jimmies' "Cool To Be Uncool," from their Make Your Own Someday CD and upcoming Trying Funny Stuff DVD, going up against The Hipwaders' "Cat in a Bathysphere," from their album Educated Kid.
Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below, but the official results are based on the poll at the bottom of the page. One vote per person, please. Votes due by midnight tonight (Monday) East Coast time. And play nice!
The Jimmies - "Cool To Be Uncool"
The Hipwaders - "Cat in a Bathysphere"
KidVid Tournament 2009: Introduction and Brackets
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.
