Interview: The KC Jiggle Jam

Reminder: Go here by tonight for a chance to win free Jiggle Jam stuff -- you don't have to live anywhere near KC to enjoy the shirt, hat, and compilation CD! I was totally impressed with the lineup for the 2009 KC Jiggle Jam, to be held this upcoming Memorial Day weekend. When I saw Jeni and Jim Cosgrove at KindieFest 2009 in Brooklyn a couple weeks ago, having as much fun if not more so than the kids on hand, I had some small idea of the enthusiasm and passion the two of them bring toward putting together a most excellent kids music festival. But I also wanted to get a sense of just how much work and planning putting on an event like takes. So I decided to ask them (in the midst of their final preparations). Jeni and Jim, along with Keli Wenzel, answered a few questions about Jiggle Jam's past, present, and future... Zooglobble What was the genesis of the Jiggle Jam? Jeni Cosgrove: Jiggle Jam Family Music Festival is a non-profit, 501c3 agency committed to gathering generations and communities together to experience musical performances and educational activities in a positive atmosphere that the entire family can enjoy. The idea of Jiggle Jam began with three people who shared the same vision, Jim and Jeni Cosgrove and Keli O'Neill Wenzel. Jim has been leading the children's music scene in Kansas City for more than a decade. Jeni Cosgrove has been there right beside him as a wife, booking agent, tour manager, and event planner. Jeni had successfully organized five smaller children's music festivals prior to Jiggle Jam. Keli Wenzel works under the umbrella of O'Neill Communications, a public relations, marketing and event management firm. Keli is also the Executive Director of the highly successful Kansas City Irish Fest -- the city's biggest and most awesome festival. After casually discussing a family music fest for several years, the three of us finally sat down together one day in September 2007, and decided to make it a reality. Crown Center, a shopping, dining, and hotel complex adjacent to the headquarters for Hallmark Cards, gave us the push we needed. They too wanted to see some kind of family festival on their grounds. They knew Keli made it happen with Irish Fest, and they knew Jim and I could pull together some of the best acts in children's music. Jim Cosgrove: Jeni and I produced our own music fest -- Family Peace Jamboree -- for three years. It was all local acts performing on a big stage in a local school parking lot. It was successful (about 1,000 people the first year) and a lot of work. Just when we decided we couldn't do it by ourselves anymore, Hallmark/Crown Center approached Keli and us about creating a signature event for them. Crown Center has the perfect festival facilities. Keli knows festivals (and how to squeeze corporate dollars) better than anyone. Jeni and I know family music, and we know what families want and how artists deserved to be treated. It's a winning combination. Jeni: The three of us reached out to more close friends and formed a tight board of directors who pounded the pavement, reached out to the community, and made the details come together. It's a team effort.

Review in Brief: Family Photograph - The Dreyer Family Band

Giving Family Photograph, the first album from the bi-coastal Dreyer Family Band, a brief review is hard, because you're not likely to hear a kids music album more stuffed with so many feelings this year. The product of the families of Matt and Craig Dreyer, the album gives voice to all of the good times and bad times most families go through. In many ways, it's completely typical family music territory -- lots of songs about love and creativity and animals playing music ("Totem Party," the closest thing the album has to a traditional folk song on its collection of 17 originals). But a few other songs serve as counterweight to the lovey-dovey stuff, and make those songs' emotions feel earned. When was the last time you heard a song (from a kids' point of view) talk about wanting to hit someone, especially a sibling or a friend, but that's exactly what the Johnny Cash-styled "Mad" covers. Or the '60s soul of "You Get What You Get," which adds music to all those things parents say (or want to say) to their child on those highly-stressed days ("It's a get what I got hope you like it day / If you don't just keep it to yourself today"). The music covers a wide range of styles, but has its locus in funky soul music. It's like a long-lost kids album from 35 years ago. It felt a little long for my tastes, though if you asked me exactly which 4 songs I'd drop to make it a trim 33 minutes rather than the 43 minutes it actually is, I'd be at a loss to do so. The album will probably be most appreciated by kids ages 3 through 8, though the real target audience is those kids' parents -- if the kids like it, that's a bonus. You can hear some tracks at the band's website (click on "listen") or samples at the album's CD Baby page. Listening to Family Photograph feels a little bit like looking through a family album of highly personal photos; sometimes the photos are fuzzy or seem to have meaning that escapes the casual listener, but at times these snapshots have captured something magical. Recommended.

Live Video: Paul Green School of Rock

Somehow it's not entirely surprising that the youngest kids at the KindieFest 2009 showcase rocked the hardest and played the least "kid-friendly" set. Which isn't to say that the kids from the Paul Green School of Rock were playing stuff you wouldn't want your kids to hear. It's just that Heart's "Barracuda" isn't a song in the typical library set. But the kids can play, sing, and certainly had no shame taking control of the stage. If it wasn't perfect, it was done with gusto and with a heckuva lot more confidence than I had at their age. That right there might be reason enough...

One more photo...

Live Video: Mariana Iranzi

The toughest barrier Mariana Iranzi had to break at her KindieFest 2009 showcase was probably not so much language as much as it was familiarity. While many of the acts on the showcase were pretty well-known names to the industry crowd, Iranzi was more unfamiliar. She'd only released her album Aventura Collage earlier this year, so many folks might not have heard her before the showcase. Having said that, Iranzi and her band indisputably rocked. She might have sung most of her songs in Spanish, but her set (just like her album) covered a much broader range of melodies and musical styles. At times it was like Belly was up there on stage, singing for kids (and in Spanish). I look forward to seeing (and hearing) what happens as Iranzi gets more experience playing (and writing) for kids. Mariana Iranzi - "Bluesando"

Photo used with permission of J.P. Stephens from the band Lunch Money; visit him at Lumos Studio. Woot!

Contest: Win Some Jiggle Jam Stuff!

Last year, I was a pretty big fan of the KC Jiggle Jam. When the lineup was announced about a month ago, I became an even bigger fan, saying "it's just a question as to whether the Jiggle Jam is the best family music lineup this year or the best family music lineup ever." Well, even if you can't make it to the KC Jiggle Jam, held Memorial Day weekend (May 23-24, 2009), you can still take in the show vicariously. The good folks at the Jiggle Jam have offered up a prize pack to a lucky Zooglobble reader that even folks stuck in Antarctica for the next six months can take advantage of. One lucky reader will win a t-shirt, hat, and a compilation CD featuring most of the Jiggle Jam artists. To enter, write a comment below with (may as well help out the Jiggle Jam folks) the one thing besides the music that a kids music festival absolutely must have. All entries due by 11 PM Central Daylight Time Monday night; one entry per family, please. I'll pick the winner randomly. Thanks and good luck. (PS -- Unfortunately, I can't go -- I'm going camping -- but Jeff from Out With The Kids is. Lucky guy.)

Video: "Springtime: It's My Favorite" - Billy Kelly and the Blah Blah Blahs

Will this brand new video from Billy Kelly and his Thank You For Joining The Happy Club disk be your favorite? Maybe, maybe not -- all I know is that I did enjoy the ever-increasingly jolly "SPRINGTIME" and the subtle milk reference at the end of the video. (Oh, and with the white shirts and ties, is the band merely the older brothers of the Jimmies?) Billy Kelly and the Blah Blah Blahs - "Springtime: It's My Favorite"