... or, in more search-friendly terms, writing about music -- ie, blogs -- by kids musicians. I know that Warren covered this last week, but I've had this on my to-do list for awhile, so I'm going to press forward with a highlighting of another wave of kids musicians turning their thoughts to the blogosphere. Some have a lot to do with the kids music genre, some very little. But I'm guessing at least one of 'em will be of interest to most of you and/or your RSS reader...
-- Ann Torralba, best known as Little Miss Ann, is trying her hand writing about kids music at littleshouldersmusic, focusing in particular about music in the Chicago area where Ann lives.
-- Bill Harley has long been one of the most talented wordsmiths in the kids music field, so I'm glad to see that he's started a blog. He tells his stories very well, and anyone interested about the arts and school culture generally will find this of value.
-- Robert Burke Warren had a long career making music for adults before starting to make music for kids as Uncle Rock. Now he's got a blog in which he's every bit as thoughtful on paper as he is in person.
-- Debbie Cavalier records music for kids under the moniker Debbie and Friends but her day job (OK, other day job) is Dean of Continuing Education at Berklee College, so, uh, yeah, she knows something about music education. She has not one, but two blogs. One, on Music, Education and Technology, is geared more toward Berklee's students, but occasionally deals with stuff of interest to a broader audience, while the other, Kid's Music Matters, is a pretty good example of an artist blog, mixing self-promotional stuff with more behind-the-scenes stuff.
Listen To This: "Alive!" - Duplex
When I was picking out a track for your listening pleasure from the upcoming Duplex album Worser, I was tempted to pick one of the more rockin' tracks. Heck, I even uploaded one of 'em. (And if you need to listen to one of the more rockin' tracks, I have it on good authority that Bill may have one on this weekend's show.)
But it was this track, "Alive!," that I kept thinking about. It's a lot more swirling than most kids tracks. It's also beautiful. Streaming with permission from Veda Hille, it's...
Duplex - "Alive!"
Kids Music Goes Commercial
I was walking somewhere the other day and out of the corner of my eye - or whatever the audio equivalent of that is - I caught a TV ad with a familiar song. The song? Great Lake Swimmers' "See You on the Moon," being used to sell Honda Insights...
Of course, a 30-second clip can't adequately describe how awesome the song is, awesome enough that it became the title track of a decent kids-comp and then got repurposed for an even better kids-comp.
The Jellydots' "Bicycle" got picked up by Shimano for a bike ad last year, and Kira Willey's "Colors" got used for a Dell ad, too. And beyond that?
Your Opportunity To See Where The Magic Happens
By the way, a tip of the Zooglobble cap to the folks at Raising Arizona Kids magazine, who were nice enough to come out to our house a couple months ago and snap a few pictures of me in the place where all the magic happens -- our windowless office, stuffed with way more kids' CDs than anybody should have really, plus our trusty MacBook. Want to read the article and don't want to travel to Arizona to pick up a hard copy of the May issue? Then head here. (They also featured me on the RAK homepage today and in their Blogs We Read section.) As a longtime reader of the magazine, it was kinda cool...
Video: "Haven't Got A Pet Yet" - Recess Monkey
The latest video from Seattle's Recess Monkey features one of my favorite tracks from their upcoming Field Trip CD, "Haven't Got a Pet Yet" (a zippy number that must've been preserved in amber in 1986 somewhere), the Aretha Franklin-cribbed lyric "R-E-S-P-onsibility," and Jack Forman in a dress. I think we can all agree that Jack is the Recess Monkey member most likely to appear in a dress for a video.
How can you not watch?
Recess Monkey - "Haven't Got a Pet Yet"
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.
