The latest Land of Nod Nodcast Podcast is up, and this time it features Doug Snyder, chief Jellydot. As with all the Nodcast Podcasts, Snyder tries his hand at writing a Nodcast Podcast theme, plays clips of some of his popular songs, and gives a sneak preview of a new song from the next Jellydots album (an album titled Jelly Jukebox). The song is called something like "Adventure Quest," and it's definitely in demo form, as Snyder points out, but should sound sweet when stuff like real horns are mixed in. Snyder also gives a guitar lesson, teaching a blues song, so you aspiring guitar kiddos (OK, and aspiring adult guitarist, too) can join in the fun. (The Fresh Air bit will probably go over the heads of anyone under the age of 25.) Listen or subscribe to the podcast here.
New Los Lobos Disney Album Out This September. We Think.
Remember when I I told you about the new album of Disney cover songs set to be released by Los Lobos later this year? Of course you don't, because I did that almost a year ago.
Well, it appears that the past year has been a difficult one for Los Lobos and the Mouse, whose Hollywood Records imprint dropped the band:
"Finally, after two years, we twisted their arms enough to where they are gonna release it, whatever that even means anymore, on September 1," says [Los Lobos guitarist Louie] Perez, who adds that even at this late date, the album has no title. "I think we are a little bit detached from it now. We're not exactly rolling up our sleeves to work on this record, because we don't really have anything to do with the label, and I think they are doing the same."Ouch. Perhaps it's not so surprising that Hollywood dropped the band -- take one look at Hollywood's roster, with the likes of Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, and seemingly every other Disney Channel graduate, and Los Lobos was the odd band out. (We'll ignore Queen for the sake of this discussion.) Having said that, if Hollywood just lets this album wither quietly, I will be peeved. Because the album has the potential to be great. In this interview, Perez says it includes “Lady and the Tramp,” and "a surf version of 'When You Wish Upon a Star.'" And here he says it'll also include "When You Wish Upon a Star," "Bella Notte," "You've Got a Friend in Me," and a Spanish-language take on "Heigh-Ho." (OK, can we at least put a ten-year moratorium on "You've Got a Friend in Me" covers?) Seriously, Disney, don't mess this up. Get this out there. Or I'll be forced to do something bad. Like, annoy a cat or something.
Interview: Debbie Cavalier (Debbie and Friends)
Debbie Cavalier leads a double life -- not only is she behind Debbie and Friends, which offers a bunch of songs (and animation) squarely aimed at preschoolers (and maybe their older siblings), she's also the Dean of Continuing Education at Berklee College of Music's online division. So she's got a pretty broad perspective on life as a musician, educator, and entrepreneur. (She's also a really nice person.) Read on for her inspiration for Debbie and Friends, some music education tips, and the worst part about playing keyboards.
Zooglobble: What music did you listen to growing up?
Debbie Cavalier: My mom always played a lot of Tom Jones and Neil Diamond in the house when I was a kid. She also played my grandfather records a lot: The Marty Gold Orchestra. My grandfather has been a huge influence on my musical life. I just wrote a blog post about this.
Upon getting my own record player in elementary school in the mid 70s, my favorites rotations up were Elton John, Carole King, Billy Joel, the Bee Gees, Carly Simon, and Bruce Springsteen. Elton John definitely got more airplay in my room than anyone else.
What was the path that led you to your current job at Berklee and what does that job entail?Video: "First There Is A Mountain" - Kenny Loggins
When Kenny Loggins' first kids CD, Return to Pooh Corner came out in 1994, Amazon.com didn't even exist. Now Loggins has a new album coming out, All Join In, on the new Disney Pearl imprint, and he's premiering the first video from the album on Amazon. It's for the old Donovan tune, "First There Is A Mountain," and it's one of my favorite tracks from the CD. The song (and video) features Loggins' 11-year-old daughter Hana, lots of sunshine, and a really big chair. I like it. Watch the video here. All Join In is out July 21.Y'Know, Key Wilde Does Also Draw...
Key Wilde was an illustrator long before he recorded music for kids. So the fact that Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke shows now have some visual accompaniment makes perfect sense. A bunch of video from their Saturday show at the 92Y Tribeca have been posted to YouTube and while the mechanics of the video aren't quite worked out (check out the mouse work on the always-awesome "Rattlin' Can" after the jump), it just makes their shows even better. Their debut album Rise and Shine comes out later this summer on Little Monster Records -- here's a surprisingly nimble "Big Pet Pig" from the album.
Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke - "Big Pet Pig"
Interview: Teresa Georgi (Putumayo Kids Europe)
Last month the energetic Putumayo Kids label released its latest globally-flavored CD, European Playground. Last week we chatted with Farmer Jason about life as a North American artist breaking into the European kids music scene. This week I thought it would be interesting to get a more European perspective on the kids music scene, so I talked with Teresa Georgi, who's the manager for Putumayo Kids Europe. She was born in America but has lived in Europe for a number of years now. Read on to find out the good parts about the kids music scene, the bad parts, and about the next Putumayo disk.
Zooglobble: What music did you listen to growing up?
Teresa Georgi: My mother loves the blues so we grew up listening to Bo Diddley, Howlin' Wolf, Elmore James, John Lee Hooker… When she wasn’t playing the blues we listened to the Stones, Bob Dylan, Al Green and Janis Joplin – I was lucky; there was always great music at our house.
My first 45 was "Puff the Magic Dragon" by Peter, Paul and Mary. My mother finally had to take it away from me though as the lyrics always made me cry. My next 45 was "‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ by the Beatles (I think "Can’t Buy Me Love" was on the flip side) and as far as I was concerned this was music nirvana. I couldn’t wait until I was a teenager! I was about 5 at the time.
How did you end up working for Putumayo in Amsterdam?
I’ve known the founder and CEO, Dan Storper, for over 20 years. In 2005 we met in a restaurant in Amsterdam by chance (the European headquarters are in Holland) and started talking and sharing ideas; when he told me about the fledgling kids division it immediately captured my imagination.
I’ve always loved the brand and its socially-conscious profile and jumped at the opportunity to help grow the kids market in Europe. I really believe that our CDs are exceptional, not only are they fun and engaging but music helps children express themselves, and our music helps make children aware that there’s a whole world of kids out there that are fundamentally just like them. It’s a unique concept that takes children and their families on a journey around the world and helps them to become global citizens.
There's obviously been a resurgence of interest in family music from both the public and musicians here in the States. What's the status of the genre in Europe?
