Itty-Bitty Review: Banjo To Beatbox - Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer (with Christylez Bacon)

I hesitate to call the DC-area-based duo Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer elder statesmen of the kids music genre because they're neither, you know, elderly nor male. But they've been doing the family music thing for about 25 years now. Which is why it's pretty great that their collaborator on their latest album Banjo to Beatbox is, well, not even 25 years old. Christylez Bacon is a DC-area hip hop artist; here, he adds his beatboxing and rhyming skills to Cathy & Marcy's banjo and folk stylings. On the album's best tracks, like the resetting of the traditional "Soup, Soup," the combination thrills, pointing the way to a 21st century folk music sound. That song, along with with "Hip Hop Humpty Dumpty," takes full advantage of the collaborators' strengths. The other songs here are enjoyable (I also quite like their take on "New River Train"), but those two are the standouts. You can listen to clips of the album (best probably for kids ages 4 through 9) here. (They're calling it an EP, but at 30 minutes, who knows what "EP" means any more.) I've always liked Fink and Marxer's wilingness to collaborate outside what somebody else might perceive to be their genre -- their collaboration with Texas polka group Brave Combo All Wound Up! is an excellent album. I don't think Banjo to Beatbox reaches those heights -- it seems a little more stylistically limited to me -- but I hope that Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer continue to make music every now and then with Christylez Bacon because there are parts of this album that are pretty exhilerating. Recommended.

Doug Snyder Invites You To Learn The Blues

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"