The first annual "Timeout To Rock" event in Seattle is now over, but this video of The Not-Its playing "Watch Me Share" from their upcoming debut made me smile. Not so much the opening sax solo as the pogoing kids. I think they all drank their parents' Starbucks.
The Not-Its - "Watch Me Share"
Video: "My Brother's A Monster" - Laura Freeman
I've waited quite a bit for the release of Somersault Season, the latest album from Laura Freeman, the indie Laurie Berkner. (I know, I know, Laurie's technically indie, but you get my point.) The album's predecessor, Color Wheel Cartwheel, is just fantabulous but it's been a few years since its release. Well, Somersault Season is finally getting a release in just a couple weeks - July 11. And there's a video for "My Brother's A Monster." It's a little more low-tech than Berkner's videos are these days, but Berkner's got nothing on those hand-drawn monsters.
Laura Freeman - "My Brother's A Monster"
Take Great '80s Songs, Add Humor and a Dollop of Media Literacy
... and what do you get? Literal videos.
No, this has nothing to do with kids music, but I'm guessing that a lot of readers have these videos imprinted on our brain. It's like teaching media literacy to your kids, but, uh, probably a lot more fun.
A-Ha, "Take On Me" (Literal Version)
Take on Me: Literal Video Version - watch more funny videos
A couple more, including an awesome Bonnie Tyler version, to accompany these...Video: Ella Jenkins and Christylez Bacon at Smithsonian Folklife Festival
I've been on a bit of a Smithsonian Folkways kick this week, working through some of their older stuff. In part that's because I know the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival is being held this week. I went to the Festival one summer about 15 years ago, and I thought it was one of the cooler events I had the chance to attend in DC. They always pick 2 or 3 folk traditions to focus on and one of the foci of the 2009 edition is called "Giving Voice: The Power of Words in African American Culture." As part of a family concert today, Ella Jenkins and Christylez Bacon performed and there's video.
Non-embeddable video, but oh well... Go here to see video (right now it's at the top but I'm sure you'll have to scroll down as the Festival goes on). There's nothing particularly amazing about Jenkins' video except the fact that every single person is participating. Seriously, I've been to enough kids' shows to see how a lot of adults don't typically do all the interacting their kids do -- not here, which I think says volumes about Jenkins' command of an audience. (Look at all those adults up in front with her.) And Christylez does some pretty cool beatboxing mixed with go-go in his video.
You can also watch Jenkins perform with Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer (and, I think Bacon) perform live in concert on Saturday starting at 5:30 East Coast time. Watch the webcast here.
Peter Himmelman and Milkshake Team Up, Sort Of.
You know, I had this cover for Great Day, the upcoming album from Baltimore-based band Milkshake, but didn't yet have the tracklisting. On the other hand, I've had My Trampoline, the next album from Peter Himmelman, for awhile now (for a few more details from six months ago, go here). Neither item by itself was probably sufficient for a post. (I do have standards, you know, hard as that may be to believe sometimes.) But I've found the link, folks.
Both albums are coming out on August 25. See? That justifies this, right?
Oh, anyway, the tracklisting for My Trampoline and some other intriguing Himmelman-related news after the jump.New Music: "Singin' in the Rain" - Elizabeth Mitchell
Yeah, it's just about as awesome as you'd expect. I especially dig the "doo de do do doo de do de do do" part sung by Storey at the beginning and the end. It's not the torrential downpour of the movie, more like a refreshing spring sprinkle. Listen to Elizabeth Mitchell's rendition here for a limited time.
