Three months ago, I posted my list of the best kids music venues in the country. I'm not sure the No Nap Happy Hour organized by Bill would appear in that top 5 list yet, but take a look at the first six bands in the series and tell me that it wouldn't be in the Top 10 at least:
7/26 Lunch Money
8/23 Justin Roberts & the Not Ready for Naptime Trio
9/20 Deedle Deedle Dees
10/18 Uncle Rock & the Playthings
11/8 Brady Rymer & the Little Band That Could
12/6 Bill Harley
That's a great lineup, a nice blend of local(-ish) and not-so-local musicians. And it kicks off with Lunch Money, folks! All shows are Sundays at 2 PM at the Iron Horse Music Hall. It's the best lineup north of the 42nd parallel. Go!
Video: "No One Likes To Be Left Out" - Mates of State
Yo Gabba Gabba! is pegged at your resident 3-year-old, so the song lyrics lack any subtlety. Of course, when they're as catchy as Mates of State's take on inclusion -- "No One Likes To Be Left Out" -- nobody really minds.
How much do I like this song? I'm willing to link to it, even though embedding is disabled. (Boo!)
Oh, and I totally think they ripped off one of the band's own videos...
Mates of State - "Fraud in the '80s" (kid-safe, I think, and an awesome song)
Austin Kiddie Limits 2009 Schedule Set
Well, the 2009 Austin City Limits Festival schedule is out and Austin Kiddie Limits is part of the fun, of course. Half the fun is planning the AKL stages around the shows in the rest of the park you want to see. (The other half is, of course, watching those finely made plans be blown to bits by the fact that your kids can't be marshalled around at will. It's good parenting training, actually.)
Anyway, here goes...
Friday, Oct. 2
11:30 - 11:50 Stoosh (ex-Loose Cannons folks)
12:30 - 12:50 Paul Green School of Rock All-Stars
1:30 - 1:50 Telephone Company
2:30 - 2:50 Milkshake
3:15 - 3:30 Special Guest
3:30 - 4:00 Lunch Money
Lots of good stuff going on in the afternoon -- Asleep at the Wheel, Medeski Martin & Wood, Blitzen Trapper. Good thing a lot of those folks are playing later in the weekend... As for the special guest, I'm pretty sure Andrew Bird's above Tor's pay grade (and his crowds would overrun the AKL area), but that's my vote.
Did Neil Armstrong Take Kids Music to the Moon?
I'm pretty sure the answer is, "no," but oh well. In honor of the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, here's the coolest moon landing kids music song ever, Rocknoceros' "Apollo." (If you want to see the band play it at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in DC, go here and click about 4:20 in.)
Rocknoceros - "Apollo" (Live)
Video: "Family Tree" - Secret Agent 23 Skidoo
Please tell me -- where can I find a branded ViewMaster? Because Secret Agent 23 Skidoo has one of his very own, here in this new video for "Family Tree," which also features a brief hip-hop lesson from 23, lots of rhymes from Saki, and probably the coolest school bus vibe ever.
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo - "Family Tree"
Listen To This: Songs From the Garden of Eden
The Canadian publisher/label The Secret Mountain has made a splash here in the past year or so with a number of book/CD collections. You might be familiar with their Trout Fishing in America book/disk My Name Is Chicken Joe, but they've also released a number of different more globally-themed collections.
Their most recent collection is Songs From the Garden of Eden, featuring 28 Jewish lullabies and nursery rhymes from around the world. Certainly if you're Jewish you'll find lots of interest here, but even those not of the Jewish faith might be intrigued.
At least take a listen to the two songs here made available for streaming with permission of The Secret Mountain. I particularly like "Yome Yome" ("El Parida" is after the jump).
