Video: "One Shoe Blues" - Sandra Boynton (B.B. King)

I like Sandra Boynton's music, and this, her first video, for "One Shoe Blues" featuring B.B. King, is just as droll as the rest of her output. Not clear what NPR's favorite part was. I liked the stone-faced sock -- "Momsock" -- with glasses and purple hair. That is a sentence I'm pretty sure has never been written before. The video isn't embeddable, but here's a "making of" video that's, er, longer than the actual video.

How Much Would You Pay for the New Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke EP? How About a Buck?

NoPeriod_lowres.jpgOver the last 3 years or so, I'm not sure there's anyone who's been as big a fan of Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke as I. Go ahead -- look at the archives here, dating all the way back to April 2007, where I extolled the song "Favorite Names" and talked about sharing great kids music like that of the duo's with the world. I dig this band. So when I was asked last week by Little Monster Records if I'd be interested in an exclusive offering of the new Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke EP Hello, Our Name Is Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke to you, my readers, at a super-low-are-they-crazy? price it didn't take me long to agree... Really, the song "Favorite Names" is worth a dollar in and of itself, but, wait, there's more! (I've always wanted to say that and mean it.) If you click that "Get it Now" button you'll be able to buy that song, plus two more fun songs that aren't on their January 5th full album Rise & Shine plus the video for "I Had a Little Dog" plus the digital liner notes which include coloring pages. For. A. Buck. Now the only reason I thought about declining the offer is because I don't want to make it seem like my editorial integrity is being compromised. But I think I've made it clear over time how much I like the band. It seemed to me that trying this was an opportunity for experimentation regarding new distribution channels for kids music that I'd like to see more of. And you are welcome to stream the songs and video without buying. In any case, I won't make a single dime from doing this, either upfront or based on sales. All the money -- which won't be dramatic, because it's just $1, people! -- will go directly to Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke and Little Monster. Just click on "Get it Now" and you'll be able to purchase it in mere seconds. Instant gratification. One final caveat -- this offer is only good through January 1, 2010. After that, the offer (and the digital EP and this stream) will disappear. Ed: And so it has...

American History + Rock 'N' Roll = Deedle Deedle Dees + Contest

AmericanHistory+RNR_DDD.jpg(or, therefore, Contest = American History + Rock 'N' Roll - Deedle Deedle Dees.) A couple years back, I ran a contest for The Deedle Deedle Dees' latest album, the excellent Freedom in a Box. To enter, folks had to suggest a historical personage the history buffs in the band might want to write a song about. The randomly selected reader was longtime reader Katy, whose family offered 4 different personages, including Amelia Earhardt, Benny Benson (who came up with the idea for the Alaskan state flag), and Eleanor Roosevelt. Now, although my contest idea was just a goof, chief songwriter Lloyd Miller offered to write one song from the winning entry, and the band actually created songs for those 3 real-life figures, along with other more famous and less famous folks, on their rocking new album American History + Rock & Roll = The Deedle Deedle Dees. So, since my last Deedle Deedle Dees contest worked out so well, let's do it again. By 11 PM East Coast time on Wednesday, December 30 ed: contest deadline extended to Wednesday, January 6, enter below by suggesting another historical figure the Dees could write a song about. In addition, write the name of a school system or library system you think would be happy to receive a bunch of excellent songs from both the historical and rocking perspective. No promises that the Dees will write a song for the randomly-selected winner, but I do promise that the randomly-selected winner will receive 2 copies of the album -- one for their own family, and one to give to that school system or library system that they offer up. Thanks, good luck, and if you want to see the track listing, here it is...

Video: "Dreidel Bird" - The Macaroons

This was either the last kids music video for Hanukkah 2009, or it's the first kids music video for Hanukkah 2010. It's "Dreidel Bird" from The Macaroons, and the video for the fanciful alt-country tune is the finest use of backwards video since Coldplay's "The Scientist." (Or maybe not.) The Macaroons - "Dreidel Bird" [YouTube]

Listen To This: "Waiting For My Man (The Santa Claus Mix)

SippyCups_6x7_05_medium.jpgYou know, if Bob Dylan can record a Christmas album, why can't Lou Reed? What's that? He hasn't released a Christmas album? But I swear, this sounds just like Lou Reed! Oh, it's just the Bay Area's Sippy Cups, returning to their song-parody roots by reworking "I'm Waiting For the Man" into "Waiting For My Man (The Santa Claus Mix)." And it's free for the downloading or streaming here. (What, "The Gift" wasn't appropriate enough?) Photo credit: Peter Ellenby