Really, why stop with kids music videos?
You may remember last year, when Gustafer Yellowgold (AKA Morgan Taylor) faced off against the Flannery Brothers for supremacy in the 2008 edition of the John Lennon Songwriting Competition. (The Flannery Brothers took that round, and they really haven't stopped to breathe since.)
Well, the battle of the bands is back, this year featuring Australian Kate Rowe and her song "Space Rabbits of Brocklevoons" against Lanny Sherwin and his tune "A Cappella" from his 2009 album Meltdown!.
"Apples and oranges" is an appropriate phrase here, because Rowe's song is a silly story song while Sherwin's is a very meta (but effective) song about, well, singing a cappella. As for me, I vote Sherwin, but it's not an easy call. Should you care to make your voice heard, you can vote here once a day through April 27th. Vote early, vote often.
A couple other points worth mentioning while we're on the subject of songwriting competitions and this one in particular...
1) You could put together a nice little compilation of free mp3s from those available on the site -- besides last year's and this year's championship battles, you can find tracks from Princess Katie and Racer Steve, more from Gustafer Yellowgold, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Eric Herman ("The Elephant Song"!), Kristin Andreassen, and more.
2) The International Songwriting Competition also has a kids music competition -- oddly enough their list of finalists for the category doesn't include any crossover with the Lennon competition. There's music there from Jon Samson, Bill Harley, and Andrew Queen. (But when I say "music there," I don't really mean that. No mp3s. In this particular equation, John Lennon > International.)
Monday Morning Smile: "Crayola Doesn't Make a Color For Your Eyes"
Isn't it still morning in, like, Hawaii?
I told you before about Kristin Andreassen's fantabulous song "Crayola Doesn't Make a Color For Your Eyes."
Did you know there's a video? You do now. Therefore, you are required to watch.
Kristin Andreassen - "Crayola Doesn't Make a Color For Your Eyes" [YouTube]
The Top Kids Music Albums of All Time Poll Summary Results
1. Here Come the ABCs TMBG 375 15 25.0
2. City Kid Joanie Leeds 374 14 26.7
3. Meltdown Justin Roberts 338 15 22.5
4. Marvelous Day SteveSongs 263 11 23.9
5. Free To Be You and Me Marlo Thomas 253 11 23.0
6. Buzz Buzz Laurie Berkner 250 11 22.7
7. Curious George Soundtrack Jack Johnson 216 10 21.6
8. Victor Vito Laurie Berkner 212 9 23.6
9. Whaddaya Think of That Laurie Berkner 209 10 20.9
10. You Are My Little Bird Elizabeth Mitchell 207 9 23.0
11. House Party Dan Zanes 197 9 21.9
12. No! TMBG 195 8 24.4
13. Family Tree Frances England 179 8 22.4
14. Fascinating Creatures Frances England 178 8 22.3
15. Annie Broadway Cast Various Artists 176 8 22.0
16. Little Mermaid Soundtrack Various Artists 170 8 21.3
17. You Are My Sunshine Elizabeth Mitchell 160 7 22.9
18. Silly Reflection Lunch Money 160 7 22.9
19. Songs to Grow On Woody Guthrie 160 7 22.9
20. Singin' with Susan Susan Shane-Linder 155 6 25.8
21. Singable Songs for the Very Young Raffi 146 6 24.3
22. On a Flying Guitar SteveSongs 144 6 24.0
23. Rocket Ship Beach Dan Zanes 140 6 23.3
24. Easy Secret Agent 23 Skidoo 137 6 22.8
25. Family Dance Dan Zanes 136 6 22.7It's Spring, So Kids Music Series Are Spreading Like Weeds
But good weeds, of course.
I would be remiss after talking about my set of kids music series here in Arizona if I didn't mention some of the other great musical stuff taking place next month and on into the summer in other parts of the country. While I'm not sure it was ever true to say "it's so hard to find recordings of great kids music," it's certainly not true in the 21st century, and it's increasingly not true when it comes to seeing it live.
I'm of course heading to Brooklyn for Kindiefest in just a couple weeks and while it's primarily an industry conference, the public festival on Sunday, May 2 (from noon to 4) is excellent. At New York prices, Ralph's World, Bill Harley, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, and Recess Monkey would probably be worth the $15 entry fee by themselves, but instead you get all of 'em, plus the Royal Order of Chords and Keys and Clementown. Not one of 'em based in NYC, either. Tickets are here.
I'm always excited to see other folks take further steps of their own into the kids music world, so I was glad to see Jeff Bogle from Out With the Kids start his own concert series in suburban Philadelphia. He's kicking it off with Chicago's Laura Doherty on Sunday, May 9 (3 pm) and Randy Kaplan just 6 days later on Saturday, May 15 (with the Deedle Deedle Dees coming in June). Randy's played Phoenix a couple times, and the Dees once, so I know Jeff's gonna have a great time with his series.
I'm obviously a big fan of Kansas City's Jiggle Jam Festival and while this year's lineup doesn't quite reach the heights of last year's, it's pretty darn close, with folks like Ralph's World, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, the Jimmies, Terence Simien and the Zydeco Experience, and Sugar Free Allstars joining the strong KC contingent of Mr. Stinky Feet, Funky Mama, and more. Y'know, the more I think about that lineup, maybe it is just as good as last year. And you can't beat the price... $8 in advance (per day), $15 per weekend. Memorial Day weekend, Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th.
Finally, heading into summer, Bill Childs has put together a nice little lineup of family-friendly artists to play the "River Meltdown Camp" at the Green River Festival in Massachusetts July 17 and 18. It includes Elizabeth Mitchell, Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion, The Nields, the Deedle Deedle Dees, Starfish, and lots lots more.
So, yeah, if you say you can't find good music to enjoy with your kids in a live setting, it's really mostly your own fault at this point...
I'm of course heading to Brooklyn for Kindiefest in just a couple weeks and while it's primarily an industry conference, the public festival on Sunday, May 2 (from noon to 4) is excellent. At New York prices, Ralph's World, Bill Harley, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, and Recess Monkey would probably be worth the $15 entry fee by themselves, but instead you get all of 'em, plus the Royal Order of Chords and Keys and Clementown. Not one of 'em based in NYC, either. Tickets are here.
I'm always excited to see other folks take further steps of their own into the kids music world, so I was glad to see Jeff Bogle from Out With the Kids start his own concert series in suburban Philadelphia. He's kicking it off with Chicago's Laura Doherty on Sunday, May 9 (3 pm) and Randy Kaplan just 6 days later on Saturday, May 15 (with the Deedle Deedle Dees coming in June). Randy's played Phoenix a couple times, and the Dees once, so I know Jeff's gonna have a great time with his series.
I'm obviously a big fan of Kansas City's Jiggle Jam Festival and while this year's lineup doesn't quite reach the heights of last year's, it's pretty darn close, with folks like Ralph's World, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, the Jimmies, Terence Simien and the Zydeco Experience, and Sugar Free Allstars joining the strong KC contingent of Mr. Stinky Feet, Funky Mama, and more. Y'know, the more I think about that lineup, maybe it is just as good as last year. And you can't beat the price... $8 in advance (per day), $15 per weekend. Memorial Day weekend, Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th.
Finally, heading into summer, Bill Childs has put together a nice little lineup of family-friendly artists to play the "River Meltdown Camp" at the Green River Festival in Massachusetts July 17 and 18. It includes Elizabeth Mitchell, Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion, The Nields, the Deedle Deedle Dees, Starfish, and lots lots more.
So, yeah, if you say you can't find good music to enjoy with your kids in a live setting, it's really mostly your own fault at this point...Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion in Concert. This, er, Weekend.
I tend not to talk too much about my work bringing kids music to the Phoenix area here on the site, except in the occasional post-concert summary. After all, most of my readers are, well, not here. But I'm still putting together kids shows for the Children's Museum of Phoenix and the Church of the Beatitudes. (I'm working on other stuff, too -- perhaps one day I'll get to tell you about those as well.)
So even though my friends and associates here in Phoenix are aware of this show, I just wanted to note that I'm super-geeked about the concert I've helped bring to the Church of the Beatitudes this weekend as part of their Not Just for Kids concert series. It's Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, and they'll be doing a special family show this Sunday, April 11th at 2 PM. Tickets are just $10/person; $32/family. It'll be lots of fun, I promise. (And hopefully there will be video to share...)Video: "Frankie's Instruments" - Mark Greenberg
If you want to know how busy I've been this winter and spring, this video below is proof. It's from Mark Greenberg, half of the duo behind the brilliant John and Mark's Children's Record, and was on the holiday CD card Greenberg puts out annually. I received a copy right around the New Year and finally got around to watching it this week. (Musicians, I promise, it takes me less time to get to your actual CDs.) And as soon as I watched it, though, I e-mailed Greenberg and only half-jokingly suggested that if he didn't post it to the Internet for public enjoyment, I would, copyright laws and artistic ownership be damned. (OK, maybe three-quarters-jokingly.)
Luckily, Greenberg decided that he'd be happy to share. It's called "Frankie's Instruments" and features his youngest son, Frankie, along with Frankie's two older siblings. It's a jazzy little tune, and while the illustrations would never pass Walt Disney's muster, they fit really well with the kids' vocals. (Note: As Amberly surmises below, the illustrations are indeed from Frankie's older siblings and they're better than I could ever do.)
Mark Greenberg - "Frankie's Instruments" [YouTube]
