Why beat around the bush with this? Justin Roberts is offering you -- yes, you, well-dressed and considerate Zooglobble reader (and, er, anyone else who stumbles onto the site) -- an opportunity to download "Sleepoverland" for free. What is "Sleepoverland"? Why, it's a horn-accented pop confection replete with "ba-da-da-das" from Roberts' upcoming album Jungle Gym. It's definitely one of my favorite tracks on the new album and it's free for the price of an e-mail (which, let's face it, probably Roberts already has -- he's got mine). Just go here and follow the instructions...
The Hipwaders' track "Always Mom" from their Goodie Bag EP had totally slipped my mind when I put together my list of songs for moms for Mother's Day. Shouldn't have, 'cause it's good. And now Tito's reminded us that the song is available for a free download (the link's from last year, actually). Just click on the link right there. Now to go update that list.
It's Mothers' Day Sunday? OK, so this is a bit late for burning a CD and mailing. Perhaps your mom can handle a zipped file (or iTunes gift card). For some reason I skipped this last year, so I've got 2 years of songs to add to my last list.
Here's a list of songs for mothers or songs about mothers, in no particular order. I've avoided lullabies (songs by moms, typically), as well as songs about general parentual units, or songs about moms and dads.
If a song isn't on the list, it's because of one of the three "O"s: Oversight (I knew about the song and just forgot), Omission (I knew about the song and chose to exclude it), or Obtuseness (I didn't know about the song at all). I expect the third category to be fairly large -- it is every year -- so feel free to add your suggestions in the comments section. List after the jump...
The kids music world was abuzz today with the news of a Time magazine article on kindie rock, which, though brief, gives shout-outs to Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, Recess Monkey, and Justin Roberts. (There's an accompanying photo gallery with stock photos of a few more artists as well.)
I know that the original article was much longer (and I'm sure more insightful) but most of it got stripped away in the editing process so what's left is little more than another "did you know that people make music for kids?" article. (Again, not the fault of the author, who spent a lot of time talking to folks last week.) In the end, I wonder how much impact it'll really have on the genre.
So it's nice that Time was willing to put together the video clip below, filmed at Kindiefest and which focuses mostly on Roberts. Maybe the nicest thing of all? The shout-out Roberts gives to Ella Jenkins at the end of the piece.
Of all the sets I was anticipating at Kindiefest this year, Frances England's was probably at the top of the list. Many of the others I'd seen (heck, I'd even booked Justin Roberts and Recess Monkey for shows myself), but Frances was not one of them, and despite my relative West Coast proximity, her comparative touring seclusion meant that my chances of doing so were not great.
Based on other, older YouTube clips of her live show, I'd wondered how England would fit in among the rockers on the showcase. How would those delicate songs translate live?
I'm stupid and need not have worried, of course, because they kicked butt live. England and her band turned "Busy as a Bee" from her debut Fascinating Creatures into a shuffling rocker that picked up momentum every time the quartet headed into the chorus. The other old songs had a similarly-beefed up sound, and the new songs from her fall release (we hope) tentatively titled Mind of My Own also sounded rambunctious and ragged in a good way, as if the little toddlers England once wrote for were getting comfortable in their own skin and exploring the world and getting into troubles of their own.
Oh, and the red hats the band whipped out for "Jacques Cousteau," another new track? Second only to Recess Monkey's silver pants in Kindiefest attire. (Pictures below.) So, yeah, I'm glad I made the trip.
Frances England - "Mind of My Own" (Live at Kindiefest 2010) [YouTube]
Two more songs (including another new one) and pictures after the jump...
The idea of a "release date" in the music industry is a slippery one these days -- is it when you start selling the disks at shows? When it shows up on iTunes? When you tell a major magazine it is so it meets their 4-month lead time? No matter when it's released, there's definitely some anticipation for Randy Kaplan's new disk The Kids Are All Id. If features the by-now-standard Kaplan approach of mixing standards and buried classics with original songs that tell stories in Kaplan's unique style. It also features some really cool cover art, about which Kaplan reports:
I did all the drawings of the faces and my designer in Paris, Laurent Rivelaygue, created the overlapping collage. The cover was originally yellow but my friend Michelle said it was too close to Five Cent Piece. So I asked for orange and teal and I chose the orange one.
Anyway, I dig it.
If you want to read more, Jeff over at Out With the Kids talked with Randy a little while back.
And while you'll have an opportunity to see Randy on the east coast a few times, I'm happy to report that he's coming back to Phoenix again next month, this time at my series at the Children's Museum of Phoenix. He'll be playing a couple of sets on June 13 at 10:30 and 11:30 AM.
Track listing and a sneak preview of one track after the jump...
Why beat around the bush with this? Justin Roberts is offering you -- yes, you, well-dressed and considerate Zooglobble reader (and, er, anyone else who stumbles onto the site) -- an opportunity to download "Sleepoverland" for free. What is "Sleepoverland"? Why, it's a horn-accented pop confection replete with "ba-da-da-das" from Roberts' upcoming album Jungle Gym. It's definitely one of my favorite tracks on the new album and it's free for the price of an e-mail (which, let's face it, probably Roberts already has -- he's got mine). Just go here and follow the instructions...
Of all the sets I was anticipating at 
The idea of a "release date" in the music industry is a slippery one these days -- is it when you start selling the disks at shows? When it shows up on iTunes? When you tell a major magazine it is so it meets their 4-month lead time? No matter when it's released, there's definitely some anticipation for 
