Kindiefest 2010: The Hipwaders

The Bay Area trio The Hipwaders took advantage of their showcase at Kindiefest to play some of their hits ("Educated Kid," natch -- see below -- and "Art Car," for example) but also roll out some new songs that they've been working on. "My Dog Steve" was a crunchy rocker so new that lead singer/guitarist Tito Uquillas (he of the lovely Cort guitar) hadn't even done all the necessary copyrighting, while "Go Go Girl" has a pleasant Byrds-ian melody and ends with "ba ba bas." Sounded nice in Brooklyn; look forward to hearing it when it finally makes it to record. The Hipwaders - "Go Go Girl" (Live @ Kindiefest 2010) [YouTube]

Kindiefest 2010: Rhythm Child

Watching Norman Jones, the force behind Rhythm Child, can be a bit hypnotic. Those hands of his are constantly in motion; his body doesn't necessarily move a lot, but it's definitely moving in rhythm. At his Kindiefest set on Saturday night, he and his guitarist gradually got the crowd grooving and clapping hands to classic kids music standards. He apologized for not having the musical instruments he'd normally bring for the kids, but I'm pretty sure if he'd had them, the mostly adult audience dancing in the back would've taken them (as would have the kids dancing up front). By the end of his set of positive vibes, when he asked the audience for an "Amen," the audience gladly complied. Rhythm Child - "Oh Susanna" (Live @ Kindiefest 2010) [YouTube]

Share: "Sleepoverland" - Justin Roberts

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...

Share: "Always Mom" - The Hipwaders

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.

Songs For Moms (Updated, With Feeling!)

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...

Justin Roberts Hits the Big (Small) Time

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.