The Not-Its have a new album coming out next month -- Time Out To Rock on July 20th, to be exact -- and they're making sure that everybody knows with a whole bunch of world premieres this weekend, starting tomorrow and stretching all the way into Monday.
Friday, June 25 (tomorrow!): Pied Piper Radio - "Cheetah The Buffalo"
Saturday, June 26:
- Spare The Rock, Spoil the Child - "Green Light, Go!"
- Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl - "First Kid In Outer Space"
- Ages 3 and Up - "FANTASTIC"
And that's not all. On Monday, June 28 you'll have the chance to download not one but two songs from the disk. Out With The Kids will offer up "First Kid In Outer Space" and I'll have "Welcome To Our School" for you. (And, yes, you'll want to check it out.)
Track listing after the jump.
I know, Kids Place Live listeners are probably tired of this song, seeing as its been played there for months now, but for those who haven't heard this, it's an introductory song for Grammaropolis called "Welcome to Grammaropolis" (natch) and in addition to it being an amusing song it has an amusing video to match. (Unsurprising, considering it's a Doctor Noize joint, and Cory's pretty much the funniest guy in kids music, and that's saying something.)
The song basically condenses American grammar into, like, 3 minutes. It's for people who like Schoolhouse Rock but couldn't be bothered with the whole half-hour it takes to play the Grammar Rock disk. (The lyrics can be found here should you need them.) For what it's worth, a full album covering the Grammaropolis concept -- which is actually the creation of Coert Voorhees -- is due out in 2011, but, really, why bother? Don't you and your kids know everything after watching this?
Doctor Noize - "Welcome To Grammaropolis" [YouTube]
If you're going to title your second kids' CD Funky Fresh and Sugar Free, you better bring at least a modicum of funk, am I right? Luckily, Oklahoma's Sugar Free Allstars meet that test. The heart of the music is still Chris Wiser's Hammond B3 organ and Rob "Dr. Rock" Martin's drums, but they've opened up a little more on this disk, with Wiser occasionally playing sax or bass, and Dr. Rock pulling out the theremin. If there's nothing on the album as instantaneously memorable as "Bathtub Boy" from their debut, this new album is much more consistent -- heck, just better -- overall. "Rock Awesome!" is actually the least funky track on the disk (though kids may get into the call-and-response) and "The Train Beat Song" I think works much better live than it does on the album. But the eight songs in the middle are solid tracks -- I'm particularly fond of "Little Red Wagon" -- and Wiser's sense of humor is evident on the silly "SFA Disco Dance Party" and the stroll-down-memory-lane "6th Grade Band." (Note: not my memory lane. Sixth grade orchestra is muuuuuch less interesting.)
With the aspirational exception of "6th Grade Band," kids ages 3 through 7 are most likely to enjoy the songs here. (You can stream the whole album using the player below.) Funky Fresh and Sugar Free is sweet, but your kids may even lose some calories overall dancing to the music. Recommended.
Disclosure: I was provided a copy of the album for possible review.
It's summer (officially) and watermelons are in the grocery store, so the 4th of July isn't too far away. David Tobocman is celebrating by giving away an mp3 of a new song, "America's Our Country," which is a little bit (new) country a little bit rock and roll. It's got flags, apple pie, and baseball. Not sure I saw mom, but it covers the bases pretty much.
Tobocman's second album for families, Lemonade School will be out in August. Shoot Tobocman an e-mail at "veryhelpful AT earthlink.net" (you can figure out how to turn that into a real e-mail address) to get a copy of the mp3. Or just listen below.
David Tobocman - "America's Our Country" [YouTube]
... actually, they don't walk into a bar at all. But Uncle Rock and Ben Rudnick get quoted and they all are mentioned in an article on the kids music resurgence in this week's Metroland, an Albany, NY-area alternative weekly. (And, hey, I'm quoted.) I also like, in the last paragraph, the justification for family music:
As 21st-century parents, we expect musicians not just to entertain our kids, but us too. That may sound self- indulgent, and to some extent it is. But as entertainment companies beam their offerings to narrower and narrower demographic slices, the idea of parents and kids listening to the same music starts to sound pretty good.
The Not-Its have a new album coming out next month -- Time Out To Rock on July 20th, to be exact -- and they're making sure that everybody knows with a whole bunch of world premieres this weekend, starting tomorrow and stretching all the way into Monday.
Friday, June 25 (tomorrow!): Pied Piper Radio - "Cheetah The Buffalo"
Saturday, June 26:
- Spare The Rock, Spoil the Child - "Green Light, Go!"
- Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl - "First Kid In Outer Space"
- Ages 3 and Up - "FANTASTIC"
And that's not all. On Monday, June 28 you'll have the chance to download not one but two songs from the disk. Out With The Kids will offer up "First Kid In Outer Space" and I'll have "Welcome To Our School" for you. (And, yes, you'll want to check it out.)
Track listing after the jump.
If you're going to title your second kids' CD Funky Fresh and Sugar Free, you better bring at least a modicum of funk, am I right? Luckily, Oklahoma's 
