I would not have expected the 39-second "Water Balloon" to be the first song to get a video from The Okee Dokee Brothers' upcoming (Aug. 3) release Take It Outside, but, hey, I guess there's pretty much just one concept you can go with for the song, and they did. (Read on below the video for one more piece of news about the album.)
The Okee Dokee Brothers - "Water Balloon" [YouTube]
I don't believe I've mentioned this here, but I'm on the album. Or, to be more specific, in the album. Writing some liner notes, to be specific. So I think you can probably guess how I feel about the disk.
Play List: Little Boy Blue's Birthday Mix (The Sequel)
Last year at about this time I made a mix CD for Little Boy Blue's birthday. Since Little Boy Blue recently had another birthday party, I went back and made another mix CD for the guests (and him). I gather last year's was popular -- one of the return attendees said that last year's mix saved them during their vacation road trip. (And it was popular with Little Boy Blue, too.) Anyway, here's this year's result, with some YouTubery to help you play along at home.
Hail! Hail! The Gang's All Here! - Dean Jones featuring the Felice Brothers (Rock Paper Scissors)
Light It Up - Caspar Babypants (More Please!)
When I'm Five - We Are The Not Its (We Are The Not Its) [YouTube]
High Five! - They Might Be Giants (Here Come the 123s!) [YouTube]
Sunny Day Rainy Day Anytime Band - Ralph Covert (At the Bottom Of The Sea) [YouTube]
D Is For Drums - They Might Be Giants (Here Come The ABCs) [YouTube]
F & G - The Pop Ups (Outside Voices)
Favorite Names - Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke (Rise And Shine) [YouTube]
I'm A Monkey - Candy Band (High Five)
They All Ask'd For You - Daisy Mayhem (Ranky Tanky) [YouTube]
Sodeo - Raffi (More Singable Songs)
Evens and Odds - Gwendolyn And The Good Time Gang (Clap Your Hands)
Moon Boots - Recess Monkey (The Final Funktier) [YouTube]
We Go Duck - Justin Roberts (Jungle Gym)
Look Both Ways - Egg/Secret Agent 23 Skidoo (Look Both Ways)
Cars And Trucks - Sugar Free Allstars (Funky Fresh And Sugar Free)
Every Day Is A Summer Day - Keith Munslow (Homemade Fun)
Watermelon Song - The Biscuit Brothers (Musical Farm)
I Like Cacti - Randy Kaplan (The Kids Are All Id)
Bring 'em In - The Deedle Deedle Dees (American History + Rock-n-Roll = The Deedle Deedle Dees)
Take Me To Show and Tell - Sarah Lee Guthrie and Family (Go Waggaloo)
violet - Jeremy Messersmith (The Reluctant Graveyard) [YouTube]
Nice 'N' Clean - Chromeo (Yo Gabba Gabba! Music Is Awesome) [YouTube]
Queremos Bailar - Dan Zanes & Friends (House Party)
Sing With Me - Haley Bonar (Sing With Me)
Mama Papa Love - Renee & Jeremy (C'mon)
Happy Doesn't Have To Have An Ending - They Might Be Giants (Bed Bed Bed) [YouTube]
Inchworm - The Leisure Society (Sing Me To Sleep - Indie Lullabies) [YouTube]
Stay Awake - The Innocence Mission (Now The Day Is Over)
Monty Harper / Kickstarter
Sounds like a Billy Joel rhyme, doesn't it?
Nope, it's just the latest volley in kids music crowd-funding, this time from Oklahoma musician (and longtime friend of Zooglobble) Monty Harper, who's looking to raise $9,000 for his latest project, Songs from the Science Frontier. Harper promises songs about "phototaxic bacteria, stress hormones, wheat genomics, bacterial biofilms, bat taxonomy, wind energy, acrocanthosaurus neural spines, x-ray crystallography, and luminescence dating!" (Take that, TMBG! You pikers!)
For those who don't know what half those things are [raises hand], you may also be interested to note that fellow Oklahoman Sugar Free Allstars' Chris Wiser is slated to produce.
The prize levels are fairly standard (though I love the cheap joke of the $160 level), but perhaps the most innovative promise is the final one.
The fundraising deadline for this project, August 21, also happens to be my birthday! If we reach the $9,000 goal before that date, I will throw an online birthday bash for all my backers via live video feed, during which my wife, Lisa, has promised to smoosh a chocolate cake in my face! You want to see that! You know you do!
Caspar Babypants Duets with Paul the Octopus!
Well, not really, but c'mon, check out that cover art for This Is Fun!, the next album from Chris Ballew AKA Caspar Babypants. (Paul the Octopus predicts the album will be lots of fun!) The cover art, as was the case with the first two CB albums, is by Kate Endle (Chris Ballew's wife). As previously noted, the November 2 release will feature appearances by Elizabeth Mitchell, Charlie Hope, and Krist Novoselic.
Track list after the jump:Interview: Haley Bonar
Haley Bonar's late 2009 kids' EP Sing With Me was one of the most surprising and gratifying (and too brief) releases of the year, heartfelt and featuring Bonar's clear and beautiful voice. It's a combination that worked just as well on her most recent album for adults, 2008's Big Star.
I'm always interested in getting a wide range of perspectives on the family music scene, from those who have been in it for many years to those who've only peered in the window just a little bit. I also like talking with cool musicians. So this interview meets both those standards. Bonar talked with me a couple weeks ago as she was on the road, moving back to Minneapolis from Portland, Oregon, sharing with me musical stories of growing up, life sharing music as a nanny, and the beauty of awkward dancing.
Zooglobble: What are your musical memories growing up?
Haley Bonar: I conducted a lot of plays. We had a Schoenhut piano. I would make my mom play while I danced in a circle. We weren't super-musical, but we listened to it a lot. I never shut up.
When did you decide to become a musician, to make it a career?
Hmmm.... I didn't really know that it was a real career. A career means making money and I don't make money. Of course, now I'm super-rich [chuckles]. No, there wasn't a single defining moment.
You worked as a nanny -- how would you work music into your daily life?Moona Luna: Twice the Languages, Twice the Fun? (Hopefully Not Twice the Wait.)
There has been no shortage of bilingual Spanish-language family music released over the past couple years, not just traditional music, but also some with a bit of rock -- Dan Zanes is perhaps the best-known, but others like Mariana Iranzi also recording albums.
One that I've been waiting for since the beginning of the year is the debut from Moona Luna, the family music alter-ego of Latin-alternative band Pistolera. They've had a couple tracks on their website for awhile now, but now they've got three up in blogger-friendly Bandcamp form. The band, led by singer-songwriter (and new mother) Sandra Velasquez, is actually recording two albums simultaneously -- one as Pistolera, one as Moona Luna -- so that probably explains why it's taken so long. But based on the tracks they've released thus far, I think it might be worth the wait.
