We're in the run up to Mother's Day, and so it's time for a few seasonably-appropriate songs. First up is a song from The Nields. It was written for MotherWoman, a Massachusetts-based non-profit which "supports and empowers mothers to create positive personal and social change." It's a sweet, sweet song, and a lovely video. I'm not one of those teary-eyed people, but if you are, I suggest that you have tissues nearby. ("Your lap was love to me.")
The Nields - "Your House is Strong" [YouTube]
Kindiefest 2011: Artists' Showcase in Video and Pictures
Be it SXSW or Kindiefest, there are different reasons to see an artists' showcase at a music conference. You can see your favorite bands, or perhaps bands you're familiar with but are curious to see and hear them live. And sometimes you stumble upon a new favorite. The Kindiefest 2011 artists' showcase on Saturday night was for me a combination of all three, which suggests how well the lineup was put together. Now, I should note that though the lineup featured several artists I'd consider my favorites, I'd never actually seen any of them perform live. (That would have to wait for Sunday's public performance, for whom I'd seen half the lineup live.) But as someone who puts together shows here in the Phoenix area, that live aspect is important to me.
This summary is long, but I encourage you to skim the entire thing, you never know when you'll find your new favorite artist.
The lineup kicked off with Billy Kelly and the Blah Blah Blahs, faced with the unenviable task of starting the show while everybody filed back from dinner or a run to their hotel rooms. That and selecting from a bunch of great songs. They went meta ("This Is The First Song" -- they should close with that one day), sweet ("Family Garden"), doubly sweet ("Pen Pal," duetting with Lunch Money's Molly Ledford), and classic ("The Legend of Johnny Box"). The last song featured none other than Johnny Box himself, played by... well, let's just say by someone very familiar to Zooglobble readers. Good stuff.
From there it was on to The Pop Ups, whose set was basically a very abbreviated version of their PASTA! musical. Were there puppets? Yes! Were there apes in capes? Yes! Was there lots of hand-clapping? Yes! Was there lots of pasta? Well, you'll just have to see the musical for yourself to see the answer. But it's hard not to see how the musical would be very popular with the 5-year-old set.
The Pop Ups - "Pasta" [YouTube]
But we were just getting started, with six more artists to go...
The lineup kicked off with Billy Kelly and the Blah Blah Blahs, faced with the unenviable task of starting the show while everybody filed back from dinner or a run to their hotel rooms. That and selecting from a bunch of great songs. They went meta ("This Is The First Song" -- they should close with that one day), sweet ("Family Garden"), doubly sweet ("Pen Pal," duetting with Lunch Money's Molly Ledford), and classic ("The Legend of Johnny Box"). The last song featured none other than Johnny Box himself, played by... well, let's just say by someone very familiar to Zooglobble readers. Good stuff.
From there it was on to The Pop Ups, whose set was basically a very abbreviated version of their PASTA! musical. Were there puppets? Yes! Were there apes in capes? Yes! Was there lots of hand-clapping? Yes! Was there lots of pasta? Well, you'll just have to see the musical for yourself to see the answer. But it's hard not to see how the musical would be very popular with the 5-year-old set.
The Pop Ups - "Pasta" [YouTube]
But we were just getting started, with six more artists to go...Listen To This: "Cooperate" - Sugar Free Allstars and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo
I'm all about the collaboration and cooperation, so of course I dig the fact that Sugar Free Allstars and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo hooked up for a new single. Both of 'em hung out together a bit at Kindiefest, and their affinity is obvious on this funky track. Stream it below or buy it here or here.
Red? Anne Hathaway vs. Hayden Panettiere, Singing
Longtime readers will know of my love for the soundtrack to Hoodwinked, an excellent soundtrack that was out of print for awhile but is now easily available.
So now the long-delayed sequel, Hoodwinked Too!, is in theatres, and I'm wondering whether I should go with the family to see it. (We've subsequently acquired a copy of the original on DVD, and we like it quite a bit.) I was nervous because despite the original's director and creator Cory Edwards' assurances that the sequel was good (he's a co-writer on the new movie), I wasn't getting a good vibe from the trailer, and, what's worse, Todd Edwards, who was responsible for the soundtrack, is nowhere to be found on this film.
Instead, what we have is this, courtesy of Hayden Panettiere, brought in to replace Anne Hathaway as the voice of Red:
Hayden Panettiere - "I Can Do It Alone" (from Hoodwinked Too!) [YouTube]
Sigh. So... generic. And so not intriguing to me. (Oh, and the video would appear to give away a major plot twist, so foo on that, too.)
Finding clips of the first movie online is obviously a little difficult, but I would just direct you to...Kindiefest 2011: The Big Picture
I'm writing this (or at least starting to write) while at about 38,000 feet, heading home to Phoenix after another weekend of family music immersion at Kindiefest, the annual gathering of family musicians, radio folks, writers, and others. I spent a fair amount of time this weekend trying to think about if there was an overarching theme to this year's conference. What is the big picture? Last year, if you'll remember, it was about owning your [stuff], the year before it was about... well, a bunch of stuff.
And this year? There were always the random phrases people uttered during the weekend. In the entertaining discussion on using social media, Ashley Albert from the Jimmies mentioned how one children's media property allowed users to create avatars of themselves as potatoes, and I immediately wrote "potato avatar" as the name of a kids album or kids band, I'm not sure which. Daron Henry mentioned how Recess Monkey had at some point become a "jobby," a combination of job and hobby that captures, I think, the weird position of some kids music artists, for which this artistic endeavor has become something considerably more than a hobby, but maybe hasn't quite reached the point of full-time work. Yet.
Kindiefest co-founder Bill Childs tagged "authenticity" as the word for the weekend. I won't deny that that notion surfaced throughout the weekend, especially in the musical performances. (More on those tomorrow.)
But I'm going to call the word of Kindiefest 2011 "community." It wasn't a buzzword that rolled off everyone's lips immediately -- well, except maybe in my panel -- and it's not the word itself that I'm choosing. It was someNew York as Kindie Epicenter This Weekend
As you should all know by now, I'll be attending (and moderating a panel at) Kindiefest this weekend. The events Friday and Saturday are attendee-only affairs, though I hope to provide some updates via Facebook and Twitter.
Having said that, Sunday's concert is a public affair, with crazy-cheap tickets and a great lineup. Elizabeth Mitchell, the Verve Pipe, Heidi Swedberg, Oran Etkin, and more. Tickets are just $12 in advance, $15 at the door, infants free. Tickets are here.
Conference attendees looking for an after-show Saturday night could do much worse than seeing Deedle Deedle Dees quasi-alter ego band the Red Hook Ramblers play the Floating Kabarette at Galapagos. Definitely not a kids show. More details here.
Of course, there are always more local musicians playing this weekend, but you've got a chance to see some folks whose presence on the East Coast is not as consistent.
Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band, all the way out from LA, are playing Sunday at 12:30 at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. Tickets are $10.
Finally, Recess Monkey will be playing 2 shows, one Saturday at 1 pm at the Brooklyn Central Library, and one Sunday at 11 am at the 92Y Tribeca.
It's a good weekend to be a New York parent -- hope you can take advantage of even more great family music than you usually get to.
