The Thinkers Seek Your Help

I think we've established that I like The Thinkers. The duo from Boston and NYC released their first album and I used words and phrases like "utterly imaginative" and "smitten" and "sea chanty" to describe it. Those are usually good signs that I liked the album, right? Anyway, I wrote those words as the band was about to head out across the country -- I mean, Recess Monkey-style, playing dozens of gigs. But there's still time for you to a) catch them on tour, or b) help further overburden their schedule. (The latter is what I did, getting them into an impromptu gig at the Children's Museum of Phoenix in a week and a half.) The rest of the schedule, after the jump, and, really, folks, lots of opportunities here...

Monday Morning Smile: "Tubthumping" - They Might Be Giants

I know, it's not Monday, but after a July 4th which fell on a Monday, it feels like a Monday. And if you think I'm waiting 'til next Monday to play this, you're nuts. It's They Might Be Giants covering Chumbawumba's one big hit, "Tubthumping," for The Onion's AV Club. Now, I've actually loved the original song unironically since I first heard it -- it's got a nice melodic line, killer sing-along chorus, and the end, when there are like four different melodies interwoven is brilliant brilliant brilliant, easily one of my top ten musical moments of all time. On top of that, the lyrics are simultaneously celebratory and mocking -- the band (around for many years and known for its anarchist tendencies) is able to have its cake and eat it too. Yes, this song is on my iPod. Having said that, I've never bothered embedding the song here; the combination of one of my favorite bands and the song, however, is almost reason enough to do so. I doubt the band are huge fans of the song, though I'm sure they appreciate it from a songwriters' standpoint. But since by the time TMBG got to the series, many of the tunes had been chosen, the band had to think strategically, and where the band's version doesn't quite have the studio production values that puts the original over the top, the choice to invite a whole of AV Club staffers into the tiny room and shout the chorus makes this required posting (and watching). If your kids can sing or play music this joyfully, then you've done right by them, musically.
They Might Be Giants covers Chumbawamba

Share: "Grand Old Flag" - The Boogers

It's the Fourth of July, and hot as blazes around here, so it's a good thing that The Boogers' free mp3 for the holiday clocks in at a shade under 30 seconds. Because if their cover of "Grand Old Flag" were any longer, the undeniable urge to pogo up and down to the track could cause heat exhaustion if your kids aren't properly prepared. To download the track, head to The Boogers' home page and click on the cute kid in the upper-right hand corner.

Kindie Songwriting Club, Vol. 1: Green Beans Everywhere

First there was the idea -- pick a few artists, give 'em a title to base a song, and set 'em free to do what they do best. Then there was the picking of the title. Now, it's time for the album. It's called Green Beans Everywhere, and it features five fun songs from (in geographical order): Hullabaloo (San Diego), The Hollow Trees (Los Angeles), Charity and the JAMband (San Francisco), Matt Clark (Portland), and Johnny Bregar (Seattle). Some of the artists took a pretty simple approach (similar to what you might see at a typical songrwiting club night), some fancied it up a bit, but all the artists rose to the challenge of creating something out of the barest germ of an idea. Thanks to all the artists for participating. And, for a limited time (at least until we run out of free downloads), you can download the 5-song EP for free. Even if your kids (or you) don't like green beans, and even if one of these songs don't change their (or your) mind, you'll enjoy the album anyway.

Share: "Freeze Tag" - The Not-Its! (World Premiere)

Seattle band The Not-Its! release their third album Tag, You're It! tomorrow, June 28, and the leadoff track is everything a summertime hit should be -- it rocks, it's catchy, and by combining the game of tag with popsicles, it covers a kids' quintessential summertime experience. In short, it totally earns the band's exclamation point. Now, courtesy of the band, I'm happy to offer this track as a world premiere download in advance of tomorrow's album release. Stream it ~~or for a limited time download it as well~~, either here or in the player below. The downloading window's over, but the album's out now...

Freeze Tag - The Not-Its! by zooglobble

Dan Zanes' New Album: Little Nut Tree (Release Date: Sept. 27)

There to the left is the cover art for Dan Zanes' new album, Little Nut Tree, which will be released on Zanes' Festival Five Records on ~~September 13~~ now September 27. (Woo!) As always, the album features a cavalcade of stars: Andrew Bird ("I Don't Need Sunny Skies,” a Zanes original), Sharon Jones (R&B classic “Down in the Basement”) the Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars (the title track, originally by the Melodians), and Joan Osborne (another Zanes original, “Everybody’s Going to be Happy”). In addition to the big names, longtime Zanes fans will be happy to hear that in addition to his band (featuring Sonia De Los Santos, Colin Brooks, Saskia Lane and Elena Moon Park), other past collaborators such as Father Goose, Barbara Brousal, Bonga, Simon Kirke, Donald Saaf, and Tareq Abboushi will be on the album. Also appearing will Shawana Kemp AKA Shine from Shine and the Moonbeams, who is poised to make a big splash on the kids music scene in the upcoming year. Zanes is embracing the idea that this album is a "return" to family music. (His albums after the Grammy-winning Catch That Train! weren't necessarily in that vein, with spiriturally-themed, Spanish-language, and Broadway-sourced albums made in the meantime.) He cites Smithsonian Folkways albums as an inspiration and as for its general mood, Zanes says, "Little Nut Tree is the grooviest of the Dan Zanes and Friends family series CDs although you could still nap to it if you needed to." Nap to a DZ CD? Never! And, yes, Donald Saaf is doing the artwork, full board book style, once again for those folks like me still wedded to the physical medium for their music.