This new video from Matt Clark for his song "Everybody's Got a Name" is fine and all -- it's got simple animation by Jessica Cornelius, simple tune, two Uncle Craigs and a cat called Puddin' Tain.
But it still doesn't resolve the ultimate question -- what's the name of the guy at the grocery store!?!
Matt Clark - "Everybody's Got a Name" [YouTube]
Concert Recap: The Thinkers (July 2011, Children's Museum of Phoenix)
Hoo boy, that was a fun show put on by The Thinkers on Sunday. We set up most of the Children's Museum of Phoenix shows many months in advance, so it's not often we can fit in a last-minute addition like the Thinkers as the Boston/NY-based band moved westward on a massive country-wide tour, but I'm glad we did, because we all had fun.
Little Boy Blue, Miss Mary Mack, and I caught their second set of the day, and with the help of a generous supply of egg shakers and rhythm sticks, it was one of the most chaotic sets I've seen in the sunlit room where we host the shows.
But chaotic in a good, not totally chaotic way. Just lots of kids banging around, jumping, maybe dancing. (I was told that the first set earlier was even more packed and chaotic.) Nobody really knew the songs, of course (present company excepted), but the kids were more than game.
Twenty-five minutes later, they were done, the kids were toast, and I had a grin on my face.
The band continues to tour for at least next three weeks up the west coast. Definitely track 'em down and check 'em out.
Here's "Froggy Hop," with more live video after the jump.
The Thinkers - "Froggy Hop" [YouTube]
Video: "Shape Rap" - The Alphabet Rockers
The Alphabet Rockers have been around for a few years -- their self-titled debut came out almost 4 years ago. The San Francisco-based group is trying to do two things that many have tried, but comparatively few have succeeded at: making tuneful hip-hop for kids, and making tuneful educational music for kids.
On at least one track, they've met both challenges, and made a slick video to boot. Check out "Shape Rap" - v. smooth. It's reminiscent of one of my favorite public service announcement series of all time. (And if you're looking to continue the educational vibes, you might want to also view "Shape Hunt" with the kiddos.)
Alphabet Rockers - Shape Rap from Alphabet Rockers on Vimeo.
Share: "I'm a Vampire" - Roy Handy & the Moonshot
You know how last year, it was pretty clear even in summer that Justin Roberts' "Trick or Treat" would be the Halloween song of 2010?
This year, I've got a really good feeling about Roy Handy and the Moonshot's new song, "I'm a Vampire." It's catchy, it's funny, and is, well, seasonally appropriate. And, no, it has nothing to do with True Blood or Twilight or any of those things. It's just got an excellent Old '97s-like riff.
Hopefully by the time October rolls around and the song's all over the airwaves (and your stereo), the promised RH&MS EP will be ready. In the meantime, download the song for free below.
(And here's a video...)Video: "Party Day" - The Laurie Berkner Band (World Premiere)
The Laurie Berkner Band have a new DVD coming out later this month. It's called Party Day! and it features 12 all-new videos of longtime Berkner favorites (see: "This Hat") and new ones (see: "Where Is The Cake?"). It also comes with a 5-song EP, which includes a new acoustic version of fan favorite "My Family."
Today, I'm proud to have for you the world premiere of Berkner's "Party Day" video. The video for this "title track" features a ladybug, banana slug, a beetle, and an ant, along with Laurie and the band and the kids dancing around in some silly hats. (Trust me, the hats make a little more sense in the context of the DVD.) It's a fun little song and video, not to mention representative of the DVD's top-notch production quality.
Party Day! is released on July 26th.Itty-Bitty Review: Hey Pepito! - Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke
Oh, to have the energy of Pepito, the titular squirrel the latest EP of Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke. I'd be able to knock out these reviews in four, five minutes flat. Perhaps I could do that if I just wrote something like, "I've yet to hear a Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke song that I haven't liked" and left it at that.
But you probably expect just a little bit more (even though it's true). So, then, in brief, the six songs of Hey Pepito!:
1) "Pepito": a gigantic adrenaline rush that might, in the long run, get a little wearisome when you listen to it for the four-hundredth time, as your kids will invariable make you do. (Purchase the album via Little Monster (or the widget below) and get an e-copy of a Wilde-drawn comic featuring Pepito to boot.)
2) "Don Mario's Song": Another ear-wormy chorus, with the added benefit of an extended Latin percussion break, each instrument named in turn. I love "Pepito," but I think this is the best song on the album.
3) "Talking Big Pet Pig": This pig looms large in KWMC iconography -- here he gets an origin story, done Dylan-pre-electric-style.
4) "It's So Good": Previously released, is that a samba I hear?
5) "Mary the Fairy": Also previously released, the story of a flight-challenged and inattentive fairy.
6) "Summer Lullaby": As tender a song as "Pepito" and "Don Mario's Song" are rave-ups.
The songs are most appropriate for kids ages through 3 through 7. Listen to the whole EP by streaming it via the player below. Hey Pepito! is a fun 22 minutes, a worthy albeit brief follow up to their wonderful debut Rise and Shine. Or, to put it another way, I've still yet to hear a Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke song that I haven't liked. Definitely recommended.
[Disclosure: I received a copy of the album for possible review.]
