Wordzworth

[With apologies to The New Yorker's "Shouts & Murmurs" section.] KidzBopBook.jpgKIDZ BOP Hits The Books! KIDZ BOP and ADAMS MEDIA INTRODUCE THE FIRST-EVER BOOK SERIES BASED ON THE #1 KIDS’ MUSIC BRAND THIS AUGUST: BOSTON, MA (August 1, 2011) — Happy Birthday KIDZ BOP! The #1 music brand for kids ages 5-12 in the U.S is turning 10 this summer. To celebrate, KIDZ BOP is turning the page, starting a new chapter and launching the first-ever KIDZ BOP books! KIDZ BOP invites fans and young readers to join the party when three all-new book titles hit shelves this week. [Press Release] MEMORANDUM To:Philip Browner, Senior Executive VP From:Justine Brennan, VP for New Products Now that the first three books in the "KIDZ BOP BOOKS" series ready for immediate release, I wanted to let you know we have finalized the galleys for the next books in the series. Just as the Kidz Bop albums bring in tween-aged kids to sing along, we've brought in kids as young as 6 to help use rewrite great books at a more age-appropriate level. They've been a key partner in our authoring process. As you are aware, our long term plan is to alternate applying the Kidz Bop touch to new books with tackling more classic literature. (I'm pleased with our progress on our version of The Hunger Games, in which Katniss and Peeta are sent to the Capitol for a fun party and foosball tournament.) You are welcome to review the galleys for this set of Kidz Bop takes on classic literature at any time, but I wanted to give you a sense of what the books will entail. Please pass along any comments you might have. Justine ******* Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell To Arms "It is very dangerous. DANGEROUS [shouted]" The nurse went into the room and shut the door. I sat outside in the hall. Everything was gone inside of me. I did not think. I could not think. I knew she was going to die SMILE and I prayed that she would not FLOP. Don't let her die. Oh, God, please don't let her die. I'll do anything for you if you won't ler her die. Please, please, please, dear God, don't let her die. Dear God, don't let her die. Please, please, please don't let her die. God please make her not die. I'll do anything you say if you don't let her die. You took the baby but don't let her die. That was all right but don't let her die. Please, please, dear God, don't let her die." Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness

I Like Justin Roberts Concerts. But Especially This One.

Justin_Roberts_WNSM_Flyer.jpgIt doesn't take a lot to get me excited about a Justin Roberts concert. He plays an awful lot of them, though, so I rarely make mention of them here. However. Katy Lloyd, one of the first loyal Zooglobble readers, and for a number of years, actual real-life friend to my family, has made good on her promise years-ago to bring Justin to her hometown of Seattle for a Why Not Sea Monsters? concert. What is "Why Not Sea Monsters?" Well, it's a pair of albums Roberts recorded a number of years ago with Liam Davis -- they tell stories in song from the Old and New Testament. Lest you think that it was some idle, quick cash-in recording, Roberts' graduate degree is in theology, so he knows of which he speaks. Or sings, whatever. In any case, Roberts is going to be performing a Why Not Sea Monsters? concert on Friday, August 19 at Fauntleroy UCC Church in West Seattle at 6:30 PM. He doesn't do a lot of these shows -- I'd guess he averages maybe one a year -- so if you're in the area, it's a chance to hear him do songs you don't normally hear. (If you wonder what they're like, here's a review of the disks.) Even better than seeing a reader coordinate a show in her community is seeing the other good work the concert will create -- it's a fundraiser for Family Promise of Seattle. The organization works with area congregations to provide shelter, food, and transitional assistance to homeless families, a segment of the homeless population that is often underserved. Good friends here in Phoenix helped start the group here, and our family has supported the Phoenix operation with both money and as well as helping whenever own congregation hosts families. So. Great artist, great cause. If you're in the Seattle area, it's a wonderful (and rare) opportunity. Go!

Monday Morning Smile: "All Is Not Lost" - OK Go

Speaking of Pilobolus, OK Go's latest video is a collaboration between the band and the dance troupe for OK Go's new song "All Is Not Lost." It takes just a little while to figure out what's going on, and then it becomes increasingly hypnotic. You and your kids can even play with an interactive version of the video. Also, I'm thinking of just renaming these "Monday Morning Smile" videos for OK Go since I seem to use them a lot for this purpose. OK Go - "All Is Not Lost" [YouTube]

The Ketchup Report, Vol. 11

It's time for another roundup of all things ketchup related... OK, not really, it's just a variety of stuff that caught my eye (and ear) since, well, the last Ketchup Report. This one is an all-video edition. Except for these words right here. And the ones below. First off, this is how you do a promo for a kindie album. A very effective teaser for Alastair Moock's forthcoming album These Are My Friends featuring Moock and Annad Nyack. If there was a tagline for the teaser, it might be "It's just crazy enough to work!"

Interview: Rhiannon Giddens (Carolina Chocolate Drops)

CCD1_medres.jpgOpera singer to string band fiddler is not, as best I can tell, a common musical path, but that's exactly the path that Rhiannon Giddens has taken. The North Carolina native trained to sing opera, but also found herself drawn to learning the fiddle. One thing led to another, and by 2005, she was one of three musicians founding the Carolina Chocolate Drops. The band, now a quartet, has brought the centuries-old African-American string band tradition to a new century and new audiences. Including kids, as can be shown by their performance at the Green River Festival's Meltdown Stage earlier this month. I was intrigued as to what motivated Giddens and her bandmates to play for kids in addition to adults, as well as finding out more about the challenges (and benefits) of playing for a family audience. Giddens kindly agreed to take a few minutes out of her busy schedule (the band plays the Newport Folk Festival this weekend) to talk about just that... Zooglobble: What are some of your musical memories growing up? Rhiannon Giddens: Singing with my dad, mom, and sister (all the time!) and seeing amazing people like Sweet Honey in the Rock, Sapphire the Uppity Blues Women, and the North Carolina Symphony. What do you think your daughter will remember musically from her childhood? That's a big question, I'm eager to know myself! I hope she takes away the variety that she's being exposed to, and that music is a necessary part of life, even if she doesn't go into music professionally. What made you interested in playing the Meltdown (family) stage at the Green River Festival?

New Dan Zanes Album: Contradance (Music from the Pilobolus Dance Performance)

Contradance.jpgI spilled the beans about this last week, but it turns out that the new Dan Zanes album I stumbled onto shouldn't have been on Spotify just yet. It's so easy to flip that digital switch these days. But now it's officially here. It's called Contradance: Music from the Pilobolus Dance Performance, and it's, well, exactly that. Zanes had worked with the dance group Pilobolus to create a new show. It premiered last year. And now you can listen to (and buy) the eight tracks of the EP at Zanes' store. The album leans toward his American Songbag work, but if your family is a fan of Zanes' work in general, Contradance will be right up your alley. (Give extended samples a spin using the player on the right-hand side of the page here. Or use Spotify to listen to the whole darn thing.)