It's 2012, and time again for an updated list of new and upcoming releases, many of which were on last month's list. Additions to the list are noted with a "++"; changes to previously-mentioned items are indicated with italics.
As always, if I've listed you on here and gotten something wrong (or something not ready for primetime), let me know and I'll edit or delete it. And if you're not on here and think you should be, drop me a line, too, and I'll get you added for the next iteration.
++ Little Miss Ann: Walk With Me (Jan. 15)
++ Kidz Bop: Kidz Bop 21 (Jan. 17)
++ Two of a Kind: Sing Me Your Story (Jan. 24)
++ Tom's Fun Band: Macaroni and Cheese (Jan. 27)
Princess Katie and Racer Steve: Love, Cake & Monsters (January?)
Central Services Board of Education: Binary [tentative] (January?)
The Good Ms. Padgett: ... Tells The Little Red Hen and Other Stories (January?)
RhymeZwell: Robots on the Dance Floor (January?)
Big Don: Big Don's Brand New Beat (January?)
Riff Rockit: Riff Rockit (CD, DVD, Jan. 24)
Katherine Dines: Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta HITS (Jan. 31)
Ellis Paul: The Hero in You (January)
The Fresh Beat Band: Soundtrack (January)
++ Rockabye Baby: Lullaby Renditions of Depeche Mode (Feb. 7)
++ Farmer Jason: Nature Jams (Feb. 7)
The Bari Koral Family Rock Band: Anna And The Cupcakes (Feb. 14)
Putumayo Kids: Instrumental Dreamland (Feb. 28)
Tim and the Space Cadets: Anthems for Adventure (February)
Bill Harley: High Dives and Other Things That Could Have Happened (February)
Doctor Noize: Grammaropolis (March 4)
Recess Music: La Bella Stella (March 27)
Gustafer Yellowgold: Gustafer Yellowgold’s Year in The Day (April 3)
Mo Phillips: Title TBA (April 10)
Caspar Babypants: HOT DOG! (April 17)
++ Sukey Molloy: I Am Happy (April 24)
Orange Sherbet: Delicious (May 1)
Hope Harris: Picasso, That's Who (May 8)
Okee Dokee Brothers: Mississippi River CD/DVD (May)
Randy Kaplan: Mr. Diddie Wah Diddie (spring?)
The Funky Mamas and Friends: Pickin’ In The Garden (spring)
Elena Moon Park: Rabbit Days and Dumplings (spring)
++ The Pop Ups: Radio Jungle (spring)
++ Alison Faith Levy: World of Wonder (spring)
The Dirty Sock Funtime Band: Dirty Socks Come Clean (June 26)
Charity and the JAMband: Family Values (July 3)
++ Recess Music: Someone Else’s Shoes (September 25)
Andy Z: The Grand Scream of Things (Halloween 2012)
Other expected 2012 albums: Ah-Choo, Peter Apel, Ratboy, Jr., Sugar Free Allstars, Renee & Jeremy, The Bramble Jam, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo (Make Believers), Bobby Susser (Wo), Eric Herman (2 albums: one music, one comedy skits), Keith Munslow (2 albums: one solo, one with Bill Harley), Wayne Potash, Alex and the Kaleidoscope Band, Lori Henriques, Shine and the Moonbeams, Yumza! ++
Monday Morning Smile: MLK, Jr., Readeez-Style
I couldn't say much -- anything, really -- that would improve upon the speech that Readeez creator Michael Rachap chose to give the Readeez treatment. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech on the Washington Mall in 1963 is a classic -- here's the powerful last ninety seconds.
Contest: Win Papa Crow's "Things That Roar" and More!
I liked Papa Crow's 2011 debut Things That Roar quite a bit. So I'm pleased to be able to offer you (courtesy of Papa Crow himself, Jeff Krebs) a copy of that fine album, good at any time of year, and especially here in the hush of winter.
But even if you've already got the album, there's another reason why you might be interested -- the winner of the contest will also get a handmade Papa Crow T-shirt (usually part hand-painted, part stenciled and part hand-stamped, and made by Krebs' wife) in a size of their choosing.
So what do you need to do? Just enter a comment below or in the Facebook post announcing the contest with the animal who makes your favorite animal noise, roar or not. One entry per family, entries due by 11 PM East Coast time Thursday, Jan. 12. I'll pick one winner at random.
And even if you don't win, if you're not familiar with Things That Roar, you can always sign up using the widget to the side to get three free downloads from the album for the price of an e-mail and zip code.Share: "The Mixing Bowl" - Kira Willey
Five years ago Kira Willey released Dance for the Sun: Yoga Songs for Kids, an album of, well, yoga music for kids. It was, against the expectations I had when first presented with an album of "yoga music for kids," pretty good. It wasn't dorky, it wasn't goopy, and, frankly, you could listen to it even if you and your kids didn't know a downward dog from a hot dog. (And I say that as someone who practices -- albeit without real training -- yoga.) It also proved to be the exception to the rule -- no other similar CD I've heard has come close to its listen-ability. My wife used it to help teach a couple basic yoga sessions for kids, too.
So I was pleased to hear last spring that Willey was working on a follow-up, and now it's finally here. It's called Kings & Queens of the Forest: Yoga Songs for Kids Vol. 2, and I think folks who liked the first go-round won't be disappointed with this new album. And if you're not sure whether it's for you, Willey's offering up a couple of songs off the new album free for the downloading. You can go to Willey's site for a free download of the peppy "Mr. Cricket Hop." And once your kids need a little quieter time, you can Share: Music from Coal Train Railroad
Would you like some free music -- like, ten songs worth? Ten good songs worth?
Then Coal Train Railroad would like to be of assistance.
They've offered up ten free tracks from their three albums -- two from their self-titled debut (which I liked), two from their latest album Coal Train Railroad Swings! (which I liked a lot), including "I'm Diggin' Me," and the whole 6-song EP Live in Monophonarma, which includes their take on the Jellydots' classic "Bicycle."
The price of all this swingin' jazz goodness?
An e-mail (preferably yours, otherwise some other random person's gonna get the download code) and a zip code (again, preferably yours).
If you're not familiar with the band, it's definitely worth it.Monday Morning Smile: "They Don't Know" - Tracey Ullman
OK, this "Monday Morning Smile" is being posted on Tuesday, but I view it sort of like recycling pick-up -- if your regular day falls on a holiday, then it happens the next day, right?
There's nothing kid-focused about this song and video from Tracey Ullman, but it's a fabulous cover of the late Kirsty MacColl's "They Don't Know" by Tracey Ullman. Ullman signed to the British punk label Stiff to release You Broke My Heart in 17 Places in 1983, and, even more oddly, generated actual pop hits from this album. She anticipated the British retro-wave by, what, 25 years, and this song, which I saw about 47,000 times on MTV (actual number), still holds up. That "bay-ee-bee" just before the final verse? MacColl herself. (You can listen to MacColl's original 1979 recording here.)
Tracey Ullman - "They Don't Know" [YouTube]
