It has been Way. Too. Long. since we've heard new music from Seattle's literate kid-rockers The Board of Education, but we can now rejoice in this, a new song.
Titled "Why Is Dad So Mad?," it's a frantic rocker dealing with Star Wars, George Lucas, and a narrator who seems fated to blow up Skywalker Ranch one day, if I understand the song and my Star Wars mythology properly.Definitely honors both the kids' and parents' perspective.Stream it via the widget below (and, if you'd like, purchase for just a buck).
(Alternately, you can stream or download for free here.)
(And, really, while you're at it, go ahead and stream -- and/or buy -- TBOE's awesome debut album.)
Whew. It had been more than three months since the last video from Caspar Babypants. I was kinda getting worried.
But never fear, CB's back with a retro-styled video for "My Flea Has Dogs" from his latest album Sing Along!. Lots of dogs. And one flea.
Caspar Babypants - "My Flea Has Dogs" [YouTube]
So, like a lot of folks, we spent a little time exploring videos featuring Whitney Houston this weekend in the wake of her death on Saturday afternoon. We did so with the kids -- they didn't have any questions about why she died, and they are, it is safe to say, not up on her reality-TV career with ex-husband Bobby Brown. We just wanted to have them hear her voice, which was pretty danged special.
Although I always preferred her peppy early dance hits to the ballads that Clive Davis (and the American music-buying public) apparently preferred, I was struck by her rendition of the U.S. National Anthem at the 1991 Super Bowl. This was, of course, shortly after the U.S. invaded Iraq, so the odd confluence of sports patriotism and national patriotism that is normally on display at the Super Bowl was cranked way up, and Houston could have approached the song Very Seriously.
But just watch the video. She was a performer, of course, and was practiced at the art of the outward appearance, but I swear the sheer joy of this performance is what made (and makes) it so popular. A couple times during the performance, she just looks off to the side and gives a small grin, like she's saying, "I got this." Were many more musical performances (especially of the national anthem) that joyful. Rest in peace, Whitney.
Whitney Houston - "The Star Spangled Banner" (Live at the 1991 Super Bowl) [YouTube]
It's time again for an updated list of new and upcoming releases, (and by "updated," I mean "updating 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.
The Bari Koral Family Rock Band: Anna And The Cupcakes (Feb. 14)
Bill Harley: High Dives and Other Things That Could Have Happened (Feb. 14)
++ Imagination Movers: Rock-O-Matic (Feb. 14)
Putumayo Kids: Instrumental Dreamland (Feb. 28)
++ Jazz at Lincoln Center: WeBop (Feb. 28)
Tim and the Space Cadets: Anthems for Adventure (February)
Doctor Noize: Grammaropolis (March 4)
++ Rockabye Baby: Lullaby Renditions of Dave Matthews Band (March 6)
The Good Ms. Padgett: ... Tells The Little Red Hen and Other Stories (March 20)Recess Music: La Bella Stella (March 27)
Princess Katie and Racer Steve: Love, Cake & Monsters (March?)Central Services Board of Education: Binary [tentative] (March?)RhymeZwell: Robots on the Dance Floor (March?)Gustafer Yellowgold: Gustafer Yellowgold’s Year in The Day (April 3)
The Pop Ups: Radio Jungle (April 3)Mo Phillips: Monster Suit (April 10)Caspar Babypants: HOT DOG! (April 17)
Sukey Molloy: I Am Happy! (April 24)
++ Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band: A Bit A Luck! (May 8)
Orange Sherbet: Delicious (May 15)Hope Harris: Picasso, That's Who! (May 22)Okee Dokee Brothers: Can You Canoe? 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)
Alison Faith Levy: World of Wonder (spring)
Ratboy Jr: Title TBA (late spring/early summer)
++ Recess Monkey: In Tents (June 19)
The Dirty Sock Funtime Band: Dirty Socks Come Clean (June 26)
++ Melissa Green: Sing Loud (July 31)
++ Lori Henriques: The World Is A Curious Place To Live (July)
++ Hey Dango: Blast Off (summer)
Charity and the JAMband: Title TBA (August)
++ Hullabaloo: Title TBA (Sept. 4)
++ The Diggity Dudes: Title TBA (Sept. 18)
Recess Music: Someone Else’s Shoes (September 25)
Andy Z: The Grand Scream of Things (Oct. 9)
Other expected 2012 albums: Ah-Choo, Peter Apel, 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, Shine and the Moonbeams, Yumza!, Rockabye Baby albums for Foo Fighters and Red Hot Chili Peppers ++, Elska ++, Ozomatli ++, Justin Roberts ++
The biggest news to come down the pike yesterday was the first public steps toward Laurie Berkner's return to TV.
Oh, sure, Jack's Big Music Show is still airing on Nick Jr. But it's been years since new episodes have been made. So it's a big deal that Little Airplane Productions (The Wonder Pets!, Small Potatoes) is partnering with Berkner to create Sing It, Laurie!, a new animated preschool TV series. The series is about a little girl named Laurie who loves to sing and play her purple guitar. In each 11-minute episode, Laurie, along with her dog Jamaica (Jam for short), will explore one theme, such as family, community, or nature. That's Laurie and Jam flying in the Wing Dinger, a "unique one person helicopter that's just the perfect size for Laurie and Jam." Each episode features Berkner's music, some of it newly composed for the show, some of it from Berkner's past albums.
The announcement noted that the educational curriculum was written by Dr. Christine Ricci (Dora the Explorer) and will focus on three core themes: creativity, curiosity and music appreciation.
What's missing, of course, is the announcement of a TV distribution agreement, so it'll be awhile before we'll see Laurie and Jam figuring out how to solve childhood obesity with a guitar and a helicopter. (OK, we'll probably never see that episode. Which is probably a good thing.) But given both Little Airplane and Berkner's track record, this has a better shot than any other kindie-musician-with-a-script of making it onto a TV channel near you in the next year.
I recently got a note from reader Susan suggesting I check out Kids' CBC, because they "seem to be doing a Yo Gabba Gabba-type thing by inviting Canadian indie musicians to jam with the character Mamma Yamma, who is a large, ebullient yam. In particular, Susan directed me to this video which featured musician Joel Plaskett doing a kid-friendly take on his song "Fashionable People."
Joel Plaskett - "Fashionable People" (from Kids' CBC) [YouTube]
Goofy, and kinda cute, even if you don't know the pretty-much-not-kid-friendly original. Though I'd been vaguely familiar with the show (it even has a CD of songs), I hadn't paid too much attention. My loss, I suppose.
As I watched this video and dug deeper into the Mamma Yamma archives, I got not only a YGG vibe, but also a Sesame Street feeling. That show's been inviting musical guests onto its street pretty much from the get-go forty years ago. Admittedly, it's generally gone for more mainstream musical guests than Brobee, Foofa, Toodee, and the rest have on their own show, but they've occasionally dipped into slightly more off-center artists. (See: Feist.)
In fact, Mamma Yamma has her own Feist-ian equivalent, with Kathleen Edwards reworking her kid-unfriendly (albeit pretty awesome) "Cheapest Key" into a very kid-friendly (and still pretty awesome) song "Eat the Alphabet". (Sorry, for some reason it's cutting off early, but you get the point. If you want to listen to a live version, Bill played it before at Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child, perhaps he'll do so again, hint hint.)
And here's one more complete one to finish this off. Any show that features Tegan and Sara gets a thumbs up in my book.
Tegan and Sara - "Alligator" (for Kids' CBC) [YouTube]
It has been Way. Too. Long. since we've heard new music from Seattle's literate kid-rockers The Board of Education, but we can now rejoice in this, a new song.
Titled "Why Is Dad So Mad?," it's a frantic rocker dealing with Star Wars, George Lucas, and a narrator who seems fated to blow up Skywalker Ranch one day, if I understand the song and my Star Wars mythology properly.Definitely honors both the kids' and parents' perspective.Stream it via the widget below (and, if you'd like, purchase for just a buck).
(Alternately, you can stream or download for free here.)
(And, really, while you're at it, go ahead and stream -- and/or buy -- TBOE's awesome debut album.)
The biggest news to come down the pike yesterday was the first public steps toward 
I recently got a note from 
