Life's a Hootenanny; Kelly Standup and Pinecones Roar

You're never supposed to have regrets. Live life to the fullest and if you missed something, consider it an opportunity to self-correct in the future.

That's just what I'm going to do next weekend. In January 2016, a group of children's music-loving adults gathered in Brooklyn to talk, network, and sing songs – not necessarily kid's songs. There's a community out there and I dropped the ball. On January 7, 2017, I'm gonna pick up that ball and throw it back into play.

It's a bit of a trek (and not direct) but I'll get down to Jalopy in Red Hook for Hootenanny with a ton of people I've reviewed, met, or interacted with via social media. Spare the Rock's Bill Childs and PR maven Stephanie Mayers spearheaded the gathering, which came from the coffee grinds of Kindiefest.

As for the lineup, oh gosh I'm agog – Jazzy Ash, Billy Kelly (the Billy Kelly) doing standup, Sugar Free Allstars, Lloyd H. Miller, Uncle Rock (perhaps as responsible for my foray into children's music blogging as much as Bill and Elizabeth Waldman), Dean Jones, and oh so many more.

If you're in the area, or from around the area, or a fan of enthusiastic local music, it's a chance to meet like-minded people in the new year. Here's the 411.

Here's a video of Ashley Albert (formerly of the Jimmies) and ex-bandmate (and minted Grammy winner) Tim Kubart singing "Suddenly Seymour" from "Little Shop of Horrors" at last year's gathering:


Speaking of Billy Kelly, he is kicking off a "residency" program at the Peoples Improv Theater on East 24th Street on (the same) Saturday, January 7 at 3 pm (repeating February 4 and March 4). We saw Mr. Kelly do his little act at the Brokerage on Long Island in November and there was much merriment (despite a tough crowd of pre-teens).

January 7 is going to be a big day for kid's music as jazz-themed JoJo and the Pinecones bring in the New Year with a show at Lincoln Center. It's aimed at 2-5 year-olds, so they'll need to bring an adult to supervise. On the other hand, it's a free performance, unlike the other two shows listed above. That's right – get yourself to Lincoln Center for free kids music as part of "Artists at the Atrium." Thus ends this portion of my public service message.

Happy New Year!