A Great Time To Be Louis and Dan

An homage occurs when an entertainer decides to pay tribute to artists that influenced his career; recording a piece of music with that recognizable persona or style. It's more than simply covering an iconic selection from their catalog – an homage demonstrates what you've loved, admired, and learned. Louis and Dan (and the Invisible Band) have released THE GREATS, a collection that honors a host of their favorite inspirations.

Louis and Dan are friends, neighbors, and college professors (Louis teaches musicology at St. Olaf College, Dan teaches philosophy at Carleton College). For their fourth CD, the duo reached into their collective shared musical memories. The 12 original tunes on THE GREATS range from the delightfully obvious (the title track sports Beach Boys harmonies) to the sublime ("Apple" celebrates Miss Nina Simone). "I'm A Giraffe" harkens back to the 1950s glory days of doo-wop. Fellow kindie artist Elliot Park guests on the Willie-Nelson-centric "Being Invisible." Introduce your kids to a salsa beat on the eccentric pet song, "My Slug Doug." Dan's teen daughter Eleanor bemoans the life of the child of a kids' music performer on the show tune "Please Be Normal":

So you've got a decent voice, it's not so bad when you sing

But you've really got to knock it off and stop rapping

You two dorks are middle aged, Tupac's rolling in his grave

Please be normal

And who says that light comedy can't serve a serious purpose? Local social justice advocate and choral director Tesfa Wondemagegnehu is featured on “I Love to Sing” and “Put It On The Barbecue.” To honor Tesfa’s commitments to community engagement, Louis and Dan are donating all proceeds from album sales to two non-profits: KNOWN, Mpls (an audition-based, Twin Cities community youth choir) and the Poor People Campaign. Louis and Dan push their Invisible Band to new heights on THE GREATS and your kids should have a great time getting acquainted with a variety of diverse inspirations.

THE GREATS is available on Louis and Dan and the Invisible Band's website, Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Here is the video for their song, "Rodents," recorded last fall with the St. Olaf Orchestra:

Inside Elliott Park's Mouth

Contrary of the title of his new family music EP, Elliott Park is not feeling down in THE MOUTH. Coming out of the pandemic, Park has all his ducks in the row. He recently signed with kids-only 8 Lb Gorilla Records, which has released Park's second collection of tunes featuring the Nashville-based artist and his three teenage daughters, Anna (18), Autumn (16), and April (14).

The seven tracks on THE MOUTH run the gamut from a mock protest rock anthem ("Silent Letters") to folksy duet ("Lemon Pie" with April) to Johnny Cash homage ("I've Watched Everything"). In the last song, Park comically laments needing an MRI because his remote control got stuck in his grip due to compulsive television habits. "I've got an LED tan 'cause I've watched everything," he reports, including:

Star Trek, Love Boat, Howdy Doody, Gunsmoke
Muppet Show, Twilight Zone, every single episode
Full House, Mighty Mouse, Super Bowl, Columbo
SpongeBob, Fraggle Rock, TeleTubbies, Fargo
Mr. Rogers, Barney, Bob the Builder, Dawson's Creek
Mod Squad, HeeHaw, Peppa Pig, Shawn the Sheep

The title track is an ode to the control that "The Mouth" leverages over the rest of the body. The heart may want a kiss and the stomach might be hungry, but the buck stops at the face's point of entry. However the mouth is also responsible for saying "I love you," Park reminds listeners. "Silent Letters" declares the time has come to bring full pronunciation to words like "IS-land" and "Ton-GUE." It's the perfect track for anyone who has inadvertently misread or spoken a word due to phonetic uncertainty. 

Elliott Park's kids' music straddles the fertile divide between the country and kindie genres. His family jam band entertains your kids without insulting your intelligence. Expect positive word of mouth to spread his praises. 

THE MOUTH is available from Elliott Park's website, Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Here is a video for the song "The Mouth":

Something Similar About Rockness Monsters

The last time Michael & the Rockness Monsters put out a CD, they were looking back at a century of music, which was ironically called SEEING LIFE IN 2020. Obviously, Michael Napolitano could not foresee what would actually occur during our pandemic year. But he used his quarantine to livestream a  variety show for children called "House Party," with songs written with contributions from all over the world. Those compositions make up the heart of SIMILARITIES, the new release from the Family Napolitano – Michael, wife Heather, and their daughters, Emilia (13) and Sienna (11).

Not to put too fine a political point on it, but a divisive, dysfunctional administration polarized the country over the past four years. The Rockness program seeks to unify and nurture listeners with positive influences. Hence, the title track on SIMILARITIES focuses on cultural parallels and what brings us together. Although Zoom meetings posed some challenges, engaging with children allowed Heather to perpetuate their Rockness Music education program, a female-owned family business.

Rockness channels a Story Pirates vibe with their comical tune, "This Is Not a Song About Unicorns" Band drummer Edd Duran croons in his native Chilean (Spanish) on the acoustic "Perezoso." Rockness draws material from four generations. The son of a professional drummer, Michael pays tribute to his grandfather on “Italian Farmer.” Similar to last fall's SONGS WITH MY DAUGHTERS from Elliott Park and his three teenagers, Michael sought inspiration from his kids. Sienna co-wrote "The Fox and the Feline" about a pair of unlikely friends. Both girls co-wrote the final two tracks, "Campfire" and "Together," which became a familiar singalong on their YouTube variety shows.

The pandemic brought together many artists to interface on their respective releases. This CD features a cover of Credence Clearwater Revivial's "Down on the Corner" that will get your kids jumping (unless you're driving). Two-time Grammy winner Lucy Kalantari and Americana roots musician Red Yarn provide vocals, with blasts from the band's horn section. Über-producer Dean Jones guides SIMILARITIES with a steady hand, resulting in one of the Rockness Monsters' strongest CDs in their 10 year-plus history.

SIMILARITIES is available on Michael & the Rockness Monsters' website, Rockness Music, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Here is a Rockness Music class about animals and alphabet letters:

Elliott Park's Family Sound

Remarkable children's music draws families together; parents introducing their offspring to previously unheard genres, tempos, and performers. It's also a way for musicians to work with their own progeny. Nashville's Elliott Park is the latest in this long tradition. His latest self-explanatory release, SONGS WITH MY DAUGHTERS, aptly describes its contents. Off the top of my head, I can think of two recent musicians who incorporated their kids into their recordings and performances – Lucy Kalantari's son Darius plays cello on her CD and Jim Dague's son played drums for his band, ScribbleMonster.

Elliott used his coronavirus quarantine to creative SONGS WITH MY DAUGHTERS, twelve acoustic tracks with his teenage daughters Anna (18), Autumn (16), and April (14). The trio have popped up on previous songs as background vocals. As they grew into separate, more fully-formed personalities, Elliott decided to bring them into the forefront and showcase their abilities. 

Back in late March, the Park family went for a drive and his daughters began singing in the backseat. Their harmonies turned into the mashup, “Blue Skies Over the Rainbow,” which is included on this collection (and see the video below). The spunky “To The Moon and Back,” features a duet between Anna and her dad. “Rock Paper Scissors” sounds like it was discovered from the archives of some 1940s radio show, but it's a family original. Same with the sprightly "Cricket's Ball":

You're too big if you're too tall
Well, that's okay you can watch it all
Through the old knothole in the tool shed wall

Inspired by this article in TIME magazine, Elliott was moved to use his talents draw attention to current trends to engage social change. All streaming and sales proceeds for the song "Follow" are being donated to a foundation tasked with helping promote teen suicide awareness and prevention. 

Elliott's songs have a gentle, genial quality and his daughters' blended harmonies fit in perfectly with those sensibilities, with a side order of quirkiness, such as the bob-your-head "Orange Jello." Words of wisdom and encouragement are the theme of "Bloom." With three girls on the verge of college and emancipation, Elliott may be preparing for an imminent empty nest with the uplifting "Set Me Free." In the meantime, this 31-minute assemblage of SONGS WITH MY DAUGHTERS could be the start of something big for the Park family.

SONGS WITH MY DAUGHTERS is available from Elliott Park's website, Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon.

Here is the video for "Blue Skies Over the Rainbow":

Family Musicians Explore Suicide Prevention and Defying Gravity

September is Suicide Prevention Month. How's that for an introduction to a children's song? But Elliott Park is not trying to make adults comfortable with a sensitive topic. He's attempting to push forward a dialogue about the disturbing, serious rise in teen suicide statistics. Many of these deaths are attributed to heavy use of technology and social media, due to the pandemic lockdown on social interaction outside of secured pods. Inspired by this article in TIME magazine, Elliott was moved to use his talents draw attention to current trends to engage social change.

In advance of his next family album, SONGS WITH MY DAUGHTERS, Elliott has released "Follow," with all streaming and sales proceeds being donated to a foundation tasked with helping promote teen suicide awareness and prevention (to be announced). The album straddles the chasm between those tween and early teen years, hence the strong messaging on "Follow":

You can follow your own heart

And when you do, that's where the fun will start

Put your Google on a shelf, find a giggle in yourself

And search for who you really are.

Grab "Follow" here on Spotify or click to Elliott's website.

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Roger Day continues to promote his new release, INVINCIBLE! with a brand new music video for his song, "Me and My Jet Pack." The songs can be downloaded through Bandcamp and his website.

Are your kids getting stir crazy? Not thrilled with your remote education choices? Allow Roger to make some suggestions to help motivate science-themed thinking kids and families, with visual examples from other families. The video celebrates the triumph of imagination over the limitations of gravity (and family budgets) as kids build their own space-age creations, juxtaposed by archival footage of authentic astronauts, blastoffs, and moon landing footage. The countout is over, here's the video!

Love for Family Drives Elliott Park for Valentine's Day

Nashville musician, illustrator, and children's book author Elliott Park celebrates Valentine's Day with a charming duet, "Love Will See Us Through," featuring eight-year-old Lilah Benjamin. With so many divisive forces in the world today, Park hones in on the pure, unadulterated bond between parents and offspring.


There's no overt politicizing and it's a world of difference between what a child sees as overwhelming compared to a parent. But Park brings it all into focus with a simple piano arrangement that instantly makes listeners recall Randy Newman's "You've Got a Friend In Me." In that sense, "Love Will See Us Through" is a notable companion piece.

Park: The road has been a little rough and a little bit rude, but I know love will see us through.
Lilah: Whatever, it don't matter, what it takes we will do, 'cause I know love will see us through.

You can look for Elliott Park's debut children's CD, JUST BE, from his website and Amazon. You can stream "Love Will See Us Through," (out February 14), on Soundcloud: