Little Miss Ann, Lucy Kalantari Welcome Spring

April showers are promising a bucketful of children's music releases. Leading the torrent is WELCOME SPRING, the uplifting new EP from Chicago's Little Miss Ann (Ann Torralba) through 8 Lb Gorilla Records. Buoyed by the spirit of collaboration, Ann has released six tracks featuring a savvy arsenal of similar-minded performers, guided by kids music über producer Dean Jones. 

Artwork by Pirata y Luna

If there's a common thread to the songs on WELCOME SPRING, it's a child's awakening to the outside world and their own abilities. The peppy title track showcases vocals by Brooklyn's Suzi Shelton and highlights the trumpet playing of Anna Jacobson. "So Many Ways," a duet with Uncle Jumbo, describes many things that make people stand out as individuals. "I Like Rice" covers similar ground with different types of food (showcasing fellow singer Flor Bromley). Second-generation drummer Michael Napolitano (of Michael and the Rockness Monsters) adds 1960s drums to "Koo Roo Koo Roo Koo Koo." Shelton and Ann's daughter Olivia accentuate "Parts Are Greater Than the Whole," which emphasizes that some people seem to have bigger hearts.

Little Miss Ann is pumped that the winter (and possibly the worst of the pandemic) are behind us. WELCOME SPRING and all the promise of warm weather and kindness of friends and family.

WELCOME SPRING is available April 1 from Little Miss Ann's website, Amazon, Pandora, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Here is the video for Little Miss Ann's song, "Welcome Spring":

Anyone who's ever gazed down at their newborn and thought "I made this" will appreciate "Art," the new video from Grammy winner Lucy Kalantari. The tune, from WHAT KIND OF WORLD?, the 2021 collection by Lucy Kalantari and the Jazz Cats, is a meta musing about the artistic process and how our development influences the world around us. The literal artwork was provided by 7-year-old Hannah Mayers, set to animation by director Matt Mayers. View the video here:

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:

Ben's Playlist - Monday, October 28, 2019

All Star – Andrew & Polly
Can Do Attitude – Dog On Fleas
Ducky Is The Name Of My Bike – Caspar Babypants
Finally – Franz Ferdinand
#Goals – Jack Forman
Move Your Feet – Michael & The Rockness Monsters
With a Little Help From My Friends – Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could

Rockness Monsters Cover a Century of Music in 27 Minutes

Some people take music for granted. Others are constantly amazed at discovering new genres and performers as they grow older. Then there are the people who are fortunate to be "born into the life," with parents or relatives inside the industry. That happened with Michael Napolitano, frontman for Michael and the Rockness Monsters. His father, a professional drummer, turned their house into a homeschooling program filled with records and live concert experiences. Michael worked for 10 years with the Blue Man Group, then started his "Rockness Music" music education program. Ten years later, the curriculum is currently established at more than one dozen metropolitan locations in New York and New Jersey.

The Rockness Monsters themselves are busting out with a new collection of songs that was 100 years in the making. I guess Michael could have waited until January to release SEEING LIFE IN 2020, but here we are and here it is – a concept CD with 11 songs, each representing a decade from 1920 to present day. Chronologically, Michael and guest singer Lucy Kalantari duet on "Side by Side," re-popularized for kindie audiences in 2002 by Dan Zanes. That's the same year Elizabeth Mitchell released her version of "You Are My Sunshine," the selection for the 1930s. Here it's sung by Michael's daughters (Sienna and Emilia), but this Carter Family classic is the perfect "you can't spoil" song.

Novelty songs instead of big band and bland pop singers grab the 1940s and 1950s, with "Mairzy Doats" and "Choo'n Gum." My family has a personal connection to the Teresa Brewer tune, which was often sung to Ben by his grandfather when he was a toddler. As the country dealt with World War II and the Korean War, such tunes were necessary to distract the public and keep morale upbeat. Continuing that theme are The Beatles' "All Together Now" and the Pointer Sisters "Yes We Can Can," which move the groove into the modern era, featuring über producer Dean Jones on trombone.

Keyboards conquer guitars (who could really compare to Eddie Van Halen) on the 1980s hard rocking classic "Jump." And Randy Newman's "You've Got A Friend In Me" remains one of the most durable songs from the 1990s. Fun fact: The tune lost the Academy Award for Best Song to Alan Menken and Steven Schwartz's "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas. Newman got the last laugh - the tune has appeared in four films, as well as cover versions by Michael Bublé, Rex Orange County, and now the Rockness Monsters.

Junior Senior's dance floor favorite "Move Your Feet" gets us into the 2000s. For what it's worth, it's a more mellow version than Junior's or last year's cover by Josh and the Jamtones and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo. A song from the TV series Nashville, "A Life That's Good," also featuring his daughters, sweetly closes the collection. Oh – and the title track leads off, with a "They Didn't Start the Fire/End of the World As We Know It" list of cultural milestones. It's hard to cram 100 years of music into a CD with a playing time of less than 30 minutes, but Michael is a monster on a mission. Therefore SEEING LIFE IN 2020 is his (pardon the pun) monster opus.

SEEING LIFE IN 2020 is available from the Rockness Monsters website, Amazon, CDBABY, and Apple Music.

Here is an animated video of the band performing "Woodpecker":

Ben's Playlist - Monday, October 21, 2019

Always Home – Duke Otherwise
Fly Like A Bird – Dean Jones
Handle With Care – Like Father Like Son
Hanukkah Rocks – Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could
Helicopter Leaves – Ants Ants Ants
Shine It Up – Caspar Babypants
You've Got A Friend In Me – Michael & The Rockness Monsters

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, October 17, 2019

Flexible Brain – Ratboy Jr.
Holiday Jam – Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could
I Spy – Ants Ants Ants
Inkpot – Kepi Ghoulie
Jump – Michael & The Rockness Monsters
Summer's Here – The Bazillions
Who In The Circus Is Me? – Caspar Babypants

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Anything Can Be A Hat – Ratboy Jr.
Everything Has A Song – Caspar Babypants
School's Out! – The Not-Its and Kid Pan Alley
Side By Side (Featuring Lucy Kalantari) – Michael & The Rockness Monsters
Taco Tuesday  – The Lucky Band
Who, What, When, Where, Why – The Bazillions
You Do You – Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could

Rockness Monsters Welcome Fall With a Ball

Michael and the Rockness Monsters are releasing their third CD, MONSTER'S BALL, right before Halloween. The title is a misnomer as this is not a spooky album of children's songs, even if there is are songs about robots and a fish named Dog.

Michael Napolitano earned his musical chops through breeding – his father Tony was a drummer for decades. But Michael went in his own direction, founding the Rockness Music program for children's music education. He is now celebrating 10 years of making music in various forms for kids with the new CD, which he co-produced with Dean Jones (sounds familiar, where do I know that name).

MONSTER'S BALL contains the usual suspects of themes and notions, from "Party Train" to "When I'm Jumpin'" to "Truck Day." What Michael brings to the table is his authenticity and enthusiasm. Who else would attempt an English-French album closer ("Les Lumières De Paris/Nights In Paris") outside of Putumayo Music? Animation seems to be a big feature of the Rockness experience, as "Growing Bigger" is a second jumping song, manufactured around the conceit of getting older but ostensively just another occasion to get young concert-goers on their feet and quaking with the beat.

Songs from the Rockness Monsters tend to linger in your subconscious until you're humming them without realizing it. In that regard, "Woodpecker" follows in the pattern of "Squirrel Fight." Speaking of a Parisian vibe, "Mona Lisa" explains the body/mind connection between hearing music and engaging our bodies to move, dance, and smile mysteriously.

MONSTER'S BALL delves into family dynamics as well, with "A Fish Named Dog" telling the tale of a child making the most of the parental edict, "No dogs allowed!" I guess the proximity to Halloween is basically to let children know that the Rockness Monsters are more about treats all year round and keeping the tricks on the down-low. For younger listeners, MONSTER'S BALL is this fall's first informal cotillion. Come and celebrate with cider, pumpkins, and dancing robots.

MONSTER'S BALL is available on October 26 from Michael and the Rockness Monsters' website, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Here is the video for the song, "A Fish Named Dog":

Symphony Space Ready to Celebrate 40th Season

Hard to believe that Symphony Space is 40 years old. That's an amazing milestone and makes the facility a legitimate city landmark.

Tickets are now on sale for all events for its 2018-2019 season, including the Just Kidding Kids family series. In addition to concerts, there are also theater and literary events, such as Thalia Kids' Book Club Camp with author Katherine Marsh (Nowhere Boy) on Saturday, September 22 and the National Dance Institute Team Celebration on Saturday, October 27.

Mindy Thomas and the Pop-Ups

But the heart of the children's program has been the breadth of the musicians. We've been attending going back 15 years to seeing Dan Zanes, Tom Chapin, and Ralph's World. It's been a musical education not only for my children, but for myself. It opened doors to appreciation of different cultures and lifestyles. For me, it also turned into an entire venture (which you happen to be reading).

Performers for the upcoming season include Michael and the Rockness Monsters (Sat., October 6), Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players (Sat., Nov. 3), Lucy Kalantari and the Jazz Cats (Sat., Dec. 1). Mindy Thomas from Kids Place Live and the Pop-Ups also present a live installment of "Wow In the World" on Saturday, October 13. Heading into 2019 are the Okee Dokee Brothers (Sat., Jan. 5) to promote their upcoming CD and Gustafer Yellowgold (Sat., Feb. 2).

Tickets range from $17 for non-members to $14 for members. (Wow in the World tickets are $20 for non-members, $17 for members). For information on the entire season, visit Symphony Space's website.

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Because I Love You – Caspar Babypants
Fly Like A Bird – Dean Jones
How Can You Tell If It's Going to Rain? – Andrew & Polly
L.A. Girlz – Weezer
One – Aaron Nigel Smith
Popsicle – Bob and Luc Schneider
Squirrel Fight – Michael & The Rockness Monsters

Ben's Playlist - Monday, April 24, 2017

All the Pretty Horses – Cat Doorman
Expo Line – Andrew & Polly
Have You Ever Been Real – Dean Jones
Lost And Loving It – Kepi Ghoulie
Me On The Map – Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could
Mr Pickle – Michael & The Rockness Monsters
That Way – Chibi Kodama

Rockness Monsters Pop, Bop, and Roll On

A decade working with the Blue Man Group gave Michael Napolitano an above-average dose of the surreal. After a 10 year stint (and five CDs) as the Preschool of Rock, he's twisted his vision into Michael and the Rockness Monsters. Their new CD, FUNNY FACES, pits the ordinary ("Babies Cry") up against the extraordinary ("Squirrel Fight"). Your kids won't know what's coming next.

"Mr. Pickle" is a 1940s boogie-woogie jazz number as engineered by Frank Zappa. The novelty tune "Elevator Song," currently getting airplay on SiriusXM's KidsPlace, harkens back to Mayor Monkey once forcing Recess Monkey to live in an elevator. There are still many handprints that FUNNY FACES is blueprinted for messy little hands, from "Feet for Hands" to the prototypical "you are special" song, "Everything Anything." Michael even enlists his 92-year-old Aunt Jo to participate on the family-themed "So Happy."

Assisted by a host of talents (including Tim Sutton from Ratboy Jr, Tracy Bonham, Sonia de los Santos), FUNNY FACES was helmed by children's music über-producer Dean Jones. Side note – I referred to Dean in a conversation using that exact term and received the response, "He runs Uber?"

Growing up is a confusing time. Adults say one thing and mean something else. What exactly is a double entendré? What is an entendré, for that matter? Michael and the Rockness Monsters deliver a safe space with songs that sounds like fun for intrepid minds. With FUNNY FACES, Mr. N delivers his valedictorian project as he graduates from the Preschool (of Rock). And he's still kidding. In this case, that's a good thing.

FUNNY FACES is available on April 28 from Michael and the Rockness Monsters' website, Amazon, and iTunes.

Here is the video for "Cosmic Vacation":

Quick Hits: Rockness Elevates, Wendy & DB Celebrate Earth

Michael Napolitano from the Preschool of Rock is all grown up. Well, he's as grown up as any grown up doing children's music can be. Now he's taking his burgeoning Rockness Monsters out for a second spin with their upcoming CD, FUNNY FACES. In the meantime, the first single, "Elevator Song," is available for purchase. It's the equivalent of a toddler tease, in that it's mostly a novelty tune. But it gives you an idea of Michael's sensibilities and what he tries to accomplish (movement, encouragement, humor) encapsulated in, well, an Otis elevator.

You can purchase "Elevator Song" at iTunes and listen at SoundCloud.

Here is the FUNNY FACE preview video:


When Charity and the Jam Band produced EARTH, their ecologically-conscious CD a few years ago, I figured that might be the tail end of the trend. In fact, it was only a resting stop. Now Wendy Morgan and Darryl Boggs (Wendy and DB to you) have released their entry, HOME/EARTH.

The 13 tracks include the title song, "Bugs That Give Hugs," "Plant A Seed," and other message-laden tunes for the very young. "Girl Superhero" kind of breaks away from the central theme, although not far enough that its parent couldn't scoop it up before it got too far.

The Wendy & DB Band averages about 25 years of professional experience, so they have the production chops to skillfully deliver the material. And a total of 20 percent from the proceeds of sales of HOME/EARTH will go to the Jane Goodall Foundation, VH1 Save the Music, and A Better Life for Kids.

It's hard to root against people with such good intentions, whose goal is to entertain children in the Chicago region and perhaps raise some money for charity while they "work." Wendy & DB seek to make their musical world a place that children can relax while they learn. They want everyone to feel at home since it's everybody's HOME/EARTH.

HOME/EARTH is available at on April 22 from Wendy & DB's website, CDBABY, and Amazon.

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, February 4, 2016

All the Pretty Horses – Cat Doorman
Super Hero Rock Band – The Bazillions
Odd Socks – Dean Jones
Crazy Mountain Road –  Eric Herman And The Invisible Band
Bionic (feat. Shiz & Lady Asha) – Father Goose
In A Band – Michael & The Rockness Monsters
My Favorite Sneakers – In The Nick Of Time

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Rest Easy Now – Eric Herman And The Invisible Band
Hey Jude – Caspar Babypants
Snaggletooth – Dean Jones
It Suits You – Gustafer Yellowgold
Mama Don't Allow – In The Nick Of Time
Dinosaur Haircut – Michael & The Rockness Monsters
Alligator Get-Together – Key Wilde And Mr. Clarke

My Goodness, It's Michael and the Rockness Monsters

For many performers, children's music goes from a hobby to a passion to an occupation. Some try to emulate the success of Music Together, which binds the product (CDs) intrinsically to the program. I will forget a few, but Laurie Berkner is the latest to take that route, which includes Music for Aardvarks, Kira Willey (yoga), and New Jersey's Preschool of Rock.

The risk/reward ratio has an exponential curve – your core audience must be constantly cultivated with concerts, videos, local public relations, and word-of-mouth. Kids who age out of the lowest levels of the program can stick around for music lessons. But it's an endless cycle that can wear out the most dedicated instructors, who sometimes farm out the hands-on activities and stick to the administrative side.

It takes a lifelong immersion to surrender completely to the process. Among the most disciplined of these disciples is Michael Napolitano, the founder and director of Preschool of Rock. The son of a professional touring drummer, Michael began his musical adventure at 18 months old. Smash-cut to 10 years performing with the Blue Man Group and jump-ahead eight years to present day, with Preschool of Rock established at more than one dozen NJ/NY metropolitan locations.

Ben (15) occasionally asks "Where's the next Music for Aardvarks CD?" I explain that he's aged-out of that program. Thus, even if we got new music, it would be more suited for his little brother (5). Michael has left the constraints of Preschool of Rock for a while to devote himself to MICHAEL AND THE ROCKNESS MONSTERS. It's a children's CD without instructions for parents and isn't that a blessing.

Under the direction of über-producer Dean Jones, Michael lets loose a whimsical narrative-free compilation of characters and concepts. After listening to literally dozens of CDs that Jones has produced over the past few years, it's no wonder his services are in such high demand. The Rockness Monsters don't hit any wrong notes or jagged chords because they've been crafted to near-kindie perfection under his skilled hands.

The album's first track, "Pirate Song," delivers a sing-along "yo ho ho" chorus replete with multiple chances to scream "Aaarrrrrrrr!" Michael espouses that Black Sabbath is his favorite band. The closest thing to heavy metal on this disc are "In a Band" and "Rock It!"

More of the songs are in the toe-tapping juvenile jaunty vein of "Single Digits," where the protagonist bemoans the cold weather and recounts all the locations he'd rather be. For out-and-out fantasy, there's also "Dinosaur Haircut" and the reggae-tinged "Cosmic Vacation," where the best places to visit are all in the mind. Understandably (and since the CD is "Presented by Preschool of Rock"), Michael can't get completely away from the winding down concept with "Humming Song."

MICHAEL AND THE ROCKNESS MONSTERS doesn't break any new ground. But it allows Michael an opportunity to erase the dotted line between quality and quantity of musical expression that comes with a time-dependent kids music program. I wouldn't doubt that a few of these tunes show up in Preschool of Rock's curriculum. But they're fine on their own, which is a good placement on the risk/reward ratio for Michael.

MICHAEL AND THE ROCKNESS MONSTERS is available February 26 from the band's website, Amazon, CDBABY, and iTunes.

Here is the debut video from the album, "Pirate Song":