Super Wiggles Rocket Into Another Decade

Some day, somebody in Australia will write the definitive story about The Wiggles. The children's music supergroup has juggled personnel over the years, undergone more than its fair share of turmoil and controversy, lost a major American television contract (with Disney), yet still perseveres as one of the most well-known kids acts of the 21st century. Their latest CD, SUPER WIGGLES, shows they are still a force to be reckoned with.

The latest turnover occurred when Emma left the troupe and was replaced by Ethiopian-Australian Tseshay Hawkins as the "new Yellow Wiggle." The fact that a dancer replaced the "ballerina" color just emphasizes that the Wiggles have morphed into a brand over the decades, with the next generation of cast assuming the established traits of their predecessors. For instance, Purple Wiggle Lachy inherited Jeff Fatt's exaggerated narcolepsy (i.e., "Wake Up Lachy!").

After four decades of music, filmed segments, and international touring, the Wiggles have become adept at bending their material to "market tastes." It's not disingenuous to say the band has become completely woke, with a rap break on "Is There A Superhero Around?" a perfunctory song about safety ("Put Your Life Vest On"), and tunes that celebrate diversity ("Super Ballet Man" and "Sing Together"):

Some people like to kick a ball
Some people like to play with dolls
Other people like to go shopping
Everyone together, let's all sing

For a concept album aimed at very young children, SUPER WIGGLES can declare victory for delivering on its stated promise. The collection introduces the group to new listeners, as well as revving up their existing fan base. There's also a new Fruit Salad TV YouTube series featuring even more newer faces. The Wiggles keep movin' on (with their updated Big Red Car) and that's just super.

SUPER WIGGLES is available at the band's website, Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, and Amazon.

Here is the video for the band's song, "Sunflower Power":

Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Stars – Ants Ants Ants
Only One for Me – Danny Weinkauf
Relive This Song Again – Greg Lato
Truth (ft. Kelli Welli, Mo Phillips, Saul Paul) – Aaron Nigel Smith & Red Yarn
Superpowers – Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could
When February Comes – Justin Roberts
I'm an Optimist – Dog On Fleas

Twinkle Time Gets Animated for PBS

For more than 10 years, children's music recording artist Twinkle Time (aka Alitzah Weiner) has cultivated a larger-than-life persona. Now her peppy, upbeat character is entertaining kids as the co-host of "Sound Snatcher and Twinkle Time," on PBS's WQLN in Pennsylvania. The interstitial shorts run between the channel's regularly-scheduled kids programming, such as CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG, CYBERCHASE, and DINOSAUR TRAIN.

Sound Snatcher and Twinkle Time on PBS

Literacy educators Heather Kenny and Laura Robbins devised a phonemic awareness program to teach smaller children to read using using sounds. A couple of years ago, they teamed up with the animation team at Mark Lumer Productions to create "Sounder and Friends," about a raccoon who uses colorful visuals and sounds to teach basic literacy skills. "The animation house reached out during the summer of 2020 asking if I was interested in collaborating," Alitzah explains. "Our conversations evolved into a spinoff series featuring Twinkle Time interacting with Sound Snatcher."

Although Alitzah and producer/husband James Dallas were not given carte blanche, they had significant input on the finished segments; something they did not expect when working with an established animation company. "The situation was so amazing," she says. "I actually got to write the material and direct my vision of where we wanted the live action to go."

The concept of "Sound Snatcher and Twinkle Time" is simple – a cat stuck in a tree is transformed into a kite to be rescued, or a bow in Twinkle's hair is turned into a bone to be used as a birthday gift. "It's another way to teach character-building in different languages and inspirational methods through song and dance," she adds. "And I got to contribute educational-based programming for PBS."

Originally, six episodes were developed, but producers opted to cut them into two-part stories, varying from 35 to 95 seconds. PBS is not inferring that small children have short attention spans, but this isn't GONE WITH THE WIND. "Right now, the interstitials are playing throughout the day on WQLN, which serves Erie County as well as parts of New Jersey," Alitzah says. "They are also rolling out on the national PBS.ORG site."

Due to the programming schedule on WQLN, the segments air multiple times during the day. Eventually, all 12 episodes will be uploaded to the PBS Kids website and made available to other public broadcasting stations across the country. Starting on August 1, the episodes will drop one at a time on the Sounder and Friends YouTube page. "So yeah, look for Sound Snatcher, that cute little raccoon, and me with orange hair," Alitzah laughs.

Here is the Sound Snatcher and Twinkle Time episode, "Give A Dog a Bow":

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:

No Place Like Space for Justin Roberts

Justin Roberts lives in my happy place. Which is to say, an undisclosed location where childhood is venerated ("Gimme A Fire Truck"); family fun is celebrated ("Dance Party"); and there's boundless affection ("Whole Lotta Love In This World").

SPACE CADET, Roberts' latest (and 16th) full-length collection of original children's music, features the full "Not Ready for Naptime Players" – Liam Davis, Gerard Dowd, Jacqueline Schimmel, and David Winer. The disc follows WILD LIFE, a smaller, more intimate Grammy-nominated CD that heralded his early experiences with fatherhood.

Over the course of a 25-year recording career inside the children's music genre, Roberts has chosen the high road of producing material that builds self-esteem and connects with a younger audience through catchy hooks and relatable themes. For instance, the protagonist on "Little Red Wagon" completes his daily rounds through the neighborhood accompanied by his trusty toy – which is clearly more than a simple plaything to him.

Roberts (and his family) trudged through the pandemic doing occasional homebound concerts to reach listeners. The span held incredible highs (time with his son) and lows (the death of his father; a sadness I also suffered through). SPACE CADET gently weaves through some sensitive topics, such as special needs ("Truman Was A Tornado"), self-discovery ("I Have Been A Unicorn"), and ADHD (the title track). Kids love trains, so Roberts uses that affection as a metaphor for inclusion on "Everybody Get On Board":

Sometimes you’re perfect
Other times you ain’t
But we all got a beating heart
Every day is like a brand new start
To try and play an open chord
So everyone can get on board

The secret to Justin Roberts' music is how he pivots a song from what you think it's about to where he really wants to go. "I'm Not Just An I" starts with "igloo" and "icicle" but builds to an unexpected finish with "My i disappears when I'm with you, all your love is me and i am you," which is when you see he's dedicated the tune to his wife, Anna. When you come right down to it, Roberts is no space cadet – he's leading the whole brigade.

SPACE CADET is available from Justin Roberts' website, Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Here is the video from his song, "Everybody Get On Board":

Claudia Sings Kids Songs By the Sea Shore

If Florence and the Machine recorded an album of songs about the ocean and conservation, it would probably sound like Claudia Robin Gunn’s new collection, SING FOR THE SEA.

The New Zealand children’s songwriter calls attention to our planet's largest natural resource and its inhabitants on 22 new tracks that cover the expected ("Seashell Lullaby" and "Inky the Octopus") to gentle ecological messages ("Tidy Up the Tides" and "Coral Reef"). Inky the Octopus escaped from the National Aquarium in 2016, inspiring several children's books detailing his escapade – now Gunn has granted the creature his own theme song.

Gunn encourages kids to invest in their own imaginations on songs like "The Loneliest Whale," "Pirate Princess," and "Into the Blue":

Under the sea let's swim all day
Into the blue with all of our friends
Under the waves that never end
Behind us all the waves go blue
The ocean calls to me and you

Performers are subtlety (and not-so-subtlety) showing children that they need it's not all fun and games – as a world citizen, you can't grow up to become an unfettered narcissist. Your own bedroom might revolve around you, but "We Are All Waves," and our actions are all part of the same ecosystem. For every action negative (polluting, bullying) or positive (sharing, recycling), there are ripples that affect many others, as "everybody feels the waves."

Make sure to purchase SING FOR THE SEAS through a vendor that provides the songbook activities and science notes by Dr. Melissa Gunn (possible relation). The world would not exist without our oceans, and Claudia Robin Gunn delivers a spiritual tribute to what makes them important and why everyone (not just kids) should actively champion keeping them clean and accessible.

SING FOR THE SEAS is available from Claudia Robin Gunn's website, Bandcamp, Spotify, and Amazon.

Here is the video for the song, "Spring Song":

Friday Feels Right for Brady Rymer

Brady Rymer and The Little Band That Could are back to continue their effective practice of genially entertaining your children with deceptively simple songs, filled with harmonies and concepts that go far beyond the comprehension of their intended audience. Their 12th collection, THAT FRIDAY FEELING, from 8 Pound Gorilla Records, celebrates diversity and individuality, with songs that are positively motivated to get your children on their feet and back into the world, as they were pre-pandemic.

A mainstay in the children's music and kindie industry for more than 15 years, Rymer and Company produce reliably upbeat and appealing songs. "Superpowers" decodes the Marvel/DC universes for young listeners, pointing out that giving big hugs and greeting people with a beaming smile are just as important as being invisible or reading minds.

"Babies of Summer" talks about the excitement in spotting new offspring of pets and wild animals. However Rymer is up to his charmingly misleading ways on the seemingly-similar "Following the Bunny Tracks." Kids may think the tune follows a child tracking a baby rabbit, while parents should realize it's also about growing up, "steady as a clock ticks, moving on and on, proof that you were here and gone."

Presciently, Rymer tackles the current war on diversity on "Outline." The song uses the premise that every child is a blank slate, who fills in each aspect of their lives with different colors as they mature and become their own person:

And love will be the reds
Kindness be the blues
And hope will be a rainbow of hues
And joy will be the greens
Faith will be the greys
To fill me in and lift me off the page

Rymer selectively chooses cover songs, from Diana Ross's "I'm Coming Out" on his previous release, UNDER THE BIG UMBRELLA, to THAT FRIDAY FEELING's version of Allan Toussaint's New Orleans classic, "Yes We Can Can." You'll feel the zeal and vigor pumping through your car speakers or home audio system. Not to mention the frantic playtime celebrations of Rymer originals, "Seven Hours of Fun" and the title track. Rymer and his unsinkably sunny crew give you 12 reasons to keep that Friday feeling going all week long.

THAT FRIDAY FEELING is available from Brady Rymer's website, Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Here is the band's video for the title track, "That Friday Feeling":