Friday, April 15, 2011

Daddy A Go Go Has That MoJo

He's Got the Beat, Daddy-O

I knew I liked Daddy A Go Go's new CD when I couldn't stop my leg from stomping along to the beat. And it really a generational thing, but when was the last time a kindie artist worked Steve McQueen and the Backstreet Boys into a song, and didn't care if the little ones got the references? And that's just the first song, "I Wanna Be An Action Figure."



One-man rock band John Boydston became a childrens's music proponent the old-fashioned way: he fell into it. After deciding to give up his job as a television news producer, John started a new career as a stay-at-home dad to his two sons, then both under the age of six. Since adults still need some “me” time, he ended up making rock and roll records for his kids.

What began in 1998 has turned into eight CDs, including the new disc, "Grandkid Rock," a remixed collection of 16 of John's favorite tunes from his previous releases. As stated eariler, he is definitely not afraid to rock. There have been kid's CDs that almost put me to sleep - not a good thing, especially if I'm behind the wheel. No chance of that happening with this disc!

When determining the theme of the CD, John envisioned an aged guitar to symbolize modern grandparents. Why not a classic image, like a grandfather clock? It's a cliché. "That's from another era and doesn't represent today's grandparents at all," John said. "How about a cool looking guitar that's slightly aged, worn, and actually better looking for the wear and tear?" Not to mention the improved sound.

Ben has been practicing Ponchielli's "Dance of the Hours" on the piano. Daddy A Go Go strips the Allan Sherman parody "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh" down to its barest elements for a rave-up. "Adventures in Carpool" chronicles the misadventures of a frantic dad en route to dropping off the kids on time for school. As the lyrics go:

There's traffic as far as we can see.

Dad makes a wild turn, watch out for that tree.

I'm glad we're in the Expedition.

I hope that cop will listen.


I'm looking forward to putting Daddy A Go Go into Ben's hands. I'm looking forward even more to putting Daddy A Go Go into our car's CD system as part of the next batch of music to get us to our destinations.

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