Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Daydreams - Adele
Daybreak - Barry Manilow
Can You Picture That? - Quazar and the Bamboozled
Say Hello to My Hippo - Todd McHatton
Mammal - They Might Be Giants
Valley Winter Song - Fountains Of Wayne
Stayin' Alive - Glee
If You Want to Fly - Steve Songs
Hi 5 Dance - Flannery Brothers

Everyday Stories (New Podcast)

Some random stories this week.

My son completed his spring soccer program and I discuss what it's like to be three times as old as some of the teenage volunteers.

I flash back to my college years to recall how my lack of car knowledge cost me a trip to an amusement park, but taught others a valuable lesson.

And a footnote to my not-to-pleasant experience as a child when an adult bought ice cream for nine kids, but not for me.

Finally, the Cohen/Aubrey bit "Frank the Furrier" and whatever happened to the REAL man behind the parody, Fred Schwartz of Alexander's Department Stores.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Ben's Playlist - Monday, April 30, 2012

First Love - Adele
Clap Your Hands - The Time Outs
Don't Drink Sea Water - Captain Bogg & Salty
Sacagawea - The Deedle Deedle Dees
Hey, Josie! - The Hipwaders
It's Raining Again - Supertramp
All The Best - R.E.M.
So Emotional - Glee
God Gave Rock and Roll To You - Kiss

Ben's Playlist - Friday, April 27, 2012

(Drawing) Rings Around the World - Super Furry Animals
Grandmom's House - Recess Monkey
Set Fire To The Rain - Adele
I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) - Glee
Eliza - John Carlin
Don't Stop It Won't Pop - Todd McHatton
What Makes You Beautiful - One Direction
Frenzy - Dean Jones
Freebird - Arcwelder
Full Sized Candy Bars - David and Jad Fair

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, April 26, 2012

Grandma's Hands - Bill Withers
When I Get Little - Dog On Fleas
Wimoweh - Joanie Leeds & The Nightlights
Rolling In the Deep - Adele
Be My Baby - The Ronettes
Nemeses - Jonathan Coulton
Twin Cinema - New Pornographers
My Little Laugh - Randy Kaplan
Santo Domingo - Rodrigo Y Gabriela & C.U.B.A.

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Last Friday Night - Glee
The Christmas Song - The Raveonettes
Itsy Bitsy Spider - Alison Faith Levy
Mary Anning - Artichoke
Peace And Love - Fountains Of Wayne
At the Bottom of the Sea - The Thermals
Glad You Came - The Wanted
Live to Rise - Soundgarden
Kick Drum Heart - The Avett Brothers

Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Parents Need Sleep - The Nields
Come Up, Horsey - Victoria Williams
Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing - Stevie Wonder
Harry Elefante - Rocknoceros
Horse and Buggy - Kindercastle
Turning Tables - Adele
Making Silly Faces - In The Nick Of Time
Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
River of Blood - The Deedle Deedle Dees

New Podcast - Troubles and Annoyances

Customer service.

Such a simple concept that often gets turned into an oxymoron.

This week’s podcast includes several examples of encounters with customer service. One ultimately had a happy ending, but involved an investment of time that gave it diminished returns. Another was a swift handling of an automated system, which I credit as a minor victory. Finally, the longest segment deals with the bureaucracy of collection agencies – voracious, tenacious, but unwavering in the face of (unprovable) truth.

Our comedy bit this time around is “Cholesterol.” Jon remembers the following, “For me that was a pretty straight up reaction to all those happy "bad food" association ads that were all over TV at the time – beef, eggs, milk, pork. Our soda parody, FLAB COLA, had a little of that too.”

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Ben's Playlist - Monday, April 23, 2012

Nogturne in C Minor - The Jimmies
Memphis Soul Stew - King Curtis & The Kingpins
Ole´ - Pearl Jam
Bluebird > Redbird, Redbird > Reef - The Deedle Deedle Dees
Night Fever - Glee
You Yes You - Tune-Yards
Everybody Wants - Paddy Casey
If You Wanna Dance Say Yeah! - Dog On Fleas
Eye Of The Tornado - Alison Faith Levy
I Don't Wanna Wait - Bill Harley

Hungry for Healthy Music

Have Another Helping of Orange Sherbet Long story short, Orange Sherbet's new CD is the product of people helping their neighbors locate food grown regionally (within a 100-mile radius). A delectable concept has evolved (organically) into a movement and, as a tangent, launched a musical side dish.

Orange Sherbet's Tamsen Fynn’s friends Sarah Klein and Jessica Prentice created The Local Foods Wheel with their friend, graphic designer Maggie Gosselin. The tool helps discovers local, seasonal food in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Upper Midwest, New York, and soon, Southern California. Tamsen spent hours at the kitchen table with cookbooks and a list of foods, on a quest for dishes that were mouthwatering and would lend themselves to musical treatment.

In the meantime, Orange Sherbet has recorded five CDs in the past decade-plus. The latest, DELICIOUS, features 17 culinary-inclined tracks.

Your mouth will start watering just by reviewing selections such as "Rice & Beans," "Waffle Day," "Honey Bee," "Stone Soup," and "Garden Song (Inch by Inch)."

Orange Sherbet raps through a whole menu of items in "Through the Seasons."

Farmers live in the San Francisco Bay
99 miles or less away
Locals all shop for food in town
Through the seasons all year round.

DELICIOUS is the concept and delightful is the conception. The CD offers a full plate of musical choices for school-aged children. And best of all, this Orange Sherbet is sugar-free! The CD will be available on May 15 through their website, Amazon, iTunes, and CD Baby.

Ben's Playlist - Friday, April 20, 2012

Alphabet Produce - Kathleen Edwards
Summer Baby (Let It Ride) - Caspar Babypants
Hello - Martin Solveig feat. Dragonette
Shoo Fly - Don't Bother Me - Sweet Honey In the Rock
Tamacun - Rodrigo y Gabriela
Fire Of The Sun - Rocknoceros
Cruel To Be Kind - Nick Lowe
Drive By - Train
You Should Be Dancing - Glee
How Fast Can You Run? - The Quiet Two

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, April 19, 2012

Came Out of a Lady - Rubblebucket
Slumber Party - In The Nick Of Time
I Love Food - The Not-Its!
The Golem - The Deedle Deedle Dees
Dream All Day - The Posies
I'm Just Thinkin' About What I'm Thinkin' About - Chip Taylor & the Grandkids
You Might Think - Weezer
Ruling Me - Weezer
I've Got a Brother - Nick Cope
I'm Still Standing - Glee

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, April 18, 2012

First Light - My Morning Jacket
The Monkeys are Breaking Out - Too Many Cookies
I Want You Back - Glee
I Believe In a Thing Called Love - The Darkness
Under African Skies - Paul Simon
First Warm Day - The Incredible Chandler Travis Catual
Owl and Pussycat - Heidi Swedberg
Lucky Day - Parker Bent
See the Seasons - The Rock Doves
Henry (Hudson), How Ya Gonna Find a Way? - The Deedle Deedle Dees

Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Saturday Night - Bay City Rollers
Grandma's Hands - Bill Withers
World Of Wonder - Alison Faith Levy
Why Is Dad So Mad? - The Board of Education
Sleepy Tigers - Her Space Holiday
Zou bisou bisou - Gillian Hills
Felt Around the World - Hand Aid
Holiday Road - Matt Pond
Hungry Like A Wolf/ Rio - Glee
Be My Baby - The Ronettes

Happy Birthday 2012 (New Podcast)

I celebrated another birthday this past week.

It's no big deal. I just consider the alternative.

In any case, here's some birthday stories, as well as a moderately-depressing tale from my childhood in New Jersey.

Enjoy it, as well as another Cohen/Aubrey bit from 1980s Queens College radio - DEAD COP.

You have been warned.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Ben's Playlist - Monday, April 16, 2012

Dream - Blue Sky Riders
Parents Need Sleep - The Nields
I Knew The Bride (When She Use To Rock And Roll) - Nick Lowe
Sweet Harness - Sharks
Up Up Up - Glee
Friday Night - The Del Fuegos
Like A Spinning Top - Alison Faith Levy
Bunny Brown - Caspar Babypants
Donuts - Jeff Forrest
River of Blood - The Deedle Deedle Dees

You Gotta Have Faith

Wild multi-colored costumes and set design. Elaborate staging. Psychedelic lyrics. Yup, it's the San Francisco music scene, even for children's music. The Sippy Cups were (and still are) a fixture and major attraction. The heart (or perhaps the "T" cup) was female singer "Sippy" Alison Faith Levy, who is now striking out on her own as a solo kindie artist.



Levy is a musical jack-of-all-trades. She's been an adult solo artist, part of a band (The Loud Family), part of a duo (McCabe and Mrs. Miller), and part of a kid's group. With WORLD OF WONDER, she opens another chapter of her career.

Levy's CD starts as a rock album for kids. "Like a Spinning Top" and "Detours" will get your kids on their feet and jumping around. "I Love the Rain" would not be out of place on any Laurie Berkner CD. Next comes the Phil Spector/Wall of Sound version of "Itsy Bitsy Spider." Levy pays impressive homage to "And Then He Kissed Me" and a children's classic at the same time.

"Three Tulips" and "Eye of the Tornado" follow, demonstrating Levy's deft keyboard playing and lyrics:

In the eye of the tornado

There's a gentle place to rest

With the friends that I like best

And we're having tea and cakes

And watching boats sailing on the lake

And it's where I want to be

In the eye of the tornado is the place for me.


"Baby Anteater" and "I Had a Rooster" allow Levy to check off the animal songs that invariably seem to populate every children's CD that comes across my desk these days. I remain ambivalent but hey, the kids truly like them (the songs and the animals).

The title track ("World of Wonder") talks about the everyday miracles contained inside grains of sand and other small things (i.e., the world of wonder is right before your eyes). Not a bad sentiment when you want to train kids to be observant and spend time outside instead of playing videogames, watching TV, or naval-gazing.

The CD winds down with "One More Cupcake," a plea that every child invokes to stretch the day. Five more, four more, any amount to keep the fun happening. "It's never enough for me," Levy sings, and that's true for this too-short CD. It's a lot of fun and not just in a San Francisco way.

You can watch the video for "World of Wonder" here.



The CD is available now at Amazon, CD Baby, and on iTunes.

Ben's Playlist - Friday, April 13, 2012

Rainbow Connection - Weezer Feat. Hayley Williams
I Want A Hippopotamus for Kwanzaa - The Jimmies
Our World - My Morning Jacket
I'm Your Moon - Jonathan Coulton
Nemeses - Jonathan Coulton
The Happy Vegan Thanksgiving Song - Todd McHatton
Someone Like You - Adele
Wrong Thing - The Hipwaders
What Katie Did - The Libertines
Kick Drum Heart - The Avett Brothers

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, April 12, 2012

So So Good - The Good Miss Padgett
Parents Need Sleep - The Nields
I Wish You Well - Bill Withers
Eggs - Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
Summer Baby (Let It Ride) - Caspar Babypants
Polka Face - Weird Al Yankovic
Birdsong - Steve Weeks
Mr. Know It All - Kelly Clarkson
Rollerskate Banana Peel - Mo Phillips

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, April 11, 2012

When We First Met - Hellogoodbye
So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star - The Byrds
Under African Skies - Paul Simon
Ruling Me - Weezer
I Really Like You, Baby - ScribbleMonster
Rock Around WIth Ollie Vee - Buddy Holly
How Come You Never Go There - Feist
I Think I'm A Bunny - Todd McHatton
Glasses - Jonathan Coulton
A Daisy Through Concrete - Eels
Firefighter - Brian Vogan

Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Accentuate the Positive - NRBQ
That's Not My Name - The Ting Tings
Sneaking Cookies - Cake for Dinner
Bamboleo/Hero - Glee
Drive By - Train
Uncharted - Sara Bareilles
Don't Worry About the Government - Talking Heads
June Hymn - The Decemberists
Zou bisou bisou - Gillian Hills
My Favorite Things - Glee

Chag Semeach! Second Podcast

I did not intend the second episode of my podcast to be so hebraically themed.

But then I took my son to a conservative bat mitzvah and a week later, it was Passover.

Both reminded me of incidents from my Jewish past.

Such tsuris!

In any event, enjoy the stories.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Ben's Playlist - Monday, April 9, 2012

Building of the Road - Caroline Herring
Palomino - Mates of State
The Wrath of Marcie - The Go! Team
You Are the Everything - Redbird
We Are Young - Glee
Everybody Let's Jump - Eloise the Great
Bunny Brown - Caspar Babypants
A Good Good Time - Nikolai Moderbacher
Making Silly Faces - In The Nick Of Time

Ben's Playlist - Friday, April 6, 2012

Grandma's Hands - Bill Withers
Go Out and Play - The Plants
Where You From? - The Baby Grands
Born to Be Loved (The Kitchen Tapes) - Lucinda Williams
Wanna Be Starting Something - Glee
Owl and Pussycat - Heidi Swedberg
Fire Of The Sun - Rocknoceros
D.A.N.C.E. - Justice
First Love - Adele
Slumber Party - In The Nick Of Time
Sugar Ant - Caspar Babypants

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, April 5, 2012

Good Morning Tucson - Jonathan Coulton
Cruel To Be Kind - Nick Lowe
How Come You Never Go There - Feist
Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye
I Like How It Feels - Enrique Iglesias feat. Pitbull
Bad - Glee
Lucky Day - Parker Bent
My Little Laugh - Randy Kaplan
Kinder Words - Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Nogturne in C Minor - The Jimmies
Life's A Happy Song - The Muppets [Soundtrack]
Making Me Smile - Dean & Britta
In the Mood - Glenn Miller
Ah Ahsima - The Deedle Deedle Dees
The Amazing Baz Dance Remix - The Amazing Baz
We Just Won't Be Defeated - The Go! Team
Up Up Up - Givers
The Animal Life - NRBQ

Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Walking Tall - Lyle Lovett
My Uncle, the Ant - Duke Otherwise
Reminds Me Of You - LMFAO
Tamacun - Rodrigo y Gabriela
Why Is Dad So Mad? - The Board of Education
Horse and Buggy - Kindercastle
Under a Cloud - Bangles
Friday Night - The Del Fuegos
Cough Syrup - Glee
Cocoanut Candy - Didi Pop

MrJeff2000 Explains It All "Opening Day"

Yes, I'm going to attempt to podcast.

It may work, it may not work.

I'm just getting started.

We'll see what happens.

This is episode 1 - It talks about major league baseball and Opening Day.

I talk about a true story about a late season game at Shea Stadium with legendary third baseman Elliot Maddox.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Ben's Playlist - Monday, April 2, 2012

Rainbow Connection - Weezer Feat. Hayley Williams
It Will Rain - Bruno Mars
The Alternative Polka - Weird Al Yankovic
Summer Baby (Let It Ride) - Caspar Babypants
I Think I'm A Bunny - Todd McHatton
Where Do The Children Play - Horace Andy
Sneaking Cookies - Cake for Dinner
First Warm Day - The Incredible Chandler Travis Catual
Let The Good Times Roll - Harry Nilsson