Holiday Rockin' Out With Yer Uncle

A cat may only have nine lives; Robert Burke Warren will take the many lives of a musician.

From his teenage days as the bassist for RuPaul (yes, it's true) to a two-year stint with the Fleshtones to portraying Buddy Holly on London's West End, Robert has literally been around the world. And I have yet laud his ongoing gig as Uncle Rock, purveyor of fine children's music.

As the holidays roll around, it's time to dust off (or buy yourself) a copy of Robert's EXPRESS YOUR ELF collection of December tunes. We've been performances of "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" and "My Favorite Things" in his concert sets over the years, and the recordings here are faithful and original, as far as cover songs are concerned. Listen to samples here.

Robert also includes a live version of his song, "Too Many Presents," which hit a major chord for us, coming off eight nights of Hanukkah, followed by a massive family gathering with even more bags of goodies for the kiddies.

Robert brings his Uncle Rock holiday show to Symphony Space on Saturday, December 29. We saw him there a few years ago with his band and are looking forward to introducing Matt (2 years old) to the venue for the first time.

In some measure, Robert is partially responsible for the my "career" as a children's music blogger. My wife used to work for his wife, Holly George Warren. We were early adapters when he released his first Uncle Rock CD. Robert sent out e-mail when "Rock and Roll Babysitter" got airplay on a radio show/podcast called SPARE THE ROCK. We started listening and Ben became an avid fan of the genre. I started blogging his morning playlists and was approached by PR people to write reviews. Ultimately, I was asked to do a writeup for Robert's upcoming appearance. The circle of life, people, the circle of life.

We've seen Robert at book store gigs and clubs. But we're always delighted to return to Symphony Space, a venue that routinely brings in groups from across the country and around the world. If December traveling is a little dicey, they have acts booked through the spring. Take a look and you'll be glad you did.

EXPRESS YOUR ELF can be purchased through Amazon, CDBABY, and iTunes.