Ben's Playlist - Friday, January 30, 2015

Beach House – The Good Ms Padgett
Boo! – Trout Fishing In America
Unwind – Secret Agent 23 Skidoo
You Can Do This – Hullabaloo
Up In Cat's Room – David Heatley
Tacky – Weird Al Yankovic
Half Of Me – Rihanna
H.B.D., Dude! – Mista Cookie Jar & the Chocolate Chips
Listen To What The Man Said – Owl City

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, January 29, 2015

If Red Tastes Like Strawberry – The Whirlygigs
Pendulum – Pearl Jam
Be a Little Angel – Mista Cookie Jar & The Chocolate Chips
Banana Pudding – Sugar Free Allstars
My Favorite Sneakers – In The Nick Of Time
Here Comes Peter Cottontail – The Hipwaders
Change Your Ticket – One Direction
My Heart Is Open – Maroon 5 Feat. Gwen Stefani

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Buzzcut Season – Lorde
Look, Think, Guess, Know – Tom Chapin
New  – Paul McCartney
Big Green Party Machine – David Heatley
Blink Of An Eye – Frances England
Now Let's Dance – Elizabeth Mitchell & Dan Zanes
Coming Back For You – Maroon 5
Clouds – One Direction

Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, January 27, 2015

In All Of The World – Papa Crow
In The Group  – Tom Chapin
Bigga Bagga – Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke
Mystery – Dean Jones
We All Want Love – Rihanna
Time Machine – Eric Herman
Sugar – Maroon 5
No Control – One Direction

Ben's Playlist - Monday, January 26, 2015

Mooshpie – The Whirlygigs
Just a Normal Day – Lesley and the Flying Foxes
Ice Cream Girl  – Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could
Uh Huh – Dean Jones
Dancing Bear – Bari Koral Family Rock Band
Metaphor  – The Alphabeticians
Sunglasses – The Que Pastas
Steal My Girl  – One Direction
Animals – Maroon 5

Ben's Playlist - Friday, January 23, 2015

Glass Bottom Boat – Jason Didner And The Jungle Gym Jam
Welcome To New York – Taylor Swift
Thinking Good Thoughts –  Dog On Fleas
Word Crimes – Weird Al Yankovic
Caught in the Screen – Secret Agent 23 Skidoo
Be a Mime – Eric Herman
Thinking Out Loud  – Ed Sheeran
Maps – Maroon 5

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, January 22, 2015

First Day of School – Ethan Rossiter And The Jamberries
I Got This! –  Princess Katie & Racer Steve
Right Now – Rihanna Feat. David Guetta
Duck Ellington – Lucky Diaz And The Family Jam Band
Tomorrow's People – Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could
Copycat – Bill Harley And Keith Munslow
Together We Can Fly – Danny Weinkauf
Extraordinary – Eric Herman And The Invisible Band
Runaway  – Ed Sheeran

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Another Good Year  – Lori Henriques
Gettin' My Ya Ya's Out  – Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could
Mothership – Mr. Saxophone
Everything I Didn't Say  – 5 Seconds of Summer
If I Could Fly  – Riff Rockit
Don't – Ed Sheeran
Bonsai  – Billy Kelly and the Blah Blah Blahs
This Little Light Of Mine – Eric Herman And The Invisible Band

Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Domino Town  – Dean Jones
Marsupial – Danny Weinkauf
Look, Think, Guess, Know  – Tom Chapin
Apple Tree – Bari Koral Family Rock Band
Nobody's Business  – Rihanna Feat. Chris Brown
Free Ride Everyday  – Lori Henriques
Shutterbug  – Recess Monkey
I Can't Wait For Summer  – Eric Herman And The Invisible Band
Sing  – Ed Sheeran

Ben's Playlist - Monday, January 19, 2015

Life In Color – OneRepublic
In The Group – Tom Chapin
How Great Can This Day Be – Lori Henriques
Let The Records Play – Pearl Jam
Yawn – Gustafer Yellowgold
Brick By Brick – Recess Monkey
No, No, No – The Little Rockers Band
Rest Easy Now – Eric Herman And The Invisible Band
Eleanor Rigby – Alice Cooper

Ben's Playlist - Friday, January 16, 2015

Uh Huh – Dean Jones
Sisters and Brothers – Bari Koral Family Rock Band
Thinking Good Thoughts – Dog On Fleas
Banana Pudding – Sugar Free Allstars
Motorcycle Mom – The Not-Its!
In the Box – Eric Herman And The Invisible Band
Farewell – Rihanna
Lazy Raisins – Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke
Closer To You  – Michael Franti & Spearhead

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, January 15, 2015

The Tale Of The Sun And The Moon – Eric Herman And The Invisible Band
Little Things – One Direction
Toothloser – Gustafer Yellowgold
Duck Ellington – Lucky Diaz And The Family Jam Band
Look, Think, Guess, Know – Tom Chapin
Bird in an Airplane Suit – Caspar Babypants
Mama Don't Allow – In The Nick Of Time
NOW That's What I Call Polka! – Weird Al Yankovic
Big Green Party Machine – David Heatley

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Summer Day – Stacey Peasley
If I Could Fly – Riff Rockit
Manatee – The Whizpops!
Ice Cream Girl  – Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could
Love Runs Out – OneRepublic
Best Friend – In The Nick Of Time
Crazy Mountain Road – Eric Herman And The Invisible Band
Up In Cat's Room – David Heatley

Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, January 13, 2015

First Day of School – Ethan Rossiter And The Jamberries
National Hiccup Day – The Dirty Sock Funtime Band
Fun Day (feat. Roxanne Farrell) – Father Goose
Haircut – The Not-Its!
Upside Down – Ratboy Jr.
Gratitude – Mista Cookie Jar & the Chocolate Chips
This Island Life (Music) – Big World Audio Theatre
I Dreamed I Could Fly – Eric Herman And The Invisible Band
Shake It Off! – Uncle Rock

Ben's Playlist – Monday, January 12, 2015

Lucky Penny – The Whirlygigs
Smile in My Heart – Suzi Shelton
Kings & Queens – The Hipwaders
Dancing Bear – Bari Koral Family Rock Band
Danceology – The Dirty Sock Funtime Band
Great Day – The Not-Its!
My Sister Kissed Her Boyfriend – Trout Fishing In America
Got To Get You Into My Life  – Perry Farrell
H-U-L-L-A-B-A-L-O-O – Hullabaloo

Ben's Playlist - Friday, January 9, 2015

Domino Town – Dean Jones
Paper Moon – Laura Doherty
Tacky – Weird Al Yankovic
Blink Of An Eye – Frances England
Marsupial – Danny Weinkauf
That's Just Us (Playing Rock-n-Roll) – Hullabaloo
Roller coaster – Bari Koral Family Rock Band
Foolish Father  – Weezer
Hello Goodbye – The Cure Feat. James McCartney

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, December 8, 2015

In All Of The World – Papa Crow
Jamaica Ska (feat. Coolie Ranx & Little Goose) – Father Goose
Slow – Trout Fishing In America
Another Good Year  – Lori Henriques
The Bicycle Song – Eric Herman
My Dad – Joanie Leeds And The Nightlights
I Got This! – Princess Katie & Racer Steve
Go Away  – Weezer
No More Lonely Nights – The Airborne Toxic Event

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Voodoo Doll – 5 Seconds of Summer
Trondaxx Berserker – Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke
Let The Records Play – Pearl Jam
Sisters and Brothers – Bari Koral Family Rock Band
Brave – Sara Bareilles
If I Lose Myself – Alesso Vs. OneRepublic
Da Vinci – Weezer
My Favorite Sneakers – In The Nick Of Time

Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Just a Normal Day – Lesley and the Flying Foxes
Lazy Raisins – Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke
Thingamajig – Lucky Diaz And The Family Jam Band
Word Crimes – Weird Al Yankovic
Apple Tree – Bari Koral Family Rock Band
Show Me A Sign – Michael Franti & Spearhead
I've Had It Up To Here – Weezer
Jet – Robin Zander & Rick Nielsen
No School Today – Danny Weinkauf

Ben's Playlist - Monday, January 5, 2015

The Girl With the Squirrel in Her Hat – Caspar Babypants
Wake Up – The Neville Brothers
Snaggletooth – Dean Jones
Gettin' My Ya Ya's Out – Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could
Everybody Out There – Paul McCartney
The Hustle – Van McCoy
Back To The Shack – Weezer
Bluebird – Corinne Bailey Rae

O'Halloran Attracts Kids Along the Outback

Just when you think you've covered every corner of children's music, along comes someone with another perspective or culture. If you think "Waltzing Matilda" and the Wiggles are the only Australian children's music exports, you're missing an entire continent's worth of performers. Michael O'Halloran has been entertaining children down under for more than 30 years. Since, as you might expect, his own children were born.

With THE LITTLE BLUE BUS, Michael is moving his music around the world for American audiences. My four year old asked, "What's a billabong?" and "What's a dingo?" over the course of the first listening. So on one level, we know that he was listening intently.

Our older son was paying attention as well. At first hearing, he remarked that the vocals sounded similar to Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke. If you need a frame of reference, that's a British accent versus an Australian accent. At 13 he's all about the comparisons, having mostly outgrown the nature of the genre.

I like to draw attention to special guest artists who appear on various children's music CDs. I would be remiss to not include Matty Green and Tracy McNeil (a Canadian, so this recording is truly inter-continental).

THE LITTLE BLUE BUS chronicles a trek across the Australian countryside, from "The Gulf of Carpentaria" through "Hanging Rock Creek" to "Go To Bryon." It's gentle and gentlemanly music for kids – think Nick Cope for another comparison.

As 2015 begins, I'm going to attempt to be more accepting of world music. Michael O'Halloran is world away from me. I could see him fitting right onto the next Putumayo collection of Aussie kids tunes. For now, he's driving his own course along the outback and he seeks to bring your children along for the ride.

THE LITTLE BLUE BUS is available from Amazon and iTunes.

Ben's Playlist - Friday, January 2, 2015

Lighter Feathers – Dean Jones
Riverside  – Baze And His Silly Friends
New – Paul McCartney
DJ All Day – Secret Agent 23 Skidoo
Earn It – Hullabaloo
Rock Melon – Gustafer Yellowgold
Right Now – Rihanna Feat. David Guetta
Got the Spirit – Mista Cookie Jar & the Chocolate Chips
Ain't Got Nobody – Weezer