Quick Hits: Mista Cookie Jar, Jeanie Bratschie & Laurie Berkner

Mista Cookie Jar is back with new music. "Let's Get a Dog" starts with a shot of 1980s synth a la A Flock of Seagulls. It settles into the tale of how an outing to a pet store turns lands a kid a new best friend. The song debuted on the Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl and you can get the podcast here. You can also get it at Bandcamp.

Mister Cookie Jar promises more sunny songs for a summer day are coming soon. So stay tuned and I'll try to keep more up to date as they are released.

Chicago's Jeanie Bratschie has released two CDs for your listening pleasure – I LOVE MUSIC and COME TOGETHER. Jeanie has more than 15 years of performing as a children's artist to her credit. Her career as a recording artist began when her three-year-old began asking her to concoct songs from his ideas at bedtime. Before long, she was lining up a band, laying down tracks, and hitting the road.

There's a sprintly country feel to the songs on the discs, with a decidedly seasonal feel to I LOVE MUSIC, with "Lady Liberty," "Summer Is Sunshine," and "Hop On Pop." Jeanie doesn't sing down to kids, she engages and wants the whole family to sing along. There are a few teachable moments mixed in, with "Build A Better World" (construction standing in for humanistic values) and "M-O-M" for the most important woman in any child's early development. You can get Jeanie's CDs at her website and CDBABY.

I'm waaaay behind the curve on this last item, but the Laurie Berkner Band released a Fathers' Day song – "I Love You Daddy" and a video along with it. The video has nothing to do with the shelved Louis CK movie of the same title, so if you found this article via Google search, buzz off. Anyway, here's the video: