Quick Hits: Earth Songs and Juicebox Jukebox For All

Holden Caulfield despised "phonies." The teen hero of "Catcher in the Rye" thought that adults talking down to him, or saying they understood his world than he did, were "phonies." Holden didn't understand that the road to adulthood is filled with good intentions that sometimes seem phony to kids. And that's where I sympathize with Holden, in regard to the upcoming MY EARTH SONGS from Lonnie Park and the Earth Band (a ponderous self-designation if there ever was one). 

A multi-faceted award winning multi-hyphenate, Lonnie Park spearheaded a virtual live UNICEF COVID19 relief concert for kids, featuring Grammy winners from around the country, including Ricky Key, Lucy Kalantari, and Jon Samson. Now the songs are being released digitally, with the proceeds going to UNICEF. Self-explanatory song titles include "Gimme Your CO2," "Born From the Land," and "No Hunger." Listening to MY EARTH SONGS, my impression is that many of the people involved in its creation have no idea there's a burgeoning children's music industry. But gosh darn it, they're doing something important, so they're going to reinvent the wheel with this project. Spoiler alert: They didn't. There's nothing spectacular about MY EARTH SONGS except it's monumental self-importance. 

MY EARTH SONGS is available on August 28 from the group's website and Apple Music.

Here is "My Thinking Cap" from the CD:

Dallas musician Bradley James Skistimas spent 15 years touring and recording under the pseudonym "Five Times August" and has been featured on the FOX Business Channel as an expert "Do-It-Yourself" indie artist. The father of three turned his eye on children's music and started to record songs and upload videos using the concept the Juicebox Jukebox.

Last year, the Juicebox Jukebox launched a live concert series dubbed “The Kindness Tour,” for schools, libraries, and festivals, featuring a blend of live music performance and video production. Bradley's Jukebox YouTube channel has collected more than 300,000 views. Several of the videos were collaborations with Texas Independent School Districts and were filmed inside elementary schools with principal, teacher, parent, and student participation. More were planned this year until the pandemic hit.

Despite the setbacks, the Juicebox Jukebox has compiled NOW HEAR THIS!, a collection of their most popular tunes.  The songs are written with preschoolers to second graders in mind, with "What's Your Favorite Color," "Thankful," and the Redbone-tinged "The Art Supplies" being standouts. NOW HEAR THIS! is polished, professional, and decidedly un-phony. Holden Caulfield would be unimpressed. But what does he know? He's not a first grader.

NOW HEAR THIS! is available from the Juicebox Jukebox's website, Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Here is the video for the Juicebox Jukebox song, "The ABC's Of You":