Mil's Trills On Childrens' Challenges Channeling Emotions

"How are you feeling?" seems like the simplest question that a person can ask, especially to a child.

Coming on the heels of a nearly two-year global pandemic, social distancing, remote learning, and the recent 20th anniversary of 9/11, the answer is not quite as rudimentary as one might expect – especially from children, who may not have the verbal toolset to adequately express their emotions. The year 2020 delivered a master class in collective emoting, from Black Lives Matter to LGBTQ rights to Defund the Police (as the monarch in The King and I says, "etcetera, etcetera").

Brooklyn-based children's recording artist Amelia “Mil” Robinson addresses parental concerns about kids bottling up their feelings with her latest collection, LET IT OUT! Amelia and a host of artists, including Uncle Jumbo, Divinity Roxx, Kymberly Stewart, and Pierce Freelon, contribute to songs that encompass the full spectrum, from anger ("Punch a Pillow" with Jumbo) to seeing things from other people's perspectives ("I Wanna Know" also with Jumbo) to frustration ("Let My Have My Feelings" with Freelon) and much more.

Under the direction of kids' über producer Dean Jones, Robinson and company present a unified, upbeat front to the most divisive topics. The Trumpian "good people on both sides" gets parsed as "Agree To Disagree," a tune about coming to terms with never seeing eye-to-eye on certain topics. Offering comfort when that's the only option (for kids demanding answers to the unknown, such as "when will this pandemic end") gets a gentle lullaby in "How Could I Possibly Know." When the ponderous becomes too much, Robinson and Jumbo explain how it's still okay to dance on the first single, "Disco Rain."

Robinson used her previous three CDs to develop a teaching curriculum called Messy Music, which builds social emotional skills through judgment- and criticism-free creativity. The songs on LET IT OUT! will become a primary source of teachable tools later this fall. Everyone has emotions and they need to be expressed. LET IT OUT! offers a font of straightforward, genial suggestions for young listeners. Parents can also unearth a few truths about their own feelings. Good mental hygiene shouldn't need to be coerced – let it out, organically.

LET IT OUT! is available from Mil's Trills' website, Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Here is the video for the song, "Disco Rain," featuring Uncle Jumbo:

Gordie Fiddles As Kids Dance

There's a ton of puns that use "fiddling" in both the musical sense as well as wasting time. Canadian violinist Gordie “Crazylegs” MacKeeman may take umbrage with the idea that fiddle-playing is also time-wasting. Since first becoming a song and dance performer at age six, he has evolved into a dynamic, engaging performer. Gordie gained the nickname "Crazylegs" at age 14 for his enthusiastic performance at the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival. He is now expanding his reach into children's music through his first family album, FOLK FOR LITTLE FOLK, VOLUME 1.

The space for revivalist American music reaches across a spectrum that includes jazz aficionado Lucy Kalantari to blues devotee Jenn Cleary to roots reconstruction architect Red Yarn. The heartland was also a hotbed for traditional bluegrass and Gordie brings his infectious combination of skilled fiddle playing and fleet-footed dancing to the dance. And quite a dance it is. Kids who have been schooled in kindie will be familiar with classics such as “All Around the Kitchen,” “Ladybugs’ Picnic,” Roger Miller's "Oo-De-Lally," and “Old MacDonald.” Gordie bring a modern sensibility to the chestnut "Big Rock Candy Mountain":

On the big rock candy mountain, the wifi's good and strong
Naptime's always optional and cartoons all day long
Where love is all around you and the sun shines every day
I'm bound to go where there ain't no snow
Where the rain don't fall, and the wind don't blow
On the big rock candy mountain

Gordie contributes a number of original tunes that fit snugly into his pickin' and grinnin' mix, such as "Boogie Woogie Baby" and "Snaccident," a song about throwing your stomach a happy curveball, which gives him a chance to show off his vocal dexterity and versatility. A "yummy in your tummy surprise," indeed. Right now, Gordie MacKeeman may be a difficult name to see (or spell). But as his songs work their way into your child's brain, you'll grow accustomed to his brand of animated interaction.

FOLK FOR LITTLE FOLK VOLUME 1 is available from Gordie's website and Bandcamp.

Here is the video for Gordie MacKeeman and the Rhythm Boys' "Just Want to Be Loved By You":

Ben's Playlist - Monday, September 27, 2021

Stars – Ants Ants Ants

Remind Me Why I Love You Again – Huey Lewis & The News

Lo/Hi – The Black Keys

Taco Tuesday – The Lucky Band

It's A Wonderful Life – Kepi Ghoulie

Loving & Kind – Aaron Nigel Smith

Twinkle Sez It's OK To Be You (and To Dance)

Sometimes you've just got to dance. It's a ubiquitous concept that sweeps across your living room, backyard, or back seat. And when the spirit hits your family, isn't it better to have an age-appropriate musician instead of (for instance) Cardi B singing about her bodily fluids? The Peruvian powerhouse power pop performer Twinkle (Alitzah Weiner Navarro Dallas) has dropped for fourth family album, IT'S OK TO ME BE (also A MI ME GUSTA SER YO).

IT'S OK TO ME BE features every track in English and Spanish, giving audiences from both cultures a chance to enjoy the lyrics in their native language. It's also an educational opportunity to get your kids to learn how to speak (and sing) in español. 

Alitzah created Twinkle as a fully-formed character, which makes her live performances an interactive experience for children. Her music is chock full of uplifting messages not necessarily grafted to the pandemic (such as "Mask It Up"/"Mascara"). She populates the collection brief interstitial musings that act as subliminal reminders to kids about non-conformity and developing their own personal, singular identity.

Twinkle hosted 21 two-hour children's music Top 20 Countdowns (and took a break for now). Artists on her shows included Esther Crow, Imagination Movers, Suger Free All Stars, Justin Roberts, and way too many to list. The shows can be downloaded as a podcast from Apple, Audible, Podbean, and iHeart.

As the world struggles to move forward in the face of anti-vaxxer and science-deniers, Twinkle uses IT'S OK TO ME BE to remind kids that every morning welcomes a "Brand New Day," that every family is centered by "Love," and that we're all part of a community on "Together" (featuring MC Magic and Izzi Def). If we all keep our eyes on the prize – a world past COVID – it will be OK for all of us. Get ready to dance.

IT'S OKAY TO BE ME is available from Twinkle's website, Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Here is the video for Twinkle's song, "It's OK To Be Me":

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, September 22, 2021

I Am There For You – Huey Lewis & The News
Summer's Here – The Bazillions
Helicopter Leaves – Ants Ants Ants
The Less I Know The Better – Tame Impala
It's a Miracle – Dog On Fleas
Clown Shoes – Ratboy Jr.

New Music from Joanie Leeds & Mista Cookie Jar, Claudia Robin Gunn, and Father Goose

Children's musician Joanie Leeds has chosen her spots since winning the Grammy for her ALL THE LADIES CD. Her latest project is "Under the Same Stars," a collaboration with Mista Cookie Jar (CJ Pizarro) to celebrate National Just One Human Family Day (yes it really exists, on September 12).

An update of the same theme covered in "Somewhere Out There," the famous duet from Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram, there's nary a European Jewish mouse featured in this tune. The premise of universal humanism came to the forefront during the BLM and Defund the Police movements during the summer of 2020.  As Joanie and CJ remind listeners, we all look up and see the same stars. Click through and hear for yourself.

 

Australian performer Claudia Robin Gunn has introduced a new series of seasonal videos from her 2020 CD, SING THROUGH THE YEAR. While summer is coming to a close in the U.S., it's just around the corner in the southern hemisphere. With COVID restrictions depending on circumstances and government preferences, the great outdoors is still the best place to be. 

The animated videos, made possible through the support of NZ On Air Music, were created by Kitty and Simon Wade. Starting with "Summertime and Sunshine," they feature a blue penguin family living in the style of a pop-up book as they find fun group activities that change along with the seasons:

The "King of the Family House Party" Father Goose continues to flex his musical muscle. Shortly after the release of his new EP, INVISBLE, he's back with a new video for his song "I TESTIFY," featuring Drsya. The song investigates how people need to have good self-esteem before they move forward to build a better world (shades of 'Same Stars,' indeed):

I'm living the dream
my self-esteem is very intense
just let me vent
I want a better world

FG and Drsya make their case and insist kids must also be part of the solution. Here's the video for "I Testify":

Ben's Playlist - Monday, September 20, 2021

Reality In Motion – Tame Impala
Winter Bird / When Winter Comes – Paul McCartney
I Spy – Ants Ants Ants
Shine A Little Light – The Black Keys
Village d'Ãtoile – Dog On Fleas
Lost And Loving It – Kepi Ghoulie
Lazy Boy – Franz Ferdinand

Ben's Back to School Playlist - Monday, September 13, 2021

'Cause I'm A Man – Tame Impala
I Spy – Ants Ants Ants
Finally – Franz Ferdinand
New Pair Of Shoes – The Bazillions
Fanga Alafia – Aaron Nigel Smith
Taco Tuesday – The Lucky Band
Doppelganger – Dog On Fleas

Dan and Claudia Zanes Build a Lovely Guide

Dan Zanes has been the de facto face of the evolution of children's music over the past 20 years. ROCKET SHIP BEACH in 2000 struck a chord called "kindie" that served as a template for batches of lesser acts (trust me, many sent their home-pressed CDs for review). Zanes expanded his repertoire to encompass lullabies, dance music, sea shanties, Latin America, and show tunes. Eventually, he cultivated material from the Great American songbook of early folk and blues performers, such as Lead Belly, Carl Sandburg, Woody Guthrie, and Pete Seeger. In 2018, he even released a spectrum-friendly CD, NIGHT TRAIN 57, with future spouse Claudia Eliaza and Yuriana Sobrino.

Rebranded as part of the duo Dan + Claudia Zanes, the new collection LET LOVE BE YOUR GUIDE has been released by Smithsonian Folkways. Coming from the streets of Baltimore, Maryland, Dan and Claudia have incorporated a raft of area musicians to tackle themes of racism inequity, community, social justice, and paying forward positive messages for new generations. 

The material for LET LOVE BE YOUR GUIDE (and much more) was developed shortly after the couple relocated from Brooklyn. The coronavirus pandemic pushed Dan and Claudia to create a new song online every day, as their "Social Isolation Song Series." Did they expect the experience to last as long as it did (200 days)? Regardless, the series is now part of the Library of Congress and acted as a new template for the socially-conscious music Dan and Claudia sought to create for young audiences and their families.

Dan and Claudia have set a high bar with the title track, a paean to the late voting rights advocate John Lewis and "Reparations is a Must," about setting right the wrongs of history, with a side swing at the concept of critical race theory. "Coming Down" uses Claudia's own life experiences and Dan's keen songwriting abilities to conceptualize the end of white supremacy and the industrial military complex. The challenges and reality of mixed marriage are related on "Two Different Worlds." Childhood fears (and day to day adult anxieties) are addressed with clarity, faith, and optimism on "Hold On."

My older son turned 20 this year. Through his eyes, we've witnessed the full scope of the Dan Zanes evolution. Zanes let love be his guide with Claudia, as they've settled into the welcoming embrace of Baltimore. Armed with a fully actualized agenda of themes for families, Dan and Claudia are poised to paint a larger portrait as they harvest their new template.

LET LOVE BE YOUR GUIDE is available from Claudia and Dan Zanes' website, Smithsonian Folkways, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Here is the video for their song, "Let Love Be Your Guide":

Ben's Playlist - Monday, September 7, 2021

The Moment – Tame Impala
The Kiss Of Venus – Paul McCartney
One – Aaron Nigel Smith
Lo/Hi – The Black Keys
Buenos Dias – The Lucky Band
Doppelganger – Dog On Fleas

Have Faith and Creativity Comes Alive

Alison Faith Levy mixes spirituality with youthful exuberance on her latest collection of children's songs, YOU ARE MAGIC. Rather than an ecological theme related to climate change or recycling, Levy chooses to focus on our relationships to the fanciful and mystical parts of our own imaginations. Specifically, how to make the connection of how individual creativity is cultivated by outside stimulus, whether it's by nurture (family, friends, and school) or nature. 

YOU ARE MAGIC could be referred to as a prepubescent "coming of age" concept album. "Everything's alive under the canopy," Levy declares on "Canopy," using the metaphor of a physical covering than encompasses people, animals, and our surroundings. With songs like "Now Is the Moment" and "Turn Around," Levy builds confidence and anticipation for children whose talents have yet to reveal themselves. Similarly, "The Gift" addresses how originality comes to all of us, and not always when we expect it:

You can wait all your life for the gift to appear

But it doesn't work quite that way

You can look everywhere for the gift there and here

But the gift is well hidden away

Levy first gained notice in the children's music field as part of the late, lamented Sippy Cups, a troupe that presented multimedia experiences including acrobats, jugglers, and audience participation. She then recorded two original CDs before taking an extended (six-year) hiatus to teach music in Jewish settings for several years and pursue her Master's in Jewish Education at Hebrew College in Boston.

If you've ever wondered where kids get their ideas (such as ones submitted to the Story Pirates), you're on the same page as Levy. YOU ARE MAGIC assures children that everyone has their own talents. She deftly sings how, in time, those talents will become evident. That's the magic within us.

YOU ARE MAGIC is available from Alison Faith Levy's website, Bandcamp, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Here is the video for the song, "You Are Magic":