Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Reality In Motion – Tame Impala
The Kiss Of Venus – Paul McCartney
Sing Your Song – The Harmonica Pocket
Fanga Alafia – Aaron Nigel Smith
sunny summer sun – Caspar Babypants
The Breakfast Song (Start It Right) – Ben Tatar and the Tatar Tots

Ben Tatar Believes You Are What You Eat

If you are what you eat, then Bet Tatar is a plate of delicious, silly treats. His band, Ben Tatar & the Tatar Tots, are addicted to food even worse than Weird Al Yankovic, with songs that celebrate and romanticize the allure of a diverse banquet plate stocked with jambalaya, peanut butter, cake, pizza, and broccoli. Like the movie "Fight Club," the Tatar Tots have one rule – only songs about food. That rule is fully followed on their second collection, SECONDS.

Tatar serves up his collection of confections with a surfeit of musical styles, from Tony Bennett/big band numbers "Peanut Butter" and "Bake Me a Cake" to rhumba on "Back To the Buffet," which gives him the opportunity to run through a whole roomful of breakfast selections. Parents will appreciate the skill with which Tatar weaves his menu, giving kids a subliminal musical education as they snicker to the deep thoughts of "Can You Write a Song About Broccoli."

Tatar first deep-fried his Tatar Tots in 2014 with an album entitled FOOD! As opposed to a standard ensemble of 3-4 band members, the Tatar Tots cast a wide net that encompasses more than 30 different musicians, including Chicago's renowned LowDown Brass Band and the funk trio, Spare Parts. The freewheeling nature of the performers adds to the infectious feel of the material, as on the album opener "Jambalaya":

One fork, one spoon, one bowl

This flavor sends a melody through my soul

I got music to play all night

And a mighty big appetite

Grab a napkin, grab a plate, let's go

Tatar presented weekly Facebook Live musical variety shows during the pandemic, highlighting his collection of unusual instruments. His shows were featured in an NPR list of recommended virtual programming for quarantined kids and families. With SECONDS, Tatar is bursting (not just his waistline) to show off his 2021 appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Your kids will come back for more.

SECONDS is available from Ben Tatar's website, Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Here is the video of the audio for the band's song, "Lemonade":

Twinkle Time Keeps It Moving (Video Premiere); Magic from Triple Rainbow

When Twinkle Time (Alitzah Weiner Dallas) wants kids to dance, it's hard for them to say no. And if they're saying no, you probably won't hear them because they're already dancing and don't even realize it. She has released a new video to "Let's Keep It Movin' / El Bailongo," the fifth single from her 2021 family album, "A MI ME GUSTA SER YO / IT'S OK TO BE ME." The video moves fast (literally, as it's 2:02 total time) with Twinkle gyrating with her backup crew and a support band that looks almost way too happy to be there. Your kids will defy all expectations if they don't dance or sing along.

Twinkle hosts a two-hour biweekly children's music Top 20 Countdown. Artists on her shows have included Divinity Roxx, Backstreet Boys, Nathalia, Erin Lee and the Up Past Bedtime Band, and way too many to list. The shows can be downloaded as a podcast from Apple, Audible, Podbean, and iHeart.

Here is the world premiere of "Let's Keep It Movin'." You can also find the Spanish version on Twinkle's YouTube channel.

  A near-perfect encapsulation of children using their imagination during the pandemic is "You Are Magic," the new song from Triple Rainbow, the family music project that's the brainchild of Jared Mees, the co-founder of the independent record label Tender Loving Empire. 

Do you want to be an astronaut? A race car driver? A dinosaur? Mees and his kids, July (9) and Piper (4), have created 15 songs for YOU ARE MAGIC, their upcoming debut CD. The title track depicts all of the above (and more) right in the family's backyard, reminding kids that "your brain is better than an iPad or a TV." You can find the song on  on Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify, and www.tenderlovingempire.com.

Here is the video for "You Are Magic":

Easy Breezy Farewell to Caspar Babypants

It's difficult to say goodbye, which is why it was tough to write a final piece about Caspar Babypants (Chris Ballew) on the release of his decisive CD, EASY BREEZY! It's the 19th (!) and last collection from the former frontman of Seattle's The Presidents of the United States, who turned to children's music 12 years ago and cultivated more than 360 silly, sneaky earworms over the course of his recordings (nearly one per day for a calendar year).

Ballew decided to postpone the inevitable and pushed EASY BREEZY! into 2021 (from a planned fall 2020 release). It wasn't that he just couldn't say goodbye as much as he wanted to perform some final kids' concerts and let his young listeners down in an easy breezy manner. You're not going to find tremendous social messaging on a Caspar Babypants CD. Instead, it's all about clever wordplay ("Awesome Blossom"), twanging guitars ("Spooky Baby"), genre-bending ("Caterpillar Jazz"), and kid-tastic concepts ("Put This Monkey to Bed"). Ballew even delves into his own childhood on "When I Was Little."

EASY BREEZY! offers an appropriate coda to the impressive recording history of Caspar Babypants, which curious inquires like "What If?" addressing children's questioning everything around them, "Weird Weird Dream" sharing the powers of our subconscious, and "The Ballad of the Babypants" explaining the magic powers behind a special piece of clothing. 

I have to mention the five Caspar Babypants books written by Ballew and illustrated by his wife, Kate Endle. Each features a CP song that goes with the book, such as "Penguin on A Scooter." Click here for more information on the books. Ballew is shifting his musical focus to more ambient sound. His new website has a full playlist of songs.

Ballew turned to kids' music in 2008, right around the time I jumped into the fray with regular coverage of the industry. If there's ever a Hall of Fame for kid's music, I want to throw my hat into the ring to induct Caspar Babypants as a first-ballot inductee. His songs fill a sweet spot between frivolous and poignant, with a timelessness and specificity that makes him easy to identify yet hard to quantify. My younger son's class performed a dance to POTUS's "Volcano" a few years ago and it was just perfect – whatever double entendré might have been implied was consumed by the sheer fun of the selection. It's hard to say goodbye to an old friend. But with nearly 200 recorded tunes, Caspar Babypants has generated plenty of easy, breezy content that kids will enjoy for years to come. 

EASY BREEZY is available from Caspar Babypants' website, Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Here is the video for the song, "Wild Wide Time":

Ben's Playlist - Monday, November 22, 2021

The Moment – Tame Impala
Village d'Ãtoile – Dog On Fleas
It's A Wonderful Life – Kepi Ghoulie
I Got the Greens – Ben Tatar and the Tatar Tots
02 i am a loose balloon – Caspar Babypants
Go – The Black Keys

Holiday Quick Hits: Jazzy Ash, Itty Bitty Beats, Genevieve Goings

It's November and that means it's time for the annual cavalcade of holiday songs. First up this season is Jazzy Ash (Ashli St. Armant) with two tracks. Ashli's favorite Kringling jingle is "Zat You, Santa Claus," known for many versions including the incomparable Louis Armstrong. 

Raised in New Orleans where she absorbed the musical milieu of the bayou, the Los Angeles queer mom of two has also released a new track, "Fly Through the Sky." Inspired by Ella Fitzgerald and the classic instrumental music of Disney musical movies, it's a big band flashback to another time. 

Find both songs on Jazzy Ash's website, Apple Music, and Spotify.

Lucy Hiku and Jenny Payne, otherwise known as New Zealand's Itty Bitty Beats, have also dropped three disparate Christmas tunes. We're more than 60 years from the heyday of the Andrews Sisters, but the Beats pursue boogie woogie harmonies on "Rockin’ Rollin’ Reindeer." 'Their "Ring the Bells" could have been an outtake from a Rankin-Bass holiday special, celebrating that 'tis much bell-ringing, such as church bells and sleigh bells, at this time of year. Their winter lullaby "Little Snowflake" can be sung to to the tune of "Frère Jacques" and features vocals from Jenny’s son, Lachie.

All three songs will be available on the Itty Bitty Beats' website, Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Pretty soon it's going to be time to stop referring to Genevieve Goings as "formerly from Disney's Choo Choo Soul." She adds to his resumé of solo music with her new holiday-themed EP, VERY MERRY, from 8 Lb Gorilla Records. Perfect for decorating the tree, making cookies, or burning off that frenetic energy on Christmas Eve, the five songs give an overview of family and fun during the winter season. Standouts include "Crazy for Christmas Lady" and "Sweeter Than a Candy Cane" (which refers to "your love is...").

Find VERY MERRY on Genevieve Goings' website, Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Ben's Playlist - Monday, November 15, 2021

The Less I Know The Better – Tame Impala
Finally – Franz Ferdinand
White Whale – Kepi Ghoulie
Lo/Hi – The Black Keys
It's a Miracle – Dog On Fleas
01 babies all over the world – Caspar Babypants
Peanut Butter – Ben Tatar and the Tatar Tots

Holiday Tunes from Raffi & Lindsay Munroe and Laurie Berkner Band

The holidays are upon us and so it the annual onslaught of performers eager to generate "timeless, perennial content" for generations of listeners. Children's music icon Raffi has teamed with protogé Lindsay Munroe on a duet of the classic tune, “Silver Bells.” Originally performed solo on Raffi's Christmas album, Munroe was eager to add her vocals on a new recording with her mentor.

The due met backstage at a Raffi concert in Boston, where Munroe explained how – as a mother to three children with autism– she used music as a tool to teach and connect with her kids. Munroe also performs at libraries and pre-schools and runs "Sing-Along with Lindsay" on YouTube. That conversation led to Raffi producing her first CD as well as a followup earlier this year.

Find the song on Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon. You can hear "Silver Bells" on this video below.

Speaking of iconic children's music performers, Laurie Berkner segued from Halloween directly into Hanukkah season. There's a bit of "hurry-up" this year, as the Jewish holiday starts on the Sunday night of Thanksgiving weekend (fun for my younger son, whose birthday falls on November 24).

The Laurie Berkner Band (Susie Lampert, Brady Rymer, and Bobby Golden) have recorded a new, high energy version of the chestnut "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel." For many of us, this would fall under the "equal time" doctrine, as Berkner recorded a whole Christmas holiday album a few years ago.

Let's not cast aspiration at this festive holiday of lights and celebrate a fast-moving rendition of the popular kids' favorite. Honestly, there are fewer well-known Hanukkah tunes and anytime a popular performer steps into the studio, it's a welcome addition to any playlist. Your kids can also look forward to another set of Laurie Berkner livestreamed holiday concerts on Saturday, December 18 at noon and 5 PM ET. Click here for concert info.

You can grab "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel" from Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Vivian Fang Liu Belongs With the Kids

Classical trained pianist Vivian Fang Lui emigrated to New York at age 15. After graduating from NYU, she continued her studies but also began performing and teaching. Vivian spent her pandemic year giving Zoom lessons and livestreaming musical experiences with her students but became concerned at the escalating number of anti-Asian hate crimes.

Vivian turned her attention to producing SHAPE OF CROWNS, her first children’s album, focusing on breaking Asian American stereotypes and promoting Asian contributions to science, technology, and the arts. Similar to how kid-hop artists such as SaulPaul and Pierce Freelon espouse that kids should be proud of their Black upbringing, Vivian delivers that message to Asian American children with songs such as "Bruce Lee Doesn't Like Math" and "Belong." 

On "Silence," co-written with Grammy winner Jon Samson, Vivian uses the dichotomy of sheet music, which has its silences, against the tranquility that kids sometimes need to center themselves during tough times. "Belong" features the voices of some of Vivian's students and practically demands that every Asian child stand up and be proud of themselves, pointing out the accomplishments of Asians (a concept akin to Freelon's "Black Women in History"):

Plus, science - some of our inventions are the finest
Eric Yuan created Zoom, kept us connected through the Virus
Patrick Soon Shiung is a transplant surgeon
Who made a drug to help cancer patients through their hurtin'
So every Asian kid just stand up now
Don’t hide who you are, be yourself and be proud

Vivian deftly celebrates her Chinese upbringing on songs like "Happy Birthday Mama," explaining that open expressions of affection are not as commonplace in Asian culture. "Eight Immortals Soaring Over the Sea" is filled with imagery evocative of the anime of such filmmakers as Hayao Miyazaki. Throughout the eight tracks, Vivian delivers euphoric classical piano tracks that give SHAPE OF CROWNS a distinctive feel. Much like Elena Moon Park, Vivian demonstrates that Asian voices are an important portion of the children's music scene. 

You can hear SHAPE OF CROWNS on Soundcloud, Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Here is the video for Vivian's song, "Belong":

 

Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, November 9, 2021

Summer's Here – The Bazillions
Lazy Boy – Franz Ferdinand
One – Aaron Nigel Smith
I'm an Optimist – Dog On Fleas
Clown Shoes – Ratboy Jr.
White Whale – Kepi Ghoulie

Ben's Playlist - Monday, November 8, 2021

Winter Bird / When Winter Comes – Paul McCartney
One Of The Boys – Huey Lewis & The News
New Pair Of Shoes – The Bazillions
Buenos Dias – The Lucky Band
Anything Can Be A Hat – Ratboy Jr.
Lost And Loving It – Kepi Ghoulie
Doppelganger – Dog On Fleas

New Danny Weinkauf Video; Best of Sharon, Lois & Bram

Danny Weinkauf and the Red Pants Band have a new video for "Nouns," a song from their most recent collection, WORDS. Proper language and word usage is the theme of the CD, giving it cachet into the education system (which Danny first accomplished as the bassist for They Might Be Giants on their kid-friendly "Here Come..." series of releases). On "Nouns," Danny shares vocals with bandmate Tina Kenny Jones, his wife Michelle and son Kai. And yes, their names are all proper nouns, as explained in the tune. The video was directed and animated by David Cowles, who also designed the video with Richard Nickel (assisted by Jeremy Galante).

WORDS is available from Danny Weinkauf's website, Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music. 

Here is the video for "Nouns":

Americans had Mr. Rogers. Canadians had Sharon, Lois and Bram. Contemporary musician Josh Lovelace has cited their works as influential on his family recordings, as their first CBC kids' program "The Elephant Show" was carried on American television on Nickelodeon through 1996. A followup show, "Skinnamarink TV," also reached American shores on the Learning Channel until 1999.

The popular children's musical trio unfortunately became a duo in 2000 when Lois Lilenstein retired from full-time performing after the death of her husband. Sharon and Bram soldiered on, with Lois appearing occasionally. They are still active, even after Lois passed in 2015. Now the full trio is being revisited with a greatest hits collection called BEST OF THE BEST LIVE.

The CD is filled with chestnuts such as "Old King Cole," "The Hucklebuck" (familiar to most fans of the Honeymooners), and "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?" You also get a taste of some songs with what would be considered risque titles nowadays, for example "Dirty Old Bill," "I Am Slowly Going Crazy," and "Jack Was Every Inch a Sailor."

BEST OF THE BEST LIVE is a mellow beginner's introduction to Sharon, Lois, and Bram and a certain treat for nostalgia fans. Sharon now tours with her daughter, Randi Hampson (joined occasionally by Bram) and look forward to getting back on the road to entertain Canadian audiences.

BEST OF THE BEST LIVE is available through Sharon, Lois, and Bram's website, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Here is a video of the trio performing, "Skinnamarink":