New Zealand-based kids' musicians the Itty Bitty Beats (Lucy Hiku and Jenny Payne) have a new CD, IMAGINARIUM. The acoustic duo produce songs about dragon tea parties, mermaids, unicorns, hippos, and even the legendary Sock Mess Monster (must be a Kiwi thing).
The Beats spend most of their time making merriment for the very youngest among us (best for the under-fives), who can best appreciate a party on the moon or riding on a cloud. Those are concepts that translate around the world, to audiences of any nationality. Best of all, you can use Google Maps to show your kids that no matter how far away New Zealand is, children are still children with the same daydreams wherever they live.
Here is the lyric video for their song, "The Sock Mess Monster":
Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could are known for (among other things) the positivity in their songs. Their new CD is coming in June from 8 Lb Gorila Records. But in the meantime, we've got the title track and its accompanying video, "Friday Feeling," featuring London-based Emmeline scootering around her neighborhood. Inspired by her mother's video on Instagram, Brady composed the song to celebrate spring (and more subtly the emergence of people from two years of pandemic self-quarantine):
That Friday feeling is turning heads all over town
Shining out like a rainbow breaking through the clouds
She's got my heart reeling
My head's on the ceiling
She's got that Friday feeling
While "Friday Feeling" doesn't break new ground, it's a neat addition to the Rymer catalog, with the whole band contributing harmonies and gentle 1970s style pop rock (think Fleetwood Mac). If "Friday Feeling" is indicative of the rest of the album, it's going to be a pretty upbeat summer.
A trained music therapist based in Philadelphia, Gina Ferragame has released WONDERING, her third collection of songs that allow kids to express themselves through freedom of movement. There's a synergy between her tunes and "Music With Gina" classes for area toddlers. Gina also works with special needs, in hospice care, and in-patient hospital care such as emotionally disturbed adolescents and adults.
As you might expect for a performer whose clientele falls under the age of 4, the songs on WONDERING are pretty and simple, dealing with easy-to-digest topics as "Halloween Parade," "Two Unicorns," and "Bunny Rabbit." Gina delves a little deeper on "Covered in Gold," which was inspired by her work with children on the autism spectrum:
He feels what he feels
He sees what he sees
He cannot be what you expected
He thinks in pictures
Breathes life into stories
He embodies the moment
Making music for the very young inspires them to expand their boundaries. After producing three albums, it has also helped her develop her musical chops as well. In case you were wondering.
The award-winning podcast "Noodle Loaf" celebrates the release of ECHO SONGS VOLUME 2, featuring songs from the series, which is the creation of musician/educator Dan Saks. The tunes derive from his interactions with kids. His daughters Joni and Shiloh participate on many tracks, such as "I Like Fun" and the auto-tuned "I Got a Bicycle." Conversations about neuro-diversity led to the thoughtful "Different Brains." If you're a newcomer to the Noodle Loaf mindset, it's never too late to dip your toe, no matter how long you're been noodling.
Some things are so ridiculous that they can't be taken seriously. Fortunately, that's the whole point of the music produced by Go Banana Go!, the children's music combo featuring two dads – an Emmy winning songwriter (Jim Roach) and a retired theoretical physicist (BrianWecht). For DARK SIDE OF THE BANANA, their second collection, they took their kids ideas and turned them into songs, sketches, and more. There's even a phony movie trailer with an actual, authentic, recognizeable voiceover artist (Ike Amadi).
I count myself as a Go Banana Go! aficionado, especially since we seem to share the same sensibilities. They have a song called "Opera Chicken," whereas my former writing partner Jon Aubrey and I once recorded Devo's "Uncontrollable Urge" as performed by pigs. Speaking of Devo, J&B use that band's techno-funk sound for "Parts of a Worm." Go Banana Go! seems to be preparing for an old school, East Coast vs West Coast comedy throwdown with SiriusXM Kids Place Live favorite Parry Gripp, with tracks like "Never Take A Monkey to the Movies," "Petting Zoo," and the silly-but-authoritative parent anthem, "Weird Dad":
When I was a kid I was into weird things Like collecting rocks and The Lord of the Rings I grew up and got married but I didn't change I may be a father but I'm still very strange
You would think that J&B quietly scratched memos and slunk off to concoct the songs for DARK SIDE OF THE BANANA. Far, far from it! In fact, their kids often realized the "brilliance" of their notions and declared "this should be a song," leaving the adults to fill in the blanks. "Chocolate On My Pants" came from such an edict, as did "Veggie Disco." Their pandemic-adopted pet inspired "Doggo McFumbles," a pooch who can sing and dance but won't sit. Album-closer "Leave That Poor Dog Alone" could be "The Safety Dance," but it's more a plea to stop messing with the pets, for the sake of a parents' sanity.
Dealing with children whose desires change like weathervanes delivers one of the collection's standout tracks. Randy Kaplan devised a smart take on the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want." Uncle Dox transformed the Beastie Boys' "Girls" into a preschool-appropriate "Squirrels." Now Go Banana Go! took a child's refusal to eat a previously-requested fruit into "Banana," a parody of Toto's "Rosanna" in the spirit of Weird Al Yankovic. It's not legendary (yet), but wait until other seven-year-olds get ahold of the tune. They may go, literally, bananas. Plan accordingly.
Throughout the pandemic, and despite a shutdown of live performances, The Story Pirates have kept in contact with an enthralled audience through their award-winning podcast, which has been downloaded more than 50 million times since its debut in 2019. The performance troupe recently announced both its return to in-person appearances and the launch of season five (streaming on major platforms beginning Thursday, May 26).
In the first episode of the new season, Story Pirates co-founder Lee Overtree is joined by other TSP regulars on a journey to the center of the Earth, featuring a mysterious voice (special guest Michael Urie, most commonly known for appearing on Ugly Betty). Continuing in the show's tradition, both of the episode's two new stories were inspired by kids' ideas. Nine-year-old NYC resident Maya contributed “Driving Bumblebees,” a song about the buzziest Manhattan traffic jam ever. Twelve-year-old Virginia denizen Breckin authored “The Bad Dog Who Was Smart,” the story of a sharp canine with a taste for misbehavior.
The non-profit arm of TSP, known as the the Story Pirates Changemakers program, promotes literacy and creativity. Segments of SPTV air on public television in Los Angeles and throughout Michigan and were broadcast nationally this summer on PBS as part of its Camp TV programming. Changemakers seeks to bring literacy tools to lower income and under-resourced families and communities. Contributors also provide free membership to TSP's Creators Club, where TSP performers guide kids through the process of developing their own material from ideas into full-fledged stories. Donate to Changemakers by clicking here.
Live showcases in the upcoming "Cats Sit on You" tour include a benefit for Story Pirates Changemakers on Sunday, May 15 at the Manhattan Center in NYC, The Great Big Family Play Day in Los Angeles (Sunday, May 22), and Wilco's Solid Sound Festival (Friday, May 27). You can find tickets for all upcoming dates here.
Growing up, I had a friend who was described as "fussy" by other parents. He just couldn't seem to concentrate or sit still. Reflecting back, it's highly likely he had undiagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The condition is now more understood and children (and adults) are afforded proper medical care and treatment, which has removed much of the stigma from ADHD.
Musician Jazzy Ash (Ashli St. Armant) confronted her ADHD diagnosis head-on with compassion and honestly. For Mental Health Awareness Month (and also for her birthday this week), she has delivered "The Shimmies," a brand new song that shines a spotlight on ADHD. Creativity and music are a potent combination and Ashli strives to let children know that it's okay to get up and move around when your brain get fired up from an intoxicating blend of sound and lyrics.
I loved Looney Tunes when I was a kid. Who didn't love Bug Bunny and Daffy Duck feuding, especially when Elmer Fudd was added to the mix. In fact, one of the funniest arguments they ever had revolved around Daffy constantly telling Elmer to "Shoot me now!" in the classic, "Rabbit Seasoning." At one point, Daffy slows things down and says "Pronoun trouble," leading of course to another slapstick blast of buckshot in the face (I wonder if the cartoon is even online with all the violence. Here is a clip). Again Again addresses the subject of modern self-identification with their new song, "Pronoun Party," from their upcoming CD, YOUR VOICE IS MAGIC. "Pronoun Party" addresses gender expansive usage through a woke blast of knowledge directly into your kids' brains.
The collaborative nature of children's music was on full display last month at the Grammy Awards, as a multitude of 26 Black performers gathered in the event their project, ALL ONE TRIBE, was nominated for Best Children's Music Recording. Portland-based co-producer Aaron Nigel Smith had discussed working with fellow area artist Andy Furgeson (Red Yarn) for several years, and rode the momentum from ALL ONE TRIBE to fuse his reggae and funk with Andy's Americana country and folk. The resulting new album, SMITH & YARN, radiates with genuine pleasure and impactful messaging.
SMITH & YARN took a pandemic to become a reality. The two performers had popped up on each other's CDs in the past. While sharing a livestream studio, they began writing songs back in 2020 and invited in virtual neighbors (including Father Goose, SaulPaul, Kelli Welli, and Rissi Palmer). The album starts with the danceable acoustic "Brothers and Sisters":
Could you be my brother
On this journey marching side by side
We could help each other
Shoulder the burden
Making progress with every stride
The kinship and good vibes are undeniable on songs like "Swing Your Partner" and "Mix It Up." Young listeners are coaxed to subtly recognize social issues on "Truth," which addresses intentional disinformation and "Make Some Change," a paean to community activism efforts that sprung up around the world after the murder of George Floyd. "Never Be Alone" discusses how the pandemic (not mentioned directly) made people feel disconnected, reminding youthful listeners that there's a world community for all of us.
SMITH & YARN works as a sprightly one-shot. But the CD could also be the blossoming of a progressive partnership. Smith and Furgeson deliver an inspired mix of cultures and styles for diverse audiences that ordinarily wouldn't find common ground, and shows how we're all better when we look past our differences and meet in the middle.
When I got divorced in 2016, the most traumatic part of the ordeal was knowing my kids would spend half their time away from me. But that was my perspective and I needed to sublimate my emotions and promote the positive attributes of the situation, for my childrens' mental health. Writer Albert Iturregui-Elias penned “Two Homes = One Heart Filled with Love” to express the saga of his five-year-old son Sebastian having to divide his time between two homes, starting in 2004.
Sebastian's mother, singer/songwriter Suzi Shelton, turned the poem into a song a few years later. Now the stepparent of seven-year-old Julia, Shelton has re-recorded "Mama's House, Daddy's House." The revised, poppy version features new vocals featuring Julia and is accompanied by an animated comic book-style video by Sebastian's uncle, Alcides Urrutia of Pirata Y Luna Editorial. As the chorus explains:
Mama’s House (Not always easy)
Daddy’s House (To go back and forth)
One heart (I know they love me)
Filled with love
A lot has happened in the Shelton household since the original recording in 2008. Fifteen years makes quite a difference. "Mama's House, Daddy's House" shows how children don't have to be used as negotiating tools or pawns, and should be kept excluded from the dark side of divorce. While the tune also worked as an unpaid advertisement for Dizzy's Diner in Park Slope, the venue closed in 2020 and reopened last year as Parkview Market.
Kudos to the Shelton brood for making things work. My situation is a work in progress. Shelton is hosting a live release and viewing party on Friday, May 6 at 4 PM ET on her Facebook and YouTube channels. She plans to debut the song and share stories about blended families around the globe. You can download music from Suzi Shelton at her website, Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music.
Here is the video for "Mama's House, Daddy's House":
Time stands still for no child. In 10 years, kids go through sneakers, shirts, schools, and reading levels like nobody's business. For children's music, 10 years is therefore a lifetime. For recent 8 Pound Gorilla Records' signees The Figureheads (Jeremy Bryan, Greg Marshall, and Dave Olsen), it's going to be interesting to see how the Milwaukeee-based hip-hop combo acclimate to a generation of new artists, considering they spent a full decade out of the limelight.
The Figureheads are about having fun with an edge of social consciousness. Of the six songs on their STARS, their new EP, "Make It Better" and "Gotta Believe" stress singing together to improve our lives, with the wind at our backs, while we all have breath in our lungs. But there's also fun and family with "Sticky Song" and "Wave and Stomp."
The Figureheads may be back for awhile or just turtling (sticking their heads out of their shells). For a brief 16 minutes, your kids can hear what they've been up to since approximately 2012.
Speaking of that next generation of children's music performers, they were inspired to fashion songs for kids by artists such as Recess Monkey, Gustafer Yellowgold, and Frances England. Vancouver, Canada's The Zing Zangs (Trevor Walls and Emma Watson) began writing songs together after high school. Ttagged "the second generation of kindie" by Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, the duo has compiled their material into their debut CD, THE GOOD DAY, with the help of über-producer Dean Jones (who even guests on "Chatterbox").
THE GOOD DAY encapsulates the high-spirited experiences of two friends (can we give them a nickname like "Tre-mma"?). Tunes chart morning through nightfall, sharing music ("Let's Start A Band"), games ("Hide and Seek" with Mista Cookie Jar and "Playing in the Park"), and winding down with "Shadows Dance" as the sun begins to set. It's 11 songs in 23 minutes, just the right amount of time for a hyperactive child to percolate and settle into bed. All in all, THE GOOD DAY is a promising start for the Zing Zangs.
I could not have imagined, decades ago, that "Star Wars Day" would be a thing. I was starting my job as movie theater usher. My first day on the job was opening day for "Return of the Jedi" on Wednesday, May 25, 1983. Schools were open but students snuck out to see the first screening at 12:30 PM.
Now, May 4 ("May the Fourth Be With You") is an informal international geek-a-thon of all things Star Wars. To celebrate, Minnesota kids musicians Todd 'n' Tina have released a video of a live performance of their song, "If Darth Vader Had an iPhone." It's a mediation of the various forms of social media, which does not seem to have pervaded the Galactic Republic. Hmm... maybe that's one thing the Empire got right. Oh – and to add to the fun, Todd 'n' Tina have included a new verse...in Wookie and Droid. Talk about being all-inclusive!
While the entire planet underwent the turmoil from a global pandemic, Australian children's artist Benny Time faced a tough diagnosis of the rare auto immune disease Primary Schlerosing Cholangitis (PSC) in 2019 (It prevents the bile ducts from processing waste). Living with a chronic illness and feeling extremely vulnerable motivated Benny to reach out to New Zealand performer Claudia Robin Gunn. Their new song, "Little Grey Cloud," features the gospel harmonies of the East Coast Inspirational Singers (USA).
Everyone sometimes feels like a little grey cloud hangs over their heads. Benny puts words and music to the concept, turning the cloud into a sentient being that creates rain when it's sad. Since, of course, "All clouds must cry sometimes," it must be okay for human beings to do the same. "Little Grey Cloud" is a wistful duet with sweeping harmonies. Come for a listen on a gloomy day or when you need to be uplifted, into the sky.
Handicapped children can sometimes feel invisible. Finding a way to celebrate their challenges can be downright, well, challenging. In 2016, six Baltimore area teens who were born blind took part in a songwriting workshop run by Val Smalkin (Silly Goose & Val) designed to encourage self-advocacy and self-expression to the sighted world. LIFE BEYOND SIGHT, the resulting EP, delivers the fruits of that project – four original songs written by the group, with a mountain of support from artists who donated their musical talents, educators, and recording engineers.
A subsidiary of Theatre Arts Festival for Youth (TAFFYpresents.org), the project evolved over five years until reaching fruition as LIFE BEYOND SIGHT. Children’s musician Dave Kinnoin and songwriting partner Jimmy Hammer wrote the music for the students’ “Dance of Freedom.” Other songs cover feeling disrespected by peers ("Not With My Eyes"), where they sing "I can see your heart, just not with my eyes":
You want to be a hero
Pretend you're my friend
I know you think I'm zero, worth nothing in the end
You'd like to help the blind girl
When everyone can see
But when no one is looking
You don't see me
LIFE BEYOND SIGHT is filled out with two instrumental tracks (a lengthy piano piece based on "Not With My Eyes" and "Bach Invention In C Major"). But the heart of the EP are the tracks by the teens as they sincerely express themselves, making this release a true novelty, in the best sense.
If your kids enjoyed the SING! movies about amateurs breaking out of their shells to perform in front of audiences, they might like Gigi Rowe's new kids' music podcast, "Posy Flynn Sings," available from GoKidGo. Gigi was "traced" for tracks used on the Just Dance! videogame and graduated to recording pop music for teens, tweens, and tykes. Her latest venture drops every Monday, starting April 4, centering on Posy Flynn, who longs to enter the Starlight Starbright Sing-Off. The winner gets to record and tour with pop sensation Gemma Gold. All Posy needs to do is escape terrible Aunt Kitty, with the help of Smoosh, her pet monkey.
Kids audio imaginatours GoKidGo are releasing "Posy Flynn Sings," which features a new tune every week, leading to a CD at the end of the first season. The first song, "Shooting Star," is out now and it's about as uplifting and danceable as you would imagine.
You can hear "Posy Flynn Sings" at GoKidGo, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. For all your power pop cravings, you can find Gigi Rowe at her website.
