Without Sight With a Voice; Rowe's Power Pop Podcast

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.

LIFE BEYOND SIGHT is available from Val Smalkin's website, Amazon, and Apple Music.

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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.

Wishful Thinking from Uncle Dox, Gigi Rowe

Don't you find yourself wishing the pandemic was over? Two children's music performers share the same thought. Kids fave Uncle Dox is back on the scene with his new CD, banana². A few years back, Mista Cookie Jar released one song every month (just about) and then compiled everything onto a CD. Dox is making banana² available in one dinner-sized package of 10 brand spanking new fun songs. But if you fancy having them doled out like medicine, you can hear them all on YouTube, one video dropping every week this spring. 

Dox isn't afraid to use his tech skills to recreate the soft 70s dance rock sound on "Last Thing I Do," or use steel drums on "Clouds," one of the tracks featuring female vocalist Fancy Pants. If you've ever thought about building a cardboard boxcar, "racecar" describes zooming around the house while your mind is somewhere on the Nascar circuit. Spin Doctors' Mark White coproduced and played guitar on the track. Vivi Melody guests on the 60s girl group-esque "Shopping." Harps and flutes abound on the "conquer your fears" song, "Brave," which declares:

You gotta face your fears in all you do
And that will make a stronger you

Dox isn't easily pigeonholed, as he crosses genres with satire (previous family favorite Beastie Boys homage "Squirrels") and dance ("Danger Zone"). With banana², he's pushing kids into a post-pandemic life of normal activities, friends, and fun. It's music to knock your Dox off.

banana² is available from Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Here is the video for "Racecar":

Speaking of wishing, recording artist Gigi Rowe is multi-tasking her brand of high gloss power pop for kids. Her new song, “Wishes” is also the title her upcoming children’s book. Gigi's likeness was immortalized in the 2017, 2018, and 2019 editions of Just Dance, the best-selling dance video game franchise of all time. Her featured tracks ("New Reality," "Run The Night," and "Got That") are all available on YouTube.

Now Gigi is expanding the "Gigi-verse" using her music to propel dance aficionados into a fantastical adventure to explore her world, enabling kids live their dreams. Gigi's musical (and aesthetic) inspirations include 1980s icons Madonna and Cyndi Lauper, as well as Annie Lennox. Gigi's tunes (and book) are filled with dayglo colors so close to cotton candy that your dentist might object. But you can judge that for yourself, watching the brand new video for "Wishes":