New Kid Vids from Eric Herman, Hollow Trees & Recess Monkey

Wanted to share links to a couple of fun new kids vids:

Eric Herman and the Thunder Puppies have released "Take a Bath," an animated short featyring contributions by special guests Keith & Ezra from Trout Fishing in America, Kenn Nesbitt, Mister G, Roger Day, and more. Hate to bath? Have a kid who hates to bathe? You get the picture. The track is from the band's new album, BUBBLE WRAP.


The Hollow Trees have released a throwback/novelty track, "My Dog Has Fleas." The track was written by noted Los Angeles musician/voiceover actor Will Ryan, known for The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin, among other things.

Traci from the Trees sings and performs in the video with a cooperative pooch. Although I doubt he would seek legal remedy for being branded as "flea-ridden." But then again, it's a light little tune. You have two minutes? Here it is:


Recess Monkey is back! And that means new videos! Here is the first video from the new CD, NOVELTIES. We've been singing "Time to Make the Donuts" for the past two weeks, and I don't see that abating now that it's accompanied by moving pictures.

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, June 8, 2016

All the Pretty Horses – Cat Doorman
Animal Kingdom – Key Wilde And Mr. Clarke
Thank You for the Box – Andrew & Polly
Sons and Daughters  – The Bazillions
California Condor – The Whizpops!
The Harmony Hills – Hollow Trees

Bens Playlist - Tuesday, June 7, 2016

The Bright Side Of Me – Alastair Moock & Friends
Calling All the Kids to the Yard – Cat Doorman
Gettin' My Ya Ya's Out – Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could
The Tale Of The Sun And The Moon – Eric Herman And The Invisible Band
My Favorite Sneakers – In The Nick Of Time
Poor Papa – Hollow Trees
Hey Everybody! – 5 Seconds Of Summer

Ben's Playlist - Monday, June 6, 2016

Other Days – Andrew & Polly
Permanent Vacation – 5 Seconds Of Summer
Rainbow Tunnel – Alison Faith Levy
20 More Dollars – Chibi Kodama
Hello Friend – Hollow Trees
Danceology – The Dirty Sock Funtime Band

Ben's Playlist - Friday, June 3, 2016

Ghostbusters – Andrew & Polly
All In A Day – Alastair Moock & Friends
Unwind – Secret Agent 23 Skidoo
Airplanes – 5 Seconds Of Summer
T.L.C. – Alison Faith Levy
Super Hero Rock Band – The Bazillions
What Do You Want On Your Taco – Hollow Trees
Mystery – Dean Jones

Inside the Full Forest Sound of the Hollow Trees

The Lawrence Welk Singers never called themselves "Welk." Buddy Rich never branded his bandmates as "The Rich Family." Music took a turn after the Ramones, even though kids' performers have assumed alternate identities for decades (Paging Captain Kangaroo). Bears & Lions may take it to an extreme (I defy you to find their names through a web search). At least the Hollow Trees freely fess up that it's all an act – singer and band leader Gregory Hollow Tree is, in fact, Gregory Mcilvaine.

After a respite, the Hollow Trees are back with their fourth CD, HELLO FRIEND. Continuing the folksinging stylings he learned from Burl Ives in his youth, Gregory realized he could use his powers for good after stumbling across Dan Zanes and Friends' kindie offerings. With a healthy dose of female lead vocals from Traci Hollow Tree (Traci Green), the Hollow Trees remind me quite a bit of the late (if not lamented) Wee Hairy Beasties, another amalgam of musicians who came together to deliver collections of similarly clever, quirky kids tunes. The Beasties also used pseudonyms
as John Langford was billed as "Cyril the Karaoke Squirrel," Sally Timms was "Monkey Double Dippey," and singer/songwriter Kelly Hogan was "Marjorie the Singing Bee."

One of the best things about kindie music is that nobody ever has to ask "Who's going to listen to a jug band bluegrass album" or "Where's the market for alphabet-themed reggae?" Kindie, by its largest definition, envelopes genres and processes them into a child-friendly format. The Hollow Trees have spent five-plus-years culling old-timey favorites like "Poor Papa" with endearing originals such as "Guitar You Gonna Sing Along" and "The Harmony Hills," which would not be out of place on a Red Yarn or Okee Okee Brothers CD.

Like Red Yarn, the Hollow Trees have cultivated a fictional landscape (the tertiary Hollow Tree and its chief resident, Nelson the animal of indeterminate origin). Natch, there's a puppet by that name who appears at the band's live shows. It's part of the Hollow Trees' multimedia appeal, if you get the opportunity to see them in concert.

The music of the Hollow Trees was borne from the heartland and harkens back through the generations. Yet they bring forth a SoCal spin with "What Do You Want On Your Taco" and the theme park anthem "Merry Go Round," complete with calliope breaks. Title track "Hello Friend" could be a Grand Ole Opry opening number. The Hollow Trees seek to be your child's newest and oldest friend at the same time. It's a quirky conundrum but they pull it off. I can't say that Gregory has out-Zaned Dan Zanes, but while Zanes stays mainly in the plains, the Hollow Trees have gone 'round the mountain to craft their own identity as West Coast mainstays. HELLO FRIEND expands the 2016 kindie quest into the underbelly of Americana. Perhaps it's the election year, perhaps it's just a longing for more traditional values. Your kids won't mind – they just want to know what the heck is Nelson?

HELLO FRIEND is available July 1 from the Hollow Trees' website, Amazon, CDBABY, and iTunes.

Here is their new video for the song, ""I Can't Dance (I've Got Ants in My Pants)":