There's a Chance Babypants Will Make You Dance

Children's music is not a competition! Some artists craft and hone and spend years between releases. Others make it look effortless, stringing together a collection every year. In the latter category falls the eponymous Caspar Babypants (aka Chris Ballew, known also for The Presidents of the United States of America). Chris has summoned forth his 15th CD of highly original children's tunes, KEEP IT REAL!

One of the perennial questions when I review music is "What were they thinking?" CB allows us behind the Wizard's curtain, in a section of his website called "Song Stories," giving all the insights about tunes like "You Are the Baby." Basically, Chris laid out his infant children on a blanket. "I sat there with a guitar and played improvisations about how much I love them and how cute they were," he writes. Asked and answered!

Under "fun facts about Chris," his Wikipedia page indicates that he shared an apartment with Beck and toured in his band. That would certainly explain some of the amusing quirkiness of Caspar Babypants. There must be something in the water on the West Coast, as Chris seems to be in casual competition with Recess Monkey (14 CDs). Although the Monkeynauts gave him a mulligan by taking 2017 off from recording as a group. Both groups seem to have their thumbs right on the pulse of their audiences, devising characters and situations unlike many other established recording artists. Chris crafts "Disco Hippo" and "Watch Petunia Dance" and answers the somber question, "When a Penguin Moves to California."

Chris is the master of taking traditional tunes and concocting new verses. This talent makes live performances interesting, as children think they know where a song is going – only to have Chris subvert their expectations and go in different directions. He doesn't go way, way out on "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes," but does take liberties with "On Top of a Mountain" (think "On Top of Spaghetti").

Caspar Babypants remains a "family business," as Chris credits his kids for inspiration and artist wife Kate Endle for design (and children's books based on his songs). But really it's the constant creativity that keeps CB in the game. Who else would come up with "Emotional Robot" and "Always Keep A Ukulele In Your Trunk"? And if one song doesn't quite do it for you, there's another 19 right behind it. Caspar Babypants may be a figment of our collective imaginations, but he seems determined to KEEP IT REAL!

KEEP IT REAL! is available on August 17 from Caspar Babypants' website, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Here is the video for the song, "Free Couch":

Finding Caspar Babypants (It's Not Hard)

Caspar Babypants is the Mormon of children's music (in a good way). If it's been nine months, there's another Babypants CD in the mail pile! His sixth CD, I FOUND YOU! just made its way to our iPods this past week.

Chris Ballew, frontman for The Presidents of the United States, is the rare musician who has turned his sideline project (kids recording artist) into almost as big a deal as his "day job." Of course, these days that means expanding his cachet with books as well (artwork by his talented wife, Kate Endle). Guest artists on I FOUND YOU! include Mudhoney guitarist Steve Turner and singer Rachel Flotard, formerly of Visqueen.

Unlike Kepi Ghoulie, who references his punk past in some of his songs, you find none of that malarkey with Caspar Babypants. These are straight ahead, tongue-in-cheek quirky tunes for tots. Ballew's specialty seems to be taking traditional songs and redressing them. On I FOUND YOU!, listeners get new verses for "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Row Row Row Your Boat." Bet you didn't even know those songs needed extra verses. Well, two-year-old Matt did, and promptly requested a replay of "Twinkle Twinkle" so he could attempt to memorize them.

When the blazing sun is gone and the moon is up and on,
Then you shine your little light what a small and happy sight,
Twinkle twinkle little star how I wonder what you are.

"Yes and No" provides explanations to some daily quandaries that might baffle kids. For an 11-year-old reading for a science test on liquids, solids, and gases, this song acted as a rest break AND a study aid.

Water is so liquidy it flows around my shoe
But in the winter time that water can be solid too
Yes it can no it can't yes it can no it can't it is both yes and no.

We've seen Ballew in concert and he's a genial guy who invites sing-alongs. I FOUND YOU! provides ample opportunities for you and the fam to join in on choruses and share the silliness of "Too Dirty To Love" and "Say Farewell (to the baby worm)."

There's one guitar solo (from Turner) and fewer double entendres within the 19 songs on this new collection. And we can expect another Babypants to come tumbling down the babypath some time next fall. We'll look forward to it, as always.

Here is the video from an older Caspar Babypants tune, "More Moles," a favorite on SiriusXM Kids Place.



I FOUND YOU! is available from CDBABY, Amazon, and iTunes. Find lyrics and video links on his website.

Put on Your Brand New Babypants!

Caspar's Back in Town!

If it's been nine months, then it's time for another CD from the prolific Caspar Babypants (i.e., Chris Ballew, former guitarist/singer for The Presidents of the United States. This year's release is entitled HOT DOG!



Animals of all kinds seem to be on Chris' mind this time around. Looking at the titles alone reveals the thought process: Sugar Ant, Crazy Blue Beetle, This Old Whale, Eleanor The Elegant Elephant, Bunny Brown, The Animal Lunch, Scared Scare Crow, Stompy the Bear, More Moles, and Even Bugs Are Sleeping. That's a pretty impressive non-human selection.

The former grunge rocker continues to refine his sound. A boy goes to sleep hungry and dreams of "A Thousand Tiny Doughnuts," complete with surf guitar (courtesy of Mark Klebeck of Top Pot Doughnuts). After spilling lemonade, Caspar launches into an ode about a "Sugar Ant" crawling all over the world.

Chris takes the regular activities of the younger set (going to the park, playground, pool) and turns it into the lively anthem, "Summer Baby (Let It Ride)":

When the sun is hot and the bees are in the air

Me and summer baby let it ride

Let it ride

An interesting collaboration would be Chris and Jeff Tweedy, who has demonstrated a sense of humor (look for his performance of the Black Eyed Peas "I've Gotta Feeling" on Youtube). I listen to a Caspar Babypants track like "Boot Got Grounded" and think about Wilco. Of course, that might just be me.

The best childrens music is made by people who still hold close what they love about childhood. Caspar Babypants knows that kids like animals, comfort food, playing, and being silly. They don't want lectures about the Earth and everybody getting along. Yes, you can slip one of those themes past them once in a while. But leave the sledgehammer at home. In a Caspar Babypants world, the toughest message would be summed up by the title of the song, "I Don't Mind."

Artwork for all the CDs is by Kate Endle, local artist (and Mrs. Ballew) who also did the artwork for two book/song combos with her husband. HOT DOG is available April 14 on iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon, and where all fine childrens music is sold.