Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Stars – Ants Ants Ants
Only One for Me – Danny Weinkauf
Relive This Song Again – Greg Lato
Truth (ft. Kelli Welli, Mo Phillips, Saul Paul) – Aaron Nigel Smith & Red Yarn
Superpowers – Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could
When February Comes – Justin Roberts
I'm an Optimist – Dog On Fleas

Reggae to Roots From Smith & Yarn

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. 

SMITH & YARN is available from Red Yarn's website, Aaron Nigel Smith's website, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Here is the video for Smith and Yarn's song, "Brothers and Sisters":

Robots Don't Joke But Kelli Welli Does

Artificial intelligence can turn on a coffeemaker and cook a pizza, but it's far from replacing us. To make that clear for techno-savvy kids, Kelli Welli has titled her third family collection ROBOTS DON'T TELL JOKES (8 LB Gorilla Records). Still, your friendly family cyborg may harbor a secret desire to share a funny thought – and it might even make you crack a smile.

The colors of the rainbow translate into a brilliant array of human possibility on "Rainbow Love Song," quietly addressing the LGBTQ community without rubbing it in the noses of more conservative-minded parents. An all-star platoon of kids artists contributes backup vocals, including Flor Bromley, Claudia Robin Gunn, Kymberly Stewart, Twinkle Time, Elena Moon Park, Red Yarn, and Joanie Leeds. The latter also provides harmonies on "I Will Miss You," a mothers' lament about the joy of watching children grow, become independent, but then no longer need the kind of emotional assistance from their toddler days:

I will miss your little hugs

And the way you snuggle up

As we're reading favorite stories or reading lullabies

I will miss the way you look at me

And the wonder in your eyes

Every time I have the privilege of teaching something new

There must be something in the water in the Pacific Northwest. Kelli Welli joins the host of notable talents from the region, such as Red Yarn, Johnny Bregar, and Recess Monkey. ROBOTS DON'T TELL JOKES features her take on traditional material, such as "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "Five Little Ducks," and "Five Little Frogs." She also exhibits her range with opera ("Stinky Shoe Reprise"), Irish punk ("Stinky Shoe"), and country "Dognado," where her home is overtaken by convivial canines. And Kelli puts the family in family music with appearances by her own kids. ROBOTS DON'T TELL JOKES, but there's something funny going on and Kelli wants to make sure your children are a part of it.

ROBOTS DON'T TELL JOKES is available on Kelli Welli's website, Amazon, Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Here is the video for Kelli Welli's song, "Rainbow Love Song":

Kelli Welli's Rainbows, Marko Polo's Mammals

Our country is at an interesting crossroad. The word "rainbow" has become a polarizing term when applied to social activism. However, in the realm of children's music, rainbows are still the go-to for teaching the interdependency of colors and emotions. Kelli Welli invited a host of other artists to perform guest vocals on "Rainbow Love Song" from her upcoming ROBOTS DON'T TELL JOKES release (from 8 Lb Gorilla Records):

If all of the colors of the rainbow were my love for you
Together we'd be purple and apart I would be blue
We'd have happiness in yellow
And our kindness would be green
Darling, you are everything to me

"Rainbow Love Song" blends the voices of Red Yarn, Flor Bromley, Kymberly Stewart, Twinkle, James Dallas, Elena Moon Park, Claudia Robin Gunn, Maddy Heart, and Bryan Daste into unified orchestral harmony. The album will arrive next month, but until then, here's some unified kindie power:

 

 What if you wanted to produce your first children's music release but were unable to coordinate with your producer in person? FIRE DOG frontman Mark Pagano and über producer Dean Jones decided to tackle the pandemic-related issue head on, producing Mark's debut MAMMAL MUSIC, a kids CD under the monicker Marko Polo, entirely remote.

The duo heated up the wifi between St. Louis and upstate New York, where Mark and Dean live, respectively. The 10 tracks on MAMMAL MUSIC are mostly acoustic with a variety of keyboards and horns augmenting the subjects, such as "Heart Muscle" and "Big Brains."

You can definitely hear the "Dean Jones" influence in the often-silly but well-polished tracks. For instance, Mark extols the strange noises made by worms (!) on "New Sound," featuring what must be a theremin. A running theme on MAMMAL MUSIC is self-empowerment ("Be Brave" and "Planet Earth") and that's become more common as children witness other segments of the population stand up for their rights (think 'Kids Lives Matter'). MAMMAL MUSIC marks Mark's gentle entry into children's music, and he's prepared to entertain families and other mammals with his songs.

MAMMAL MUSIC is available from Mark's website and Bandcamp.

Here is the debut of the video for Mark's song, "Mammal Music":

Kids Go Nuts for Kelli Welli

It takes a lot to get my younger son (10) to sing along with what he now considers “little kid music.” Since I started reviewing children’s music before he was born, he’s heard (and seen) performers that cross cultures, countries, and languages. Color me stunned that Kelli Welli‘s deceptively simple “Peanut, Pinenut” got him singing from the back seat, doing his version of a British accent on the climactic “It’s a Brazil nut!” on the chorus. It’s one of the standout tracks that will entertain younger music enthusiasts on her latest CD, Let’s Go, Pistachio.

Portland musician Kelli Caldwell has stayed busy during the pandemic – in part because she has seven-year-old twins. Her latest CD draws on country and American folk music and clearly sets the table for a return to live performing, with participation songs like “Jumpin’ Beans” and “The Hat Song,” which practically commands listeners to find suitable chapeaus to pretend they are astronauts and cowboys.

Girl power is the underlying concept of the Dolly Parton-esque “She’s So Bright,” which champions performance throughout adversity and disability. “The Smilers” draws comparisons to Oregon original Red Yarn, as does “Kickin’ It with My Chicken” (right down to the puppet in the song’s video). Kelli turns the “are we there yet” concept around on complainers on “We’re Almost There,” which can be sung on trips from diverse locations including the supermarket and standing outside grandma’s home for a socially distanced visit (with no available bathroom). Speaking of bathrooms, get your toddlers motivated to brush their teeth and drop their pants with “Tinkle Tinkle Toot.” 

For the title track’s video for “Let’s Go, Pistachio,” Kelli enlisted the innovative Gunnar Madsen. Using a Chuck Berry riff, the song (and video) features a boisterous pistachio nut whose oversized personality and frenetic energy (possibly ADHD) drive his friends to distraction.

Working together during a pandemic and separate quarantining pods did not slow down Kelli and Gunnar. “Collaborating with Kelli was a treat,” Gunnar explained. “She provided all the art materials – painted rock characters, backgrounds – and I was given free rein to fill out the story of the song and bring it to life.”

 

Even though they’ve yet to meet in person, Kelli called Gunnar a kindred spirit. “I’m thrilled he agreed to make this video,” she said. “Working with Gunnar has been a blast – he’s my kind of goofball. I made the rocks and he brought them to life in our funny little story.”  

 

Each suggested specific elements for the shoot. Kelli sent Gunnar paintings of parachutes, an umbrella, and a unicycle – all on rocks. He was eager to shoot drone footage from all angles. “I can’t wait to do more animation like this,” Gunnar gushed.

It’s a good bet that if your kids like this musical pistachio, they’ll go nuts for all 15 tunes on LET'S GO PISTACHIO!

LET'S GO PISTACHIO! is available from Kelli Welli’s website ,Bandcamp, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Here is the video for the title track to Kelli Welli’s new CD, “Let’s Go, Pistachio”:

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, February 3, 2021

The Less I Know The Better – Tame Impala
Even When....  – Ratboy Jr.
Screens – Weezer
Shine A Little Light – The Black Keys
She's So Bright  – Kelli Welli
At The Parade – Stacey Peasley
Life Is Good – Purple Fox and the Heebie Jeebies