Ben's Playlist - Thursday, June 11, 2020

All The Ladies – Joanie Leeds
Boy with a Hole in his Heart – Danny Weinkauf
Clown Shoes – Ratboy Jr.
Grandmaderation – The Okee Dokee Brothers
here boy come home – caspar babypants
I Spy – Ants Ants Ants
Sleepwalkers – Sara Lovell

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Flexible Brain – Ratboy Jr.
Fly Like A Bird – Dean Jones
Perfect Day – Danny Weinkauf
Rocket – Sara Lovell
twist and pout – caspar babypants
Under the Big Umbrella – Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could
Wastin' Time – The Okee Dokee Brothers

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Colors – The Okee Dokee Brothers
Humans Are Still Evolving – Dean Jones
Leave The Monkey  – Sara Lovell
round and square – caspar babypants
Stars – Ants Ants Ants
You Can Get It If You Really Want – Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could
Your Love is a Metaphor – Danny Weinkauf

Sara Lovell Brings the Sleep

Getting a good night's sleep is key to maintaining your sanity amidst a global pandemic. That holds true for all ages – children can suffer from insomnia as well, as days turn to weeks and weeks turn to months. Short-term and long-term memory become a blur for youngsters. It becomes essential to keep yourself grounded in order to keep them grounded.

Into that mix comes Sara Lovell's NIGHT LIFE, a deceptively-named collection of calming-down and bedtime lullabies.

Sara covers all facets of the evening process, from tantrums ("I Don't Want to Go to Bed") to parental exhaustion ("Sleepwalkers") to letting kids drain all the remaining energy before slumber overwhelms them ("Wear Yourself Out"). She also addresses the importance of fantasy and imaginative play, especially when children are told to stay inside in order to stay safe, with "I Don't Sleep in a Bed," imploring youthful listeners to picture their bedrooms as tents and other settings.

Through it all, NIGHT LIFE is about the comfort and safety of sleeping under the covers, under the stars, under the watchful protection of loved ones. In the time of COVID, that's a sweet, wistful message that Sara Lovell didn't necessarily intend to convey with some solemnity. But that's the mantle currently thrust upon the music.

NIGHT LIFE is available from Sara Lovell's website, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Here is the video for Sara's song, "The Dark Side of My Room":

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, May 28, 2020

Ay Batta Batta – Rolie Polie Guacamole
Helicopter Leaves – Ants Ants Ants
Loving & Kind – Aaron Nigel Smith
spooky spooky spooky – caspar babypants
Sunnyside Up – The Okee Dokee Brothers
Village d'Ãtoile – Dog On Fleas
03  Leave The Monkey – Sara Lovell

Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Avocado – Rolie Polie Guacamole
hand in hand – caspar babypants
It's a Miracle – Dog On Fleas
Music Train – The Okee Dokee Brothers
Taco Tuesday – The Lucky Band
White Whale – Kepi Ghoulie
Nightlife – Sara Lovell

Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, May 19, 2020

alligator – caspar babypants
Dozen Good Reasons – Danny Weinkauf
I Can't Believe I Ate the Whole Thing – Jack Forman
I Don't Want To Go To Bed – Sara Lovell
I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band) – The Moody Blues
Jubilation – The Okee Dokee Brothers
Word Association – Dog On Fleas

Quick Hits: Videos from Sara Lovell and the BanAnna Band

Sara Lovell's latest video, "The Dark Side of My Room," is from her last studio CD, which came out in 2018. Featuring her son, Gabe, the video shows what happens when your imagination goes wild after the sun goes down.



The BenAnna Band is brand new. As in, they just started uploading videos to YouTube. The duo (with friends who drop by) plays pop/throwback covers, traditional favorites, and original tunes based around developmental play and community-based learning, with an emphasis on the silly for very young listeners. Ben and Anna started with "Twist and Shout" and "La Bamba." For their latest installment, they cover Rebecca Frezza's "Music in My Heart":

Quick Hits: New SaulPaul Music, Sara Lovell Video

Texas' own SaulPaul returns with ALL-STAR ANTHEMS, just in time to pep up kids disgruntled about going back to school. The self-proclaimed "musician with a message" has been entertaining audiences over the world for more than a decade. The new CD is fun for all ages, with easy-to-rap-along positive messages featuring a collection of 12-and-under performers.

ALL-STAR ANTHEMS leaves no doubt about its intentions, starting up with "Hands in the Sky" and "Choose." There's music and a party, wherever you're from, in "Home," with 123 Andres.

There's a little bit of country in "Texas Two Step," but it's just a li'l bit. Mostly it's for the kids to sing the chorus. "Me, Gumby and My 6 String" is a rap folk tale of claymation legend Gumby accompanying SaulPaul on an interplanetary trip. And the disc ends with a new remixes of his most known works, "Rise" and "We Dream in 3D."

Every song has a dance and/or choreography that accompanies it. SaulPaul has the young people who helped create the songs make instructional videos that are released in conjunction with the music. ALL-STAR ANTHEMS won't make you stand and place your hand over your heart. But it stands out with plenty of heart.

ALL-STAR ANTHEMS is available from SaulPaul's website, iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon.

Sara Lovell takes children into the magic of nature. She has just released the video to the title track of her recent album, WILD IS EVERYWHERE. The album's 14 original songs journey through a landscape populated with flying children, misplaced animals of a certain size, and insects or flowers that turn up in the most unexpected places. The video features Sara's eight-year-old son, Gabe, exploring the wild side of the bay area (San Francisco).

Here is the video for "Wild Is Everywhere:

Vids from 23 Skidoo and M.O.M., Sara Lovell's Got You

My five-year-old does not play video games much. I mean, I practically beg him to play something, anything. But he'd rather watch videos on the iPad. And never mind when the 15-minute timer goes off. He's got a response: "It's almost over," which buys him anywhere from 2-10 minutes.

I try to stay focused so he doesn't wind up spending 30 minutes immersed in video, but with his big brother diverting attention, it's a lot like cat herding – you can try, but you don't often succeed. New York-based rapper Princess Superstar (aka M.O.M.) feels my pain. Her new video, "Put Down Your iPad I'll Put Down My Phone!" deals with this dilemma. You can also contribute to her Indiegogo campaign, "These Are Magic Days," a collection of songs and videos to help program a high emotional intelligence in kids.


Secret Agent 23 Skidoo is wasting no time in promoting his new CD, INFINITY PLUS ONE. The video for a non-space-related tune, "Young Soul," has hit the Web. And frankly, you can't watch it sitting down. Just try. And I'm in an open workspace.


Single mom Sara Lovell has written a musical love letter to her six-year-old child. YOU'VE GOT ME is a sweet, ethereal odyssey; 18 tracks that cover a gamut of topics with warmth, clarity, and charm. Lovell is nearly a Sarah MacLachlan for the toddler set.

Sara segued from her adult contemporary to parent conventional sound while missing nary a drum beat. You can tell who inspired such songs as "Dance Like There's Music in Your Pants" and "Oh I'm Bored." There's a soothing calm to "Tell Me Who's the Monster." And the title track paints a plaintive bonding mantra:

You can reach for my hand
I'll be there
You can call for a friend
And you turn around, oh you turn around
Now you know you've got me
You've got me

Sara has embraced the principles of elementary children's music. YOU'VE GOT ME is a primer for early listeners, nearly an hour of tunes that alternately amusing and informs ("Everybody Has a Body"). Single parenthood is something that Sara embraced. She is now spreading that embrace to families through her music. She's got her son and as a result, listeners now have a chance to get her songs for families.

YOU'VE GOT ME is available from Sara's website, Amazon, CDBABY, and iTunes (link to come).