Kids' Music Not Regular Office Hours for Jack Forman

We have entered the epicenter of the Forman renaissance. Or perhaps we should call it the Forman dynasty. Jack Forman has once again annexed his role in the popular children's music group Recess Monkey and perch as host of SiriusXM's Kids Place Live's "Live from the Monkey House." With his second solo CD, OFFICE HOURS, Jack maintains his status as a multi-talented multi-hyphenate for the preteen set.

Through his fictional press agent Chive, Jack points out, "Though I have kids of my own now and am surrounded by them on the radio and band shows, I think the childlike energy of these songs begins with the eight-year-old in me that never really ever went away... though let's be honest: much of his hair did."

Jack's music answers many questions, including the mystery of "This Cat (Will Eat Anything)" – the dealbreaker is Pop Tarts. You can just imagine what happened to inspire "No Tooting on the Dance Floor," although Jack metaphorically warns "you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube." Sticking with the professional theme, Jack urges listeners to have "#Goals," such as "be a bird – like a mascot for a hockey team." His Mister Rogers-esque tribute "Harmony With You" reminds kids that no matter how bad things appear, there's always someone in their corner. Jack's son Oscar duets (so to speak) to rebut Jack's claims on "When I Was Young":

When I was a kid, we only had three Star Wars movies. Can you even imagine that?
Whoa!
And my Gameboy didn't even work at night!
How long ago was this, Dad?
We're talking mid-to-late 1980s here.
This is all too much.

Jack has a casual but worrisome Star Wars obsession. Past solo and Recess Monkey tunes include "Chewie To Your Han" and "Yodeling Yoda." Jack now mines the rich tapestry of the George Lucas empire with 'These Droids," a return to Tatooine, the fictional world that now boasts its own Wikipedia page. Thus, proving once again that you can take a 40-year-old one-liner from a sci-fi film and turn it into musical comedy gold.

On OFFICE HOURS, Jack puts on his big boy adult clothes and demonstrates why he's still a force to be reckoned with in the ultra-hyper-mega competitive world of children's music. Well, the first two-thirds of that statement are true. And really that's all you need to know.

OFFICE HOURS is available on February 15 from Jack Forman's website and Amazon.

Here is the video for Jack Forman's song "Yodeling Yoda":

They Call Him Mr. Saxophone

It's not easy being Weird Al Yankovic. Imagine spending your most productive years repurposing pop music as novelty songs and having your original tunes dismissed as "derivative."

Now imagine being Mr. Saxophone (Dave Farver). Wha what? Easy there, son, you'll get there. Trade the accordian for a saxophone. Narrowcast your audience down to school-aged children. Take Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" and turn it into "Gravy Stain." You get the picture.

Farver has 15 years of field experience around St. Louis wearing giant, stovepipe pants and blindingly colorful shirts to give him street cred. But he wouldn't have lasted this long without genuine musicianship and snappy lyrics.

His new CD, I SNEEZE IN THREES, contains the requisite parodies. In addition to the Osbourne twist, there's "The Gila" (Tequila) and "Luke, I'm Your Father" (Smoke on the Water). Farver manages to make it work and gives an oral history lesson of the original Star Wars trilogy.

Moving past the spoofs, Farver contributes a moving bedtime song, "Earth and Sky Lullaby," an ironic rarity that includes a sax solo. The title track talks about the singer's penchance for rapid-fire nose clearings. "Hugs and Kisses" is a sideways Randy Newman-esque take on "You've Got a Friend in Me":

First you take your arms and open 'em wide
Big enough to put an elephant inside.
Then you wrap 'em up tight around somebody you love
And you give 'em big hugs and kisses.

Being the number one performer in any genre is tough. Mention the name "Weird Al" to most adults and you get an eyeroll in return. Now imagine being Mr. Saxophone. Farver has kept his musicality at a higher level while smartly targeting a younger audience, who may not get the references making their parents laugh.

Luckily, none of us have to imagine ourselves being Mr. Saxophone. Dave Farver is doing that for us. You just have to get his music for your kids. Just try not to delve too deep into the Star Wars mythology.

I SNEEZE IN THREES is available at Mr. Saxophone's website, CDBABY, Amazon, and iTunes.