Not another punk rocker turned exceptional childrens musician! Boy did people hate hate hate punk rock when I was in college (let's not think of the years). After most of the music from that era has faded, you wonder what happened to many of the players. Not in a "Behind the Music" kind of way. In a "what are they doing musically" kind of way.
Enough prologue. David Weinstone grew up. And devolved back to his childhood, with Music for Aardvarks & Other Mammals. Their newest release, All I Want! is coming in March to many fine music outlets.
Since we somehow managed to move past Nick Jr. without viewing his music videos, our exposure to Weinstone comes from a fresh perspective. Ben liked "Better Keep An Eye on Me," with the phone-mentioning verse:
I like cell phones, they taste good
They're expensive; man they should
I can't climb but I love stairs
I think you better bet, I'm doin' something somewhere
And I know that "Beach Song" is a simple ditty about, well, the beach, the acoustic guitar track felt reminiscent of the Beatles' "Norwegian Wood."
Weinstone gained popularity through his "Music for Aardvark" classes for children. As should be expected, anything good for kids gains a reputation, following, and rocket blast of respectability. More than 10 years later, parents like Helen Hunt, Jon Stewart, and others swear by his rollicking music and easy to sing lyrics.
"All I Want" continues in that vein. You've got country ("Fishin' Song") and bluegress ("Count to 10"). Psychedelia? "TV" goes there. Rock is covered (the title track). Imagination building? Try "Pop Corn Tree." And Woody Guthrie's "I Want A Puppy!" gets to kick-start Weinstone's 16 (SIXTEENTH!!!) CD.
Nothing lasts forever. And 15 years is a long time. Hopefully Weinstone will stick around for a few more years, when Matt is ready to attend one of his classes. Music for Aardvarks prevails, thankfully for other mammals like us.
