There's a fine line between precocious and precious. Musicians with a Message (that's a capital M) have to tread lightly to avoid turning off kids or alienating parents who suspect an agenda. Portland's Jessa Campbell and the Saplings want to be your conservation-loving friends on their new album, CAN YOU FEEL IT. Like the kid who brings full-size cupcakes and goodie bags for his school birthday party, they just need to try a little less hard.
CAN YOU FEEL IT started as a commissioned project from Oregon's "Wonders of Nature" class at the Village Home learning center, which provides curriculum for homeschooling families. There's definitely an alternative feel to the music, led by the glorious lead vocals and harmonies of the title track. Campbell's career spans Talking Heads tribute bands to opera to theatrical pop. Now she's taking the plunge into the two-foot-tall section of the musical community with these nine tunes.
Nature is all around us, and music as well. On such numbers as "How I Love You Sun" and the doo-wop tinged "Water Worth," you don't hear Campbell breaking a sweat. But the science-themed "Waltz of Trillium and Ant" is a mouthful and you can hear the gears grinding on "Fractals." The band does better on "Shadow Doo Dah," (a reworking of "O Susanna") and the countrified "The Great Happening." A highlight is the steel pedal guitar anthem/lullaby "Goodnight Pacific Northwest," which closes the album and makes smart use of simple, comforting repetition:
Goodnight little one
Goodnight, sleep child
Time to dream, time to sleep
Just like me
I'll be sleeping
CAN YOU FEEL IT brought forth memories of San Francisco's Charity and the JAMBand, who have promoted similar causes and sentiments for more than 15 years. At times they have sidestepped the same obstacles. It's a balancing act but then again, many adults find ourselves caught up in the conflicts between personal freedoms and the stifling policies of the current administration. Jessa Campbell and the Saplings know there's a big world out there; they're hoping your family wants to go play outside.
CAN YOU FEEL IT is available on June 7 from Jessa Campbell and the Saplings' website, Apple Music, and Amazon.
Here is the video for the song, "How I Love You Sun":
Hi! Hey! The Oot n' Oots have debuted a new video for the title track of their 2018 children's music release, Electric Jellyfish Boogaloo. It's like having a kid's party in your living room or your car or wherever you play music for your young uns. Anyway, here it is!
Jessa Campbell and the Saplings are about to launch their latest children's music release, CAN YOU FEEL IT? Get ready for a mix of ecology, psychology, and vibeology. And here's the debut video of the title track:
A pair of bilingual children's music releases came across my desk at virtually the same time. Since they address many of the same themes (albeit in subtly distinct ways), I decided to put them side-by-side in one article. Colombia native Nathalia has released her fourth CD, EN LA RADIO and Alina Celeste shows her Cuban family influences on LOVE IS TE QUIERO.
Both performers came to children's through through educational backgrounds; Alina teaching music in the Miami-Dade County public schools and Nathalia doing the same in Los Angeles. The powerful allure of writing and performing original material as a platform to promote positive messages brought Nathalia to the stage and Alina to YouTube and a host of venues, from a petting zoo to a renaissance faire.
For EN LA RADIO, Nathalia uses the premise of the songs existing all over the dial, so to speak, in English and Spanish, with ID breaks along the way. To show the range of the spectrum, "El Monstruo Verde" shares the stage with its English equivalent, "The Green-Eyed Monster." The CD starts with the summery "Sounds of the Seasons," and blurs the bilingual demarcation with "Amor Amor," a lilting acoustic song. "Little Hermit Crab" tells the tale of a tiny crustacean tot, but you know who Nathalia is really talking about. Families can engage in English or Spanish or both languages, while it's easy enough to piece together what you may not completely understand.
Alina Celeste's LOVE IS TE QUIERO has a more razor-focused concern: the power of love through sharing and singing music. "Clap Hands" is innocently simple, while "Vaca Lechera" recounts a magical milkshake-giving cow (written in 1943 by Fernando Garcia Morcillo).
"Love Is" kicks off the CD coveying different ways to display affection, such as opening up a rainbow when it's raining. "I've got nothing to say here, since nothing much rhymes with up," Alina adds. "Te Quiero" delivers a similar sentiment in Spanish. But the point is made, nonetheless. "Stardust" talks about things being bright, and no, it's not the Hoagy Carmichael number (Willie Nelson if you want to get more current by about 40 years).
There is a burgeoning and under-served demographic for bilingual children's music. Lucky Diaz and Sonia de los Santos help to fill that void, and these two performers are certainly up to the job. Alina has the Florida panhandle (and a nation of YouTubers) at her disposal. And Nathalia has the West Coast ready for her CD rollout. Armed with guitars and goodwill, they are prepared to make your kids smile and sing along, in two languages.
Buzz around children's music for any period of time, and you'll see pretty much every topic covered with the nth degree of sincerity. Whether or not that's in your wheelhouse is one thing. Whether or not you want to share those sentiments with your child is another thing. Lissa Schneckenburger's wheelhouse is foster parenting and adoption. Take a deep breath and we'll continue.
Adoption and foster parenting is an important factor in our lives. Even blockbuster movies such as Shazam! face foster parenting head on. When times get hard and people can't cope for various reasons, the most innocent among us are the most vulnerable. Schneckenburger (say that three times fast) is intimately involved in that community and her new song cycle, THUNDER IN MY ARMS, addresses its issues head-on, in collision mode, with violins and piano. It's a precocious cacophony and meticulously mimics the aspects of the process, from the viewpoint of the disillusioned youth who feels thrown away in "Look Away" (I know/you cannot fool me/nobody wants me) and "On My Own" (I used to have a father once/He doesn't live like me), to the accepting adult who offers inconceivable, unconditional love on "Since the Day We Met":
Everybody makes mistakes and
We get up and try again
But make no mistake, you were no mistake and
I've loved you since the day we met
Simple, stark arrangements surround the songs "They Sent Me a Picture," "Feel Better," and "I Need Us Together." As for the deep breaths, you need to be prepared when "I'll Stick Around" opens with the line "When my mother left me it was for my own good" and "Blow Out the Candles" begins "You flew in on a plane from Korea, to Anchorage, to me."
THUNDER IN MY ARMS is a tribute and testimony to the adventure of foster parenting and the special people who undertake its responsibilities. Schneckenburger has the tenure and tone in the movement and enlisted friends and extended family to chronicle her experiences. It's rare that a bold statement can bring me to tears in my car. THUNDER IN MY ARMS is that exciting exception.
What if you woke up in a world where the Alan Parsons Project and King Crimson recorded children's music? Well, have no fear – Pointed Man Band (Dan Elliott) had the same vision and his latest release, AMONGST THE TALL TREES, delivers exactly that sort of perception, interwoven with childlike wonder and whimsy.
The TV series Twin Peaks showed that the Pacific Northwest is a region of profound mystery and hypnotic music. In that vein, Dan Elliott's music as Pointed Man Band celebrates the customs and culture of growing up, without sentimentality, conjuring up comparisons to the late Harry Nilsson's quick flirtation with children's music (essentially the soundtracks to The Point and Robert Altman's Popeye).
Children's music has fragmented to where there are now whole categories – folk, rock, jazz, blues, World, and experimental new age (STEVENSTEVEN) and Pointed Man Band. Elliott captures the sound of a daydreamer, sharing his vision on songs like "Pint Size," "Eagle Creek," and "Vs. People," which sounds like Brian Eno producing Yes. For the jaunty "Dark Divide," the title doesn't precisely jibe with the inner argument of nature versus nurture:
Oh! Hey! Hurray for the rain that will wash it all away!
For the rivers and streams and the nature of things
Who can remain unseen through the decades.
To the moss and the ferns and the moisture in turn
Amongst the tall trees and the pristine
Between the dew and the pines you find that animal minds
Go beyond what they may seem.
The artwork of AMONGST THE TALL TREES captures your attention as well. Portland illustrator Brooke Weeber delivers cover paintings that harken to Roger Dean's famed fantasy landscapes for Yes and Asia. The scope of Elliott's vision has also attracted performers such as Recess Monkey's Jack Forman and Johnny Clay (Ants Ants Ants) on tracks like the mostly instrumental "April Fools." The album is a singular, genial message of fun and exploration through "new age" music sensibilities. Your youngest may miss the forest, but they should still enjoy their time amongst the trees.
At its core, children's music is inclusive. Large categories of "adult music" are meant for rainy days, individual listening, and internalizing. Children's music, by contrast, is generally upbeat, sunlit, and built for a larger community.
Brady does tons of work with special needs children, which resulted in his 2011 CD, LOVE ME FOR WHO I AM. The band's latest release folds that student population into the bigger worldwide melting pot for a master class in inclusion, with songs such as "Different Is Beautiful (Yeah Yeah Yeah)" and "Different is Beautiful (Like A Rainbow)." And yes, those are two completely different tunes. Universal kindness is a key precept of Rymer's thesis, as every good deed counts as a "Drop In the Bucket":
So let’s fill it up with stars and love
Let’s fill it up to the top
Let’s fill it up with all we’re made of
‘cause it’s a drop (it’s a drop)
It’s a drop (it’s a drop)
in the bucket
There's an international flavor running throughout UMBRELLA. "With a Little Help From My Friends" features UK children's recording artist David Gibb. There's a bilingual duet with Sonia de los Santos on Woody Guthrie's "Don't You Push Me Down" and a cover of Jimmy Cliff's surprisingly malleable "You Can Get It If You Really Want." UMBRELLA also includes a previously-released sweet, horn-driven cover of the Diana Ross classic "I'm Coming Out," which lists a slew of children and their real-life "coming out" moments, such as "being a good friend" and "wanting to be a dancer."
My family has a long-standing relationship with Brady and Company, going back a decade to Kindiefest at Brooklyn's Jalopy in 2009 (and a video of "Jump Up!" with 3,000 views). Ben has gotten so immersed in performances that he joined Brady on the mic last summer – unprompted – at one local concert. UNDER THE BIG UMBRELLA seeks to accomplish figuratively what the band did literally with my son – make him feel included and part of the musical community. Open or closed, there's always room under that umbrella.
It takes a village to produce consistently entertaining children's music and Ratboy Jr. lives is such a village. Tim Sutton and Matt Senzatimore like raucous and ridiculous concepts, which makes their fourth CD, LUCKY FOOT AND SUNNY MOON, a delightful addition to their oeuvre.
Take "Rap Van Winkle," which is about exactly what we all think it is – a guy who slept for 20 years and wakes up rapping. "Play Us On the Radio" is the guys' version of "The Ballad of John and Yoko" and a plea to call SiriusXM Kids Place Live (and other outlets) to request their music. The proficient guiding hand of überproducer Dean Jones polishes such amusing gems as "Flexible Brain" and the hard-rocking (with tinkly toy piano) anthem about "Dirt."
Mark Twain once said that jokes are like frogs. You can dissect them, but then you've killed it. To that extent, it's best to accept Ratboy Jr.'s premises at face value. "Anything Can Be a Hat" indeed. And when life is like juggling in the circus, you want to put on your "Clown Shoes":
When you're down, you just gotta laugh a lot.
It's the only thing we have.
So let's go fix this circus.
It's like running uphill with your clown shoes on.
Artwork for LUCKY FOOT AND SUNNY MOON is by Anton Refreigier, a notable Works Progress Administration (WPA) muralist and sculptor whose last cover was for the Weavers in 1959. But he was also Tim's grandfather, so that was quite the door opener. His most famous work, "The History of California" is nothing less than that, chronicles in 27 panels in downtown San Francisco's Rincon Center. It took eight years to complete and is still on exhibit.
Recording songs is an intricate, mysterious process. It's like watching popcorn in a microwave oven – you never know quite when it's done. Tim and Matt took two years to assemble the enjoyable, voluble tracks on LUCKY FOOT AND SUNNY MOON. It may not be their master opus, but Ratboy Jr. are more inclined to make you rock out then to sit and think about dangerously serious stuff. Flip on your flexible brain and pull on your sock hat for the boys – glad to have you back!
It's been a long day's journey into the delta for Randy Kaplan. For more than a decade, Randy has mixed and merged humorous storytelling with an affection for traditional delta blues. That might not seem as delectable a snack combo as peanut butter and chocolate. But the distinctive Kaplan touch allows adults to snicker at references to Joan Didion while kids laugh at slide whistle sound effects (in a modernization of "Little Brown Jug," a song that dates back to 1869).
Randy's love of the blues is tangible, his persona is affable, and the results are laughable – for all ages – on SHAKE IT AND BREAK IT, his latest release. The educator in Kaplan (a much-credential teacher) can't resist giving deep background on the origins of his songs (giving shout-outs to Charlie Patton on the title track and Blind Blake of "Doing a Stretch").
Randy is flexible at adapting material for younger listeners. "Doing a Stretch" was originally about serving time in prison. In this new incarnation, narrator Kaplan does a series of body-contortion exercises, accompanied by the aforementioned sound effects. Blind Boy Fuller's "Been Your Dog" comes straight from the pooch's mouth – with a canine-voiced verse, to boot. It's an appropriate song to hear on a car ride from New Jersey to Queens – heading for the Long Island Expressway as you hear it described in song. Family dynamics are investigated in comic detail in "From Four Until Late," as Randy recounts spending weeks with his grandma when his parents would go away on seemingly endless trips. And the stripped-down version of the classic "Swinging on A Star" features singing donkeys and fish and a Google-worthy mention of Carol Dweck (I did it for you).
My folks were keen on introducing me to classical and folk music using TUBBY THE TUBA and WOODY GUTHRIE FOR KIDS. Randy follows through on this template for delta blues, renewing the works of Mississippi John Hurt ("Candy Man Blues") as well as the better-known John Lee Hooker. Part of the fun is trying to recall the original intent (and lyrics) that Kaplan appropriates to get across his versions. A six-minute "Little Brown Jug" closes the collection with a literal cavalcade of references that require the assistance of Siri, Alexa, or your friendly neighborhood scholar. And yes, an acknowledgement of Mance Lipscomb, who started recording delta blues in the 1960s.
SHAKE IT AND BREAK IT is a throwback to early Kaplan releases like FIVE CENT PIECE, with sparse arrangements showcasing an acoustic guitar and vocals, and a stray harmonica solo offering counterpoint. Listeners get ample aural and entertainment value, plus a level-headed offering of information about why the delta blues remains so enticing to performers like Randy. And why the genre still has the ability to entrance a new generation of listeners.
Music is everywhere. No really just walk down a street and wait for cars with open windows to drive by if you don't believe me. Taking that one step further, children's music is everywhere. When I think "Tennessee," I generally think of Ben Rudnick's "Live in Lexington" CD, but he's from Massachusetts. If you want to go native, you have Knoxville's "Kidstuff" radio host Sean McCollough and his latest, EARWORM.
Now an actual earworm is a pretty disgusting thing, but in this context it's a song that you just can't get out of your head. Sean is joined by fellow music makers Molly Ledford (for the pleasing monument tune "Sunsphere") and Billy Jonas (the little kids's safety number, "Green Means Go").
Sean's tunes hit the sweet spot for the very young, with plenty of repeating choruses and singalong verses. He's got the confidence from seven years of hosting "Kidstuff" radio, a weekly recorded show of kids music with monthly live programming featuring guests.
EARWORM gives Sean the opportunity to share his concepts, including a pair of goat songs, "Her Name Was Lady" and "Don't Let 'Em Get Your Goat." He delivers a version of the "Kidstuff" theme song for non-listeners of the program and the sympathetic "Car Sick" for anyone whose ever suffered from motion sickness on a family drive.
Sean's music is decidedly off the cuff (perhaps those shirts got too close to the goats) and accessible for the little ones in your brood. How you feel about earworms in your home is entirely up to you, of course. Sean just wants to pass along some down home, easy listening folk music from East Tennessee.
Get What You Get – Bears And Lions
Little Bit of Time – Like Father Like Son
Cloud Skateboard – Mo Phillips
Flexible Brain – Ratboy Jr.
One – Aaron Nigel Smith
Inside I Shine – Danny Weinkauf
Stick Up Stand Up – Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could
Children's recording artist Brady Rymer is a perennial favorite around my home. His music has been a nearly constant presence in both my son's lives. We have seen Brady (and the Little Band That Could) in different counties and boroughs across the state of New York for the past decade and we've never heard a bad set. This month, Brady is releasing his 10th studio release, UNDER THE BIG UMBRELLA, which serves as a melodious metaphor for inclusion, and recently discussed the evolution of this project.
Brady Rymer in his home studio
(Photo by Randee Daddona)
Which came first - recording children's music or your interactions with the special needs community?
They happened simultaneously. I began to explore the children’s music scene in the late '90s, writing songs and performing live. My friend Monica Osgood asked me to bring my guitar out to New Jersey and sing at Celebrate the Children, the summer camp she created for kids with special needs. We had a blast that day! The camp developed into the school, and I still return once or twice a year – performing and writing with the kids and teachers. That's when my relationship with the special needs community and my interest in working with them started.
In your experiences, are kids just kids as far as music goes? I.e., is music an equalizer?
Yeah, sounds good to me! Looking out from the stage I’ve seen it equalize – and energize – a room. That’s what I love about a rock band; songs and the concert experience as an art form. It allows everyone to feel, move, and interact as one. It can be very moving and bonding – bringing everyone together around a common beat, melody, or lyric. When we play something like "Love Train," everyone hops on, joins hands, and goes for the ride together.
You've already covered special needs with "Love Me For Who I Am." How did that message transform into inclusion (for "Under the Big Umbrella")?
I wrote UtBU for Lincoln Center’s Big Umbrellla Festival in 2018 – a celebration for families living with autism. This metaphor of "everyone is included and valued and recognized under the umbrella" spoke to me. I was reminded of the work that’s being done in schools these days – creating cultures of kindness, acceptance, and compassion. This, along with an amazing concert at a school which practices inclusion, inspired the rest of the songs for the new album.
I even asked the students for some lyrical ideas. They came back with "You Do You" and "Different is Beautiful." They fit into the theme perfectly, and I saw that the basic idea of acceptance and diversity is not only for the special needs community. These are ideas, concepts, and issues everyone is working with every day – in our schools and communities. Especially in these times when there’s a lot of divisiveness, it's an important message to sing about. I know it’s definitely on the minds and in the hearts of students at many, many schools.
You recorded with Sonia De Los Santos and David Gibb on "Umbrella." How did those collaborations come about? Do you see yourself doing more work with other artists in the future?
I love working with other artists. Yes, I hope to work with many more in the future! I’ve done things with Sonia and David in the past and I really connected with them as people, friends, and also with their music and with them as artists. I loved what we collaborated on. So I was excited as I worked on these tunes and imagined David’s and Sonia’s voices on these tracks. I love what they contributed, and I think they add so much to the tracks – Sonia singing Woody Guthrie's "Don’t You Push Me Down" message in Spanish is very empowering, and David taking the role of John and Paul, and me being Ringo, was a blast. It reinforces the idea fo friendship.
Do your son and daughter show any interest in following your lead into music/children's advocacy?
My daughter plays music and sings. She’s more interested in communications, journalism, video production – that kinds of stuff – but she is an advocate! She participated in the Women’s March and has been active in school things down in Tulane University where she's a sophomore.
My son has been a pro scooter rider for many years now – starting in junior high school. He did it all himself, built a fan base on YouTube and then toured, mentored, and became a popular sponsored rider. He eventually made it to the world finals. So I’m super proud of both of my kids and how they just go out there and do! They follow their hearts and pass along their passions.
Leaders Of The World – Renee & Friends
Doing a Stretch – Randy Kaplan
Clown Shoes – Ratboy Jr.
I Spy – Ants Ants Ants
You Can Get It If You Really Want – Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could
Can You Sing? – Dan Zanes
Anything For You My Love – Caspar Babypants
Music activism is a calling and a cause. Think of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Raffi. Wait a minute... Raffi? Yes, the beloved children's recording artist has spent the past 30 years building his "Child Honouring" program for educational purposes. Even Dan Zanes used his platform as a kindie visionary to promote community involvement and inclusion. Now Philly's Ants on a Long (Julie Beth and Anya Rose) have gone a step further and produced CURIOUS: THINK OUTSIDE THE PIPELINE!, a "climate musical" that is essentially a full-length episode of "Schoolhouse Rock."
First performed in 2016 as a theater piece (with a cast of 12), CURIOUS tells the story of sisters Clio and Taylor as they encounter pollution, inept government, and how to organize a community behind a cause. Their family moves to an industrial town where Taylor's chronic asthma is exacerbated and neighbors suffer from similar ailments. The old refinery wants to expand and they surmise these things are related ("Is This Normal?"). Grammy winner Lucy Kalantari guests as the "old wise woman" who clues them in that the Internet has some answers. They overhear two businessmen talk about changing rules (i.e., laws) to make money at the expense of people ("Make It Big!") and Google for answers ("Research"). This leads to writing letters, visiting City Hall, and using social media to engage the neighborhood.
CURIOUS covers all the bases, from kids wondering if they can enact change ("Anyone Can Write a Letter?") to frustration with the existing system ("The Man in Charge (Is Useless)") and ultimately a happy ending with big business and government acting in tandem (when does that happen?).
Anya and Julie continue to perform and educate, using their music as a platform for dissemination of information through entertainment and youth audience engagement. CURIOUS won't fix the world, but it just might open a few pairs of young eyes and get some kids to ask "How can I change something" other than the YouTube channel they're watching.
CURIOUS is available on April 19 on Ants on a Log's website and Amazon.
Here is the video for the duo's song, "Air and Space":
Shine On – Dan Zanes
Stars – Ants Ants Ants
Anything Can Be A Hat – Ratboy Jr.
Super Fragile World – Renee & Friends
That's My Style – The Bazillions
Fly Like A Bird – Dean Jones
Under the Big Umbrella – Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could
The Only One – Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could
Smile For Me – David Tobocman
How Lucky We Are – Justin Roberts
Harmony With You – Jack Forman
It Hurts Me Too (Sitting on Top of the World) – Randy Kaplan
El Sol Te Siga -the Lucky Band – The Lucky Band
In some ways, I miss the days when my kids napped. Because now, they are older and complain when I want to nap. But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a good lullaby or point overwhelmed recent parents in the direction of such sweet netherworld whisperings. Chicago-based musician Angela James enters the calming fray with QUIET NIGHT, made for weary parents by weary parents.
By its definition, a lullaby is supposed to put a child to sleep. Weary adults, however, must pair off if one of them is going to attempt to stick the landing of taming a tantrumming child while operating a driving vehicle (sedan or SUV). James provides eight tunes, with the lilting and descriptive titles of "Goodnight, My Honey" and "Sweetest Bird," for those occasions when your little darling is acting like a sleep-deprived little monster.
QUIET NIGHT sprang forth from musical improvisation, instrumentation, and postpartum depression. Oh, what a dreamy triplex. And indeed, with collaboration from the experimental musical community, James found solace while raising her newborn daughter, Hattie. The mid-to-low range tunes deliver you to a stealthy dreamworld while opening the doors to imagination and classical music. Dreams are our nightly voyages into ourselves and there's nothing to fear, James coos into impressionable young minds. You will believe a crabby baby can sleep. As well as an even crabbier parent. Prepare for many a quiet night.
QUIET NIGHT is available from Angela James' website.
Watching You Grow – Frances England
Boogie Chillen – Randy Kaplan
Hey Face – Ratboy Jr.
Hanukkah Rocks – Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could
Disco Hippo – Caspar Babypants
Have Some Fun Out There – David Tobocman
Dozen Good Reasons – Danny Weinkauf
Renee Stahl Dektor has some pretty awesome friends. When they drop by and open their mouths, you'd better sit back and listen. They're totally apolitical and totally tuneful. Renee & Friends' new CD, KINDRED, features Grammy winners Lisa Loeb and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo among the hoi polloi.
It's the second release that started with 2016's SIMPATICO, a similarly-themed collection of family-oriented soft pop songs with a modern spin. KINDRED's "Leaders Of The World" features a rap break that name-drops Peter Yarrow and Frida Kahlo by Skidoo. Renee also reunited Loeb and Lisa's college roommate Elizabeth Mitchell to sing the classic "High Hopes."
Jeremy Toback and Renee began recording children's music more than a decade ago (as Renee & Jeremy). That collaboration morphed into "& Friends" as they brought in talented personnel to augment their song selection. These gentle, engaging ballads are seductively simple – the nostalgic duet ("Where Do The Children Play?") by Renee and Ziggy Marley reinvents Cat Stevens' original recording, which holds a secret message about society and freedom:
Will you make us laugh? Will you make us cry? Will you tell us when to live? Will you tell us when to die? I know we've come a long way. We're changing day to day. But tell me, where do the children play?
Most of all, KINDRED allows Renee to sing praises about her children (daughters Amelia and Isadora make their debuts on the CD). "Nothing And No One" affirms "everything is how it's supposed to be" for her family, while closer "How Did You Get So?" wistfully describes every parents' lament about the fleeting nature of childhood. Whether you're a parent, a future parent, or a parent adjacent, KINDRED should strike a genuine chord of recognition for its emphatic declaration of kindie-dependence.
Shake It and Break It – Randy Kaplan
Inkpot – Kepi Ghoulie
Taco Tuesday – The Lucky Band
Loving & Kind – Aaron Nigel Smith
Summer's Here – The Bazillions
#Goals – Jack Forman
What Kind Of Fruit – Dean Jones
Happiness is contagious. I write these words sitting with a housebound child getting over a cold. Hence, he too is contagious. But he'll get better soon (I hope I hope I hope) while Lucky Diaz will never, never stop being contagious. His music, I mean. Such is BUENOS DIAZ, the latest release from the newly-rebranded The Lucky Band.
Latin Grammy (and Emmy) winner Diaz, wife Alisha Gaddis, and a space-age flock of contributors (including Andrew & Polly and Nathalia) have produced a new collection of bilingual ballads and danceable ditties for children of many ages. BUENOS DIAZ opens with (naturally) "Buenos Dias," to greet newcomers and returning fans alike. "Wake Up" follows, ironically not the (eye) opening track on the CD. "Nacho Song" tells the totally true comic story of Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya, the man who created serving nacho cheese over chips.
"Taco Tuesday" is bound to be a perennial favorite on SiriusXM's Kids Place Live and even ends with a riff from "Funkytown." The xylophonic "Zapatitos" delights in shoes, don't you know. "Como Se Dice?" is full of call-and-respond translations of basic English-Spanish words and phrases, such as "good morning" and "taco" (no big surprise there).
Xenophobic parents who are put off by song titles such as "El Corazon" and "El Sol Te Siga" (a cover of a Pianosaurus song) don't know what they're missing. Luckily, that's what audio samples are good for on streaming sites. For those of us who've met Lucky (in person or through his previous releases), these 11 songs generate multi-culture good will and good times. What else should you expect from über-producer Dean Jones (Dog On Fleas and dozens of other CDs)?
The world has finally got wise to The Lucky Band. Last year, the group added China to their touring checklist and they're headed to Tokyo and Shanghai in April. If they're not coming to your city any time soon, you can still say BUENOS DIAZ in two languages and enjoy their distinctive, upbeat música.
The Longest Night (with Justin Roberts) – Gunnar Madsen
Candy Man Blues – Randy Kaplan
People Watching – Dean Jones
Give You a Call – Jack Forman
Buenos Dias-the Lucky Band – The Lucky Band
It's A Wonderful Life – Kepi Ghoulie
Hanukkah Rocks – Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could
No Tooting on the Dance Floor – Jack Forman
Solar Flares – Mo Phillips
Super Fragile World – Renee & Friends
Hammer – Aaron Nigel Smith
Fly Like A Bird – Dean Jones
Anything For You My Love – Caspar Babypants
I Love The Night – Gustafer Yellowgold
Kindness – Renee & Friends
I Spy – Ants Ants Ants
Who, What, When, Where, Why – The Bazillions
Disco Hippo – Caspar Babypants
Dodgeball – Justin Roberts
Have You Ever Been Real – Dean Jones
One Of These Days – Vance Joy
Handle With Care – Like Father Like Son
Cloud Skateboard – Mo Phillips
One – Aaron Nigel Smith
New Pair Of Shoes – The Bazillions
City of Sardines (with Frances England) – Gunnar Madsen
Tae Kwon Do – Bob and Luc Schneider
Alisha and Lucky Diaz have rebranded the Family Jam Band as the Lucky Band and debuted the first video from their upcoming CD, BUENOS DIAZ!
"Pan Dulce" extols the virtues of sweetbreads. And it's got bilingual lyrics underneath for parents and children to choose to peruse. If you're familiar with the Lucky Band, you know what's in store – a bopping ditty with a catchy chorus. If you're unfamiliar with the Lucky Band, read the previous sentence.
BUENOS DIAZ! is coming April 5 and can be pre-ordered through Apple Music and Amazon. Here is the video for "Pan Dulce":
Another Cali performer, Twinkle Time, returns with the sixth webisode of "Learn the
The Beautiful Dream4:30George Ezra
Anything For You My Love2:07Caspar Babypants
Can You Sing?2:34Dan Zanes
Have Some Fun Out There3:06David Tobocman
I Am Your Food3:26Gunnar Madsen
03-In My Nintendo3:30Jack Forman
Bring Back My Cowgirl To Me2:50Hopalong Andrew
Peace Be To All – Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could
Me And You – Caspar Babypants
Stars – Ants Ants Ants
Little Bit of Time – Like Father Like Son
Animal Land – Bears And Lions
People Watching – Dean Jones
Rock Island Line (Featuring Billy Bragg) – Dan Zanes & Friends
The Only One – Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could
Get What You Get – Bears And Lions
Loving & Kind – Aaron Nigel Smith
Fly Like A Bird – Dean Jones
Watch Petunia Dance – Caspar Babypants
Helicopter Leaves – Ants Ants Ants
Dozen Good Reasons – Danny Weinkauf
CAN YOU FEEL IT started as a commissioned project from Oregon's "Wonders of Nature" class at the Village Home learning center, which provides curriculum for homeschooling families. There's definitely an alternative feel to the music, led by the glorious lead vocals and harmonies of the title track. Campbell's career spans Talking Heads tribute bands to opera to theatrical pop. Now she's taking the plunge into the two-foot-tall section of the musical community with these nine tunes.
