Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Stop Your Sobbing – Stacey Peasley
You Remind Me Of You – Jack Johnson
Who Loves the Sun  – Zee Avi
Let 'em Know – Milkshake
Me Time – Chibi Kodama
This Is How We Do – Katy Perry
I’m Alive (Life Sounds Like)  – Michael Franti & Spearhead
Shake It Off! –  Uncle Rock
Fill It Up – Josh And The Jamtones

Ben's Playlist - Monday, October 6, 2014

Shine – Elizabeth Mitchell & Dan Zanes
Change – Jack Johnson Feat. Ben Harper
Lose My Mind – The Wanted
Wander 'Round the World – Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke
DJ All Day – Secret Agent 23 Skidoo
Speeding Motorcycle – The Pastels
Halloween Every Night – Mista Cookie Jar & the Chocolate Chips
New  – Paul McCartney

Ben's Playlist - Friday, October 3, 2014

Shot Reverse Shot – Jack Johnson
Blink Of An Eye – Frances England
Turned Out – Paul McCartney
You Are An Astronaut – Human-Tim + Robot-Tim
Apple Tree – Bari Koral Family Rock Band
Jim-A-Long Josie – Jr. Madness
Mooshpie – The Whirlygigs
Show Me A Sign – Michael Franti & Spearhead

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, October 2, 2014

Changes – David Bowie
Marsupial – Danny Weinkauf
Sunflower – Josh And The Jamtones
Sisters and Brothers – Bari Koral Family Rock Band
Bigga Bagga – Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke M
Gravy Stain – Mr. Saxophone
Full Tilt – The Not-Its
Everything I Didn't Say – 5 Seconds of Summer
Rock Melon – Gustafer Yellowgold

Berkner Is Back With Ultimate Hits Collection

There are so many mysteries in the world of children's music… What's the best way to get across a message without sounding preachy? What's the perfect balance between motion and resting songs? How do you determine which sibling controls the station on Pandora? But most vexing of all is "How did I cover music for this long and never review a Laurie Berkner CD?"

Laurie has recorded and released music for more than 15 years, originally from her own living room on the "Two Tomatoes" label and currently through Razor & Tie. Similar to Dan Zanes, we got into her music just after the first commercial up-curve. We saw Zanes at Symphony Space right before our son Ben turned 3 (he's now 13). We saw Laurie at Town Hall when he was five. Both of those were singular experiences, yet we have not seen Berkner live in concert since then, while we saw Zanes well, everywhere. Part of that was freaky coincidence. He performed at Colden Center in Queens, 10 minutes from our house. He performed at the Westhampton Arts Center, where my mother worked as a volunteer and was able to secure tickets. When he left Symphony Space and moved to the New Victory Theater, we saw a few shows there. Laurie consistently toured and returned to venues in New York City, yet we somehow missed those opportunities.

There's a sardonic irony to that situation: Dan Zanes was lionized as the heart of "kindie" music. Whereas Laurie Berkner was positioned by People magazine as "the Queen of children's music," as if reaching a mainstream audience on Nick Jr. was a bad thing.

THE ULTIMATE LAURIE BERKNER COLLECTION seeks to remedy a hole in our music collection. Initially we passed our copies of her early CDs to younger cousins for their enjoyment. When things went full circle and our younger son, Matt, joined the family equation, we still had all the Dan Zanes CDs. He (not so) quietly preferred Recess Monkey and Ralph's World. But a curious thing happened when I played the ULTIMATE COLLECTION for Ben. Not only did Ben know the songs instantly, but he told us on which CDs the tracks originally appeared. Remember, he had not heard some of these tunes for 7-8 years.

That devotion speaks to the ultimate appeal of Laurie Berkner and why she "reigns" as kindie queen. "Running Down the Hill" and "Where Is the Cake?" are pretty simple concepts but insidiously infectious.The tunes span the entire breadth of Laurie's recording career and all three of her bassists – Brian "don't call me Mr. Berkner" Mueller, Adam Bernstein, and a fellow named Brady Rymer. Longtime keyboard player Susie Lampert and (more recent) drummer Bobby Golden are also represented. You get three songs not previously recorded, "My Family," "One Seed," and "Magic Box," a little tune about imagination.

With a CD already entitled GREATEST HITS, you may wonder why not follow with GREATEST HITS VOLUME II? It worked for Elton John, Billy Joel, and any number of children and adult music acts. As Laurie states, "I had an enormously difficult time deciding which songs to include," on her first hits CD, leaving no doubt that there would be a followup. And if she continues to record new music, she adds, "I guess I'll need to make a third one." Well, it's good to be the queen. All hail Laurie Berkner!

THE ULTIMATE LAURIE BERKNER COLLECTION is available on October 14 from Laurie's website, Amazon, and iTunes.

Here is a video for Laurie's song, "Party Day"

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Be a Little Angel – Mista Cookie Jar & The Chocolate Chips
Metaphor – The Alphabeticians
Light of Love – Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could
Alligator  – Paul McCartney
My Own Detective – Tom Chapin
The Roach Waved Hello  – Chibi Kodama
Yawn – Gustafer Yellowgold
Mothership – Mr. Saxophone

Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Smile in My Heart – Suzi Shelton
Not Too Young for a Song – Randy Kaplan
Beach House – The Good Ms Padgett
Raise Your Hand – The Not-Its!
Me And Julio – The Little Rockers Band
Pretty Crabby – Caspar Babypants
Up In Cat's Room – David Heatley
I've Got a Tiger By the Tail – Buck Owens & His Buckaroos
Fart Like a Pirate – Papa Crow

Ben's Playlist - Monday, September 29, 2014

Effervescing Elephant – Cat Doorman
Secret Fox – Gustafer Yellowgold
Wake Up  – The Neville Brothers
Little Things – One Direction
Be a Mime – Eric Herman
Swing Low – Josh And The Jamtones
Unconditionally – Katy Perry
Join a Rock and Roll Band – Dean Jones
Duct Tape World – Recess Monkey

Ben's Playlist - Friday, September 26, 2014

I Got You – Jack Johnson
Turn! Turn! Turn! – Elizabeth Mitchell & Dan Zanes
My Dad – Joanie Leeds And The Nightlights
The Bicycle Song – Eric Herman
Shutterbug – Recess Monkey
Lightning Bolt  – Pearl Jam
We Are All One Kind – Jambo
Toothloser – Gustafer Yellowgold
Uh Huh – Dean Jones

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, September 25, 2014

Delicious – Orange Sherbert
You Got It On – Justin Timberlake
Robot Dance – The Pop Ups
Unwind – Secret Agent 23 Skidoo
Don't Fill Up On Chips – Randy Kaplan
It Suits You – Gustafer Yellowgold
I Got This! – Princess Katie & Racer

Nothing But the Tooth From Gustafer Yellowgold

Morgan Taylor thinks outside the box. So far outside the box that his famous creation, Gustafer Yellowgold comes from the sun. Speaking of the box, Gustafer has returned with his sixth DVD/CD box set, WISDOM TOOTH OF WISDOM.

How to describe Gustafer? The mellow little yellow fellow dwells in the woods of Minnesota, having adventures with his pet eel. No really. We became acquainted with Gustafer and his muse (and Morgan's spouse Rachel Loshak) when they played at the Museum of the Moving Image in 2006. Part one-man show, part video showcase, part singalong (every video includes lyrics), the Gustafer Yellowgold experience works on however many levels you wish to participate. Don't want to sing? Don't want to watch Morgan at work? Just watch the colorful, clever videos. But you'll get sucked in, as I did.

Morgan took a prolonged break to devise the storyline for WISDOM TOOTH OF WISDOM. It's really part one of a larger saga, a molar-centric LORD OF THE RINGS for small children, sans orcs but with a bear performing dental work in a tree (you'll understand when you see "I Can't Feel My Face"). After receiving a giant tooth in the mail, Gustafer resolves to return the molar to its rightful owner. And therein lies the mystery.

The videos show Gustafer ruminating about the origins of the title tooth and wondering if he has any right to keep it ("Secret Fox"), to embarking on a quest to facilitate a reunion. Interspersed with the videos are a series of postcard-style images and animations, which Morgan had been manufacturing prior to developing Gustafer.

For WISDOM TOOTH OF WISDOM, Morgan put aside the "one-man band" aspect of the Gustafer project. Guest musicians include horn players Robert Jost (Sesame Street, Saturday Night Live), Steve Tyska (the Autumn Defense), and a fellow named Dean Jones (heard of him)? There's also Semisonic's John Munson, Tom Scott, and Ken Chastain (Jonas Brothers).

I can't call Gustafer a throwback because other than Tubby the Tuba, it's tough to recall a similar melding of character and music directly for kids. Sure, "Peter and the Wolf" is a children's classic. But it's pushing classical music. Gustafer mellifluously utilizes the musical stylings of Donovan, XTC, and Beck. It's gentle and pleasing and moves swiftly from one whimsical setting to the next. And yes, the cliffhanger ending cheerfully promises another trek to the woods of Minnesota to explain the item of indentured dentistry.

GUSTAFER YELLOWGOLD'S WISDOM TOOTH OF WISDOM is available from Morgan's website, Amazon and iTunes.

Here is "I Can't Feel My Face" from the new collection:

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Puppet Playground – The Pop Ups
You Can Do This – Hullabaloo
A Million Ways to Play – Eric Herman
Recess – Justin Roberts
Throw Me Something Mister  – Jazzy Ash
Shakin' Up The Pollen – ScribbleMonster
Continental Geography – Astrograss
Cumbe – Crosspulse Percussion Ensemble
Domino Town – Dean Jones

Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Talkin' Bout Love – The Little Rockers Band
Till the Sun Goes Down – Poochamungas
Haircut – The Not-Its!
Dance 'Til I Drop – Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could
Music – Alex & The Kaleidoscope Band
Dancing Bear – Bari Koral Family Rock Band
Jam on Rye – Randy Kaplan
Take Back the Night – Justin Timberlake

Ben's Playlist - Monday, September 22, 2014

California King Bed – Rihanna
Time to Dream – Randy Kaplan
That's Just Us (Playing Rock-n-Roll) – Hullabaloo
Kids in America – The Muffs
Constant Sorrow (feat. Dan Zanes & Coolie Ranx) – Father Goose
This Moment – Katy Perry
Imagination – Shine and the Moonbeams
Lucky Penny – The Whirlygigs
No School Today – Danny Weinkauf

Ben's Playlist - Friday, September 19, 2014

Crayola Doesn't Make a Color for Your Eyes – Kristin Andreassen
Cool Watermelon – Ethan Rossiter And The Jamberries
Sunshine – The Twigs
H-U-L-L-A-B-A-L-O-O – Hullabaloo
Banana Pudding – Sugar Free Allstars
Let The Records Play – Pearl Jam
3 Pointed Back – Secret Agent 23 Skidoo
Sunglasses – The Que Pastas
Little Cloud (Featuring Rachel Loshak)  – Joanie Leeds And The Nightlights

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, September 18, 2014

Till There Was You – Lucky Diaz And The Family Jam Band
Long Gone – Recess Monkey
Imaginationology – Jon Samson
The World Is a Wonderful Place – Nora and One Left
Voodoo Doll – 5 Seconds of Summer
Liza Jane  – Jr. Madness
Tomorrow's People  – Brady Rymer
Otis Dooda Theme – David Heatley
Sittin On A Cloud – The Whirlygigs

Opening the Book on 23 Skidoo's High Functioning Weirdo

Whenever a character comes along who shakes up a stale genre, there is inevitably a societal debate about whether or not this instance is (a) part of a trend or (b) just an aberration. Two notable extremes from TV would be Mimi the receptionist (Kathy Kinney) from the old DREW CAREY SHOW and Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) from THE BIG BANG THEORY. With her outrageous outfits and blunt honesty, Mimi's antagonistic relationship with Carey kept the show from being a conventional sitcom for a decade. For his portrayal of Sheldon, Parsons has won four consecutive Emmy awards.

A firestorm developed around Sheldon concerning the "is he or isn't he" on the autism spectrum. Specifically, does Sheldon have Asperger's Syndrome? For the uninitiated, "Aspies" tend to be very high functioning but have rough social skills. They can succeed in complex work fields because they fixate and are detail-oriented. However they tend to shy away from situations that require unanticipated human interaction. One producer flat out has stated "Sheldon does not have autism" because that would make the show "more serious" than they want it to be. You can look at Ray Romano's turn as an adult coming to terms with autism on PARENTHOOD for evidence supporting the producer's argument.

Into the equation steps Secret Agent 23 Skidoo with his new children's book, WEIRDO CALHOUN AND THE ODD MEN OUT. I'd bet the majority of the reviews will talk about "differences can bring people together" and "follow the beat of your own drummer." From the dreamy-eyed illustrations by North Carolina native Stu Helm to the text's descriptions of "Like his mind was a million miles off in space, With a twinkle in his eyes and a smile on his face,"I would bet with some certainty that L'il Calhoun might test high on the M-CHAT.

The book, written by the kid-hop entrepreneur behind the songs "Gotta Be Me" and "Mind Over Matter," follows an (initially) ostracized child who forges his own path and group of friends. They compete in a contest, dazzle the judges, and change the minds of many people. It's a children's fable in story and song – how did you think it was going to end?

The book is accompanied by a CD with hip-hop and bluegrass versions of the story, as well as karaoke versions that your family can use for home throwdowns between siblings and parents. It's inoffensive and perky and reads just like song lyrics, which is totally appropriate, considering the source.

Skidoo is promoting the book (and his most recent CD, THE PERFECT QUIRK) around the concept that "weird" comes from the Old English word "wyrd," which translates as "fate" or "destiny." I don't think many parents would derive comfort that their kids were destined to be autistic, but that's solely my take and my boat to pilot. Skidoo clearly means "wyrd" in the sense that kids have to realize that their differences make them special. And nobody who is special deserves to be left as an "odd man out." And that's a concept I can get behind.

WEIRDO CALHOUN AND THE ODD MEN OUT will be available September 23 from Secret Agent 23 Skidoo's website, Amazon, and the iTunes Bookstore.

Here is a video from Kindiefest 2012 of Skidoo and SteveSongs performing "Superhero":

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, September 17, 2014

First Day of School – Ethan Rossiter And The Jamberries
Anytime At All – Caspar Babypants
Start Of The End – The Dirty Sock Funtime Band
Fortune Cookie – The Little Rockers
Can We Buy a New Car (So I Can Have a Balloon) – Eric Herman
Stay Up Late – Dean Jones
A Billion Stars – Papa Crow
What's My Name? – Rihanna Feat. Drake
Otis  – Justin Roberts

Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Lucky Day – Stacey Peasley
Size Of The Problem – Tom Chapin
Alive – Eric Herman
The Hustle – Van McCoy
Pumpin Blood  – NONONO
All Together Now – Caspar Babypants
Garbage Bugs – The Dirty Sock Funtime Band
Bonsai – Billy Kelly and the Blah Blah Blahs
Lighter Feathers – Dean Jones

Ben's Playlist - Monday, September 15, 2014

I Must Be a Genius – Dog On Fleas
I see You For You – Suzi Shelton
Like a Bird Must – Hullabaloo
New Shoes – Riff Rockit
Slow – Trout Fishing In America
Look, Think, Guess, Know – Tom Chapin
In All Of The World – Papa Crow
So Funny I Forgot to Laugh – Randy Kaplan