Here Comes the Band

One of the more unique and sophisticated kids' albums I've come across in the last year is Stephen Cohen's Here Comes the Band.

Although Cohen has a long career as a musician, songwriter, and artist-in-residence for numerous schools, Here Comes the Band is his first kids' album. Cohen has a somewhat Zanesian (did I just invent a new word?) approach to kids' music -- friends and family joining in to play or sing along, laid-back vocals, a folksy singer-songwriter style. But I'm guessing Cohen is also a fan/follower of composer and instrument-builder Harry Partch. Through the use of sculptural percussion instruments and other sounds, Cohen incorporates sound-as-music, much like Brian Wilson did on Pet Sounds.

The title track, which opens the album, sets an intimate tone; and Cohen's voice is raspy, but warm and conversational. The album, overall, is very mellow and sleepy, and the production is reminiscent of Tom Waits. Songs like "Give Me That Toy!" and "Baseball, Baseball" are a bit less mellow than than the rest, but I found myself waiting for a more upbeat, energetic track that never came. In fact, the album winds down with not one or two, but four lullabies.

The album's liner notes include brief explanations on the various instruments played on each song, including several home-made percussion instruments. There are also simple instructions for playing slide guitar on a regular acoustic guitar, and illustrated how-to's for building your own instruments.

Cohen's creative use of sound, combined with sophisticated rhythms and lyrics that express the wonder and innocence of childhood, make music that could easily appeal to listeners of any age. Listen to sample tracks and order your own copy here.

Learning Something New Every Day

I saw two surprising things on Jack's Big Music Show this weekend.

Number one was a Laurie Berkner video that I actually liked. It was "The Cat Came Back," a song that I've always loved. I tried to figure out what was different that made me enjoy this one. She was wearing a skirt (makes no difference to me); she was singing a song written by someone else (possibly a factor); she was singing in a slightly lower range (very possibly a factor); and the video was more stylized than most of her others (very possibly a factor).

Number two was another video. It was a song called "You're the One Who's Made for Me and I was Made for You" by the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players. This was unlike any video I've seen on Jack's Big Music Show before, and the Trachtenburgs are unlike any artist I've introduced to my kids. Their video was amazing, and they have a truly unique artistic vision.

The best word I can think of to describe the Trachtenburgs is avant-garde, but I've despised that word ever since my much-older brother called me avant-garde back when I was in my (not exactly) starving-artist phase in my mid-20's. And calling them avant-garde would suggest that what they do is not very accessible (it is) or sweet (it is). I could call them subversive, but that might send some of you running for the safety and comfort of The Wiggles. I could call what the Trachtenburgs do performance art, because, well, technically it is, but that also may send you running. Let's just say the Trachtenbergs are a family band unlike any family band you've ever seen, and you should check them out. Big props to Jack's producers for taking some risks and introducing all of us to such an exciting group.

Looking at the press page on the Trachtenburgs' website, I suspect some of you may already be familiar with them. (My husband knew immediately who they were. Well, kind of. "Those are the Something Family People With the Slideshows," he said. Yes, of course.) They have had some great coverage recently.

From what I've gathered in my brief research, the Jack video may be the Trachtenburgs' first venture into music or video specifically for kids. I hope there will be more from them. Since their Jack video is not yet available online, here's a look at one of their other videos. Enjoy.



Oh, and while we're talking about Jack's Big Music Show, here is a helpful reminder that the episode with Jon Stewart (yea! Jon Stewart!) airs this Friday. This Friday!

Weekend Links

For your weekend enjoyment, here are a few recommended (and completely unrelated) links:

Read about Nickelodeon's new series (which kicks off with two-hour movie this weekend), The Naked Brothers Band, over at Ty's Toy Box Blog. The show's tagline contains some important information: "Real brothers. Real music. Not really naked." I have yet to see it, but we have thumbs-ups from my husband and six-year-old, who caught part of the movie earlier today.

Muckworld has video of Neal Pollack at a recent Alternadad appearance/reading. Part two of the video (there are four parts) includes Neal's thoughts on introducing good music to his son.

Izzy has a response to the Today show story that aired yesterday about moms who enjoy adult beverages at playdates. You can find more on the story -- including video -- here.

And finally, have you been reading MamaPop? You really should.

Perhaps Some Beano Would do the Trick

Oh, how I wish I could have been in New York to attend this panel discussion on The Future of Children's Television at Marymount Manhattan College last week. Luckily, a New York children's librarian who attended has a detailed run-down of the discussion over on her blog, Fuse #8.

According to Fuse #8, there were some excellent points made, as well as a few heated exchanges between panelists (was Barney the best thing or the worst thing to ever happen to children's television) and even some "no-way-did-she/he-really just say that?" moments.

One prediction made for the future of children's television came from Stephen Gass, a 20-year veteran of the educational software-toy-media industry. As Fuse #8 explains, Mr. Gass forecasts an end to scatological humor in children's programming:

You know how every single children's movie contains at least one fart or burp joke in the trailer? Ever wonder why that is? Well Mr. Gass explained that the change came when cartoons weren't allowed to crush characters with anvils or chase them around with guns. Potty humor was increased so as to fill that violent void. He assured us, however, that "farting will be out soon." I'm trying to believe him.

Yes, Mr. Gass predicts that "farting will be out soon." Heh.

I Read a Really Great Book and Now I Must Tell You About It

A scene in Border's book store at a mall in Toledo, Ohio, earlier this month.

Me: Here it is! Neal Pollack's new book!

Husband: Neal Pollack? You mean the greatest living American writer?

Walter: Is that the guy who got beat up by Keith Richards?

Aaaaaand, scene!

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It seems that my six-year-old son is not the only one unable to distinguish between Neal Pollack's persona in books like Never Mind the Pollacks or The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature, and Neal Pollack the person.

The reaction to Alternadad seems to be at the far ends of the love-hate spectrum, and I found that somewhat surprising. Not much middle ground. Not many people saying, "Yeah, it was just okay." But what has truly astounded me is the resistance of so many people -- the people who seem to be the target audience for this book -- to the basic notion of a semi-ironic "hipster parent" memoir. I'm also amazed by the inability of these same people to laugh about the cliches of the hipster parent image the way Pollack does.

For a good review (and by "good" I mean both positive and well-written), check out what Christopher Noxon had to say about Alternadad in the LA Times. I'm with him.

Hipster Parents Need Your Help

If I told you that a community of parents and families in a hip Brooklyn neighborhood need your help to fund their website re-design, you would probably not respond by saying, "Oh, what a compelling cause! Those poor people! Without a new website, they might end up living on the street. No one should have to live without necessities like clean water, food, and a fancy-schmancy website for networking with other parents. Let me get my credit card."

But if I told you that Park Slope Parents, a community of more than 6,000 parents in Park Slope, Brooklyn, has released a benefit CD to fund their website re-vamp, and that the CD includes tracks from artists like Dan Zanes, AudraRox, Astrograss, and David Weinstone, you might (and should) respond by saying, "Cool! Let me get my credit card."

Park Slope Parents: The Album (Vol. 1) opens with John Carlin's energetic "Run Around," winds through 17 tracks from a variety of artists, and wraps up with Ralph Covert's beautifully moving "Fools Will Try." While some of the songs touch on themes specific to urban family life (like Wendy Gelsanliter's "Itty Bitty Kitty in New York City" and Michael Leyden's "I Hear a Train"), the album is also enjoyable for families far-removed from city living. Favorites around our house include AudraRox's "Moms and Dads" (excellent for parents who want to help their children appreciate the diversity of families) and Randy Kaplan's "Grape Juice Hesitation Blues."

The album was created with the help of numerous volunteers from Park Slope Parents -- artwork, artists' contracts, studio time, distribution, and other services were all donated. You can read more, hear sample tracks, and order your own copy here, but hurry -- this is a limited release of 5,000 copies.

Way Back When

Around the holidays, I spent some time trying to track down a couple of albums I remembered from my childhood. There were two sites that I found incredibly helpful, and I've been meaning to share them with you (Stefan's recent post about a reader seeking information on old Tom Glazer records reminded me of this).

Whether you're nostalgic for kiddie music, Christmas music, or just really bizarre novelty music from years ago, Way Out Junk is the place to look. You might even find (as my husband did) music you had forgotten about since you were 10 years old. The site is described as "vinyl sharity with an accent on out-of-print kids and novelty stuff" and that pretty well nails it. I found some fabulous old Christmas music (and yes, it's all very cheesy, but that is what makes it so fabulous), and my husband found the Children's Treasury of Superman Musical Stories, which, in the 17 years I have known him, he has never mentioned, but is suddenly one of his most prominent childhood memories. Playing these for our kids was such an amazing experience for us, if not for them. You can listen to the track "Jimmy Olsen" right here.

Tony from Way Out Junk led me to this next site....

FaLaLaLaLa. Yowza, what a place! This site is devoted entirely to Christmas music -- or "Christmas vinyl past." Here, I found the Christmas album I had been searching for throughout most of my adult life (if searching for means saying, every December, "gee, I should really try to track down that record"), The Caroleers' Santa Claus is Comin' to Town. I listened to "Who's That Up on the Roof?" and "The Day Before the Night Before Christmas" again and again. I called my younger sister and played them for her. My life, at least in terms of Christmas music, was complete.

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If you're in the mood for music for kids that's a little more current (that is, music that won't make your kids roll their eyes at you, or cause them to refer to your childhood years as "the olden days"), head on over to Zooglobble and get in on Stefan's contest to win tickets to Ralph's World on their House of Blues tour.

Howdy, Neighbors!

For those of you who arrived here via the Toledo Blade article on kids' music, welcome! Take a look around. Make yourselves comfortable....

If you want to know more about Tom Jackson, the very excellent local musician pictured and quoted in the article, check out Wilson Lake and the Rock Bass, or take a look at my review of their CD.

And if you want to know more about the Fids and Kamily Music Poll, head on over to the Fids and Kamily site. The F&K poll is a project I helped to coordinate along with Stefan Shepherd of the kids' music blog Zooglobble and Bill Childs of the weekly kids' music radio show/podcast Spare the Rock. Their sites are definitely worth a visit!

I Have Seen Kids' Music Future...

...and its name is the Candy Band.

Hearing Candy Band's new release, Calling all Kids, raised many questions for me. How could I have lived within 100 miles of this band for the last several years, completely unaware of them until earlier this month?

How awesome can kids' music get?

And what are the chances they would let me join Candy Band?

Calling All Kids also answered some questions for me. Questions like....

What would it sound like if Kansas was fronted by Patti Smith and cut a track about monsters? (track 10) What if a female version of Metallica kicked out their interpretation of "This Little Piggy?" (track 7)

This group of four moms from the Detroit area have been rockin' the suburbs (and the big cities) with fabulous kids' music since 2003. Each of the band members has a candy alias -- Kit Kat, Skittles, Almond Joy, and Starburst. Calling All Kids is their fourth album, but the first I have heard. It has 10 mostly-original songs (a few are re-worked traditional songs) that rock from beginning to end.

Candy Band covers familiar kids' music themes -- the alphabet, birthdays, nursery rhymes, bikes, monsters -- but in a Detroit-glam-garage-band kind of way. This is the music to put on when you want to transform your family room into a mosh pit, when your kids (and you) need to dance and yell and jump around. Upon first hearing Calling All Kids, six-year-old Walter exclaimed, "This sounds like the Ree-mones!"

Tracks on Candy Band's past albums include rock and roll versions of traditional favorites like "Skip to My Lou" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," plus covers of the Sponge Bob theme song and the Spiderman theme song -- so you can bet we'll be delving into those very soon.

Check out Candy Band on YouTube (below) performing "Monsters" with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. You can also hear some sample tracks from all four albums and order your own CDs here.



Postscript: I must confess my lack of knowledge and coolness when it comes to certain areas of rock trivia. My husband had to explain to me the significance of the Calling All Kids album cover. Bill from "Spare the Rock" mentioned it a while back, calling it the Best Kids' Album Cover Ever. In case you need an explanation, too (because I can't be the only one in the world who didn't catch this), the cover is an homage to London Calling by the Clash, which itself was an homage to the cover of Elvis Presley's first album.

Groundhog Video!

Update 2/8/2007: Noggin has come to their senses and added the Steve and Steve Goundhog video to their own site. See it here.

Updated 2/6/2007: Evidently the folks at Viacom have decided that all the free advertising/buzz they are getting from having videos on YouTube is not worth what they are supposedly losing. So the groundhog video is gone. Sorry, readers!

Someone has finally posted the Steve Burns-Steven Drozd video from Jack's Big Music Show on YouTube. Yippee!! The more I see/hear this, the more I like it (my initial impressions can be found here). As kids' music videos go, this is one of the best I've seen, and I think it will turn out to be kind of a milestone in the evolution of kid-vid. Here it is -- "I Hog the Ground."

Music About Us

My husband and I have had many, many discussions about music in the 17 years we have been a couple. And he has had a fairly significant influence on my approach to music, but especially on the way I think about and talk about music. Over the years, my critical approach to music has become more male in nature, yet I still have certain female perspectives on music that remain.

My "dual nature" came to light very clearly in a conversation my husband and I had back in 2003. While driving through rural Indiana, on our way back from a weekend with friends, we were listening to a country radio station -- one of the only stations we were able to pick up. Why we chose this over a CD, I don't recall. But as we drove and listened to country song after country song, we talked about the music, and even more about the lyrics. Such a heavy, thumping bass! Such trite lyrics! Such obvious rhymes! As a song with some sentimental father-son theme came on, and I continued on about how manipulative the lyrics were, I felt my eyes watering. "This song is terrible! But it's beautiful!" I exclaimed, as I began to sob. "It's making me cry!"

After arriving home from our trip, and thinking there must be some logical reason that country music made me cry, I did a pregnancy test. It was negative. In the days that followed, I began secretly watching Country Music Television in an attempt to catch the video for this terribly-wonderfully sappy song. I began to realize that there were certain songs which, regardless of their sap-factor, held a certain appeal for me. And songs with parent-child themes were especially appealing.

At that time, Walter was three and Ralph was just far-off idea. As our family grew, I became more aware of songs that contemplate parenthood. Not all of them were sentimental country songs, either. Artists like Ben Folds and Everclear were singing about this, too, though with a different approach.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when fellow blogger Leo (of Mommy Tracks, a blog I have been digging for the last several months) contacted me and asked for my help in compiling a list of popular songs that contemplate the sweet and the bitter emotions of the parent. A chance to explore the more feminine, emotional side of my dual nature approach to music! This was a rare opportunity for me....I said yes!

Our first task was to define what exactly it was we were trying to compile. As Leo wrote:

The early choices seemed loosely divisible into two categories: The Songs For the Children - the advice, the lullaby (often aptly and conveniently named “Lullaby”), or the expression of the parent’s deep and abiding love, and The Songs For Us - the songs that sometimes sadly explore the shifting paradigm of the parent and the fun ones that dare to say “Wow, I think I used to be cool - what happened?”

Of course, many a songwriter has implored the collective body parent to do it better … “Fathers: Be GOOD to your Daughters!” “Teach the Children Well,” “Children are OUR FUTURE … let them lead the way.” But, we thought, we get enough of people telling us how to parent. We left those out.

And, of course, there’s no shortage of tormented parent blaming ditties, and a few sweet expressions of gratitude to the parents, but that seemed another list entirely. We tried to focus on songs more or less contemplating the good and the bad of life as a parent.

Once we compiled the list, we thought about ranking them, but how do you compare Everclear’s supposition that all the porn stars live in the suburbs to a sweet pop lullaby like the John Lennon-penned Beautiful Boy? So, we simply give you our list, in alphabetical order.

So go on over to Mommy Tracks, take a look at our list, and tell us what we missed. Because we're quite sure this list should be much longer. And then give me a call and let's find a time to get together and watch Lifetime movies and braid each other's hair. Because, really, I almost never get to do those things.

Dan Zanes Likes Them, and So Do I

I first heard Astrograss on the benefit album Bright Spaces 2, backing Dan Zanes on his song "Jump Up." I loved their sound, and after learning more great things about them from an interview with Zanes, I had to hear more. I was even more excited when I found out Astrograss had recorded an EP for kids. What an amazing find! It would be easy for me to say, "Well, if Dan Zanes likes them, then they must be good." But I'm certain that with or without his recommendation, I would still have great things to say about Astrograss.

This group of four classically trained musicians who studied at schools like Eastman and Berklee might seem like an unusual match for kids' music. But throw in the fact that these four musicians live in Brooklyn (a kids' music haven these days), and that two of them are former New York public school teachers, and it starts to make a little more sense.

Astrograss was formed in 2003 as a "grown-up" band, billing themselves as "newgrass from New York." Newgrass is the hip and cool way of saying progressive bluegrass (or what one might call blue-state bluegrass). In 2005, Astrograss ventured into kids' music when they launched a series of children's concerts at a Brooklyn cafe'. Before long, Astrograss for Kids was developing a program for area schools and performing at numerous East Coast venues.

Their kids' EP, Astrograss for Kids, is a collection of six original songs, all written to the poetry/lyrics of Shel Silverstein. The songs are spontaneous and free-wheeling, a fitting vibe for Silverstein's poetry. The combination of guitar, mandolin, and fiddle create a bluegrass sound, but the band's chemistry conveys more of a jazz feel. While the band displays amazing virtuosity in their playing, the vocals seem a bit pale in comparison. Overall, though, the album was huge fun for our family -- clever, energetic, and captivating.

My six-year-old son's favorite is "Hungry Mungry," which I have probably heard no less than 30 times. You can head over to the Astrograss for Kids website to hear "Hungry Mungry" for yourself and order your own copy of the EP.

Also, take a listen to "Astrograss (The Song)."

Bob Dylan: Still Right

A couple of articles -- one in Newsweek, one in Rolling Stone -- caught my attention over the weekend. If you weren't already convinced (from earlier entries like this one) that our media and our culture are borderline-obsessed with Baby Boomers, check out Newsweek's The Boomer Files, a literal shrine to all things Boomer. The Boomer Files appears to be a section of Newsweek's website, which houses a collection of all the Boomer-related articles Newsweek has run in the past 12 to 15 months.

The top feature this week on The Boomer Files is this article in which celebrity Boomers name three things they would still like to accomplish in life. Keith Olbermann, Dan Quayle, P.J. O'Rourke, Paula Deen, and numerous others weigh in with their wishes and plans. Patti Smith wants to read the Bible, the Torah, and the Qur'an; Camille Paglia wants to go on an archaeological dig in North Africa or Turkey; Stephen King wants to see American Idol canceled; and John Oates wants to see world peace. No huge surprises, but it made me wonder if, in 20 years, the media did a similar story on Generation X, who would be representing us, and what they would be saying.

The Boomer Files also includes links to a handful of quizzes (including one on music called "Rocking: The Quiz," on which I scored a miserable 60 percent), a photo gallery of Newsweek cover stories on famous political Boomers called "Cover Boys," an archive of several older Newsweek articles about Boomers (from as far back as 1948), and links to more than 25 other recent Newsweek articles focusing on Boomers and Boomer culture -- everything ranging from their influence on music (see "A Generation that Changed Music") to parenting to retirement planning.

It seems the news media just can't get enough of the Boomers (or enough of themselves, really, since who do you think is running most of the news media these days?), and their focus is intensifying. But while Newsweek dwells on how Boomers changed music over the past several decades, Rolling Stone is looking at where the music industry is headed in the face of declining record sales, and the role kids' music is playing in current trends.

With digital music sales showing significant growth in 2006 (but not enough to make for what is being lost in CD sales), the popularity of YouTube and MySpace, and major retailer Tower Records closing its doors, the music industry is scrambling to adapt. A "2006 Year-End Report" in the January 25 issue of Rolling Stone highlights these changes and points out that CD sales dropped 4.9 percent last year -- the fifth drop in the last six years. The number one album of 2006 was the soundtrack to High School Musical, a Disney Channel movie. Rolling Stone's "Year-End Report' also includes a short piece on kids' music, which, although it is entirely Disney-centric, makes some important points.

Overall, the kids' music category saw approximately 100 percent growth, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Some of that can be attributed to effective marketing: "Nowadays, the Disney Channel plays more music than VH1 and MTV combined," says [David] Agnew [general manager of Buena Vista Music Group, which includes Disney Records]. It also doesn't hurt that the youngest music fans are unlikely to illegally download mp3s.

So, to quote a famous Boomer lyric (as I love to do), it seems that for the music industry, the times, they are a-changin'.

Commercial Success

Updated to add: I made a couple of minor changes/corrections to the post below, after getting some clarification from her publicist (see the comments section). Razor and Tie is NOT Laurie's record label, as I had earlier stated -- they did her DVD, and they are one of several distributors of her CD's. So Laurie's commercial success is not all a result of Razor and Tie, but having them as her distributor is still a major plus in terms of how many records she sells.

Also, for an opposing viewpoint on Laurie Berkner (it's like "Crossfire" in the world of kids' music), check out Stefan's post over at Zooglobble.

And now Bill has weighed in. We've gone from "Crossfire" to "The McLaughlin Group" -- what a great discussion.

Laurie Berkner was highlighted in a recent New York Times article about the new season of Jack's Big Music Show. The article discusses many of the reasons behind Laurie's success, but fails to mention what I consider to be one of the most significant -- the marketing capabilities of Razor and Tie, which distributes her CD's and produced her 2006 DVD.

As an artist affiliated with Razor and Tie, Laurie has benefited from very slick and aggressive marketing. We Are the Laurie Berkner Band, her 2006 DVD, was advertised on television, which I find just a bit insidious. Even though they were not as directly targeted at children as Razor and Tie's KidzBop commercials are, the ads appeared during kids' programming and had plenty of appeal for young children. Take a look:



"Why do you hate Laurie Berkner?" you might be asking. Really, I don't. I just think she's fairly overblown, and it's important, when looking at her commercial success, that we acknowledge that it is due -- in large part -- to some slick marketing.

"Why do you hate advertising?" you might also be asking. I don't. Just take a look at this.

I've written before about my thoughts on Laurie Berkner, and since then I've listened to her music (and watched her NOGGIN videos) more and more. She has an under-produced, "indie" sound, and has been held up as an example of the "kindie rock" movement. Seeing her held up as a top "indie" kids' artist, when she's affiliated with the same label as KidzBop, is a bit hard to digest. Although the folks at Razor and Tie call themselves independent, and they may technically be independent, their behavior (i.e. television commercials for Laurie's DVD, the creation and marketing of KidzBop) suggests that they are more focused on sales than on artistic integrity, which, to me, is quite the opposite of "independent."

Over the past nine or ten months, I've also heard numerous other artists whose talent for writing and performing kids' music far surpass Laurie's. That's my opinion -- feel free to disagree. But very few kids or parents are even aware of these incredibly talented musicians. If some of these other artists had the backing of Razor and Tie, perhaps they would be experiencing the commercial success that Laurie has achieved. Although, thanks to the media's "discovery" of kids' music last year, these other artists are at least getting more of the critical acclaim that they deserve. And frankly, I think many of these artists prefer that kind of success to the kind of success that is achieved via TV commercials aimed at kids.

We have a Winner!

Drumroll please......

I'm pleased to announce the winner of four Ralph's World tickets -- Katy L., who will enjoy the Seattle show in February! Yea, Katy! Her entry was Ralph Waldo Emerson, which was one of the most popular Ralphs submitted by readers.

Other Ralphs included:

Ralph Macchio
Ralph Malph
Ralph Cramden
Ralph Nader
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Fiennes
Ralph the Invisible Dog
Runaway Ralph
Ralphie from A Christmas Story
and more...

Conspicuously absent from the entries were Ralph Reed and Ralph Wiggum (pictured above). I'm still trying to figure out what this says about my readership.

Thank you to all of you who entered!

Why I Should not be Allowed out in Public

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced this year's inductees yesterday. It's no surprise that REM is being inducted into the Hall of Fame in the first year they are eligible (bands and artists become eligible 25 years after their first recording is released). But seeing REM on the list of 2007 inductees was a major HELLO, I AM GETTING OLD moment for me. REM is a band I was listening to in high school and college, and in my mind, that was just a few years ago. Wasn't it? Has it really been 25 years since they put out their first record?

REM's induction into the Hall of Fame is also a significant event for Generation X, a clear indication that our culture's focus is beginning to shift from "All Boomers All The Time" to "Hey, Look, There Are Some Worthwhile People Born After 1960 (or 1965 or however you want to define it) Doing Remarkable Things." Imagine that. While the members of REM are technically a mix of tail-end Boomers and Baby Busters, this band is iconic for Gen X, and is one of the first (maybe the first) band/artist being inducted into the Hall of Fame that is truly representative of Gen X.

I was also excited to see this news about REM because it gives me a great opening to tell you about The Time I Met REM In A Bar, or Why I Should Not Be Allowed Out In Public.

My husband (at that time, my boyfriend) and I moved to Atlanta, Georgia less than a week after graduating from a small Catholic college in Iowa in 1991. We were there to take the city by storm, with our degrees in music (me) and theatre (him) and our midwestern work ethic Considering we moved there with just a few pieces of crappy furniture, no jobs, and very little money, we ended up doing pretty well.

After living there for about six months, we had a pieced together a modest social life, mostly with my husband's co-workers and with cast members from a musical we were both working on. On a Friday night, we went out with a group of friends to a bar in Midtown Atlanta to hear a band. Just a short time after we arrived, I spotted Mike Mills (REM bass player, and my favorite member of the band) walking through the back door with a few other guys. Looking around, I could tell I wasn't the only one to notice him, but everyone else was playing it very cool and pretending that it was no big deal as this group made their way through the crowd. Completely lacking in urban social skills and self control, I loudly shrieked, "Oh my god! It's REM!" as Mills and his friends approached.

That was all it took for everyone else in the bar to let down their guard and show their excitement. Within seconds, Mills and his friends were being mobbed, as I stood a few feet away, completely horrified that I had blown it for him.

And the guys who came in with Mike Mills? They were not the other members of REM. Just friends of his. (This completely shattered my naive belief that these four band members not only rehearsed and performed together, but also lived together, went grocery shopping together, and hung out together all the time.)

Living in Ohio for the last six years, I rarely spot celebrities. And I think everyone is better off as a result.

Send Me Your Ralph

When I was a teenager, I loved winning concert tickets on the radio. This was back in the days before speed dial, so I would madly punch numbers on our push-button phone to be the fifteenth (or twenty-third or thirty-ninth) caller.

Sometimes I won tickets to concerts I didn't even want to see, like .38 Special. I gave those tickets away to a friend. But my junior year of high school, I won tickets to Hall and Oates, a band I loooooved -- and still do, in a much more mature and less googly-eyed way. But I had some kind of major conflict (probably a school newspaper deadline or a National Honor Society event or a music contest -- I was incredibly over-booked in high school), so I gave the tickets to this guy I had a huge crush on. And he took his girlfriend (a cheerleader, of course) to see Hall and Oates.

That was pretty much how high school went for me.

But enough of the woe-is-me look back at my high school years. Let's get back to free concert tickets. Ralph's World is kicking off a big tour next month, sponsored by House of Blues (how cool is that?), and they've asked me to help spread the word. I have four tickets to a Ralph's World show for one lucky reader! The winner can choose from any of the shows/dates/locations below.

To enter, all you have to do is Send Me Your Ralph! Email me (thelovelymrsdavis-at-gmail-dot-com) and tell me the name of a famous Ralph, other than Mr. Ralph Covert of Ralph's World, pictured here with my son. You have until Wednesday morning (January 10) at 10 am to Send Me Your Ralph. One entry per reader, please. I will choose one reader's email at random to win the tickets -- that's four tickets to the Ralph's World show of your choosing (look below for dates). Also, please spread the word! Tell your friends! If this gets a big response, that means the possiblity of even more give-aways!

In case you're not already familiar with Ralph's World, take a look at this:




Now check out these tour dates:




Feb. 03-2007 Anaheim CA House of Blues
Feb. 04-2007 San Francisco CA The Fillmore
Feb. 10-2007 San Diego CA House of Blues
Feb. 11-2007 Portland OR Aladdin Theater
Feb. 17-2007 West Hollywood CA House of Blues
Feb. 18-2007 Seattle WA The Moore Theater
Feb. 24-2007 Las Vegas NV House of Blues
Feb. 25-2007 Boulder CO The Boulder Theater
March 03-2007 Chicago IL House of Blues
March 04-2007 Somerville MA Somerville Theater
March 10-2007 Cleveland OH House of Blues
March 11-2007 Philadelphia PA Theatre of the Living Arts
March 17-2007 Lake Buena Vista FL House of Blues
March 18-2007 Atlanta GA Variety Playhouse
March 24-2007 New Orleans LA House of Blues
March 25-2007 St Louis MO The Pageant

What We're Not Watching

It's not often that I see pre-schoolers singing and dancing along with music and think that it's a bad thing.

But then I saw the show Hi-5. It's KidzBop meets Zoom, with puppets thrown in to make it appear more pre-schooler-friendly. Because anything with puppets is surely good for young children, right? (Hello! Crank Yankers? Wonder Showzen? Team America?)

Are any of you watching Hi-5? You are now.



Four-year-olds aren't growing up fast enough these days -- let's have them dance to fake disco music led by a group of trendy teens.

Robot Cool and Monkey Fresh

Presenting...my family's thoughts on John Hadfield's new album Robot Monkey Head.

My six-year-old son: "RO-BOT monkeyhead! RO-BOT monkeyhead!" (chanted loudly as I prepare to play the CD for the gazillionth time)

My 21-month-old son: "Mine! Mine!" (said while running off with the CD case, which is very attractive to him because it has a, um, robot monkey head on it, and what could be better?)

And finally, my almost-40-year-old husband: "Oh, cool! Can I put this sticker on my car?"

To summarize, we love this record.

Hadfield is a children's performer and clown (he attended the prestigious Ringling Bros. Clown College), so music is just one of his many talents. Robot Monkey Head is the follow-up to his earlier kids' album Monkeys in the House. From the techno title track to the rambling ballad "Duct Tape Festival," Hadfield shows off a variety of popular musical styles (and pop/rock eras), but in a lighthearted way, not with the heavy-handed "and now, kids, let's hear a country song" approach. "Bunny Foo Foo, The High School Years" is a brilliant play on Ton Loc's "Wild Thing," and "Best Friends" has a late-70's classic rock feel (think Cream or Aerosmith for kids). The album seems especially appropriate for elementary-age kids.

While Hadfield's music could be called campy or overly-synthesized, it is, more importantly, highly entertaining, brilliant, and fun. To let you in on the genius of John Hadfield, I present you with "Bunny Foo Foo, The High School Years" for your listening pleasure (with John's permission). Enjoy, then click here to read more about the album, view lyrics, and listen to a few other tracks. Or, go get your own copy at CD Baby or iTunes.

Review Guidelines

Updated 12/4/2007: I am not currently accepting materials for review consideration.


Artists and publicists who send CD's or other materials are not guaranteed a review, or even a mention, on my blog. After reviewing a CD or other item (or after determining that it is not suited for a review), I may keep it for reference, give it away to a reader, share it with another family, or donate it to charity. I do not and will not sell review materials.

Most of my reviews are positive, because I often choose to remain silent on music that I find not-so-great. I am more interested in spreading the word about wonderful music than writing negative reviews. Even in a positive review, I try to point out some weaknesses or drawbacks. I have yet to discover an entirely perfect kids' album.

Some CD's that I receive are simply not the kind of music that I would recommend, and rather than give them a negative review, I choose to remain silent, especially if they are an artist's first attempt. Some CD's that do no receive a full review are not necessarily sub-par, they just don't lend themselves well to my style of writing. A wise person once said, "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture." That very accurately describes my situation.

At times, when submitting a CD for review, artists enclose promotional items, such as stickers or decals. Gifts of token value, such as these, are acceptable but entirely unnecessary and not encouraged. Any gifts of significant value will be returned or donated to charity. Gifts are treated separately from review materials, such as CD's, DVD's, and press kits.

Artists (especially those I already know) who have a music video on YouTube, an upcoming concert/event, or an mp3 of a new song that they would allow me to post, are encouraged to contact me.

My guidelines for review materials are based, in part, on the policies of several major media outlets, including the LA Times, National Public Radio, the Denver Post, and the Chicago Tribune. Readers or artists who have questions about my guidelines should contact me via email (thelovelymrsdavis-at-gmail-dot-com).

Resolutionist

If my new year's resolutions were to watch more kids' music videos and get my name in the paper more often, then 2007 would be off to an incredible start.

NOGGIN is airing videos from the new season of Jack's Big Music Show (I was just discussing them the other day) as interstitials. Look for them about 5 minutes before the hour and half-hour. Someone alerted me earlier this morning that her family had just seen the Groundhog video ("I Hog the Ground") by Steve Burns and Steven Drozd. And I just tuned in to see the AudraRox video for "I Hope My Mama Says Yes." Good stuff.

Have you seen any of the videos yet? Whaddaya think?

As for getting my name in the paper, lookie here. It's a nice piece in the January issue of Toledo Parent. Like David Hasselhoff in Germany, I am huge in Toledo. Heh.

Now about my real new year's resolutions....don't even ask. Happy 2007!