(Kids') Rock 'n' Roll T-Shirt

Clearing off the decks, the first in hopefully a few posts today...

Sienna at Hilltown Families and the Hilltown Families Variety Show dropped me a line letting me know that she's helping to coordinate the 1st Annual T-Shirt Review, which will, uh, review t-shirts this fall.

That way, when you kids want to prove they were there, that they heard of them first, they'll know exactly which t-shirts to spend their newly-established allowance on. (Because, hey, they don't make Spoon t-shirts for kiddos.)

Anyway, if you're a kids' musician with branded swag, head over there for the details on getting your stuff included.

Mrs. Davis Works Hard, Gives Stuff Away

I have been deficient in not mentioning Amy's contest to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. If you like the possibility of personal gain associated with contributing for a worthy cause, Amy's got a bunch of cool stuff to give away.

I was reminded of this after reading Amy's marathon entry listing 20 "Kids Albums for Parents Who Can't Stand Kids Music" (full entry here). I'd make a few changes to the list (and frankly, I see no reason not to throw, say, Justin Roberts' Meltdown! in there -- if that doesn't get 'em, nothing ever will), but to the list-compiler go the spoils. Or the props. Or something like that.

A Poopy Welcome on My Part

I'm belated in doing this, but welcome to those of you visiting here from The Poop, the San Francisco Chronicle's online parenting website. (Best. Online Parenting Website Name. Ever, by the way.) The KidVid Tournament was a bunch of fun, but noodle around here for more good kids' music.

Miss Mary Mack Pays 99 Cents To See the Elephants Jump Over the Fence

Ella Jenkins, First Lady of Children's Music, who's been recording music for kids for 50 years, has sadly been virtually absent from music downloading.

Until now. You can now get, oh, about 500 Ella Jenkins songs at the Smithsonian's Global Sound website. And the songs will soon make their way to other music download sites (such as familiar ones starting with the letter "i" or "e").

And while you're tooling around that website, make sure you check out this page and the "Children's Music" program (#16). It's a quality, 54-minute introduction to Smithsonian Folkways' kids' collection -- it includes not only the classics (Ella -- with an interview to boot, Woody, Lead Belly, Pete) but some other unfamiliar stuff, like an awesome "Brown Girl in the Ring" by Lord Invader and the Calypso Orchestra about 22 minutes in. Worth checking out if you've got the time.

Geckos Rock!

Thanks again to Bill and Ella for having me on this morning's Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child broadcast. I had a great time playing some rockin' tunes talking about the care and feeding of geckos with the two of 'em. And happy early birthday to Liam, too!

For those of you who care, my notes on my playlist...
1. The Call - Let the Day Begin -- I heard this recently and was reminded how much I like this song. An anti-lullaby song of sorts. In a good way.
2. Ralph's World -- The Coffee Song -- My wife loves (or at least needs) coffee while I can't stand the stuff. This is her favorite Ralph's World song.
3. Anne Hathaway -- Great Big World -- Our daughter loves this song and sings along. (Listen to the broadcast for my discussion with Ella on why you can't find it in stores anymore.)
4. The New Pornographers -- The Laws Have Changed -- The insane number of layers this song has sonically floors me. And it is, as far as I can tell, kid-friendly. (Bill says he's checked.)
5. Asylum Street Spankers -- Sliver -- I like this version better than the original.
6. Lunch Money -- I Want A Dog -- We do not have a dog, but lyrically Molly Ledford nails the pleading/hopeful voice of a child perfectly -- for any object. (It's about here that the show digresses into a gecko-fest. My wife wishes me to emphasize that gecko invasions only happen during the summer.)
7. Dan Zanes -- Rattlin' Bog -- A couple years ago when our daughter was obsessed with this song, she could track back the order better than I could.
8. Gabby Pahinui -- Aloha Ka Manini -- Our few slack key guitars CDs get a lot of play. They're excellent quiet time music.
9. Elizabeth Mitchell - Jubilee -- This song makes me feel warm all over.
10. Semisonic -- Closing Time -- Go ahead and guess what this song is about. (You'll have to listen to the broadcast, or read drummer Jacob Schlichter's excellent set of diaries on life as a musician on a major label, So You Wanna Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star, to find out.)
11. Justin Roberts -- Cartwheels and Somersaults -- There might be better songs by Roberts, but this is the one that meant the most to our family after our son's arrival
12. Talking Heads -- This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) -- Because "Stay Up Late" was too obvious and "The Great Curve" wasn't nearly so kid-friendly. "Love me 'til heart stops. Love me 'til I'm dead." It might just be the best rock song about family ever.
13. They Might Be Giants -- Theme From Higglytown Heroes -- Our daughter has never seen "Higglytown Heroes," only the video promo on the "Here Come the ABCs" DVD. But she loves the song anyway. (Y'know, maybe it's because of the video promo...)

And just because it is a cool (and kid-friendly) video...