The Ketchup Report, Vol. 11

It's time for another roundup of all things ketchup related... OK, not really, it's just a variety of stuff that caught my eye (and ear) since, well, the last Ketchup Report. This one is an all-video edition. Except for these words right here. And the ones below.

First off, this is how you do a promo for a kindie album. A very effective teaser for Alastair Moock's forthcoming album These Are My Friends featuring Moock and Annad Nyack. If there was a tagline for the teaser, it might be "It's just crazy enough to work!"

The Green River Festival has come and gone, and all we have to remember it by are tons of YouTube videos. (And maybe a t-shirt.) By "remember" I mean, "experience it vicariously from, like, 3,000 miles away." Here's Barbara Brousal playing "Rockabout My Saro Jane" at the Meltdown stage -- I'm highlighting it because a) it's good to see Brousal performing live again, b) she's heard on Dan Zanes' version of the song on his new album Little Nut Tree, and c) I like it. (That's sufficient, right?)

Barbara Brousal - "Rockabout My Saro Jane" [YouTube]

Speaking of Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child, it seems there may be another compilation album in the works, a follow-up to Many Hands: Family Music for Haiti. I have no idea if this new Deedle Deedle Dees song performed by the Dees' Lloyd Miller will be on it, but it's worth a spin:

Lloyd Miller - "Marie Curie" [YouTube]

This one's just for the aspiring uke newbies. Left-hand fingering isn't my problem -- strumming is. Marcy Marxer, half of Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, comes to the rescue. (Seriously, teaching chords in a book is easy, but how to strum? Difficult.)

And finally, here's are a couple videos that are actually, like, videos. First one is about a year old, but it's a catchy (and self-promotional) tune from the Raytones. (Not that there's anything wrong with that -- have you ever heard "They Might Be Giants" from They Might Be Giants? That one's good, too.) The animation si from the Planet Sunday folks that do videos for Debbie and Friends and the Hipwaders.

The Raytones - "Little Ray" [YouTube]

And here's Mister G with the most globe-trotting kids music video outside of (and probably including) a Putumayo video. It's for the mellow, funky tune "Gonna Take My Hat" off his new album Bugs. Maybe the video makes all those vacations tax deductible.

Mister G - "Gonna Take My Hat" [YouTube]

The Ketchup Report, Vol. 9

Ketchup Report, Road Trip Division
A couple artists are currently embarking on pretty remarkable journeys. Heidi Swedberg is currently in Haiti bringing to the Global Family Orphanage in Les Cayes not just a couple dozen ukuleles (offered cheaply by Kala Instruments and purchased by the St. Brendan's Ukulele Club via bake sales) but also ukulele technique. As Swedberg notes the ukes are "compact; a box of 12 can fly at the cost of a suitcase." Swedberg said her first song would be “Ton-ton Buki”, the Haitian version of “Freres Jacques” - I'm sure they're long past that by now...

Second, Minnesota's Okee Dokee Brothers are heading down the Mighty Mississippi as we speak, part of their album-writing/portaging experience. They've received a bunch of publicity for the concept (guess it was more newsworthy than that time I drove down I-35 from the Twin Cities and sang along to a bunch of songs on the radio). You can follow their Mississippi blog here. The link below features an interview and a live cut of "Auctioneer" and an in-development track "Can You Canoe?"

More videos, songs, and concerts after the jump...
In the category of philanthropic activities, Michael Gurley (best known for his work in dada has released a dapper little kids music track, his first, called "Penguins." It's a benefit for Acoustic for Autism. Should you care to, you can sample and/or download it here.

In the category of philanthropic activities (or at least highly beneficial for parents), Charity and the JAMband's free download (or at least "name your own price") is "Potty Like a Tinkle Star" (get it? Party Like a Twinkle Star the name of part of her last album? I thought it was funny.) You can never have too many encouraging potty training songs, that's what I say.

OK, yes, there was Jiggle Jam. And Every Family Rocks. And the Kindiependent stage at the Northwest Folklife Festival. (It was a busy Memorial Day weekend, no?) But it's summer, so the kids festivals continue. If you're in the Twin Cities on June 11, I might recommend the Rhythm and Words 2011 festival. I've previously been a fan, and they've got another nice lineup -- the Bazillions, Sweet Colleens, and Koo Koo Kanga Roo, among others. (Also: author Lynne Jonnell, woot!)

I would also note that while I don't tend to review that much "educational" music 'round here, the lineup that they've got for a gig in NAEYC Orlando this November? It's like Lollapalooza for that particular subgenre -- Ella Jenkins, Hap Palmer, The Learning Station and Greg & Steve. I think it's actually open to the public.

Finally, while I just noted that I don't do that much "educational" music in the blog, this video for "Doctor" from Jonathan Sprout is over the top enough to be amusing. (You might also learn just a little bit about Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman doctor in America.)

Jonathan Sprout - "Doctor" [YouTube]

The Ketchup Report, Vol. 8

Time once again for all the news that didn't fit into a separate post due to time, interest, contractual, or legal obligations -- it's your favorite pun-titled file folder of a blog post, the Ketchup Report! Yaaay! (Cue Kermit the Frog wild arm-flailing here...)

The World of Happiness single, the "We Are the World" of the kids' biz, "A World of Happiness," is here. Except your kids might actually want to listen to this new song when they become parents themselves. Sales of the single, produced by Tor Hyams and Joanie Leeds, benefit Autism Speaks. The single includes a whole host of folks besides Leeds and Hyams -- Molly Ledford (who gets the honor of leading off the track), Frances England, Ralph Covert... it just goes on and on. A bunch of the participants will be recording a concert later this month for broadcast on Sirius/XM Radio later on. Anyway, it's $1.29 well-spent right here.

I could probably start a whole separate post listing all the recent crowdfunding projects in the kids music world. Heck, it's almost getting to the point where I could start a blog listing all the recent crowdfunding projects in the kids music world. I've been partial to Kickstarter, of course. The two most recent projects have been a Professor Banjo and his successful second-album project and Ryan SanAngelo and his not-one-but-two-Kickstarter-projects. But other sites do the same basic thing. Van Oodles didn't quite succeed in making a video for a song of his, but LA indie-rockers Ellen and Matt and Chicago's Laura Doherty are both looking for funds for their next disks. Should you feel so inclined, help out Ellen and Matt here and Laura for her new album Shining Like a Star in the widget there to the side.

-- For a limited time, Doctor Noize's "Bananas" iWhatever app is free. Download the ever-so-slightly-educational app here. (Note: may no longer be free.)

-- Finally, with Earth Day coming up, a it's time for Earth Day-related tunes. Dan Zanes has a new, original tune, "Hail the Creatures" written by Zanes for a new exhibit at the Philadelphia Zoo. You don't need to be near Philly to enjoy the track, just near an iTunes-enabled gadget that can download this, with proceeds benefiting the Zoo. (More details on the tune and the Zoo's new exhibit here.)... Bill Harley is offering a free download of "Keep It Green" from his 1996 album Big Big World -- you can get it here... And finally, DARIA is offering a mini-CD of 6 "earth friendly" songs, free just for the price of an e-mail address (and an earth-friendly suggestion).

The Ketchup Report, Vol. 7

I see a lot of stuff. I don't always have time for a separate post. Here, then, is a collection of random pieces of information -- videos, downloads, news -- that never made it into its own neatly-titled post.

-- Aaron Nigel Smith is offering up a free mp3 of his song "In a Book," a slow reggae jam not featured on his forthcoming Let's Pretend album. Pick it up here.

-- I'd read somewhere -- probably a comment on its Facebook page -- that there was going to be a Kidzapalooza in Chile this year. That struck me as odd, but sure enough, yes, there is. April 2nd and 3rd, while Lollapalooza entertains a whole bunch of folks in Santiago, acts such as Achú, Cuchara, Fractal + Joe Vanconcellos, Los Pulentos, Los Plumabits, and Magictwins will be rocking the Kidza stage (though in the case of the Magictwins, I'm not sure "rock" is the word, even though they rock... magically). Kidzapalooza co-founder Tor Hyams reports he is indeed making the trek down to South America to produce the stage, a trek which makes the cross-country flights folks like Hyams and myself will make for Kindiefest seem like small potatoes.

And, Tor, please see what you can do about bringing Los Plumabits -- featured on a Chilean kids' TV show which seems to be somewhat analagous to Yo Gabba Gabba! -- to the States.

Los Plumabits - "Disco Laser" [YouTube]

More -- much more -- after the jump.
-- We're big fans of the KC Jiggle Jam 'round here, and they recently announced their lineup for Memorial Day weekend (May 28 and 29). The lineup was strong enough as it was -- Justin Roberts, the Verve Pipe, Okee Dokee Brothers, Brady Rymer, Funky Mama, Mayor of Kansas City (it seems like) Jim "Stinky Feet" Cosgrove, and more -- but they added one more via voting on their Facebook page. A nifty idea, I thought, which led to the Not-Its joining the lineup. For the price -- $15 for both days -- it's a great deal.

-- First Seattle, then Los Angeles, then San Francisco, and now Portland, Oregon. A bunch of Portland's family musicians are banding together for a couple shows on April 23 and 30. See folks like Matt Clark, The Alphabeticians, and Mo Phillips on the cheap. More details here.

-- I have wanted to mention the newsletter LA kids' musician Groovy David does on a weekly basis because I think it's an example of the way musicians can create community even without doing shows together and so forth. His newsletter features links to family-friendly activities, interesting sights on the web, and links to his podcast. The podcast features interviews with other kindie artists and often new songs (I heard a new song from the Jimmies a while back). If interested in getting on the list, send an e-mail to soundssweetshow AT gmail DOT com.

-- Morgan Taylor, creator of Gustafer Yellowgold, has been releasing a series of entertaining "behind-the-scenes" videos. Today's release looks at pterodactyl evolution. At least in animation. (Plus also: a look at the very first Gustafer Yellowgold product, dating all the way back to 2004.)

-- Finally, two videos: The first is from Chuck Brown and the Chuckleberries and the second is from Groove Kid Nation. Both will amuse your kids, I think.

Chuck Brown and the Chuckleberries - "Yellowberry Jam" [YouTube]

Groove Kid Nation - "Itsy Bitsy Spider" [YouTube]

The Ketchup Report, Vol. 5

Back with another list of random notes from around the kids music world...

-- I'm a fan of Symphony Space's Just Kidding series, even 3,000 miles away, but I don't typically talk about single shows in that or any series. Having said that, I have it on good authority that Elizabeth Mitchell is planning on attending the Lunch Money Just Kidding concert on Saturday, January 29 (at 11 AM) and make a "guest appearance" for some songs. NYC fans, I expect you to be there -- not to be missed, I'm telling you.

-- Continuing in the category of single shows meriting mention, if you're not tired out after the Lunch Money show (or if you're busy that morning), there's another show in NYC that afternoon. It's an event called "KIDS ROCK!" -- it's a big 'ol benefit concert for KIDS NEED A MELODY, which provides developmental music classes to young children living in the shelter system. It's also Saturday the 29th (from 1 to 4 PM) at Crash Mansion in the Bowery in NYC. It's hosted by Bob McGrath and will feature performances by Rebecca Frezza and Big Truck, Suzi Shelton with guitarist Steve Elliot, Jeremy Plays Guitar, The Fuzzy Lemons, Joanie Leeds, and Baze and His Silly Friends. Not bad, eh?

-- Moving out of the city (sort of), word from Florida's Mr. Richard that he's leading David Weinstone's Music For Aardvarks classes in Orlando. Mr. Richard isn't the first kindie musicians with his own career to participate in these types of classes. Audra Tsanos has done MFA classes in NYC for years, Rebecca Frezza got her start doing Music Together, and Enzo Garcia is another. But Mr. Richard, who's definitely on the shortlist for the title of hardest-working guy in kids music, may be the first to join those types of classes after starting his own, independent kindie career.

-- I noted this on Facebook yesterday, but the first video from Moona Luna is up. You can watch the currently exclusive video here (or just go straight to YouTube here).

-- Frances England has a whole bunch of creative resolutions (designed very, er, creatively of course) and not only that she's pulled in a bunch of creative resolutions from folks like Caspar Babypants, Drew from Recess Monkey, Joe from the Okee Dokee Brothers and lots, lots more. Worth a perusal.

-- Finally, in the category of self-promotion, Australian newspaper The Age dips its toes into the world of Australian kindie music and picks out the two best, Holly Throbsy and The Mudcakes. (It also cites this site, but not in a policeman-sort-of-way. The good way.)