House of Kids: Blah Name, Decent Series

In the second piece of news from today regarding corporate behemoths trying to cash in (more) on kids music, word this morning that LiveNation is starting the "House of Kids" music series at he Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza this fall and winter.

Forget the press release text that says "House Of Kids is aimed at bringing parents and kids together through a shared appreciation of live music, as well as fun and educationally enriching activities." House of Kids is about figuring out what to do with a large venue that sits empty for a good 16 hours or more each and every day. The first 4 artists -- Justin Roberts & The Not Ready For Naptime Trio (October 17), Father Goose (November 14), The Sippy Cups (December 5) and Gustafer Yellowgold (January 9) -- are definitely promising, though $20 per ticket ($70 for the series) is a price range that could only work in New York City. (And, to be fair, each show will also feature performers from the Big Apple Circus, guest storytellers, child performers, fire safety education from FDNY, and more.)

Now if only we could get Justin Roberts to record a live album so that the Irving Plaza location could join all the other Fillmores that have been graced with a Live at the Fillmore designation.

What's Playing This Weekend? Best Kids Music Venues in the Country

I live in Phoenix, which, as anyone who lives in Phoenix will tell you, is not the most scintillating of live music towns. There are many reasons for that, but I'm doing my best to change that, at least in the kids' music field.

There are certain venues across the country, however, that I draw inspiration from -- venues that manage to find space for both local and national artists, building a kids music community through live shows.

One note -- unfortunately, I've never been to any of these venues. My declaration of these sites as "the best" is based solely on the quality and diversity of their concert lineup. I should also note that this list explicitly excludes libraries and festivals as the former tends not to be able to bring in a bunch of touring musicians and the latter only gives you a weekend of music each year.

Of course, I want to hear about your favorite places to hear music with your family, not just for the quality of the music but also for the quality of the experience. Because no matter how good the show, if there's no place to change your kids' diaper, it's hard for anyone to be a happy camper.

On with the list...

Starting off in New York City, which as you'd expect has plenty of kids musicians and places to hear them, but there doesn't seem to be the one go-to place. I like what Symphony Space is doing -- their "Just Kidding" series has a nice mix of NY-area artists (Dog on Fleas, AudraRox, Gustafer Yellowgold, Deedle Deedle Dees) and out-of-towners (Captain Bogg & Salty, Ralph's World). That would be impressive enough, but the fact that it's over a 6-week period is much more so...

Moving on down the coast to Philadelphia, where one of the longest-running kids' series, Peanut Butter & Jams at World Cafe Live brings 'em in from near and far. Local acts like the Cats' Pajamas are found in between national and regional acts like Justin Roberts, Rocknoceros, and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo. Tickets are pretty cheap (typically $10/adults, $7/kids, with $2/ticket discount for purchasing with cash prior to the day of show), tours of the WXPN studios, and all-you-can-eat buffets available, they seem to have everything needed for a fun afternoon set.

It's really not fair that the Washington, DC area gets two of the five listings here, but sometimes life isn't fair. The Sirius-XM studios for Kids Place Live are one of the best places to see kids' music. It's not surprising that a satellite radio station with a cross-country reach would be a popular place for family musicians to play. Robbert Bobbert, Lunch Money, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo -- lots of folks have come through. Even better, most Rumpus Room concert series shows are open to the public. E-mail Sirius-XM to find out how you can get on the mailing list to secure tickets for future shows.

Not only can you see shows at Sirius-XM, you can see shows at the best kids music series in the country, hands down -- Jammin' Java's "Tot Rock" series. (The two entities enjoy a slightly symbiotic relationship.) I've long been jealous from afar impressed by the events this suburban-DC club has managed to get. Rocknoceros, Brady Rymer, Billy Jonas, Recess Monkey -- the list goes on. And that's just the weekend shows. They also have kids' shows every weekday, including a standing Wednesday show with Rocknoceros, which apparently sells out on a regular basis. If there is any single club that shows that kids' music can draw a crowd, it's Jammin' Java.

Finally, my sole West Coast representative is McCabe's Guitar Shop, who do a great job of putting together a concert series that mixes local favorites with some touring folks. A glance at the upcoming concert schedule shows that David Tobocman, Zak Morgan, Courtney Campbell, Tom Freund, and Parker Bent are playing, and that's just in the next couple months or so. (If you can wade through their Performers' List, you can find a whole bunch more.)

Review: Loquat Rooftop - Randy Kaplan

It is possible that Brooklyn-based Randy Kaplan could become, if he wanted to, the next Dan Zanes, playing for the moms and dads a mixture of blues and rock that works well for both the kids and adults.

But on Loquat Rooftop, his second album for kids, Kaplan continues to follow his own idiosyncratic path that might not generate a deal with the Disney Channel next week, but shows off both his musical and storytelling chops.

Those musical chops are certainly there, as Kaplan's voice, ever-so-slightly nasally and raspy, blends in perfectly with his song choices. A couple songs, such as producer Mike West's amusing "Clothes Dryer" (on which Kaplan dryly notes that he used to love doing laundry so much, he went to "laundry camp") and "The Ladybug Without Spots," employ a strolling New Orleans-jazz-style approach. "Mazal Mazal" is a punkish song about a little kid, while the title track is a gentle folk song. Kids are used as chorus and occasional counterpoint (and a kid named Joe does a great "Boogie Woogie Washer Woman") to good effect.

Kaplan's choices of covers are well-selected -- Huddie Ledbetter's "Good Morning Blues" is a gentle blues which, as you might expect from the title, is more blues in 12-bar structure only. Hank Williams ("Move It On Over"), Lieber and Stoller ("Charlie Brown"), and the musical Annie ("Tomorrow") also make and appearance here, and one of Kaplan's strengths is making those songs sound fresh (and appropriate for kids).

Finally, Kaplan comes from the stories-and-(and-in-)song wing of kids' music, as heard on the silly story about monkeys and ducks "No Nothing" or the sweet "(Don't Say) Anything At All," a message song about not using words as violence. It's the kind of song that, strung together a dozen times, would make most parents' eyes roll, but, as a single song interspersed all the other goofiness and gladness sounds just about perfect.

With the exception of the "The Fire Engine," whose chorus "It's big / It's red / It's metal with water" is now unfortunately lodged in my brain, the 42-minute album is mostly targeted at kids ages 4 through 8. You can hear some tracks from the album (and its predecessor Five Cent Piece) at Kaplan's Myspace page for his kids stuff or at the album's CDBaby page.

Perhaps Randy Kaplan won't be the next Dan Zanes -- his love of storytelling puts him more in the camp of Pete Seeger or Trout Fishing in America perhaps (not bad company there, either). But it would be nice to see a bit of Zanes' popularity rub off on Kaplan, because Loquat Rooftop's mixture of blues and folk-rock, laced with good humor and heart, will appeal to many kids and their adults. Definitely recommended.

New Music From Astrograss

The New York band Astrograss has, at least in its music for kids, always had an affinity for words -- after all, its first EP for kids (review here) set its bluegrass-y jazz (or jazzy bluegrass) to the lyrics of Shel Silverstein.

So it's no surprise that the first song the band's made available from their upcoming album, tentatively called Let Me Stay Up All Night continues with the fanciful wordplay. Called "There Their They're," it includes the zen-like phrase, "Someday, when I learn to spell 'spell'..." and is set to Astrograss' adventurous musical stylings.

Plenty of kids' bands say that they don't sound like anyone else -- Astrograss is one of the few that can back up that claim.

Listen to (and download) "There Their They're" here. Let Me Stay Up All Night is out March 9.

The Dees Blow It Up Big-Time

OK, perhaps mentions on an Esquire blog and a local television aren't quite the equivalent of, say, American Idol, but baby steps, man, baby steps.

Brooklyn's rockin' Deedle Deedle Dees have pulled off the unusual double-header.

First off, Esquire's Matt Marinovich's writes of his day as a children's band roadie. It's from a show the Dees did a couple weeks ago. It's an amusing read (plus a good description of a Dees show). My favorite part (and not just because there's a hint of my own life in there)?

A woman puts her hand on my shoulder. I turn around, expecting that I’m about to be offered my first sexual favor. Instead, it’s Beth, a friend of my wife’s. She’s there with her two kids.

“What are you doing here?” she says.

“I’m the band’s “roadie,” I says, putting quotes around “roadie” with my fingers to indicate mature, cynical detachment. This doesn’t seem to help matters. I turn around and hear her whispering something to the mom next to her. Feeling an urge to clarify things, I turn around and smile at her.

“I should have called my wife,” I say, as if the thought had just occurred to me. “Had her bring down the kids.”

“That would have been a good idea,” Beth says, looking at me warily. “It’s a kids’ concert, right?”

Or, if you don't like the dry wit of an Esquire blogger, how about the earnestness of a local TV news broadcast? Like this one, which inexplicably is on a Charleston, SC NBC affiliate's webpage. The video talks about chief Dee songwriter Lloyd Miller's Nature Babies program in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. The text on the page is essentially a transcript of the video, but if you watch the video, you can hear snippets of "I'm A Duck." I'm totally expecting that on the next Dees album.