Live Video: "Fruit Jar" - Justin Roberts with Robbie Fulks

Justin Roberts' "Fruit Jar" (from Pop Fly) is easily in my list of Top 5 Roberts songs. And while I love love love Nora O'Connor on the original, I gotta say that Robbie Fulks is not a bad substitute. Here he is singing with Roberts at a show he did with Fulks Monday night. Mostly Fulks-related, but Roberts got in a few of his songs, too...

Justin Roberts with Robbie Fulks - "Fruit Jar" (Live at the Hideout) [YouTube]

But wait, there's more!
Fulks also took lead on a couple of Roberts' songs...

Robbie Fulks with Justin Roberts - "Obsessed By Trucks" (Live at the Hideout) [YouTube]

Robbie Fulks with Justin Roberts - "Never Getting Lost" (Live at the Hideout) [YouTube]

Take Great '80s Songs, Add Humor and a Dollop of Media Literacy

... and what do you get? Literal videos.

No, this has nothing to do with kids music, but I'm guessing that a lot of readers have these videos imprinted on our brain. It's like teaching media literacy to your kids, but, uh, probably a lot more fun.

A-Ha, "Take On Me" (Literal Version)

Take on Me: Literal Video Version - watch more funny videos

A couple more, including an awesome Bonnie Tyler version, to accompany these...
Tears For Fears - "Head Over Heels" (Literal Version)

Bonnie Tyler - "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (Literal Version)

Just In Case You Think The Muppets Are Bummed About the Lack of a Grammy Nomination

Kermit the Frog won't win the Grammy this year, but he's moved into covering some more recent, adult tunes. This will be amusing only if you're familiar with the song (and only of marginal interest to your kids), but I swear that if you are familiar with it, you must must must watch this all the way through. (Hat tip: Idolator.) I'm not a huge fan of this song , but the album it closes, Sound of Silver, is pretty awesome.

And if you're not familiar with that song, you can always go back and watch this more familiar cover.

Ed: It's up on YouTube!

Listen To This: "Everything That Happens..." - David Byrne and Brian Eno

OK, that's a long album title. Not quite Fiona Apple territory, but still.

Anyway, a couple years after David Byrne posted his thoughts on music's financial model and album art, we're about to see whether his ideas (in a post-In Rainbows world) will make him some money.

Everything That Happens Will Happen Today is available for streaming today, and based on one listen, I'm really enjoying it. That set of his at Austin City Limits Festival is gonna be waaaaay packed. Go to the website to stream it, or stream it here, after the jump.

No, it doesn't have anything to do with kids music. That album cover isn't gonna keep their interested, either.

Because You Can't Record Kids Music with Justin Roberts All the Time...

One of the many pleasures of listening to Justin Roberts albums is the production. Roberts' albums inevitably just sound great, full of life. That's thanks, of course, to Liam Davis, who produces Roberts' albums.

But Davis also has a musical career of his own, and like countless other kids' musicians (Laurie Berkner Band's bassist Adam Bernstein for example, or Central Services minus the Board of Education) he's not giving that up. Davis has just posted some new demos from his 2009 album on his Myspace page, and they're worth a listen (though your kids will probably find them a bit boring).

They're demos, so they're not the most sonically lush recordings, but they're appealing, especially "Hymn," which sounds like the Jayhawks (or at least Gary Louris) should be calling Davis into the studio, pronto.