Kids Music. Punk Music. NPR. (And Me.)

To those of you finding your way to this website courtesy of my NPR review of punk music for kids, welcome.  I cover a wide range of music here -- from punk to classical to indie-pop -- (almost) all of which is appropriate for kids and families.  There's plenty of coverage of The Boogers here (just search on that name here); less so of Play Date -- they're much newer -- but there's always this interview with Greg and Shanti.

In any case, thanks for stopping by.  You're welcome to also join me on Facebook, Twitter, and via mailing list, among many other options.

All Things Considered: The Deedle Deedle Dees on NPR

If there's a band in kids music which comes anywhere close to actually considering all things, it's probably The Deedle Deedle Dees, whose interest in historical subjects and folklore is wide-ranging, and often expressed in (very catchy) musical format.

So perhaps it's appropriate that the band's latest album, Strange Dees, Indeed, was reviewed tonight on NPR's All Things Considered. I did the honors, and if you found your way here for the first time thanks to the review, welcome. Lots of other stuff from the Dees and a bunch of other bands. By the way, if you're curious about the band's blog (mentioned in the review), you can find that here.

In any case, thanks for stopping by...

Announcing Kris Kindie: Christmas Music for Kids and Families

It all started innocently enough -- someone makes a comment on Facebook about how there should totally be a kids' music Christmas compilation album. For charity, maybe. (Note: I cannot vouch for the veracity of the word "totally" in there.) Then somebody (I'm lookin' at you, Jeff) suggests that I should head up the effort. Next thing I know I'm downloading WAV files and uploading them to Bandcamp and pondering tracklist order.

So, today, less than one full week after the original suggestion, I'm happy to present Kris Kindie, a collection of 27 Christmas- and holiday-themed tracks from 27 different kids' musicians. In this case, I don't feel like I'm a producer (though I'll call myself that) as much as I am a coordinator -- folks sent me tracks, and I put 'em together in a handy single format. (And got Jeff to do the album art.)

Some were recorded especially for this compilation, some are new, some are old, some are reverent, and some are... less so. But I'm pretty sure that most folks will be able to find at least 5 tracks they like, which is great, because for just $5, not only do you get those 5 tracks (and the other 22), you know that all the net proceeds (which are all purchases minus Bandcamp and PayPal processing fees) will go to KaBOOM!, a national non-profit dedicated to creating "great playspaces through the participation and leadership of communities" and, eventually, "a place to play within walking distance of every child in America."

Thanks to Jeff, Bill, Gwyneth, and Deb, who helped out, and most of all, thanks to the musicians who contributed. Listen below, and if you like it, I hope you'll consider purchasing the download.

So Many Ways To Follow Kids Music, So Little Time

There are so many ways to keep up with me. And while I love the idea of this website, and people interacting with me and with others here, I know that that's not always the way people read me. So I have a good half-dozen other ways for you stay in touch.

A while back I started to publish this very website on the Amazon Kindle platform. It was sort of a beta thing, so I didn't publicize it here, but now that people are actually paying to subscribe, I figure it's ready for primetime. For less than a buck a month, you can get Zooglobble automagically delivered to your Kindle (or Kindle app) and never worry about missing another cheap joke, gratuitous use of exclamation points, and general giddiness (or the latest interviews, reviews, and news about the family music genre). Just go here to subscribe -- you automatically get a 14-day free trial period.

For those of you who want to follow me in other ways, here's a handy roundup of other ways you may already be following me:

-- Facebook: I use this social media platform the most. Which is to say, not a lot, but enough. Sign up now, and you can be one of the last members of the "under 1,000 fans" club (because I'm just about at a thousand fans).
-- Twitter: I'm definitely not a power user -- Ashton Kutcher gets more views of a single tweet of his than I have in my lifetime. But every now and then I go through a Twittering spurt.
-- YouTube: I've got a bunch of great live videos from a bunch of great kids music artists, and it's always growing.
-- Cafepress: Want to buy something with Brandon Reese's excellent Zooglobble logo on it? Then here you go...
-- Applications: I've got apps that monitor my website and my Twitter feed. (One more reason for me to tweet a little more, right?) Get the Android app here. For iOS users (like me), if you go here with your iPhone, etc., you'll be offered the option of placing the mobile web app on your home screen.

My Myspace page is still alive, but I think I'll spare you that one.

Finally, I've got a newsletter, which comes in two flavors: 1) national, and 2) Arizona-specific. Both are really different newsletters -- I wouldn't recommend the Arizona one if you're not living here, but if you love have yet one more occasional newsletter in your e-mail, sign up for both!

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NPR Reviews Dan Zanes' Little Nut Tree

OK, not, like the entire network of member stations. Pretty much just me. Well -- I had some help. Besides Dan Zanes, the review also features the Sierra Leone Refugee Allstars, Andrew Bird, and Sharon Jones. (That's pretty darn good as help goes.)

So check out the review, which will air on All Things Considered at 5:20 / 7:20 / 9:20 PM East Coast time tonight.