A Tale of Two Songs (and Videos)

There are at least a couple videos for songs off the latest Putumayo collection for kids, Animal Playground (review).

The first is for Asheba's "No More Monkeys," a song which I freely admit that I don't like (and that, frankly, is putting it mildly. Which I do a lot.) The video is not without its charms, however, and I think it's fun for kids.

Now, the true discovery on the disk is the Be Good Tanyas' "The Littlest Birds," which was the leadoff track on their debut Blue Horse. This video, while kid-appropriate, isn't the most exciting in the world. But the song -- that song is great.

So here's the deal -- tell them you'll let 'em watch "No More Monkeys" if they watch "The Littlest Birds."

Because parenting is all about compromise.

(Thanks to Z Recommends for the heads-up on the Be Good Tanyas video.)

KidVid: "The Elephant Song" - Eric Herman

I've mentioned before how much I like "The Elephant Song" by Eric Herman. Very simple, a catchy melody, and an idea almost infinitely adaptable to whatever you want to sing about. ("Trucks, I love trucks, I love the way they zoom high through the clouds..." "The Diamondbacks, I love the Diamondbacks, I love the way they have a really high team batting average...")

Anyway, it's been around for awhile, but the song's video (animated by Eric's wife Roseann) hit the big time this week -- YouTube's front page.

It's the best hand-animated video since A-ha's "Take On Me," though its chunky computer animation is more "Money For Nothing," I suppose.

(Not-So-)KidVid: Laurie Berkner Meets Steven Spielberg...

... and Joe Johnston.

Did you know that Laurie Berkner teamed up with Steven Spielberg to film a very expensive video for "We Are the Dinosaurs"? Neither did I.

It's the kids' music equivalent of "Thriller"!

Warning: NSFK (Not Safe For Kids, at least those in Laurie's core demographic)

Why Should Rockists-In-Training Have All The Fun?

I'm typically either way ahead or way behind of the curve 'round here. In this particular case, I'm behind the curve as I'm mentioning the Stagecoach Festival, the country festival put on by the Coachella folks the week after Coachella. The Festival which, uh, happened last weekend.

But I wanted to mention it because it showed that country music is beginning to realize that maybe there's a market opportunity for them, too. Stagecoach had its own kids' music stage which featured, among others, Buck Howdy, Farmer Jason, The Hollow Trees, and The Bummkinn Band. (My personal favorite amongst these? The Hollow Trees, who do hootenannies up right.)

I heard that Sharon, Lois & Bram were gonna reunite for the festival but got booed offstage by Rage Against the Machine fans who were still stuck in the parking lot leaving the Coachella show.

Did I just make a Sharon, Lois & Bram joke? Goodness, I have issues.

There are a whole bunch of YouTube videos from the festival, but they mostly involve guys like George Strait and Kenny Chesney and other men with large hats worn unironically. So I'll just leave you with this video of Farmer Jason (Jason Ringenberg of Jason and the Scorchers fame, for those of you new to this whole kids-music thing). He's got a hat, too, but he's playing in some guy's backyard.

The Wiggles, this genre ain't.

KidVid Tournament 2007 Final: "Pieces of 8ight" vs. "Tricycle"

Well, we're down to the final contest of KidVid Tournament 2007: "Pieces of 8ight" from Captain Bogg & Salty up against "Tricycle" from Frances England.

I'm really looking forward how these two fun (but completely different) videos do when pitted against one another.

Now, I'm expecting more than 100 comments below based on the response these videos generated previously. One of those lucky voters will get their choice of the CD from which these songs are drawn, courtesy of the artists themselves. (Thanks, artists themselves!) The randomly-selected voter will get to choose, and you're not restricted to the band you voted for -- perhaps you're a huge Captain Bogg & Salty fan and want to see what all the Frances England fuss is about.

Vote in the comments below. Rules: Video with most votes wins. One vote per e-mail address, please. Votes due by Tuesday 11 PM-ish East Coast time.

And remember, this contest is for entertainment purposes only. Please -- no wagering.

"Pieces of 8ight" - Captain Bogg & Salty

This video, directed by Vince Malone, is from the band's fund second album, Pegleg Tango. It's got a sly sense of humor ("Go Bobcats.") and captures the band's energy and sense of play.

"Tricycle" - Frances England

This video is for a song off of England's fabulous debut CD, Fascinating Creatures. The video's director, Jane Holland, says that they "shot and produced the simple little video from a child's eye view." It's simple, but the approach fits the song quite well.