Listening and Talking To Kids Music Folks Is Awesome!

As previously noted in this space, I'm lucky enough to heading back to Brooklyn later this month for Kindiefest, the annual family music conference.  They've been announcing details during the course of the past two months and they've now posted the full schedule here.  There are lots of great artists and other kids music luminaries attending, including folks from Random House Children's Books, Spotify, a whole bunch of venue representatives, Ralph Covert, Kathy O'Connell -- the list goes on.

I'm particularly geeked, of course, about the panel I'll be moderating -- "The State of Kindie" -- which will feature Dan Zanes, Mindy Thomas from Sirius-XM's Kids Place Live, Jeff Bogle from Out With the Kids, Christina Reffords from Cool Mom Picks, and Darren Critz from Symphony Space.  That will be a blast, and hopefully will send people into the artists' showcase following that panel buzzing with big ideas and a little inspiration.

(Artists, by the way, if you haven't already filled out the brief and anonymous survey I'm doing on some "big picture" kids music industry questions, I'd encourage you to join the more than 50 artists who have already done so.  It's not officially related to Kindiefest, but I expect to use some of the results to help guide my moderating there.)

I'm also excited that Scott Schultz, co-creator of Yo Gabba Gabba! (not to mention the new Aquabats Super Show!) will be giving the keynote presentation Friday night.  In the wake of Jack's Big Music Show, Yo Gabba Gabba! kept (and keeps) music for kids highly visible on TV, continuing to reinforce the idea of family music not as one of last-gasp effort, but fully viable alternate (or duplicate) career.  It's an important show for family musicians.

Finally, members of the general public in the greater NYC area shouldn't miss out on Sunday's public concert.  With artists like Moona Luna, Apple Brains, and WeBop from Jazz at Lincoln Center, it'll be a super-diverse show.  It starts at noon, with tickets (just $12-$15) available here.

So, I hope I'll see you there (register here).  It's always an adrenaline-soaked, throat-parched event from tons of conversation.  As someone who writes about the music (and helps bring some of it to Phoenix), it's a great chance to meet the far-flung makers of the music and see many of them perform.

Itty-Bitty Review: Rockin' to the Fiddle - Jumping Through Hoops

Jumping Through Hoops is the name for an all-star band of Brooklyn Americana musicians, including Kristin Andreassen, guitarist Chris Eldridge, and the project's creator, child psychologist/stringband fiddler (a phrase I typed just so I could be the first person ever to type that) Dr. Kari Groff. Given Dr. Groff's background and the fact that the next JTH release is designed "to help families with the tough issues kids face growing up," you might think this would be a dry, didactic release.

It's not.

There are parts of this album so joyful it seems to burst forth from the computer or iPod. You need not be a believer to feel moved by the band's take on the spiritual "Open Up the Window Noah." The album opener "Dance All Night" mixes a subtly positive message ("Dance all day and all night long / find your voice and sing along / dance all night 'til the break of day / feet can't stop while the fiddle girl play") with a melody that will encourage many listening to dance along. "The Secret Key" is a gentle original about friendship, and you might think that maybe the overt messaging's kicking in, but that's followed up by the zippiest version of "Shortnin' Bread" you will ever hear. The rest of the album continues to maintain that balance, buoyed by accomplished playing.

There are a handful of songs whose messages are targeted at kids ages 4 through 9, but it'll likely have a broader appeal than that. You can stream the 26-minute album using the widget below. Rockin' to the Fiddle is a fabulous little sliver of bluegrass and Americana for the whole family. Fans of folks like Elizabeth Mitchell, Little Mo McCoury, Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem, and Dan Zanes -- and just plain good music -- ears up. Definitely recommended.

Christmas Songs 2011, Part III

I think it's time to wrap up my Christmas/holiday song links for 2011 seeing as it's barely 48 hours until the celebrating starts. In case you missed any of it, here are links to:

Christmas Songs 2011, Part 1
Christmas Songs 2011, Part 2
Christmas Albums 2011, Part 1 (Kids Music)
Christmas Albums 2011, Part 2 (Non-Kids Music-Specific)
Kris Kindie, the kids music Christmas benefit compilation
Tips for caroling with kids

And with that, let's get rolling.

So, speaking of Kris Kindie, a couple of the tracks on the album are available elsewhere here on the Interwebs.

The Hipwaders appeared on Northern California radio this morning, playing a couple tracks off their fun Kindie Christmas album. They played "Wake Up (It's a Christmas Surprise)" (yes, it's on Kris Kindie) live in-studio. Good to hear DJ back in the fold. (Listen to "Yes, It's Christmas" here.)

Debbie and Friends also contributed a song to the compilation -- the new tune (and Spin Doctors-inspired) "Santa and Baby." No, she didn't create the video just for the compilation -- that would be a little much to ask for in just a week, but it's kinda cute anyway.

Debbie and Friends - "Santa and Baby" [YouTube]

Oh, you think we're done here?... we're busier than a shopping mall the last Saturday before Christmas.

I liked Todd McHatton's Christmas Songs album back when it was a kindergartner with just 5 songs. Now it's a pre-teen, with 10 whole songs, including another duet between the radio and video stars of "I Think I'm a Bunny." (That would be on "Put the Star on Top.") Download the album for just $1.99...

I like this rendition of "Little Drummer Boy," a song that's hard to cover without getting tiresome, from Papa Crow.

Papa Crow - "Little Drummer Boy" [YouTube]

While "Itsy Bitsy Spider" isn't a Christmas or holiday song by any stretch of the imagination, Alison Faith Levy (of the Sippy Cups) has Phil Spector-ized the song and I must admit that it does sound very holiday-ish. (By the way, Levy's new album will be out in the spring.)

Itsy Bitsy Spider by Mystery Lawn Music

Other notes:

-- Dan Zanes' guitarist and occasional duet partner Sonia de los Santos is offering up a free download of her take (with Zanes) on the traditional tune "Himno Guadulupano". (It's from Zanes' Welcome Table collection.)
-- James Coffey is giving away a free download of his song "A Magical Christmas Train"; pick it up here. If they're not so into trains, your kids may also like his video for "Reindeer Blues".
-- Kurt Gallagher offers up a video for "Chubby Little Snowman".
-- I am not a good rapper. Or wrapper. And while I appreciate Ryan SanAngelo's enthusiasm, his video for "The Christmas Rap" suggests I may be in the middle of the pack(aging) in that regard.

-- Finally, this is a year old, but the message still counts. Thao Nguyen has a "Gift Card" for you. I heartily suggest you use it. A bit dry for the kiddoes, but the adults will understand perfectly.

Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you're celebrating this time of the year!

Best Kids Music 2011: Top 25 Albums

The high point in my list of the best kids music of 2011 is this, my list of my favorite kids music albums of the year.

By "year," again, I mean albums with Nov. 1, 2010 through Oct. 31, 2011 release dates available to the general public. That means albums like Laura Veirs' Tumble Bee, with a Nov. 8, 2011 release date, have to wait another 12 months before appearing in this list. (I would be shocked -- albeit incredibly delighted -- if there were 25 albums better than that particular one in the next year.)

I do use the word "favorite" advisedly. I receive something approaching 300 family music albums every year. I review maybe 20% of those. Last year I picked out 20 albums, and cutting off this list this year at 20 just seemed cruel. But, as it turns out, increasing the number on the list to 25 didn't make things any easier. Albums from folks like Laura Doherty, Chip Taylor, Todd McHatton, and ScribbleMonster -- albums I genuinely liked -- didn't make the list. That's what happens when albums in the top 10% of everything I heard this year can't fit into the number of slots available; I had probably about 40 albums I was seriously considering for this list. So the difference between what goes in this list and what stays off is as much about personal preferences as it is about "objective" quality. (That's why I came up with the idea for Fids and Kamily, thinking that the personal preferences of many folks would be a much better approximation of "best.")

In any case, here are those 25 albums, ranked from most favorite to a little less most favorite, that I (and we) most appreciated this year. (As always, the top 10 reflects my Fids and Kamily ballot.)

1. Caspar Babypants
Sing Along!
[Review]
"I really, really like Sing Along! -- the Caspar Babypants disks have been favorites at our house for a long time, and I see no reason why this new album won't join its predecessors in heavy rotation. If he can keep it up, Chris Ballew might just create a body of work for preschoolers to rival Raffi's."
2. (tie) Frances England | Lunch Money | Recess Monkey
Mind of My Own | Original Friend | FLYING!
[Review | Review |
Review]
"One of the key charms of England's first two albums was the lo-fi intimacy England achieved that fit her folky sound. But if on those albums she was willing to make the recordings be akin to a secret shared between friends, on the new album she's a proud 4-year-old, sharing the news with all the world."
"Original Friend is every bit as "open book" as its predecessor Dizzy, but this time around songwriter Molly Ledford's subject is friendship. Friendship temporarily lost and then regained (the strings-assisted 1-minute opener "Friends Again"); friends who are awesome (the title track, and a prototypical Lunch Money indie-pop song); friends willing to imagine with you (the pop-by-way-of-circus-music "Getaway Car")."
"At this point the band writes succinctly
And perhaps a little distinctly
There's almost no fluff
Or extraneous stuff
The melodies simply just hit me."

5. (tie) The Hipwaders | Dan Zanes and Friends
Golden State | Little Nut Tree
[Review | [Review]
"Where are the albums for kids too old for Laurie Berkner but not ready for Lady Gaga? This year's best album for that age group is the latest record from the Bay Area band The Hipwaders. It's called The Golden State, and as you might guess from the title, it's a big, sunny power-pop embrace of their homestate..."
"So, it was worth the wait, friends... It's a joyful album meant for listening and dancing and singing along to -- in other words, a classic Dan Zanes album and one of the best kids music albums of the year."

7. (tie) Cat and a Bird | Lori Henriques
Cat and a Bird | Outside My Door
[Review | Review]
"Cat and a Bird is fairly new to the scene -- the band's website isn't even set up as of this writing. But their self-titled debut bristles with an energy and self-assurance that pays dividends. Their sound -- mixing elements of folk, rock, electronic beats, and gypsy violin -- sometimes sounds both 100 years old and from 100 years in the future."
"It's a Broadway (or perhaps off-Broadway) musical waiting to be made, or perhaps the subject of the first kids' music-themed episode of Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz, or a Randy Newman album consisting of pleasant narrators."

9. (tie) Caspar Babypants | Holly Throsby
This Is Fun! | See!
[Review]
[Review]
"The title suggests that Ballew is finally feeling comfortable in this his new skin of family entertainer. And while you never would've known that he was uncomfortable after listening to his first two tons-of-fun disks, it is a clue that Ballew has begun to figure out his calling. That calling? Focusing on preschool-aged kids and younger." [Note: Yeah, I know. Two spots in the Top 10. I almost thought of limiting CB to just one spot on the list. But that didn't seem fair to this album, which was nearly as good as its successor.]
"One of most captivating family music albums I've heard this year. Recorded at an old church south of Sydney, the album kicks off with the sound of a horn heard off the coast as the intro to "Putt Putt," a gentle tune about going out into the ocean with a small motor boat. From there, the album moves to "Fish and Mice," which starts out with what sounds like a Casio drum keyboard and eventually leads to an infectious sing-along chorus with a bunch of kids singing interjections ("Fish!"... "Bike!"). This looseness in musical production is carried on throughout the album."

9 (tie, continued). The Deedle Deedle Dees
Strange Dees, Indeed
[Review]
From here on out I'm just going to post links to reviews -- if you want to read more about the fine albums on the rest of the list, the links are there for your enjoyment and edification. But I do want to single out the new album from the Dees.

Every year, the hardest part of drawing up my Fids & Kamily list is not picking out my favorite. Oddly enough, that's been pretty easy over the years. No, it's picking out #10 in the list. Because there is inevitably at least one album (if not more) that gets excluded that you're wondering exactly how it didn't make the list. This year that album is the Dees' Strange Dees, Indeed. If you'd asked me on another day, I might have preferred it to Caspar or See! (or decided there should only be one CB album in that list). So even though it didn't make my F&K ballot, it's tied with those two albums above in my mind. It's woolly and weird, just like the Dees themselves, and I mean that in the best way.

12. Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke
Hey Pepito! EP
[Review]
If this had been 12 songs long instead of 6, it probably would be at #6 instead of #12.

13. The Thinkers
Oh Zoooty!
[Review]
Goofy, playful, and imaginative indie-pop.

14. Billy Kelly
Family Garden
[Review]
Best known for his utterly silly songs, Kelly plays it relatively straight on his latest album... and I still like it.

15. Beethoven's Wig
Sing Along Piano Classics
[Review]
The long-running series applying humorous lyrics to classical music, er, classics is reinvigorated.

16. (tie) Papa Crow | Chuck Cheesman
Things That Roar | Dancing with No Shoes On
[review]
I reviewed these two folk albums together, and while I like them both for different reasons, I like them both a lot.

18. The Jimmies
Practically Ridiculous
[Review]
I'll say it again -- why does Ashley Albert not have a TV show of her own yet?

19. Gustafer Yellowgold
Gustafer Yellowgold's Infinity Sock
[Review]
This ranking is just for the music itself, which for several years now has been consistently good. This could go on for many more years.

20. (tie) Ellia Jenkins | Biscuit Brothers
A Life of Song | Get Up and Go!
[Review | Review]
Ella Jenkins is a living legend, while Austin's Biscuit Brothers are merely well-loved by a number of folks. But both do a great job in helping kids develop a lifelong love for music.

22. Various Artists
I Love: Tom T. Hall's Songs of Fox Hollow
[Review]
There are some gorgeous (and fun) songs on this song-for-song remake of a kids' country album classic.

23. Brady Rymer
Love Me for Who I Am
[Review]
The rare album targeted at (or inspired by) a small group (in this case, kids with alternative learning styles who have autism, Asperger's, etc.) that completely transcends that to speak to all listeners.

24. The Not-Its!
Tag, You're It!
[Review]
Another blast of pop-punk from the best-dressed band in kids' music.

25. Alastair Moock
These Are My Friends
[Review]
One sign of how vibrant the kids' music scene is right now is that this album, squeaking in on this list at #25, could very well have made my Top 10 list from 2006.

Christmas CD Reviews (2011 Edition, Part 1)

So many Christmas albums have crossed my desk (real or virtual) this year that I'm splitting my reviews up into 2 parts -- one for kids music artists or albums targeted at kids (this one) and one for the rest of the musical world. That distinction is a little fuzzy, because Christmas music, generally, is pretty family-friendly as it is. In any case, there are one or two albums here that could have been in the next installment, and there are a handful of artists in that next installment whose names are familiar to the kids music world.

Because what people are looking for in Christmas music differs dramatically, these reviews are ordered in rough order of most to least "goofy." "Goofy" is merely a descriptive term, not a pejorative term -- it just helps those different people who want different things from their holiday music figure out where on the spectrum they should be reading.

It is not terribly surprising that I would lead off this list -- the "most goofy" -- with an album from The Jimmies. Ashley Albert and crew have expanded their holiday EP from last year into a full-length Mama Said Nog You Out. (The title alone should clue you in on their attitude.) It's not that they're disrespectful to the season, just that they're more interested in its absurdities. The chant-y original "Nogturne in C Minor," turning "Sleigh Ride" into lite-funk, and making the-already-not-too-reverential "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth" into a Marcia Ball-style blues strut -- these are not the songs of someone who's going to somberly celebrate. (And with several songs celebrating non-Christmas holidays, it's appropriate for wiseacre families of every creed.) Available exclusively at Barnes and Noble, or get a free download if you order their latest album Practically Ridiculous from the Jimmies at their website.
Billy Kelly is next up with Dear Santa Claus, a 5-song EP featuring the typical Billy Kelly-ian stew of wordplay and earnestness mixed with a little bit of Bart Simpson. The classic song here is "Glebells Jing!," which Kelly first featured a couple years ago and has somehow managed to rope an entire chorus to sing its mind-bending alteration of "Jingle Bells." (I think the cheer at the end of the song is one of relief.) The other tracks do a better job of celebrating the (secular) season, but none will stick in your head like "Glebells Jing!" Purchase the album at Amazon or iTunes. All proceeds will benefit Camp Victory, a Pennsylvania camp designed for kids with chronic health illness or disabilities.

Trout Fishing in America released their Christmas album Merry Fishes to All way back in 2004, but I'm just now getting around to listening to it. In typical TFA style, it features a number of silly songs, giving voice to the inner kid ("Chocolate Christmas," "Santa Brought Me Clothes," "I Got a Cheese Log"), mixed in with some more tender moments -- "Snow is Falling" and "Snow Day," for example. And then there are the just-plain oddball tracks - "The Eleven Cats of Christmas," for example, a re-work of sorts of "The Twelve Days of Christmas," and the classic "Bob and Bob," about identical snowflakes. Trout Fishing fans certainly already have this, but others may also find the jazzy and folk-y blend of humor and empathy a nice addition to their slightly more traditional rotation.

Miss Gail and the Jumpin' Jam Band, out of Atlanta, released A Jumpin' Christmas, a 5-song EP. This was probably my least-favorite disk out of the ones reviewed here, but there were a couple tracks I think are worth checking out. I liked the leadoff track "Winter," which uses a swaying 6/8 meter to paint a picture of snow falling and the play that ensues. And "Hark" is an uptempo pop-rock rework of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" ("oh-woah-oh-oh-oh / we're gonna go-go-go") that's pretty good if you like that sort of thing (I'm OK with it, though I'm generally a carol traditionalist). I personally do not like AutoTune, and so will not be listening to this version of "Jingle Bells" ever again. You can pick up the EP in various places, including iTunes.

San Diego's Hullabaloo turns in a low-key collection of 11 secular Christmas carols and one original song on Santa Songs. These are fairly faithful renditions of the carols with comparatively minimal musical arrangement (though a few songs like "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" bring in some additonal instruments like fiddle and mandolin). Given the familiarity and simplicity of the tunes, my favorite track on the album is the one original song, "All of the Above," a gentle duet between lead Hullabaloo-ster Steve Denyes and Beth Crocker celebrating the peace and love of the season. (I also like their album-closing rendition of "Auld Lange Syne." Buy the album here and listen to 3 songs from the album here.

Harry Connick Jr. has turned his song "The Happy Elf" into a kids' TV special, stage musical, children's book, app, and, yes, a soundtrack. If you stripped the album of its cover art and first track (featuring Connick Jr. reading his book), you (or your kids) wouldn't really know that it's a Christmas album. The Harry Connick Jr. Trio evokes another famous Christmastime trio (no, not the three wise men -- the Vince Guaraldi Trio, silly) and the whole thing has a bit of a Charlie Brown Christmas feel. It also has a bit of a When Harry Met Sally feeling, harkening back to that soundtrack a couple decades old, which leads to the issue here -- strip the CD of the track which features Connick Jr. reading the text of the titular book, and there's not much to make you think it's a Christmas CD. The title track sounds like a happy elf, I suppose, and "Christmas Day" has a peaceful, relaxed vibe, but nothing is particularly Christmas-y (or kids-music-y, for that matter). It's good jazz, and would fit unobtrusively into a more festive playlist. But unless you (and your family) are familiar with the story and its other incarnations, you would be disappointed in getting this specifically for its holiday mood-setting. (Available at Amazon and elsewhere.)

Finally (and best of all if you're looking for a Christmas album that most closely matches the spirit of the season), Dan Zanes has released a new iTunes exclusive album called Christmas in Concord. It's got a simple, rootsy vibe that very much feels like the DZ&F crew packed into Zanes' living room and, with a little banjo and slide guitar, sang all the big Christmas carols. My favorite is "Angels We Have Heard on High," but they're all good -- it's the Christmas album here I'm most likely to be spinning for Christmas 2021.

[I received copies of all albums discussed here for possible review.]