Who Is Everett?

He doesn't have a lot of friends, though you can change that. Or check out Harold or Penelope, perhaps.

(Really, it's nothing that hasn't been done before -- if a Wendy's hamburger patty can do it, why can't these guys? Too bad it'll only be the parents and not the kids who get to join the viral party.)

Listen To This: Josephine Cameron - "Oh Sister"

News from Josephine Cameron that she'll be releasing one track a week for free from her upcoming September release American Songs Vol. 2 at Cameron's Myspace page. First up, "Oh Sister," which is actually a Cameron original, a slow track about friendship and support. There's nothing particularly kid-focused about the track (and it's probably too slow to keep younger kids engaged, at least on CD), but it sounds like it'll be at home among a host of other much more traditional songs. Fans of Cameron's last CD, Close Your Eyes (review) and other traditional music should make sure to stop by the Myspace page weekly as tracks are added...

Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang Doin' Their Part to Eliminate East Coast Bias

I tend not to report on single-artist tours, but a note from Gwendolyn of Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang made me realize that we're starting to see more cross-country tours here. I mean, sure, Dan Zanes is like the Bob Dylan of kids' music, playing anywhere they'll have him, and Ralph's World and Justin Roberts are racking up the frequent flyer miles, too. (Laurie Berkner would as well, but she's not touring much, period.)

But now we're seeing slightly less familiar artists making the trek across the country. Brooklyn-based The Deedle Deedle Dees are heading out to Texas, Arkansas, and Kentucky. Melissa and Ellen & Matt, both LA artists, recently trekked out to the New York area (they popped up on Spare the Rock last week. (The The Sippy Cups are playing everywhere in between, too.)

And now Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang are putting together an honest-to-goodness East Coast tour. If you're in the neighborhood of the following venues at the following times, do stop by...

Sat/Sun Oct 21 & 22
Children’s Museum of the East End - Bridgehampton, NY

Sat Oct 27
11am: PB & Jams at World Café – Philadelphia, PA

Sun Oct 28
10am: Citibabes Annual Halloween Bash - Manhattan, NY
2pm: Brooklyn Botanic Garden – Brooklyn, NY (“Ghouls and Gourds” festival)

Mon Oct 29
4 pm: Brooklyn Central Library, Dweck Center - Brooklyn, NY

Tue Oct 30
4 pm: Bay Ridge Library - Brooklyn, NY

Wed Oct 31
6:30pm: Mamalu – Brooklyn, NY (Halloween show)

Thu Nov 1
10 am: Williamsburgh Library - Brooklyn, NY

Fri Nov 2
9:30am: Elephant Steps - Norwalk, CT
6 pm: Borders Books - Simbsbury, CT

Sat Nov 3
2pm: The Children’s Art Museum – Shelburne Falls, MA

Sun Nov 4
11am: First Act – Boston, MA
3:30pm: Brookline Music School – Boston, MA

Now Hear This: The Jellydots - "San Diego"

The other day, I posted a video of the Jellydots performing a new cut, "San Diego," as part of the Tricycle Music Fest in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Well, the finished version of The Jellydots' "San Diego" is now available as a free download from their Myspace page. It'll be on their upcoming release Changing Skies, which is, according to the page, "almost done!" (Interjection Doug's.)

I think you'll find it a valuable addition to our modern lifestyle. Or, at the very least, your family's mp3 collection.

Exclusive: High School Musical 2 Recalled For Lead-Based Paint

BURBANK, CA -- Executives with the Disney Channel today notified the Consumer Products Safety Commission that it was instituting a voluntary recall for nearly 2 million copies of its highly-anticipated soundtrack to the High School Musical 2 movie, scheduled to be aired on the Disney Channel this Friday.

"We know that many families were planning on listening to this CD over and over and over and over and over and over...... and over" this week, said Phyllis Bronwick, Assistant Vice President for Public Relations with the Channel. "It comes as a tremendous disappointment to us that we discovered that the Chinese manufacturer of our CDs was also using the plant to produce lead-flavored chocolate bunnies."

"Although the likelihood that the amount of lead in each CD will produce an adverse health effect in the standard 8-year-old listener is small -- c'mon, people, it's not like they're eating the things -- we have decided in the interest of safety to issue a voluntary recall," Bronwick said.

Jonathan Sanderwhite, a Tampa, Florida parent of three kids, said he wasn't entirely surprised by the recall, adding, "Have you seen the acting? I mean, talk about leaden!"

Disney executive Bronwick refused to comment on whether the radition emitted by iTunes downloads or the televised movie could also be harmful to listeners or viewers.

But many families are saying they don't plan to take any chances. "I don't care -- it's Metallica for our iPods and Superbad for our Friday night movie," says Sanderwhite.

In other news, Disney Channel executives also denied that their popular show Hannah Montana had been pinpointed by the Federal Aviation Administration as one of the main causes of significant air travel delays this summer...
OK, admit it, a small part of you (maybe a large part of you) wishes this whole High School Musical thing would go away. It's overly hyped and relentlessly peppy.

But it's Not. About. You.

Your kids are going to buy this regardless of what you've said about it. Or haven't said about it. Cursing the soundtrack or saying how bad it is (regardless of whether or not it's true) won't have a single bit of influence on your kids in this regard. Complaining that it's not good enough music is for people who have never once taken the easy road in cultural, culinary, or any other contexts.

I've avoided talking about High School Musical 2 or its predecessor for a number of reasons, the primary reason being I've never seen the original. We don't have cable and, more importantly, our daughter isn't quite yet in the HSM demographic.

I've heard the soundtrack and it's just OK. It's not horrible, but there are some nuggets in there. In particular, I've heard "Breaking Free" done by more 8-year-olds than I can count at city music recitals, and it's a song that holds up under the shakiest of renditions.

But that song, like the others, or like the new song in the video below, is little different from songs considered "adult." There's little distinguishing it from what you'd hear on "Magic 96.7," or whatever it is in your neck of the woods.

It might be music for kids, but it's not really children's music...

High school musical 2 - You are the music in me music video
Uploaded by lindsssy