KidVid Tournament 2007 Reminder: VOTE!

If you haven't voted yet (and, frankly, with the number of times I've posted this, how could you not), go here and do so.

Lots of pirate talk, lots of tricycles, and a relative minimum of trash talk. (Heck, Frances and Captain Bogg voted for each other's videos, so, really, no put-downs needed.) Plus, you could win a free copy of one of the finalists' CDs.

Avoid scurvy, win the Tour de France in your underpants, and vote now.

Baseball Songs (Updated)

It's Tuesday, and my baseball team is undefeated. So it's not too late for me to update my list of baseball songs. But first...

My very first major league baseball game(s) were watching the Minnesota Twins in the Metrodome (for School Crossing Guard Day(s). Really). So I was excited to hear The Hold Steady have recorded "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" (download at their Myspace page). It's exactly what you'd expect a Hold Steady version of the song to sound like -- half-spoken/half-sung, massive guitar solo. It's also got a shout-out to the Metrodome, which is fine, but maybe Craig and the boys aren't getting the Minnesota papers in Brooklyn -- the Twins are getting a new (open-air) stadium. (Watch MTV's video of Finn recording vocals here.)

It's also a good time to mention Ben Rudnick and Friends' new sampler album The Challenger Baseball Song and Other Hits, proceeds of which will go to benefit the Challenger Division of Little League Baseball. The title track is a zippy Rudnick-ian jam, and the other tracks are a good selection of the band's music. Learn more and listen to sound clips here and here.

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There are very few sports-related children's songs that come to mind. I can understand why, as sports like football and hockey require a lot of equipment and are typically for older kids (this is especially the case for football). Basketball and baseball are easier to play, perhaps -- less equipment, introduced at an earlier age. Since the major sports typically become mostly a spectator sport as we grow up, perhaps it's good that there isn't much children's music about sports since a song about watching other people do something is kinda depressing as a kids' song. (It does make me think that the genre of children's soccer songs is a niche waiting to be filled.)

Here goes:

-- "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" (well, duh) -- try Wiggleworms Love You, from the Old Town School of Folk Music (nicely bipartisan, cheering for both the Cubs and White Sox)
-- "Baseball Dreams" -- off At the Bottom of the Sea, by Ralph's World (Cubs all the way in this one)
-- "I'm Gonna Catch You" -- off Under a Shady Tree, by Laurie Berkner (it has one relevant line -- "So I jumped into Saturday / And I had a baseball batter-day" -- yeah, I'm really reachin' here)
-- "Centerfield" -- off Centerfield, by John Fogerty (not kids' music, but a great song anyway). See also Visqueen's rendition on the forthcoming Desoto Records kidscomp Play!
-- "Talkin' Baseball -- off countless albums by Steve Cashman, who just re-records and updates his song -- baseball history lesson in 3 minutes
-- "Big Train" -- off the RTT's Turn It Up Mommy!. About Walter "Big Train" Johnson. I'd probably disagree that he's the best pitcher ever, but that's another blog. Good song.
-- "Right Field" -- Peter, Paul and Mary.
-- "Cryin' in the Dugout" -- off Daddy-A-Go-Go's upcoming Eat Every Bean and Pea on Your Plate album. A humorous song -- "Baseball Dreams" played for laughs instead of nostalgia.
-- "The Greatest" -- Kenny Rogers.
-- "Roll Around" -- Peter Himmelman, off of his My Lemonade Stand CD. A fun, rollicking song about a baseball who retires, then comes back to his calling.
-- "Baseball" -- Milkshake, off Play!. Guest-starring Cal Ripkin, Jr.
-- "The Challenger Baseball Song" -- Ben Rudnick and Friends. All about the Challenger Division of Little League, for kids with mental and physical disabilities.
-- "Baseball, Baseball" -- Stephen Cohen, off Here Comes the Band. [Good call, Gwyneth!]

And finally, an artist reviewed here on this very site wrote me to suggest four more songs, including at least one I'm miffed I forgot... the comments in quotes are the artist's, not mine.
-- "Catfish" -- off Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series. I am unfamiliar with this one. But it's Dylan.
-- "Joe DiMaggio’s Done it Again" -– Wilco and Billy Bragg, from their Mermaid Ave Vol. 2
-- "A Dying Cubs Fan’s Last Request" –- Steve Goodman – "Classic, and very funny." See "Talkin' Baseball," above.
-- "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" -- Brave Combo - "two very cool versions... wacky and fun." It's Brave Combo, how could it not be fun?

If any of you have more suggestions (or can point me to a family-friendly soccer song), leave me a comment.

We Got Contests. Boy, Do We Ever.

A reminder about three contests going on RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE! (Unless, of course, you're reading this on Saturday. In which case, that sense of urgency up above is going to sound sort of silly.)

1. Pick the Top 5 Kids' Songs of All Time -- the person closest to the actual songs (that would be, er, my list) wins a free CD from a selection of my choosing. Entries are due before I post songs 16 through 20, which will probably happen in the next day or so.
2. Vote in the KidVid Tournament Final -- One randomly-selected voter will get to choose between copies of Captain Bogg & Salty's Pegleg Tango and Frances England's Fascinating Creatures, fine albums both of them. Voting closes tomorrow (Tuesday) night.
3. What Historical Event/Personage Should the Deedle Deedle Dees Write A Song About? -- Tell us, and win a copy of the Deedle Deedle Dees' great new album Freedom in a Box, not for you, for your local school or library system.

But that's not all on #3. Lloyd Miller, Ulysses Dees himself, has offered to actually write a song based on the event or person you list. That's right, folks, not only are you contributing a CD to a local school or charity, you're contributing a song to the world at large. How totally cool. So if you haven't entered, DO SO NOW. (Entries are due by Thursday night.) TR would want you to.

Listen To This: Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke

When I hear good new music that doesn't even have a record associated with it, I'm sometimes tempted to keep it secret, to spring it upon the world when the record is finished.

Luckily, I soon come to my senses, recognizing that not only is that a stupid idea (I'm probably not the only one who knows), but it's a selfish one, of course. And since the sharing, communal nature of much of kids' music is one of its most appealing points, being selfish about good music seems, well, just so wrong.

And so I am happy to share this music from New Jersey-based Key Wilde. Key seems mostly drawn (pun unintended -- really) to the visual arts, but the seven songs from an upcoming CD (listen here) recorded as "Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke" show a playful musical side, too. A number of the songs have a loping folk-country feel, but "Favorite Names" is a fun multilingual punk tune, while "Rattling Can" is an awesome bluegrass re-envisioning of "Rattling Bog."

Fans of Frances England and Dan Zanes should definitely check the songs. (Which, I should note, have already received some airplay on Belinda & Hova's show. See what I mean? Somebody else knows.)

And then, yes, I will tell you when the CD finally comes out.

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.