Geckos Rock!

Thanks again to Bill and Ella for having me on this morning's Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child broadcast. I had a great time playing some rockin' tunes talking about the care and feeding of geckos with the two of 'em. And happy early birthday to Liam, too!

For those of you who care, my notes on my playlist...
1. The Call - Let the Day Begin -- I heard this recently and was reminded how much I like this song. An anti-lullaby song of sorts. In a good way.
2. Ralph's World -- The Coffee Song -- My wife loves (or at least needs) coffee while I can't stand the stuff. This is her favorite Ralph's World song.
3. Anne Hathaway -- Great Big World -- Our daughter loves this song and sings along. (Listen to the broadcast for my discussion with Ella on why you can't find it in stores anymore.)
4. The New Pornographers -- The Laws Have Changed -- The insane number of layers this song has sonically floors me. And it is, as far as I can tell, kid-friendly. (Bill says he's checked.)
5. Asylum Street Spankers -- Sliver -- I like this version better than the original.
6. Lunch Money -- I Want A Dog -- We do not have a dog, but lyrically Molly Ledford nails the pleading/hopeful voice of a child perfectly -- for any object. (It's about here that the show digresses into a gecko-fest. My wife wishes me to emphasize that gecko invasions only happen during the summer.)
7. Dan Zanes -- Rattlin' Bog -- A couple years ago when our daughter was obsessed with this song, she could track back the order better than I could.
8. Gabby Pahinui -- Aloha Ka Manini -- Our few slack key guitars CDs get a lot of play. They're excellent quiet time music.
9. Elizabeth Mitchell - Jubilee -- This song makes me feel warm all over.
10. Semisonic -- Closing Time -- Go ahead and guess what this song is about. (You'll have to listen to the broadcast, or read drummer Jacob Schlichter's excellent set of diaries on life as a musician on a major label, So You Wanna Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star, to find out.)
11. Justin Roberts -- Cartwheels and Somersaults -- There might be better songs by Roberts, but this is the one that meant the most to our family after our son's arrival
12. Talking Heads -- This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) -- Because "Stay Up Late" was too obvious and "The Great Curve" wasn't nearly so kid-friendly. "Love me 'til heart stops. Love me 'til I'm dead." It might just be the best rock song about family ever.
13. They Might Be Giants -- Theme From Higglytown Heroes -- Our daughter has never seen "Higglytown Heroes," only the video promo on the "Here Come the ABCs" DVD. But she loves the song anyway. (Y'know, maybe it's because of the video promo...)

And just because it is a cool (and kid-friendly) video...

I Was Born A Ramblin' Man

Don't forget that tomorrow, March 3rd, Bill and Ella at Spare the Rock will have a certain long-winded visitor appearing on the program. We'll be discussing the effects of this week's stock market collapse on the world economy playing some rockin' tunes (and a few non-rockin' ones as well).

Do stop by and tune in.

New Wiggle Already Experienced Interview Pro

As regular readers are well aware, we don't typically do much Wiggles coverage 'round here. No particular reason other than my kids have never expressed any Wiggles interest.

But they're coming to Phoenix next week, March 8 to be exact. That date, a Thursday, already tells you two important things about the Wiggles: 1) they're obviously geared toward preschoolers, and 2) they are the rare, if only, pure kids' music act that can actually sell tickets for a weekday show.

In any case, Sam Moran, who's the new Yellow Wiggle (replacing Greg Page after his retirement for medical reasons) gave a brief interview with our major local newspaper and proved himself already a good interview. He deftly avoided answering a groaner of a question (you'll know it when you read it) while, in response to another question, getting off one of the zippier one-liners I've seen:

Q: How many times have you sung "Fruit Salad"? How do you keep it fresh?

A: "Fruit Salad"'s always better when it's fresh.

Well played, Sam, well played.

Review: Dance for the Sun (Yoga Songs for Kids) - Kira Willey

You think kids' music has taken off (again) in the past few years? Think about yoga. Seems like whatever available retail space isn't being taken up by a pharmacy is being occupied by a yoga studio. The idea of "yoga songs for kids," therefore, could very easily be one exploited for a quick buck, resulting in a horrible-sounding, goopy mess.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I found Kira Willey's Dance for the Sun (Yoga Songs for Kids), released in late 2006 to be, well, not horrible-sounding at all. In fact, it's kinda fun. Even if you (or your kids) don't do yoga.

(I should note for the record here that I'm in the "we have yoga DVDs at home that we still use on a mostly regular basis" camp, which means I like practicing it but have no deep and abiding need to take classes.)

Musically, the CD definitely exceeded my expectations. Willey did some performing in nightclubs (no, not of her yoga music) in New York City before becoming a certified yoga instructor and writing songs to use in her classes there. So rather than feeling like the songs were rushed together, they feel organic, like these were actually the best of the bunch. In particular, "Surfer Mama" is a great little doo-wop influenced surfing pop tune that would sound great on any album. You would never know it was a yoga-related song if there weren't yoga moves illustrated in the colorful liner notes. Willey's brother Tom Shields, who sings bass on "Surfer Mama" also sings on "Caterpillar Caterpillar," turning the song's title into a neat little counterpoint to the lyrics. The instrumentation is fairly simple on the mostly folk-rock tracks throughout, which draws attention to Willey's clear voice, though some tracks bring in a few more instruments (Willey plays the fiddle and is accompanied on clarinet and saxophone on the poppy "Midnight Moonlight," for example). If you're looking for reference points, think of a slightly folkier, more abstract Frances England.

Very few songs actually have a direct yoga reference in the lyrics -- the title track, for example, goes through the "Sun Salutation" series of poses. Willey could have called this album Movement Songs for Kids or just some other random title. I'm a visual learner, so the 40-minute-or-so "live" yoga class that follows the half-hour of studio tracks didn't really do much for me other than to think that a yoga class with Willey would be lots of fun -- she interacts quite well with the kids.

The CD is most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7. You can hear samples of most of the tracks here.

Whether or not Dance for the Sun is a good album for helping your kids learn yoga depends on what kind of learner your kids (and you) are. But this album stands up on its own merits -- pleasant, occasionally poppy songs that encourage movement, even if it's just swaying along. Recommended.

Review: Tabletop People Vol. 1 & 2 - Session Americana

Lost amid all the talk of hootenannies lately is this crucial point:

They're not always all that interesting for the audience.

Sure, it can be a blast playing music with friends, challenging one another, exploring new music. Sometimes magic happens for musician and listener alike. But sometimes all you're left with is "Jazz Odyssey," of little interest to the people listening.

Tabletop People Vol. 1 & 2 (2005) is an album that grew out of a hootenanny and became a CD that many readers and families out there will absolutely love.

The core of Session Americana consists of six Boston-area musicians with many other gigs; the band itself is known for their roots-rock jams in increasingly large local venues. They recorded the album in the same way they play their shows -- gathered in a circle, with guests joining in. The band's long experience playing live shines through on the CD -- the music is accomplished but with a looseness that makes the joy (and, occasionally, sadness) stand out.

The album starts off with with an invigorating bluegrass take on "Boats Up the River," so propulsive that one of the band members shouts "Don't stop now!" midway through. And they don't, from a rootsy take on Jonathan Richman's "Party in the Woods" (led by former Richman bandmate Asa Brebner) to a gently swinging "Merzidotes" to the best version of "Froggy Went A-Courtin'" on record (emphasizing the "uh-HUH" part gives it a great singalong feel).

And that's just the first CD.

Yes, in the spirit of Wilco's great Being There album, this 59-minute album is split into two CDs. The second CD is listed as more introspective, a distinction that is somewhat hard to hear (there are introspective tracks on the first CD, too), but the split does make it easier to take just a 30-minute CD break. The second CD includes the languid indie-pop "Floppy Tulips," a rockin' alt-country' "Mr. Rabbit" (which, well, would have fit perfectly on Being There or A.M., musically at least), and the final two songs "Point of No Return" and "Trouble Wheel." These last two are not kids' songs by any stretch of the imagination -- they're the songs you hear at the end of the night when the kids, exhausted from dancing and playing around, are asleep in your lap just before you head home.

The album's appropriate for listeners age 2 and up, although there are going to be certain songs that the youngsters won't get -- not inappropriate, just not really geared for 'em. You can hear samples of all the tracks at the album's CD Baby page, but I'd recommend going to both their Myspace page as well as their own album page. Each have the same three (full tracks), but the former also includes "Mr. Rabbit" and the latter also includes "Boats in the River."

Fans of Dan Zanes, Dog on Fleas, and Elizabeth Mitchell will especially hold this album dear, but so will a bunch of other listeners. Sometimes hootenannies leave the listener a little flat, but at times they can be graced by magic. Tabletop People Vol. 1 & 2 falls in the latter category. Highly recommended.