Review: Charlie Davidson's Tricycle Club - Parker Bent

Los Angeles-based musician Parker Bent makes his living as a preschool music teacher, which means he gets to hone his performing skills on a daily basis. It's those performing skills that get a workout on Charlie Davidson's Tricycle Club, his second CD, released earlier this month.

As an album, Charlie is a bit more coherent than Bent's debut, I Am Your New Music Teacher, which was all over the map in musical styles in its brief running time. Over the course of 37 minutes, many of the 14 tracks sound like they've been recovered from a long lost 1970's AM kids radio. On "Allow Me," a song about, well, boogers, Bent does his best Johnny Cash impersonation, while on "Scooch Back," he melds a Lynyrd Skynyrd-worthy riff with a topic dear to many kids' hearts -- crowding the TV. ("My Little Big Brother" also throws in a Southern rock sound, but not nearly so overt.)

Beyond adding musical wit to his melodies (such as the "neener-neener-neener" riff on the bluesy "Things I Like To Do (mom says I can't do no more)" or the effects-pedal-exuberance of "Old MacDonald Had A Farm"), Bent uses his vocals to draw smiles out of his youthful audience. The space opera "Spaceman Steve" has Bent playing multiple parts, while his live cover of the Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" teases his preschool audience in part by occasionally singing the wrong lyric -- you can hear the glee in the kids' voices as they correct him. The CD is even a little educational as a couple short "Notes/Chords" interludes teach the difference between the two. (Unfortunately, their placement in the sequence didn't make perfect sense to me as, for example, the snippet using the harmonica didn't come before a song using the harmonica. Good idea and well-executed, I'd've just put 'em elsewhere in the CD.)

I'm going to peg the CD as most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7, though there's some wiggle room on either side of that. You can hear extended samples of several songs at the album's CDBaby page.

Charlie Davidson's Tricycle Club reflects the promise of Bent's debut CD. It's silly enough to keep kids' attention and definitely musical enough to satisfy not just the kids but their parents, too. Recommended.

It's Already February, And I Have A Third Most Favorite Song

Yes, "I Wish I Lived In Michigan" is awesome. So is "I Hog The Ground (Groundhog Song)".

But I have a third awesome song to share: Georgie James' "The Grizzly Jive."

The track is off the forthcoming DeSoto Records kids' compilation Play!, which I've been anticipating for awhile now.

I got an advance copy this week, and while you'll have to wait awhile for my review, this bubbly indiepop track from the new-ish DC-based duo is just so great that I need to spread the word now.

And I find to my delight DeSoto Records is super-obliging, offering up a full mp3 of the song at its Downloads page. You can also download "Always Check For Holes," from Channels w/ Damon Locks. (Channels includes former Jawbox member J. Robbins and Janet Morgan, who supplies the British accent on the track.)

Go. Now.

Contest: Win Baby Loves Disco Scottsdale Tickets

I've talked about this before, but Baby Loves Disco is, like, the coolest playdate ever. A snack layout to impress every kid, awesome chillout rooms, a well-stocked dancefloor -- even if your kid doesn't like to dance, they'll have fun at one of these events. And if they (and you) do like to dance, so much the better.

Well, the next Baby Loves Disco event in Arizona is Saturday, February 24th, from 2 - 5 PM, and our family -- all four of us -- is going to be there. The fine moms and dads in charge have given me a couple family packs to give away for the Arizona event. That's right, two lucky families will get to attend gratis with a family pack (two adults, up to three kids).

How can you win? Simple -- just leave me a comment in this post telling me which song (kid-friendly or not) gets your kid(s) moving to the beat. (You'll need to leave an e-mail address, but that's accessible only by me, and I'll never use it except to notify you if you're a winner.) I'll randomly select two winners. The deadline for entries is Saturday, Feb. 10th, 8 PM MST. Please note that kids need to be between the ages of 6 months and 7 years in order to attend.

And if you're in other parts of the country, don't you fret -- I might just have some tickets for you in the future, too... In the meantime, you can order tickets for all events here.

And the Winner of the Gwendolyn CD and DVD is...

Boy, did we ever have a lot of interest in our contest to win a copy of Get Up & Dance! the latest album from the faboo LA troupe Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang, plus a copy of their Live in Grandma's Living Room DVD. Pigtails aplenty, that's for sure.

Our winner, picked at random, is...

"DL," who says that "We think Gwendolyn's ponytails are the 'swing-iest' ponytails we've ever seen (courtesy of Rachel, 3 yrs) and they are 'just like mine and Emily's!'"

Congratulations to DL, and many thanks to Gwendolyn for sharing her new CD (and her DVD) with the readers here!

Rhinos, Chickens, and Dogs For Sale (In Handy CD Format)

I don't normally point out sales on CDs here (OK, I don't think I've ever done so), but Kohl's is having a sale on Sandra Boynton book/CD collections. Not only are they just $5 apiece, but 100% of net profits supports Kohl's Cares for Kids, which provides "health and educational opportunities for children nationwide." Hey, it's for the kids! The kids, folks!

Rhinoceros Tap
Philadelphia Chickens (review)
Dog Train (review)

I found the last two a bit uneven, but there are pretty good tracks on each of 'em, and I know that some families adore 'em.

There are plush stuffed animals for sale, too, but you'll have to find a different website to review those.