Sunday, January 7, 2007 at 4:21AM I can't remember if I've mentioned this before, but Bill Childs also has a gig writing about kids' music for Minnesota Parent. (Bill is Minnesotan and a parent, though not both simultaneously at the moment.) His latest column discusses half of his Fids and Kamily ballot. Find out all about Liam's favorites...
Friday, January 5, 2007 at 12:04AM Readers. Readers who need... readers.
Are the luckiest readers... in the world.
Got a request from a reader as follows:
I'm looking for some upbeat Passover Song and Dance Music for children between the ages of 6- 12. Something we can beat tambourines too and for the most part has English lyrics but a Hebrew tone.I don't think the Why Not Sea Monsters? discs are quite what this reader is looking for, and other than that I don't have any good ideas.
But I'm sure you do. E-mail me or just go ahead and share them in the comments. Thanks.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007 at 12:23PM 
Get this man a TV show. Now.
Wondering what in the world I'm talking about? Go check out the website or the music video (lower right-hand corner of the "house" -- the sky-blue horizon room -- yeah, I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's a good indication of the creativity at work with this artist.
Take one listen to Sir Jerry's World, the 2006 release and second kids' album from Toronto-based Sir Jerry, and tell me that that 37-minute album wouldn't make for a great episode of television, regardless of whether you're 8 or 38.
Sir Jerry, er, Jerry Levitan, interviewed John Lennon -- yes, that John Lennon -- when he (Jerry) was just 14 years old. As a result, a lot of his press coverage tends to make Beatles comparisons, but I don't hear it too much. Sure, perhaps in songs such as "The Chi L'in Purse," the Eastern sounds of the story song give it a very Beatles-go-to-India effect, but Sir Jerry explores a much broader musical palette. The horn-based rock of "Sir Jerry's Theme," the played-for-laughs rapping on "Do the Melman," the sheer They Might Be Giants-esque goofiness of "Swinging Through the Portals of Time," the winsome pop of "Superhero," -- all show a very Beatlesque willingness to try new things, but don't really sound like the Beatles. Another more apt comparison musically that's been suggested is David Bowie and Ziggy Stardust, which on tracks such as "King Santa" makes more sense. (And the band, led by Levitan's partner in musical crime Ruben Huizenga, sounds pretty good, too.) With so many different musical approaches and combination of jokey and less-jokey stuff, the album doesn't quite hang together, but it's definitely never boring.
The album is targeted mostly at kids ages 4 through 9. You can hear some selected tracks at Sir Jerry's website (go to the room in the upper-left-hand corner and click on the piano to hear 2 songs from each of his albums).
With an elaborate stage show (up to 10 people at a time) and time spent acting on Toronto stages, Sir Jerry would seem to be a natural person to tackle a goofy Pee Wee's Playhouse-type TV show. I like Sir Jerry's World the album. But I'd love Sir Jerry's World: The TV Show.
Tuesday, January 2, 2007 at 1:48PM 
For those of you who find CDs with not one, but two, duets between adults and kids well, not worth your time, please move on. You won't like this disk.
(Are they gone? Good.)
It's a risk, of course, anytime you let a younger child sing lead on an album, but on Just Look At You, the 2005 release from California-based schoolteacher and occasional musician Jamie Barnett, the payoff is more fulfilling than a chorus of KidzBoppers.
So is the album itself, a gentle mix of guitar-based folk and other styles with a warm lyrical content. On "The Sun Shines," Barnett duets with his niece Alyssa, and when he describes her as singing "bravely" in the liner notes, the description is apt -- it sounds just like your niece might sound like, and it fits perfectly. On the soft and funky blues "I Love Pancakes," Barnett is backed by a ragged kids' chorus, as he is on a few other tracks.
Which isn't to say Barnett is entirely dependent on the younger voices -- perhaps the best track is "Goldilocks," a retelling of the fairy tale that is remiscent in both the tone and the vocals of John Prine's "Jesus - The Missing Years":
"She’s not a bad person but I’m telling you / My friend Goldilocks she does things she shouldn’t do / She walks into people’s houses but she doesn’t really care / That she doesn’t even know the people who are living there"
Add to that the retelling of the Montgomery bus boycott ("381 Days"), which is given just enough lyricism ("When Rosa Parks sat down / The people around / Did not even know what they saw / What they were looking at then / Was the beginning of the end / Of a hateful unjust law") and a singalong chorus to lift it above most history lessons set to music, and the entire album is suffused with warmth.
I think kids ages 3 through 8 are most likely to appreciate the 31-minute album, though its mostly gentle nature may make it appropriate for quiet time for even younger ones. You can hear samples of all the tracks here.
Just Look At You is a quietly powerful album, which shows, among other things, how courage can come from taking a stand or just singing along. For a change of pace from brighter, shinier pop, Barnett's album is an excellent choice. Recommended.
Monday, January 1, 2007 at 1:02PM Did you hear the new ScribbleMonster song on Saturday's Spare the Rock? You really should. (It's about 42 minutes in.)
And for those of you wanting the incredibly-catchy "I Wish I Lived In Michigan" on CD, news on ScribbleMonster's Myspace page that the CD is in here. The Myspace page has four cuts from the 49-track (!) CD.
