Review: Different - Elizabeth Street

The first thing you need to know about Elizabeth Street is that it's a band, not a person, consisting of two people: Connecticut-based singer-songwriter Susan Kolbenheyer and guitarist Gregory Pearce. The next thing you need to know is that their debut album Different (2006) is pretty good.

In kids' and family music, there are many albums with decent music but with lyrics that are just too... obvious. It is possible, however, to write lyrics that are direct enough for kids that aren't so obvious as to make the parental eyes roll, and it's that fine line that Kolbenheyer walks on the album.

Take, for example, the power-poppy "Fair," with a chorus of "Life isn't always fair / Sometimes things don't work out like you plan / But we make the best with what we can / and hey it may be grand." If the whole song was as obvious as the chorus, it would get tiring very quickly. Luckily, the stories in the verses (for example, how the narrator's dad ate the "Chubby Hubby" ice cream she thought she'd hidden in the back of the freezer) are laced with humor and the song ends with a bunch of nonsensical wordplay. Kolbenheyer says she's trying to open up an avenue of dialogue between parents and kids with the songs, and even includes the gentle and bluesy "You Can Tell Me" to expressly encourage dialogue, though even here the verses aren't always direct ("Did you disagree with your imaginary friend? / You can tell me, you can tell me / Did he hurt your feelings even though he is pretend? / You can tell me anything")

If there's a dominant musical approach, it's gentle folk-guitar-pop, but there's definitely enough variety musically to keep things interesting. "Really Gross" is the best song about nose-picking that Jack Johnson never wrote, while "Dragon For Dinner" and "The Eyeball People" are punk tunes. "We're All Friends Here" is a catchy power-pop tune. Kolbenheyer has an appealing voice and Pearce's instrumental work is strong, though sometimes the productions seems to leave the vocals less clear than I'd like on kids' CDs. (Besides the music itself, I'd also commend the lovely album art of Pamela Zagarenski.)

Given the topics of the songs, the album would be most appropriate for kids 5 through 9. You can hear long-ish samples of several tracks at the album's CDBaby page.

Elizabeth Street sounds a bit to me like a more-amplified Frances England, or maybe a less-lyrically-direct Milkshake. But like most good albums, Different stands on its own terms, in this case melding a skewed-enough approach to kids-related topics with parent-accessible music. Recommended.

Interview: Mr. David

When the children’s thing came knocking at the door, it was a light I hadn’t seen before. Children: they’re honesty, they’re excitement, they’re real human hearts, right in front of you. My first gig with the kids changed everything. It suddenly gave me this focus I hadn’t experienced before.

One of the most unique and creative kids' albums of the past year was Mr. David's The Great Adventures of Mr. David. Filled with flights of fancy, musically and lyrically, the album is, appropriately enough, rather adventurous. The San Jose-based Mr. David was kind enough to answer a few questions about his musical upbringing, the inspiration for some of his songs, and his band. (Thanks very much to Mr. David for his time.)

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My earliest memories of listening to music: I’m standing in my sister’s room at about 6 years-old, and I’m listening to The Cars, Duran Duran, The Cure, Joy Division . . . Hm, some other girly stuff I can’t remember. I do remember her room was full of colorful, little knick-knacks you get from the mall, little clippings of cute 80’s musicians on the floor, pink Good ‘n Plenty candy boxes on the bed -- I didn’t feel very hardcore in there.

I have older brothers too. My oldest brother, Paul, was a Deadhead at the age of fifteen, so all I heard from his room was “Terrapin Station” and “Shake Down Street.” (1985: my brother is burning incants and designing airports for fun -- Paul was a very smart kid.) My other brother, Yorgo, was into The Police and U2 (the early stuff, which I think is the best). Let’s see what else . . . oh, Bob Marley, The Beatles (The White Album), Peter Gabriel, Steve Miller, Pink Floyd, Midnight Oil, The Stones -- Yorgo had more music because he had more money than anyone else, and he was still a teenager. He was really good at holding jobs.

The first record I ever put on by myself was “Eye of the Tiger.” How funny is that? Life is full of strange stuff. I didn’t really play a lot of music until high school. This guy Jake was playing “Come As You Are” at lunchtime. It looked so simple and so cool. I wanted to become the song. I went home that day, found my Mom’s old guitar in the closet, and played Kurt’s opening riff for hours. It took a while before I was able to play and sing. I thought you had to be like God in order to do that. In fact, I’m still learning how to do that.

I still play that same guitar every once in a while, It’s a 1965 Karl Hauser, hand-crafted in West Germany. My Mom played it at Willow Glen High School in 1966. I graduated from the same school 31 years later. She says the guitar sounds better today. I used that guitar in spots in “Sea Song” (The Great Adventures of Mr. David) I also used it in “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” in my first album for sentimental reasons.

I remember another enlightening experience I had with music was in 8th grade. It was during P.E., and we were walking the track because we were lazy skaters, with a typical 13 year-old bad attitude. My friend Sean takes off his head phones and says, “listen to this. . . . “GOOD DAY SUN SHINE, GOOD DAY SUN SHINE, GOOD DAY SUN SHINE, I NEED TO LAUGH AND WHEN THE SUN IS OUT . . . “ Oh, that got me running. End of story.
You have some background as an actor -- How did you decide that you wanted to play and record kids' music?

Auditions were getting old. You drive up to San Francisco to audition for something, get judged and go home feeling like, “What did I do with my life today?” It was cool when I got work, but it wasn’t really me. I wasn’t supposed to be placed in the background. I have too much to give. I didn’t feel like I was using the part of the brain that needed to be expressed. Student films were the best. I didn’t get paid, but man they were fun. We have some pretty funny little shorts around the house.

When the children’s thing came knocking at the door, it was a light I hadn’t seen before. Children: they’re honesty, they’re excitement, they’re real human hearts, right in front of you. My first gig with the kids changed everything. It suddenly gave me this focus I hadn’t experienced before. I knew I had focus in me, but it wasn’t tuned in until I started playing for the brats (I mean the kids!) I started writing more songs. They were flowing more honestly. I felt like the kids were constantly looking forward to another Mr. David song. It made me want to keep bringing them to the table. I didn’t ever ask an adult if this song worked. I’d play it for the kids a day or two after writing it, and they’d always let me know if the song was worth putting on the album.

I wrote a song the other day called, “Jump in the Jumpy House.” I can’t wait to record it for the next album. I’m playing it live now, and the response is awesome. (It has a James Brown vibe.) Anyway, the kids thing just took off, felt right and so I went with it.

Were any of the songs on "The Great Adventures" inspired by adventures of your own?

Yes, most were adventures through my mind. But, all of the sea and beach songs like, “In the Storm, Fighting the Octopus,” “Surf’s Up All Around the World,” “Dream Away; Sail Away” and “Sea Song,” were all pretty much influenced by driving over Hwy 17 to Santa Cruz in the early morning. I always find the morning is one of the best times for lyrics. The morning is a good time to go fishing for songs. Even Mick Jagger said so in his documentary “Being Mick.” It almost sounds too simple, but that’s the way I work. I always find it interesting to record or just remember the date and time when a song comes. There’s a different feel to a song, depending on the environment and time of day.

I visited San Miguel, Mexico on my honeymoon, and it was a lot of fun. I did more writing in my journal than actual songs. Here’s a funny story how “La Cucaracha” was born. We had dinner at one of the best “slow food” restaurants in Mexico. We’re feeling good, and walked out of the restaurant to head back to our house. My wife is standing in a farm of cockroaches. She jumps and screams, I look down, and it’s gross. These creatures are running around, dancing around her feet. She steps on one and it cracks! But, it still runs away like you gave it fuel. We keep walking and she says: “You should write a song called ‘La Cucaracha,’ and have the kids jump every time they see one.” We wrote the song that night out on a cobblestone street.

People walked by and thought we were crazy, between the two of us jumping up and down and yelling “La Cucaracha!” Mexico was fun, man. We had a lot of good food and everything and all of a sudden there was a “LA CUCARACHA!!” It works! Let’s put it on the album.

"Pearl" is a song that’s close to my heart. I played baseball when I was young. I didn’t play in high school, because I was too busy growing out my hair, and trying to be a Beatle. Funny thing is, I still have this connection to baseball in a more sentimental way. There’s something old and haunting about it. I think about families on their way to a ball game. I think about the way a child feels at the game and how their perspective is about dreams, and all the good stuff in life. I think about my baseball card collection and how a Ricky Henderson rookie card meant more to me then a warm meal. One day I thought about a kid catching a homerun ball, catching a dream, or a pearl, and giving it back to Dad. It just made sense while I wrote it. And I got all teary eyed.

I wrote “Backyard” in my backyard. Didn’t have to go too far to find that one.

Some of my elementary students helped me write “Rock n Roll” (the Lizard one). We were all sitting around one day, every one was chill and I thought, “Hey let’s write a song.” We did it in 30 minutes, lyrics and music. These kids get it. Kids are just cool like that.

The album has a very relaxed and loose feel -- was that just carefully planned recording, or did you intentionally seek out that sound?

The relaxed and loose feel just happened that way. I didn’t plan that.

Some of the songs, particularly the instrumentals, have a very "painting with sound" feel to them. How well do those go over in concert compared to more straightforward songs like "I'm A Fish"?

I must admit the straightforward tunes like “I’m a Fish,” “Rock ‘n Roll,” and “Come to the Plaza” are good dance tunes for concerts. That’s the kind of solid playing you need at shows. I find people are more interested in up beat tunes, especially at 1 in the afternoon. It’s always good to stick with tunes that make fans move. They don’t want to sleep at that time. I try to keep my shows UP. I don’t want to lose people with a dreamy octopus song.

I also think “Dream Away; Sail Away” works better for the album then in concert. Those songs could work better while driving with the family on a trip, or an hour before bedtime while things are winding down.

It’s interesting you mention a “painted feel.” I love to paint. A painted sound is much looser. It could be some form of meditation. I like to get lost in the song. It’s all a part of the trippy experience.

Which are your favorite songs to play?

Sea Song
I’m a Fish
Come to the Plaza
La Cucaracha
Rock n Roll
Pearl

Tell me a bit more about your band, The Buckwild.

I was in a band called “Scapegrace” We broke up a couple mouths ago, but The Buckwild (our children’s project) has basically the same members as Scapegrace.

Mr. David: guitar/lead vocals
Richard Ajlouny :guitar/vocals/mandolin
Ryan Westphal : Bass
Adam Aharon: Drums

Our first big show was September 17, 2005 at Bonfante Gardens It’s still going strong. We just came back from a pretty cool show in Thousand Oaks (LA). We were doing both Scapegrace and The Buckwild thing for a while. The other members saw The Buckwild as something more promising. Adult music for us meant playing in a bar for 13 people. It just looked bad so we dropped it. Scapegrace did influence our Buckwild sound for sure.

I think that’s what’s unique about me. I don’t change my music for the kids. It’s basically the same stuff I’d be playing for adults. And, the same is true for my bandmates. Good music is good music. Scapegrace affected The Buckwild’s project in that the adult back beat and rhythms were moved over for the children, and I think that’s why parents can enjoy the show too. But, of course, we use kid friendly lyrics.

The children’s music helps the adult music in that it lightens it up. I like to keep things simple, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have deep meaning or are not well thought out. So whether I’m doing children’s music or adult, I still apply a lot of the same methods.

What would you like to see in Mr David's future?

We’ve always had a vision of Mr. David as something larger than just the music. I’d hope that someday, we would be able produce some of our ideas for different kinds of content for kids—music, books, programs—with the music as the linchpin for it all. My wife is a writer and designer; I’m a writer, illustrator, musician and painter. We’ve got great ideas for books and programs. We just need to find the right partners to help us get there.

My hope is that we can go national, even international, and win enough of an audience to start branching out and doing other things (with music always being at the center of it all.)

Also, I’m really proud to say that I’m putting out a kind of children’s music that really is different, and I hope that my music will help to change how people think about music for their children. I see the change happening in a larger sense in this genre, with artists like Dan Zanes and They Might Be Giants, and I want to be a part of that, in a big way.

Mr. David

Land of Dan Zodcast...

Or, rather, a new Land of Nod Nodcast Podcast, this time with Dan Zanes. The 20-minute podcast includes a new podcast theme song (Bill, why stop at They Might Be Giants?), Dan's vote for "Best Barbara Brousal Song" and "Best Instrument To Start A Family Band With," and sound effects galore.

Review: The Family Hootenanny - Various Artists

Detroit is not afraid of you and will beat your... OK, this is a family website, but it's true. The Detroit Tigers are back in the World Series and if The Family Hootenanny is any indication, they can turn out kid-rock with the best of 'em. (Well, they can turn out Kid Rock, too, but that's for another set of music blogs altogether.)

Released earlier this year, the album is inspired by years of occasional Family Hootenanny concerts in which Detroit rockers let their hair down (or, as the promo materials put it, "pulled it from their faces") for family-oriented shows. While the word "hootenanny" implies a folk-centric approach, the CD collects artists from across the musical spectrum, from the punk of all-mom bands The Mydols ("Run Crazy Baby") and CandyBand (the previously released but totally awesome "Get Up Already") to the faithful cover of Schoolhouse Rock's "Interjections" by the Katzenjammer Kids.

I wouldn't have expected it, but the crazy melding of styles works, mostly because the songs are each great in their own way. The Go! (Jack White's old band) puts together the closest thing to a lead single with "Knock Knock Banana," which sounds like an incredibly skewed Saturday morning theme song from 1975. That song is followed by "Stuck in the Playpen (Again)" by Old Man Miller (Dan John Miller of Blanche), a country-blues with the lines "I wonder if my momma even loves me / In the pen you don't get nothin' to eat / Just some plastic blocks / Some dirty old socks / A bunch of books that I'm too young to read." (As Homer Simpson would say, it's funny 'cause it's true.) The two songs have no business being on the same disk except they're both fabulous songs.

And so on through punk, country, pop, Americana. For the most part, the songs are originals, but even the traditional songs are given vigorous new readings. Loretta Lucas (and the Larkspurs) turn in some great harmonies on "Down By the Bay" while the Saltminers' uptempo (and whoo-whoo-enhanced) "Freight Train" is energetic and, well, fun.

Kids between the ages of 3 and 9 will most appreciate the album. (Heck, Chloe Crawford -- age 5 -- sings on "A Peacock Day" with her two younger sisters.) You can hear 4 full tracks at the compilation's Myspace page or samples of every track at CDBaby.

Most of the tracks here will engage the kids (and on a few tracks, if not the kids, their parents). If you particularly liked the Bloodshot classic The Bottle Let Me Down, you will certainly like this. But I think the album's appeal is broad and will reach many families. The Family Hootenanny is the kids and family music compilation of the year. Highly recommended.

Review: Macaroni Boy Eats at Chez Shooby Doo - Ginger Hendrix

Ginger Hendrix is a very funny fellow woman, right!

Like Bill Cosby, there are a number of male kids' music artists with a broad sense of humor -- Trout Fishing in America, Robbie Schaefer, Daddy-A-Go-Go, the list goes on. The number of female kids' music artists whose broad sense of humor is apparent in their songs is much smaller. In fact, Laurie Berkner might be the only name that comes to mind, and one name isn't really a list. But with her debut, Macaroni Boy Eats at Chez Shooby Doo (2006), Ginger Hendrix is here to make it a list.

Not that you'll really be thinking about the sociological effects of the CD. You (and your kids) will be smiling. Songs about stinky things (the bluesy "Stinky Trash"), the alphabet ("L is for Llama"), or ponies (the mellow "Riding My Pony") will keep your 4-year-olds interested. Songs about made-up words such as "schnoikee-day footka" ("Funny Word Dictionary") will amuse slightly older kids. And the title track is a mostly spoken-word track that will amuse the parents greatly.

Hendrix, who lives on California's central coast, is not goofy all the time. One of the best tracks on the disk is a sprightly tune called "How the Days Go By," on which Hendrix is an acute observer of how many days pass by for preschool-aged families ("Sometimes we go shopping in the afternoon / take a nice big loop around Target / chew some gum, drink a lemonade / maybe go home with all new socks.") The songs themselves are almost entirely Hendrix accompanying herself on guitar, playing folk-pop melodies. (The mellower tunes have a bit of a Jack Johnson vibe to them.) Over an entire album, the relative sameness of the musical structures would get old fast were it not for the great lyrical wordplay and the sheer enthusiasm of Hendrix. (The enthusiasm is best heard on the final four tracks, recorded live at Hendrix's preschool. I've never attended "Teacher Mary School," but I love the song Hendrix created for it.)

The album will be most enjoyed by kids ages 3 through 7 and those whose sense of humor have not been surgically removed or otherwise altered. You can hear sound clips at this page, and I'd recommend just tooling around Hendrix's website, which is even more appealingly goofy than the album itself.

Macaroni Boy Eats at Chez Shooby Doo is a fun album, good for relaxing around the house in between trips to Target or picking up the older sibling at the bus stop. Ginger Hendrix strikes just the right balance of insight and immaturity (in the best sense) here. Recommended.