Trust me, Kids do say "The Darndest Things"

We here in the Bathtub are saddened to learn of the passing of Art Linkletter. His iconic television program, "Kids Say the Darndest Things," pioneered the concept that children have a unique and humorous point of view at a time when children were expected to be seen and not heard. Faithful readers will recall the Ernie Ford video I posted a month ago. His nose-pinching disapproval of his young, scene-stealing friend is in stark contrast to Art's genuine interest in what "Art's Kids" had to say (I'll even forgive him for the backwards "S" which, as a teacher, makes my spine tingle). There would be no "Kid Quote of the Day" without Art. He will be missed!

Kid Quotes of the Day:

I Don't Think Einstein Was That Great of a Musician

I have never really been a fan of the name "Baby Einstein." Shouldn't it be something more like "Baby Beethoven?" I guess the Einstein reference is a veiled suggestion that it will make your baby smart. Recent research showing the negative effects of TV on infants also sort of negates the "Baby" part as well. What I do like about Baby Einstein is that it exposes young children (of appropriate age) to classical music. I've had many surprising moments in lessons where a child will pull out a bit of musical knowledge cited from Baby Einstein.

Classical music is fading from our culture. It is challenging, and often expensive to stage, but sadly misunderstood by many and not valued as it should be. That is why I am happy to review a new CD from the guitar and flute duo Keith Torgan and Barbara Siesel.

Green Golly & Her Golden Flute

performing as "Flute Sweet and Tickletoon" Green Golly and Her Golden Flute is part fairy tale part classical concert. The first half is the beautifully told/performed tale of Green Golly and her golden flute. The tale is loosely based on Rapunzel, and both Torgan and Siesel have a delightful and dramatic delivery. The various classical melodies that are woven through the story are sweet compliment to the dialog.

As for the second half, the CD also contains ten tracks of wonderfully performed classical selections adding Jessica Krash on the piano. It's a varied and engaging selection of pieces. Siesel's flute playing is sweet, but this is not a CD of lullabies. Tunes like "Flight of the Bumblebee," and "Habanera" add a bit of excitement and showcase some fleet fingering from both Krash and Siesel.

The Mike Brady Wrap-up: Studies may show that infants watching DVD's like "Baby Einstein" has a negative effect on brain development, but it is never too early to expose your children to the joys of classical music. It might be going overboard to put earphones up to a pregnant belly, but playing a lovely album like "Green Golly and Her Golden Flute" for your little ones is a great idea. The selections range from the well known to the more obscure, but they are all enjoyable. Even if you are not knowledgeable about classical music, this CD is an easy choice.

Kid Quote of the Day: "Why do I have to learn cursive when I'll never use it after 5th grade?" ~Luka (age: 8) to be honest I had no good response!

Five Short Articles about Kindiefest

It's taken me a week, but I am finally sitting down to write about Kindiefest. For the uninitiated, Kindiefest is a festival/conference for the Kids' Music industry. Kindiefest kicked off last Friday in Brooklyn NY. I flew in from Florida and stayed with my good friend Jess just a few long blocks away. From the perspective of a review blog author, I was excited to meet many of the people I have reviewed over the past 2 years. Recess Monkey, King Pajama, Bari Koral, Bill Harley were notable attendees who I was able to strike up conversation with. From the perspective of an upstart performer and fan, I was in heaven soaking it all in. I can sum up my impressions of the event in Five Short Articles about Kindiefest:

Not Kindlefest, not even Kidneyfest... it's Kindiefest!
The first time I made mention of going to Kindiefest online (probably on Facebook), someone responded asking "What's Kindle-fest" which conjured up images of people huddled together to read ebooks. I often have to explain the Kid-Indie music origins of the festival's title. Justin Roberts' band had a similarily humorous take:

The general concensus between other artists at Kindiefest was that there is no good term for the type of music we make. Kids' Music, Children's Music, Family Music or heaven forbid, Kiddie Music! None seem to quite fit. Which brings us to article 2...

Adult Music... Bowm Chicka Wow Wow!
As is the case with most kids' music artists, I try to make non kids' music as often as possible. At an event like Kindiefest there were time when the topic shifted to "adult" music which always brought some sort of joke reference to porno music (cue the wah wah guitar). If there is no perfect term for kids' music, there certainly is no good way to talk about the opposite. "Grown-up" music sounds even creepier, or like something on the Windham Hill Sampler. It made for some humorous moments during the conference.

A High School Dance With a Bar
The conferences were a great resource to budding artists, but I was really there to meet people, so the first evening's mixer was great. Dan Zanes encouraged people to butt into conversations and meet everyone. This was a trick as the lobo solo in the crowd. I felt a bit like I was at a high school dance and everyone grouped up like old friends. Thankfully, unlike a high school dance, there was a bar and that was the best place to meet people. Nothing to do but wait and chat. By the end of the night doing the "Dan Zanes Butt-in" was easier to do.

Summer Camp Friends
As a long time camper/counselor, I am familiar with the phenominon of summer camp friends. You show up to camp with a blank slate, you meet new people and make tight bonds and then get packed up and head home for the fall. Thankfully, there is Facebook so I don't have to send them a chain letter, but I met a lot of great friends in the industry. Next time I attend Kindiefest, I'll be hoping to see my good ol' summer camp friends like Splash n' Boots, King Pajama, Stacey Peasley, and Tim (and the Space Cadets)

Kids' Music for Adults
Originally, I had hoped to get In The Nick of Time on the roster for the Saturday showcase. It wasn't in the cards this year, but perhaps in the future. It was a funny sort of thing though. I was excited to see folks like the Hipwaders, Rhythm Child and Justin Roberts, but is was a kids' music show for adults, and not only adults, but industry folks. Nerve racking as it must have been. It was a great show. I was especially fond of Mr. Leebot whom I had not heard of before (from Austin TX). Sunday's festival performances were also great, but I missed some so I could get on a plane and fly back to my dear wife and sweet little dog (plus all the school chidren expecting to see me bright and early the next day).

Kid Quote of the Day: I am as hot as a burned up, rotten green bean ~Henry (age: 4)

Off to New York with a Feather in my Cap!

The primary mission of Singing in the Bathtub is to promote and discuss quality kids' music. I don't typically use this forum to promote my own music (I have a newly updated website to do that), but I wanted to share some great news that involves yours truly as well as other "Friends of the Bathtub" like Roger Day, Joannie Leeds, Milkshake, Rebecca Frezza, Marc Bazerman and Shira Klein.

The 2010 Parents Choice Awards were announced a week, and I was awarded Gold along with the aforementioned Day, Leeds and Milkshake! For me this is a big deal. We share the golden pedestal with heavy hitter such as Dan Zanes and the ubiquitous Puto Mayo. Baze and his Silly Friends received a blue Recommendation Award, and Frezza and Klein both received a red Approval stamp from the Parents Choice Foundation.

It is an exciting time because I am currently packing to head up to NYC for the 2010 Kindiefest conference and showcase. This is my first year attending, and I'm planning to make the most of it. I am probably most excited about meeting so many of the groups/artist featured in The Bathtub.

The secondary mission of Singing in the Bathtub is to help build a strong community of children's musicians.

Kid Video of the Day:

Take Me to Toddlerville

Today I am happy to be posting another, long overdue review (hey that rhymes!). A month or two ago I received a CD from Baze and his Silly Friends. This New Jersey quartet, fronted by Marc Bazerman has a new CD called Toddlerville that my dear readers here at Singing in the Bathtub might enjoy.

It's been a while since I've posted a video, so I thought I'd kick off this review with their latest video from the album: This is Your Body

So, as you can see and hear, Baze and his silly friends offer a bluesy, rollicking brand of kids' music that if fun and upbeat. What first jumped out at me when listening to Toddlerville was the rich vocal harmonies. There are so many solo artist kids' acts out there, that when a tight band with kickin' three part harmony comes across my desk I have to stop and smile.

The second thing that caught my attention when checking out Toddlerville was the pseudo-"Hard Day's Night" cover featuring the silly friends mugging for the camera (with a bit of swirly tie-dye pattern to compliment the folk/rock, jam-band style of the music). Parents who are old enough to remember vinyl albums will appreciate this wink to one of rock and roll's seminal albums.

Produced, engineered and mixed by Marc Bazerman and guitarist/keyboard player Brian Rund, the album has a consistent, bluesy, rock and roll vibe that I really enjoy. I am always heartened to see other kids' artist taking the reigns and self-producing. Not sure why, but Quincy Jones, Rick Ruben and Brian Eno don't seem to be lining up to work on the latest kids' music album. Equally, Ticketmaster isn't shelling out the big bucks to book kids' music acts, so I often wonder where artists' production budgets come from. It's nice to have the control and the experience to do a project like this on your own.

The Mike Brady Wrap-up: With the dog days of summer just around the corner, Baze and his Silly Friends' latest album Toddlerville puts me in the mood to find my brightest tie-dye and dust off my dancing shoes. Bazerman has done a great job capturing the thoughts and emotions of this in between time when saying "I'm a Big Boy!" seems like the most vital and important thing in the world. If you are a fan of folk, rock and blues, Toddlerville may be right up your alley!

Kid Quote of the Day: "Mr. Nick, what does the "soft"-tenuto pedal do?" Henry asked during his piano lesson. "To be honest with you Henry, I'm really not sure what the sostenuto pedal does. I'll have to look it up," I replied. "I'll have to go to the Google to see. My dad showed me how I can do the Google and find things out." ~Henry (age: 4)

They're Not Kidding!

Since childhood, Barry Louis Polisar has unexpectedly popped up twice in my life. As I had mentioned in my 2008 post Top Ten Kids' Music Albums of All Time, I grew up listening to Barry and recall borrowing his albums from the local public library in the early 80's. I enjoyed his gross sense of humor and his wacky, imaginative story-telling.

So, I was surprised and taken aback to hear Barry Louis Polisar during the credits of Juno around the time that I posted the original Top Ten. Recently, I received an email from the man himself in promotion of We're Not Kidding! a collection of 60! (I'm not kidding) covers of Barry's music over the past 30+ years.

Word about Singing in the Bathtub has been getting around. I receive submissions each week and I have built nice relationships with many different publicists and P.R. managers, but it is rare to have an artist contact me directly and spend the time to communicate back and forth about kids' music. It's hard for most people to understand my interest (obsession?) in kids' music, but I sort of felt like one of the Beatles dropped me a line.

I looked back into Barry's collection of music before the CD arrived so I had a good reference of the originals. I didn't realize that his collection goes back to 1975! I also didn't realize at the time how much Barry reminds me of the master songwriter/storyteller, Bob Dylan. For the uninitiated to Barry's music, it's like a bit of Bob and a bit of Shel Silversteen, but I don't want to sell him short by pigeon holing him. Much like the recent I'm Not There Soundtrack Album sent up tributes of Bob Dylan. A giant cast of musicians has come together to make We're Not Kidding!

To be honest, I initially didn't recognize any of the band names on the roster. That's certainly not due to lack of talent. The various styles, interpretations, and genres that are covered on this 2 CD set are vast and at times dizzying (in a good way... think of kids' spinning). Everything from rockabilly, techno, jazz, alt-country to klezmer with full yiddish translation. You name it, and it's probably on there.

In our back and forth over email, Barry and I discussed the kids' music scene these days. He reflected that, most kids' music is for preschool children and by extension they're parents (myself included). Barry's music definitely has a more mature sense of humor and appeals to an older crowd. The musical sophistication on We're Not Kidding! is a bonus for those growing brains.

The Mike Brady Wrap-up: Tribute albums are a unique thing in the world of music. It's easy to assume that a tribute album is only for the die-hard fan who sees the subtleties in different interpretations of classic songs. I would say that even for folks who are not familiar with Barry Louis Polisar's work, We're Not Kidding! is a great way to be exposed to his collection. The styles run the gambit, so you may not be into every track, but there are a lot to choose from. 60 tracks from any artist is a lot to take, so having various musical genres juxtaposed keeps it interesting and fun. As a teacher or a children's musician it's hard to watch the generations age and grow out of your range, but for an artist like Barry Louis Polisar he is now performing for children of his first generation fans. Any one of them will love this modern eclectic take on the veteran's work.

Kid Quote of the Day: "Happy Birthday Quinn!" I called as I exited her party. "Happy Birthday!" ~Quinn (age: 3)

I'm a Rock Star

Today I've got some rockin' good music for my fellow bathtub singers. I recently received a copy of I'm a Rock Star by Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights. In this small world of Kids' Music, it turns out that Joanie was roommates with a close friend who studied Musical Theatre with Joanie at Syracuse.

This is Joanie's second album for kids. Like many artists who wind up in the kids' music genre, Joanie did her time in NYC club scene. She is still performing and recording music for adults, but she seems to have been bitten by the kids' music bug (possibly while working for Gymboree in Manhattan).

I'm a Rock Star lives up to it's name. It's rockin' and current sounding. The songs have a young, fresh perspective that, to me, conjures thoughts of American Idol. Not because the singing is amateur, Joanie has a powerful, well-trained voice, but because it has that unmistakable pop sound that makes A.I. so popular. You can hear hints of country, blues, jazz and latin music blended with a hearty dose of pop/rock. Joanie even riffs on the classic Christopher Walken catch phrase with her tune "More Cowbell."

Lyrically, I think Joanie has done a good job tapping into the minds of school aged kids. There is humor and imagination is songs like "It Was the Elf" and "Popcorn." There is a sweet side to this album as well. "Give Me a Hug" and "Put a Little Smile on Your Face," can tug at your heart strings.

The Mike Brady Wrap-up: The one thing that writing this blog has shown me is that the world of kids' music is vast and full of great albums waiting to be discovered. I'm a Rock Star is my first introduction to Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights. This "City Kid" is making a name for herself in the Big Apple rockin' out with the kids by day and moonlighting as a Singer/Songwriter by night. You can hear this in the songs on I'm a Rock Star she knows what parents want and delivers it in a way that it exciting for kids. It was fun listening to I'm a Rock Star, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it too!

Kid Quote of the Day: "I didn't mean to stick the bean in my nose, it just kinda went up there." ~Will (age: 3)