This version of Dan Zanes' "Hello" performed by Zanes along with Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton is pretty fabulous. (They also duet on "Green Green Rocky Road" on Mitchell's upcoming Sunny Day disk.)
One of many nice performances, I'm sure, from the final Many Hands: Family Music for Haiti release party, this time in Florence, Massachusetts earlier today -- looking forward to seeing some more clips. (Reminder: go here to find out how you can get a free CD just for buying Many Hands -- there are still some available.)
Dan Zanes, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Daniel Littleton - "Hello" (Live at Many Hands release party, Florence, Massachusetts) [YouTube]
Live Video: Elizabeth Mitchell / Frances England
I mentioned before the slew of release concerts being put on to celebrate the release of Many Hands: Family Music for Haiti. Three concerts down, three more to go. If they're at all like the one in Mill Valley, California, featuring Elizabeth Mitchell and Frances England, they're special affairs. At the show, they both played their tracks from the compilation, which are among my favorites on the record. For Frances' contribution, her original "That's What Friends Are For," Mitchell and husband Dan Littleton helped out. The song's called, "That's What Friends Are For" -- how could they not?
Frances England w/ Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton - "That's What Friends Are For" [YouTube]
After the jump, Mitchell's contribution, featuring a nice violin solo from Mitchell/Littleton (and Jon Langford) compatriot Jean Cook...
Elizabeth Mitchell's Sunny Day Tracklisting. Just Because I Want To.
Yeah, I know, I already mentioned the video and mp3 for "Oh, John the Rabbit" by Elizabeth Mitchell with an assist from Daniel and Storey Littleton. And that Mitchell's new album Sunny Day is coming out on Oct. 5 on the venerable Smithsonian Folkways label. And that posting track listings is one of the laziest music-site-writer's tricks in the book.
So what.
1. Sunny Day (written by Storey Littleton)
2. Shoo Lie Loo
3. Mr. Rabbit [yay! another rabbit tune!]
4. Ooki Na Kuri No Ki No Shita De (Under the Big Chestnut Tree)
5. Keep on the Sunny Side (with Levon Helm, Amy Helm, Larry Campbell, and Teresa Williams)
6. Lovely Day
7. Reggae in the Fields
8. Ong Tal Sam (Little Spring)
9. Tell It Again
10. Green, Green Rocky Road (with Dan Zanes)
11. School Days (with Levon Helm and Chris Wood)
12. Mystery Train (with Levon Helm)
13. Oh, John the Rabbit
14. David’s Mandolin
15. This Little Light of Mine (with the Children of Agape Choir)
16. Fairy Tale Lullaby
17. Elephants All Over the World (again, by Storey Littleton)
18. Little Buckaroo (with Jon Langford)
19. Tsuki (Moon)Share: "Oh, John the Rabbit" - Elizabeth Mitchell
As previously noted, Elizabeth Mitchell will be releasing her next family music album, Sunny Day, later this year, October 5, to be exact. And she's just released a super-cute video for one of the tracks on the new disk, "Oh, John the Rabbit." You can view the video here. It's pretty simple, with Elizabeth, Daniel, Storey, bunnies, and a bunch of other kids. "John the Rabbit" is a pretty classic call-and-response song, one that Mitchell recorded on her very first kids album, You Are My Flower. Storey wasn't even born when that album was released more than a decade ago; to have her join in on this version seems pretty cool.
Anyway, if you like the video, you can also download the mp3 from that page as well for the price of an e-mail.
Update: The video's now on YouTube...
Elizabeth Mitchell - "Oh, John the Rabbit" [YouTube]
Uncle Rock, Liz Mitchell, and Zucchini Brothers Walk into a Bar...
... actually, they don't walk into a bar at all. But Uncle Rock and Ben Rudnick get quoted and they all are mentioned in an article on the kids music resurgence in this week's Metroland, an Albany, NY-area alternative weekly. (And, hey, I'm quoted.) I also like, in the last paragraph, the justification for family music:
As 21st-century parents, we expect musicians not just to entertain our kids, but us too. That may sound self- indulgent, and to some extent it is. But as entertainment companies beam their offerings to narrower and narrower demographic slices, the idea of parents and kids listening to the same music starts to sound pretty good.
Video: "My Family" - Laurie Berkner (with Elizabeth Mitchell, Suzi Shelton, Dirty Sock Funtime Band)
When Laurie Berkner pulls Elizabeth Mitchell, Suzi Shelton, and the Dirty Sock Funtime Band onto the stage during her set at the Haiti benefit they all performed at last weekend at Joe's Pub in New York City, well, that demands YouTubery. It's like The Last Waltz, but shorter and with lower video quality.
Laurie Berkner Band (and a cast of a dozen) - "My Family" (Live) [YouTube]
