Interview: Justin Roberts

One of the first interviews I ever conducted for this site was with Justin Roberts (that's him in the middle, surrounded by his Not Ready For Naptime Players).  And while I like to think I've had a good 7+ years in the meantime, Roberts' has been even better.  Four albums later, including the Grammy-nominated Jungle Gym and Roberts' most recent album, 2013's Recess, Roberts' career is stronger than ever, a kindie superstar respected by his fellow musicians and adored by his many fans.

So even though I've had a handful of conversations with him since then, I was looking forward to talking with him not only about his most recent album but also about making a career out of his music.  Roberts chatted by phone with me last week about food, emotions, and music-making, and what might come next.

Zooglobble: I usually start off my interviews with what your musical memories are from growing up, but I want to mix it up a bit and ask you what your favorite food memories are? 

Justin Roberts: That's pretty much what touring is for us -- figuring out where we're going to eat...

I think my favorite food memory is more nostalgic. It's from Michigan, where my grandmother lived from the age of 15 to 95.  We were touring up there, and some relatives offered us the use of a lake house to stay.  We went to a nearby restaurant there called the Sandpiper and the moment I stepped inside, I remembered it instantly.  One of those classic restaurants that feels like it's out of another time.

We were three people out of place in this restaurant, and the waitress talked with us about how we got there.  I said that this was my grandmother's home and when I mentioned her name, the waitress teared up, knew exactly who she was. 

How do you go about finding food when you're on the road?  

Checking Yelp, asking folks.  Once we played in Lafayatte [Louisiana], and someone recommended a restaurant in Breaux Bridge, with lemon ice box pie.  Now, I'm not a pie fan, but I ate that, and thought, "Oh, this is why people like pie." 

I remember Liam [Davis] and I were doing a lot of library shows in New York once.  We would accost the librarians to get suggestions.  This was on Long Island, near Marathon, Suffolk County, so it tended toward Italian. One place they recommended was Steve's Piccola Bussola.  We'll go out of our way for that.

We want to find local places -- there's a lot of tediousness to traveling, so finding a place that feels like home goes a long way.

It's been more than fifteen years since the release of Great Big Sun; you've probably been playing for kids for more than twenty years, right?

Yes, it was 1992 and I'd moved to Minneapolis to play with my band, Pimentos for Gus.  My first job as a preschool teacher, I told 'em I was a musician, so they asked me to play.  At first, I did stuff like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," but I got bored with that.  I was a big Van Morrison fan, so brought that in.

The first song of mine was "Giraffe/Nightingale," which I loved played for kids.  I thought it was sort of a boring song -- there's not a chorus, it isn't fast, but I remember going to the open house, and the 4-year-olds sang it by themselves.

We were studying apples, so I wrote "Apple Tree."  I was not even remotely thinking about [a career in kids music], but it felt really natural.  I kept writing kids' songs even after leaving the preschool job.  I really recorded Great Big Sun for myself.

So more than fifteen years after that, how do you challenge yourself?

As early as Not Naptime, I was thinking, "what else can I possibly write about?"

For me, the biggest change was that as the band began to develop, that caused other changes.  On Way Out, the presence of a drummer, of trumpet in writing changed things.

Technology, too -- it's easier to record yourself now.  To some extent with Meltdown!, and definitely beyond that, I write at the computer.  I'll create a poorly programmed drumbeat and bass [with guitar] -- keyboard and piano are more of a mystery to me.  The vocals will be layered.  It made it exciting to write.

With Lullaby, it was a bit of a switch -- how do you keep in interest with the tempo slow? The idea for "Polar Bear" I'd had many years before, but didn't do anything with it.  So I thought that instead of guitar, what if it were a cello?

You wouldn't have thought of that fifteen years ago...

Definitely.

I like bridges -- a lot of bridges on Recess are keyboards, which, like I said, are more of a mystery to me. As a result, the songs went in a different direction.  I've been doing some in-stores recently, and find I can't do some of them by myself. [Laughs]

Regarding challenges... the song "Otis" came out of an interest in writing a song about elevators.  It's actually become a fan favorite, but when I started, I thought, "how can you write a song that won't be boring?"  Then [drummer] Gerald [Dowd] mentioned the Otis Company, and I thought that was the hook.  Then I added in how the 13th floor is often missing, and I had this vision of heading downtown.

Some of the underlying themes... the underlying emotions are important.  With Recess, there are lots of songs about freedom, so you step outside the situation and think about how that applies.

You know, I've written exactly one kids' song, and that was for puppets, so emotional underpinning isn't my strength.  But more than any other kids' artist, your songs tap into some deep emotional well inside me.  As a songwriter, how do you tap into those emotions?

It's a little mysterious -- I'm tapping into some deep-seated emotions inside myself.  The story tells itself in some manner.  Like on "School's Out," there's that feeling of love.  The boy says "don't want to make you cry," even though this will be gone.  That has resonance.  The subjects they're studying, at first, they were just details I filled in at the beginning of the song -- knights in armor, math, and outer space, all standing tall.  But at the end, they mean something more.  Stuff comes out and it's emotionally resonant.

With "Trick or Treat," of course, I had to write a Halloween song, but don't care really about the holiday.  I had this memory of my brother sorting out candy, which became the line "put every piece in alphabetical order."  Or the "sky halfway dark," reflecting the passing of fall.  It's a fun rock song, but it's emotionally resonant to me.  It makes that connection for me.  When I hear others' reactions, I think, "Oh, good, that worked for me, but not just me."

It can be any other art -- the connections they make is why I keep songwriting.

I also wanted to say how I much I liked the comment you made in the Recess review about "Redbird" and the journey from freedom to unconditional love.  Because when I wrote the song, I wondered, does this make any sense on the album?  Did it feel right?  When I read your comment, I saw that it did.

Besides the emotional connection, you use dedications more than other musicians.  Some are pretty obvious, like the song about a dog ("Every Little Step") is dedicated to, well, your dog, but others?

Sometimes they're very specific.  Like on  "Sandcastle" [from Meltdown!] I wrote it thinking about a friend (an adult) who'd recently lost his mother.  I also dedicated "Doctor Doctor" [Way Out] to her, she was a doctor and also a friend to me. It's a song about a kid scared getting shots.  I also remembered how I felt when I'd been bit by a chipmunk and had to get shots.

Sometimes they're a bit of an afterthought.  On "Wild Ones" [from Lullaby]... I'd always had a connection with Pierre by Maurice Sendak.  Sendak died while I was working on that song, so it was a bit of a tribute to him.  I just remembered the joy of reading in bed... Have you seen the documentary Spike Jonze did on him [Tell Them Anything you Want] while filming Where the Wild Things Are?

I haven't, actually.

You should.  He was such a curmudgeon, his only friends are his dogs.  He says, "I didn't choose to write children's books -- this is just what I do."

There's something about kids' metaphors for grief about a friend's mother dying, or memories.  Something about that is emotionally resonant.  I love the connection it creates with families.

I'm getting a lots of notes from families with school starting saying they're playing "Giant Sized Butterflies."  I make a connection with myself, but some is so much of a surprise to me -- after the fact, I say, "Oh, wow."

So how are you going to challenge yourself in the future?

I've got a couple different ideas.  One is I've talked with a couple theatres about writing a musical, writing new songs.

I've long thought that Fountains of Wayne songs would make a great musical.

Yeah... you know, Robbie Fulks has been playing these shows on Monday night and he played "Prom Theme" -- that sort of aching nostalgia is like the high school version of what I'm trying to do, like the Beach Boys songs about the end of summer heartbreak.

And then for the longest time, I've wanted to do an album of Craig Wright songs.  A few years ago, I recorded him singing some unreleased songs of his.  He's one of my favorite songwriters.  Maybe after all this work for Lullaby and Recess I'll just book some studio time and record it.

And you're working on a couple books -- are they finished?

For one book the artwork is almost finished. It's by a great illustrator called Christian Robinson -- it'll be out a year from now.  (The other book has a story.)  It's taken awhile, but I've made some changes.  I've done it twice, and it's gotten better.  It's in rhyming verse and features a character in "Billy the Bully," Sally McCabe, and tells the story from her perspective.

Photo credit: Todd Rosenberg 

Interview: Keith Terry (Crosspulse Percussion Ensemble)

Keith Terry is the founding Artistic Director of Crosspulse, a San Francisco Bay Area organization which since 1980 has been dedicated to creating, performing, and recording rhythm-based, intercultural music and dance.  Terry's biography is long and distinguished -- to summarize it in the context of an introductory paragraph would be unfair, and so I won't other than to say I'm glad to say that someone with his broad range of experience has, as part of Crosspulse, recorded the ensemble's first album for families, I Like Everything About You (Yes I Do) .  Terry recently answered some questions about his musical background, his development of "body music," and what difference, if any, there is between their shows for adults and those for kids. 

Zooglobble: What are your first musical memories?

Keith Terry: Music in the church (I grew up in a Southern Baptist family).  My mom played some piano by ear, but mostly my parents just really enjoyed music - big band and country, mostly.   So it was often playing in our home.  But I fell in love with jazz early on, as the result of my cousin taking me to hear Thelonius Monk and Cannonball Adderley at a jazz festival when I was 9 or 10 years old.  I began playing drums in the elementary school band, and continued through junior high and high school.  

Had you been much interested in making music with your body before you had your "body music" epiphany?  

I hadn't thought much about body music before that moment, although I often heard my Grandfather playing a simple hambone pattern when I was growing up.  

For my readers, what's your definition of "body music"?

Body Music, sometimes called Body Percussion or Body Drumming, is that music created by the sounds of the body via clapping, slapping, snapping, stepping and vocalizing.  Probably the oldest music on the planet, traditional styles can still be found all over the world.

What is notation like for body music?

I use the musical staff.  The five lines, from top down, represent 

clap and snap

chest

thighs

bottom or hip

feet

I write parts like I would notate any rhythm, with the addition of R or L (right and left).  If there is an accompanying vocal part, like a melody with harmony, I notate that using a separate staff.  I've tried a few different ways of notating, but I keep coming back to this.

You've been making music in front of youthful audiences for years -- why now a kids album?

Just now getting to it.  I've been busy with other projects, mostly for adults, which include performances, teaching, making CDs and DVDs, in the States and overseas.  I also founded the International Body Music Festival in 2008.  All these projects require my time.  So it just took a while for the CD for kids and their families to make it to the top of the list.

"I Like Everything" doesn't have a lot of songs that are primarily body music -- is that method of making music that is more appreciated live?  

Well, Body Music certainly has a strong visual element to it because it's also a dance.  In a way, the listener is only getting half the piece when only hearing it.  But I think we did a fairly good job at capturing the sounds of the body in a way that conveys the music.   Crosspulse performs on a wide variety of percussive instruments, so it's more about representing what the group does, overall.   The body is only one ingredient in the our repertoire.

Are kids more or less rhythmic than adults?

Perhaps slightly, but I believe, and I know this through my teaching and performing experience, that kids are capable of comprehending and playing complex rhythmic patterns.  That's why there's little difference in our shows for kids and our shows for adults.  We don't "dumb it down" for kids.  We may frame it differently or talk about it in certain ways, but the content remains fairly consistent.

You've had a long and varied career -- is there anything else you'd like to tackle?

I'm currently working on "The Rhythm of Math" with my co-author Linda Akiyama.   Rhythm of Math uses body music to teach mathematical skills to 2nd through 6th graders.  This fall we'll release our first book/DVD.  We piloted the program in several public schools last spring.  We had such enthusiastic response from teachers and students, we were motivated to create the book.  We've already got ideas for the Middle School program for pre-Algebra.  I feel like we're on to something special which may possibly help a lot of kids who are having difficulty with accessing these skills through "traditional" teaching.  This excites me.

The International Body Music Festival continues to grow.  Now in its 6th year, we've begun touring a Body Music show featuring artists from the Festival.  We took one show to Lincoln Center a few years ago, and this fall we'll bring 10 Festival artists to Boston for a week to perform and teach at Wellesley and Berklee.  Because of the difficulty to obtain artists visas for foreign artists to perform in the U.S. we will likely be producing the IBMF outside the US for the next few years.  2013 will be in Oakland and San Francisco,  then Indonesia in 2014, Paris in 2015, and we're in discussion about Ghana in 2016.  I'm enjoying watching this project take flight.

I'm touring more lately in a duo with my wife, Evie Ladin.  Evie is a percussive dancer who sings and plays banjo and guitar.  I do body music, sing, and play bass and percussion.  Evie and I stretch each other in the "singing, while playing and moving " category.

I enjoy my career.  Music makes me whole and it's connected me to people and taken me places I never could have predicted.  I plan to follow it as long as I can.

What's next for CPE and kids and families?

We have some great summer shows and workshops coming up, in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Los Angeles.  [Ed.: See tour calendar here.]

Interview: Monique Martin (SummerStage)

Monique Martin is the Director of Family Programming for the Arts and Cultural Division of the City Parks Foundation in New York City.

What that really means (in part) is that she's responsible for putting together what might just be the biggest performing arts series for families in the country, the incredibly diverse in medium and style SummerStage Kids series.

After hearing Martin talk about booking kids shows at this year's Kindiefest, I thought that her views on what makes for a successful show and series would be of interest not just to musicians but also to fans and families who might be interested in bringing family music to their own communities.  My conversation with Martin exceeded even my expectations.  Do read on.  (And, if you're a presenter and you're interested in helping to create new works of art, make sure you read to the end and drop Martin a line.)

Zooglobble: What are your first musical memories? 

Monique Martin: I grew up in Berkeley with a dad, who was an amateur jazz musician.  He'd play piano -- jazz, bluesy stuff, boogie-woogie, make up songs.  He was also a beautiful whistler -- such a sweet sound, I have a very strong memory of that. 

My parents were music lovers, and we all played piano.  My mom was a theatre enthusiast -- we'd see touring Broadway shows and buy the show album.  Dreamgirls  and others.  We listened to soul music, like the Jackson 5, the Spinners and James Brown.

Did you try to imitate your dad whistling? 

Yeah -- we'd have whistling contests.  There's another form of whistling my dad did, too, where you're blowing into your thumb knuckles and it makes a similar sound of blowing into a conch shell or certain birds.  We'd try to imitate him with those.

  How did you get to New York producing concert series? 

I moved to New York City to work in theatre -- I was a stage manager on Broadway for ten years and also worked off-Broadway and with national and international touring productions.   Then I worked in the music industry as a music tour manager.

I then worked as a theatre consultant and did some PR and Marketing.  It was through that that I started curating shows -- Joe's Pub and elsewhere -- and cut my curatorial teeth.  I worked with the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, which was one of creators of the River to River Festival in response to 9/11.  I was mentored there by [then-Executive Director] Liz Thompson on presenting shows within a festival setting. 

For those readers who are not in the New York area, can you tell me a little bit more about SummerStage? 

The series is produced by the City Parks Foundation, which encourages New York City residents to become stewards of their city parks.  It's part of the Arts Division, which seeks to brings arts to communities that might have limited access to arts interaction generally. 

City Parks Foundation presents 1,200 programs in 700+ parks over the year, including sports programs, educational, dance, music and theatre programs.  The family series includes over 100 programs from June through August in 35 parks. 

How do you measure success of a show or the series -- are there different definitions of success? 

Within a song, what can they (the audience) take away?  What is the learning experience -- not in a moral sense, but did you learn that you can clap in rhythm, did you see an instrument that you've never seen or heard live before, learn a new word or two in another language?  I don't come from an arts-in-education background, but I'm looking for artists that are not performing by rote -- I'm looking to see if they really have an understanding of who they're performing for, and care.

With funders, the question is, "what is the long-range impact of the performance?"  Education is not shrinking at the same pace as other funding streams.  The long-term impact of interest could be building community, is the community engaged.  So how does one establish a residency within a festival setting?  I've begun having artists return, so instead of the "fresher, better" approach to festival programming, you build on what you did last year.

 There's a tremendous amount of diversity in the SummerStage kids' lineup.  Is that a function of being in the diverse New York City environment or a deliberate effort on your part? 

It's a combination.  I feel like it's my responsibility to bring in artists who might not have thought of performing for kids.

I'm looking for musical, genre and cultural diversity.   For example, there's a Family Day this Saturday, and I've got a guy who does juggling and magic, as well as another juggling duo.  One of the artists was concerned about why there'd be two juggling acts on the same day, but they're very different -- one is very energetic with lots of audience participation, while the other is more about math and how it informs synchronization in juggling.

Sometimes with jazz artists or poets, there's not the respect for this family audience, they'll feel offended -- "am I washed up?"  I tell them that it's like low-hanging fruit -- these audiences deserve good performances.  There's something beautiful about the freshness of young audiences.  I inherited this program and there had been some artists that had been there for years performing the same show over and over.  I've gone to the effort to broaden the artist pool.

As for New York City itself, there are immigrants from all over the world, but it's not just as simple as booking Spanish acts in Spanish-speaking communities.  For example, the Sunset neighborhood in Brooklyn has lots of different Latin communities, but there's also an Asian community and residents from the Caribbean.  Once a community partner, after seeing a calendar, asked "Are you kidding?  Three Latin acts?  What about country?  Roots?" 

The world's more global now; it's the responsibility of the presenter to ask, "how can we reach deeper?"  It's good for everyone.

It reflects my music growing up.  Yes, we listened to a lot of jazz and R&B, but also music from Mexico, Africa and classical. 

What is the response from artists who stretched, expanded into the family shows? 

All are blown away by the enthusiasm of family audiences.  There's no filter, no qualms about walking out if it's boring.  They're surprised and delighted by the honesty.  Some of the artists are thinking about the show itself; others as a pathway, "Great.  Now can I get on the main stage?" 

What are your future plans for the series? 

One thing I'm interested in is contemporary circus.  There's no fourth wall, it's created to be engaging.  So we're putting on the first International Contemporary Circus Festival, with troupes from places like Columbia, Brazil, San Francisco, Montreal. 

Even before I got here [SummerStage], I was interested in non-traditional artist collaborations.  I want to know, "What would you love to do?"  You see someone like Laurie Berkner, who has appearances with orchestras.  She has the luxury of thinking big, but I don't know if that's just a result of her success or how she thinks as an artist.   

"What is your wildest dream?," I would ask an artist.  I would love to see an opera but broader, like the Lemony Snicket show.  How can we make something on that scale accessible to everyone.  I'm interested in a big show that can travel throughout the five boroughs.  Not just your normal 45-minute concert.

If there are other presenters who would be interested in creating a show like that, they should get in touch.

Interview: Korum Bischoff (Recess Monkey)

It's can be hard to be the new guy, especially the new guy in the trio of beloved and very active musicians known as Recess Monkey, but new drummer Korum Bischoff seems to have pulled off the transition from longtime drummer Daron Henry with nary a hitch.  Daron's announcement of his departure from the band well in advance of his actual departure helped to be sure, but having spent some time talking with Korum in Brooklyn during Kindiefest, it's also clear that Bischoff's a very talented musician with a friendly, thoughtful personality that meshes well with his two bandmates.

Bischoff answered some questions via e-mail post-Kindiefest, so read on to ​hear about playing with David Bryne, playing in a bear suit, and how kids are dealing with the transition from Daron to Korum.

Zooglobble: What are your first musical memories?

Korum Bischoff: My dad is also a drummer and my first musical memories are centered around hanging out with my dad in his home studio (which was rare in the '70s) with different musicians that would come through. There was always some group of disco musicians or punk rockers hanging out in the house. I remember watching election night returns sitting with the Butthole Surfers the night Reagan was first elected! When the studio was quiet, he'd let me bang on his drums and piano and we'd record little songs together.

What's your professional musical background prior to joining Recess Monkey?

Immediately prior to joining Recess Monkey, I was playing with fellow kindie musician Johnny Bregar. But before that, and prior to a 6-year hiatus after my first son was born, I was playing with a jazz-influenced indie rock group in Seattle called The Dead Science. We put out a few albums on an independent label and toured up and down the West Coast a couple of times a year. I still play non-kindie music with my brother Jherek in different configurations, usually orchestral in nature. We recently played at Seattle's Paramount and Moore Theatres and at Merkin Hall in Manhattan with David Byrne on vocals among others.

What if anything did you learn from working with circus folks [Bischoff previously worked for Teatro ZinZanni] that prepared you for life with Recess Monkey?

Interesting question! I think what I learned was whatever you do, you have to commit to your choice, that people will always route for the underdog, and that it's okay to look like a fool -- everyone can identify with the red clown. When we laugh at the clown, we're laughing at ourselves.

Were there any weird parts about replacing Daron in the band?

Truthfully, no. He gave the guys ample notice that he was ready to move on. I had been working with them all on the live circus production of "In Tents" at Teatro ZinZanni so it was really a pretty natural fit. In fact, I was playing a giant bear in the show who took over on drums at the end of the show and played "Human Cannonball" with the band. I guess it was foreshadowing in a way.

Does your presence (instead of Daron's) confuse some kids who are longtime fans of the band?

The first few gigs I'd end up with a kid at the merch table or at the front of the stage that would stare up at me in silence (I'm a lot taller than Daron [Ed: I can vouch for this.]) for a couple of minutes and then say "...you're not Daron." Many of these kids come to every public show we do. After a month or two they got used to the new guy and now they are my little buddies.

What have you been surprised by as part of the Recess Monkey experience, what have you enjoyed more than you anticipated?

The most surprising elements of the Recess Monkey experience are the amount of repeat audiences, Jack's tireless enthusiasm and efficiency, and Drew's incredible songwriting and pitch-perfect singing.

What were your favorite parts of recording the new album(s)?  What songs are you looking forward to playing live?

It felt great to get deep into the creative mode like only happens with multiple days in the studio. I was a little apprehensive about going into the studio since I'd only been in the band for a little over a month, but once we got rolling we just turned into a machine. We've already started playing a few of the songs live. I enjoy "The Deep End" and "Fish Sticks" in particular because they are challenging to pull off live. But others like "Tambourine Submarine" or "Shrimp" can be [fun] to just rock out on.

You have 3 distinct jobs -- communications/PR guy, drum teacher, kids musician -- not to mention all the other jobs like parent, and so forth?  What are your secrets to time management?

The funny and overwhelming thing about this question is that I actually have 4 jobs: I'm the Director of Communications and Events at Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island, Washington (an internationally renowned public garden), I teach private drum lessons, I play with Recess Monkey and I am a freelance graphic designer and keep about 6 ongoing clients along with clients that come and go.

I get your question a lot, and I don't really know how I do it. I just keep working constantly. Each job uses a different part of my brain so I think I never get bored which allows be to just keep going. When I do stop, as rare as it is, I really stop. My phone is off, my computer is put away and I go days without communicating with anyone.

So how are you getting along with Mayor Monkey?

Good ol' MayMo. We haven't seen much of him lately, he decided it was time for new adventures right around the same time that Daron left the band. Strange coincidence... but true!

Photos by Kevin Fry​

Interview: C.J. Pizarro (Mista Cookie Jar)

C.J. Pizarro ​-- AKA Mista Cookie Jar -- has a musical style that is as brightly multi-layered as the outfits and sets of his many videos.  It stands out and while positivity is in no way in short supply on the kindie scene, the way MCJ weaves that into his entire musical philosophy is stronger than most.

In the interview below, Pizarro talks about his many childhood memories (musical and otherwise), how his career as Mista Cookie Jar and the Chocolate Chips has evolved, and news of lots of new projects from him.​

Zooglobble: What are your first musical memories?

C.J. Pizarro: My very first musical memory is singing "Tomorrow" from Annie into my sister's hairbrush in the mirror as she recorded me on the family dictaphone. I was 3 or 4. The proof is around somewhere in one of my parents' drawers today. 

I could kill hours with that dictaphone just recording myself goofing of, interviewing my family, or even just [recording] sounds around the house. I'd even record parts of TV shows as I watched them -- Pinwheel, DuckTales, Gummy Bears, Growing Pains, Press Your Luck, You Can't Do That on Television… Playing it back was like examining a bag of treasure. Noises like music to my ears. 

OK, one more! Picture this: It's the 80's. A Filipino family of 5 cruises the mall parking lot in a wooden panel station wagon, no air conditioning under a HOT Alabama sun. Out the 8-track car stereo we're bumpin' the Everly Brothers and the Beatles.  "Bird Dog," "All I Have to Do is Dream," "Hard Day's Night," "I Wanna Hold Your Hand."  Mama, Papa, and 3 kids in the back, all singing along. Precious memories, I tell ya!

What first made you think about making music for families?

Before I ventured into the world of kindie, I had been playing music for years at a convalescent hospital as a kind of "strolling minstrel" music therapist. The hospital was like a second home to me and the folks there were my family. In fact, it's where I met Aunt Carol from The Love Bubble. We had weekly patio concerts and I would stroll room to room with my guitar each day. I would rock a lot of classics -- Sam Cooke, Beatles, Harry Belafonte, Bob Marley, and a bunch of 50's stuff too. Performing day after day, I needed to expand my repertoire. I wanted to write something personal for them, something that was more directly an expression of me.

At the same time I had just ventured into the world of fatherhood. My step-kids were way into Dan Zanes. I'd never really heard any of his stuff since family life was new to me. But I fell in love instantly. A brand new world I never knew existed -- rooted in so much culture -- something entirely fresh and wholesome at once. It floored me when I first heard Father Goose. It was always the kids' favorite part of the albums. I thought, "Wow! This is magic." After some googling, I realized there was a much bigger movement out there called, "Kindie." I thought, man, I wanna be part of this world!

Inspired, our musical world, the Love Bubble, evolved quite naturally. It was the perfect way to connect my giant family.

Was Ava's (and Lucas' and the rest of the kids') participation part of your concept for Mista Cookie Jar from the beginning?

The kids were always involved but I could not predict their growth.  The Love Bubble was born from hanging out with Lucas and Ava, just having fun in our pretend world. We'd make up little jingles, poems and characters each day, not realizing we were creating a career.  "Joey" was Lucas's invention, a dog who could bark and talk. He just started barking, and we sang, "It's Joey the Dogg!" whenever he came into his character.

Ava always had a few rhymes up her sleeve, some playground rhymes like patty cake and personal ones too, probably influenced from her mother's roots in old school hip hop. I wrote a rap for her on our song "Circles" -- my favorite part of The Love Bubble. She was 7 at the time. It just blew me away how easy it was for her. Eventually, she learned the "guest" raps on the album. Her memory is crazy good, the best in our family. Our first few shows were with the kids -- Lucas was 4, Ava, 7, and their best friend Mikyla, 6. They were a huge hit with the crowd. Definitely had that cute factor going. 

As the kids grew, their roles got bigger. Our second album features Ava in nearly every song. I even wrote a little rap for Lucas, but I think he's more comfortable hamming it up in front of a camera. Now when we play a show, the audience is generally younger than they are. Ava is almost 12 and Lucas is 9 now. Their onstage persona has become more of the bigger brother/bigger sister role. They have a way with kids.

Where do you see your style of music -- sunny, funky, positive -- fitting into the broader kindie scene?  What do you think your particular niche is?

As a lover of music and the diversity of culture, I try to keep open to all kinds of genres. Though I have my roots in certain styles--hip hop, folk, reggae, 50's bubblegum--by nature I'm a chameleon. I see these styles infused and progressing into something different in the years to come. Who knows? The kindie scene seems like a natural fit. It's the kind of musical genre that is genre-less or all-genres. What draws people together is the idea of community and a culture which holds the child as numero uno.

It's hard for me to say without sounding pretentious, lol. You'd probably know best. I've heard  "Outkast for families" or "5 hour energy drink of the kindie world." I dig it, man, for sure. We have a soft side too. You could say we're a party band, but I'd like to think we bring a natural adrenaline rush, one that elevates and doesn't leave you burnt out and empty. Um, organic Red Bull? Hopefully, more like a full course meal.

We try to offer a variety of dimensions in our albums, something for everybody, at any age with any track. Each song has a unique life to it, its individual niche carved out for itself. While at the same time, I try to make each song accessible to all who want it. I guess you could say we have a cut and paste niche -- post-modern kindie? Ultimately, I just try to create something beautiful -- sonically, visually, and poetically. Something catchy and fun to immediately indulge in but with wonders to ponder as you grow with the music.

What did you learn about making music for families -- as a band, as opposed to playing in classrooms -- between the first and second albums?

The first album was conceived with many of our extended family involved. I was reaching out to discover what the vibe was, what my peeps were all about. I'd co-write a lot of the songs and get as many artists, friends and family across the U.S. in on it as possible. It made for an album dear to our hearts. But we had to rework the songs to figure out how to play them live.  Also, branding-wise, we weren't too sure of my look. On the album cover, I'm wearing fairy wings and a woman's muumuu from Goodwill. Pretty hilarious. We hadn't even come up with the name Chocolate Chips yet. I think we called the kids "Tha Big Seeds" at our first show, lol. Didn't really stick.

After years of touring The Love Bubble, Ava and I grew more of a dynamic on stage. We had a distinct sound that evolved from the first record. Eventually, I would write more songs to really hone in on this. She got so good I wanted to give her much more of the spotlight. It grew into much of what's on our second album, Ultramagnetic Universal Love Revolution. 

What is your favorite part of the music-making process -- the writing, recording, or playing live?

As a process, writing and recording are the same for me because I do them at the same time. I enjoy it the most. It's a thrill to start with nothing and by the end of the session you might have just reinvented the the song of life. I love it. Making videos too, it's the same feelings all over again and then some when we release them to the public. 

Playing live to me can be stressful sometimes. But I have to say, connecting with the audience is the BEST feeling in the world. I'm always so happy after a good show. It's basically the same feelings of writing, recording and making videos, but then some. It's triple the pleasure hearing praise for the Chocolate Chips. This enormous proud feeling comes over me and I want to take everyone out to eat even when it pinches my pocket just a little too much.

You're part of a Kindiefest panel on self-management.  Without stealing your thunder from the panel, what's the most important thing you've learned over the past couple years about managing your work, family, creative, and personal life?

It's a tightrope act for sure. Part of the allure of this business is being able to integrate my family life with my artistic passions. I'm an obsessive artist by nature. What keeps me grounded is my family, my friends, and the community. When there's love in my heart with what I do and how I live, I feel I can fly anywhere and dream as big as I want to. Everything else naturally falls into place. 

Also, always backup your hard drive!

What's next for you?

We're working on a stop motion animation/green screen video for "Call Me Mista Cookie Jar." It's kind of a period piece, maybe a hundred years ago or so--but in a magical realm. Kind of like Wizard of Oz. I'm just psyched because I get to turn one of my fedoras into a Buster Keaton hat. We're getting together and having craft dates with some friends. It's a slow, meticulous process but we love it. Our new favorite thing. I'm absolutely psyched to finish the project. Visually, some exciting new territory. Inspired by Terry Gilliam and the amazing "Inspiration" video by Cat Doorman. Hopefully, we can do the medium justice. But you can bet we'll give it our all.

Also got a project with Todd McHatton. I think we're calling it, "Todd & Cookie." We've got about 2 songs now. I think the term, "Cheech and Chong for kids" was thrown out. But that just sounds wrong.

It's been so cool working with him though. All Postal Service style, that is to say, we haven't worked on it in person once yet. Just Dropbox. It's freeing working with Todd. We're unlocking some mad id in ourselves while at the same time he's such a sweet, talented guy with such a tender writing voice. But I do have to say, the Underbirds will be a tough act to follow! They're awesome!

New album in the works too. Should be interesting, the kids have grown so much since the last batch of ditties. I was worried for a bit they might not be into it anymore. For a minute it seemed like Minecraft and Bieber fever was getting the best of them, but they always come back around. The music is so integrated in our lives, we'll just have to let it grow up with them. So far, we've got a bit of Motown, a bit of old Americana, ska, & some trap music influences. I don't know, that's seriously what I'm working with at the moment…?!

Mista Cookie Jar photo by Andrew Cho; Ava Flava and Lucas photos by Market Street Productions

Interview: Angela C. Santomero (Super WHY!)

If Angela C. Santomero had done nothing other than help bring the TV show Blue's Clues​ into the world, then her place in the world of kids' TV would be secure.

But she hasn't rested on her laurels and finds herself busier than ever, having created and executive-produced Super WHY!​, the #1-ranked preschool TV show, as well as Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood​, which is a spinoff of the beloved Mister Rogers' Neighborhood​.  Oh, and she executive-produces and co-hosts The Parents Show​ on PBS Parents.

And did we mention the Super WHY! live musical show, which is now touring throughout the country this spring, which Santomero wrote and features music written by fun. guitarist Jack Antonoff?

Angela answered some question by e-mail recently, though exactly where she found the time to do so, I'm not entirely sure.  Read on to find out Santomero's favorite part of the show, how Antonoff got involved, and how she stays on top of her many different enterprises.​

Zooglobble: What are your first musical memories?

Angela C. Santomero: Annie!  I fell in love with theater when I went to see my first Broadway show as a little girl, Annie.  My sister and I were so inspired that we acted it out and sang for hours and hours after we saw the show!

What are your first reading memories?

As a young preschooler, I "read" the little Golden Book Little Mommy over and over again to my parents, cousins, grandparents - basically anyone who would listen to me.  I still have the book, it's such a favorite!

I understand that Super WHY! had its origins as your Masters thesis -- what prompted you to develop the concept then (and then subsequently into production as an actual TV show)?

I was such an avid reader as a child and loved that reading took me on adventures to the most exotic and interesting places.  When I was in college, I realized that not everyone is a visual learner and that some have a harder time seeing beyond the words in a book.  I wanted to celebrate reading and use animation to help kids visualize the worlds and the characters that are beyond the text.  Helping kids to learn and LOVE to read is a passion of mine. 

What prompted you to turn Super Why into the stage production?

The idea of having kids fall in love with theater, interact with our characters and sing the songs LIVE is one of the most fulfilling experiences.  The kids who come to the show all bond over their love of the music, the stories, the games, and can't wait to hug our characters.  It's a dream come true!

How did Jack Antonoff from fun. get involved with the show?

How lucky are we?? Our fabulous director, Glenn Orsher, has a longstanding relationship with Jack and asked him to be involved.  We are so happy to have such a talented musician be part of the show!

What were some of the challenges in writing for a live show as opposed to a TV show?

The level of interactivity is an exciting and challenging element.  We were careful to pace the show correctly so that the kids are actually part of it.  It's magic to see the kids so involved! 

Any particular favorite parts of the show? 

My favorite is the final song - it leaves such a warm and fuzzy feeling in my belly.  I cry.  And I love the Super Duper Computer as a character in the show! (and my kids loved that it was my voice!)  :)

I often deal with musicians who keep many plates spinning simultaneously, but your plates seem even larger than most -- how do you make sure you're giving all the various roles you have (executive producer on multiple shows, family responsibilities) balanced and with the attention they deserve?

My shows are like my babies - they are all at different stage of development and, that being the case, they all need different things from me. I've always said that my vision is to "change the world one preschool show at a time."  I need multiple shows in all areas of curriculum to be able to achieve that!

What's next for Super WHY! and you?

Super WHY! on Alpha-Bits Cereal!  Super WHY! and Reading is Fundamental!  Super WHY! on Tour!  Super WHY! at the Licensing Show in June...  So much more to come! 

​Photo credit: Joshua Smith