Kindiefest 2011: The Big Picture

I'm writing this (or at least starting to write) while at about 38,000 feet, heading home to Phoenix after another weekend of family music immersion at Kindiefest, the annual gathering of family musicians, radio folks, writers, and others. I spent a fair amount of time this weekend trying to think about if there was an overarching theme to this year's conference. What is the big picture? Last year, if you'll remember, it was about owning your [stuff], the year before it was about... well, a bunch of stuff. And this year? There were always the random phrases people uttered during the weekend. In the entertaining discussion on using social media, Ashley Albert from the Jimmies mentioned how one children's media property allowed users to create avatars of themselves as potatoes, and I immediately wrote "potato avatar" as the name of a kids album or kids band, I'm not sure which. Daron Henry mentioned how Recess Monkey had at some point become a "jobby," a combination of job and hobby that captures, I think, the weird position of some kids music artists, for which this artistic endeavor has become something considerably more than a hobby, but maybe hasn't quite reached the point of full-time work. Yet. Kindiefest co-founder Bill Childs tagged "authenticity" as the word for the weekend. I won't deny that that notion surfaced throughout the weekend, especially in the musical performances. (More on those tomorrow.) But I'm going to call the word of Kindiefest 2011 "community." It wasn't a buzzword that rolled off everyone's lips immediately -- well, except maybe in my panel -- and it's not the word itself that I'm choosing. It was some that happened constantly. At least four or five times during the conference, somebody said to me (or I thought to myself), "I want to -- or I've been told that I need to -- meet [someone else]." And then I'd take it upon myself to find that person, and drag them (and you think I'm exaggerating, but it's not too far from the truth) to that other person. That community could be found in the many after-parties post-conference events, where some folks did the small-level relationship building that long-term associations are built upon. Sometimes that involved serious discussions on how band finances really work or trading touring war stories or fond memories, and sometimes that involved making really bad (and/or off-color) jokes. And probably most significantly, community was found in the showcases and public festival, where again this year many musicians were the most enthusiastic listeners. It was heartening to see the large contingent of kindie musicians on one side of the stage singing or clapping along loudly, for example, during Elizabeth Mitchell's set. Or when during the showcase from Shine and the Moonbeams -- and, goodness, you will be hearing much more about them -- the little boy on stage got a little stage fright and didn't want to dance, Tim Kubart and Ann Torralba got up and danced away. That's not even mentioning all the different folks who sat in on others' sets.

New York as Kindie Epicenter This Weekend

As you should all know by now, I'll be attending (and moderating a panel at) Kindiefest this weekend. The events Friday and Saturday are attendee-only affairs, though I hope to provide some updates via Facebook and Twitter. Having said that, Sunday's concert is a public affair, with crazy-cheap tickets and a great lineup. Elizabeth Mitchell, the Verve Pipe, Heidi Swedberg, Oran Etkin, and more. Tickets are just $12 in advance, $15 at the door, infants free. Tickets are here. Conference attendees looking for an after-show Saturday night could do much worse than seeing Deedle Deedle Dees quasi-alter ego band the Red Hook Ramblers play the Floating Kabarette at Galapagos. Definitely not a kids show. More details here. Of course, there are always more local musicians playing this weekend, but you've got a chance to see some folks whose presence on the East Coast is not as consistent. Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band, all the way out from LA, are playing Sunday at 12:30 at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. Tickets are $10. Finally, Recess Monkey will be playing 2 shows, one Saturday at 1 pm at the Brooklyn Central Library, and one Sunday at 11 am at the 92Y Tribeca. It's a good weekend to be a New York parent -- hope you can take advantage of even more great family music than you usually get to.

Kindiefest 2011: Come To My Panel!

OK, it's not really my panel, but still. I already mentioned why I thought this year's Kindiefest would be worth your while if you are anything more than a passive consumer of family music. Well, now the schedule of panels with panelists has been released. And, see? There's my name! Man, that trip across the country isn't easy, but there are so many reasons to go. That's right, I'll be moderating "Playing Nice: Collaboration and Raising All Boats," all about "how the total can be more than the sum of the parts." Damn straight it can be. And it features a great panel of folks -- Dean Jones, Frances England, Bill Childs, and Johnny Bregar. It starts at 12:30 and lasts just an hour, so get there promptly because I'm because I'm already working on my fake bio bits for the panel and I'm going to rule that panel with an iron fist. Just kidding. Mostly. By the way, if you were worried about the price, the Kindiefesters have announced that the registration price will stay at $90 for the full day of panels and evening showcase. Much, much cheaper than SXSW, I can assure you.

Kindiefest 2011: Brooklyn as Kindie Epicenter

After a wild 2010, Kindiefest is back for another weekend of margaritas, dancing, and heart-to-heart chats. No, Kindiefest is not a college reunion, though it clearly felt like it at times. (There were even afterparties.) What it is, of course, is a conference for musicians, writers, producers, and others interested in the family music genre. I've already written a lot about my experiences at the conference the past couple years. And I still go back to the idea of "owning your stuff" that I first wrote about last year. Registration for Kindiefest 2011 is now open. It's scheduled for April 29 through May 1 once again at Littlefield NYC in Brooklyn. If you're at all local to NYC, then attending the conference shouldn't really even be a question. At less than $100 for the conference (if you register now), it's pretty reasonable price-wise. And while the panels are good, the real value I think is in the opportunity to spend time with other folks doing the same thing you are. All of a sudden, this thing that you have to explain to people about what you do becomes the norm. You move way past that stage and into sharing experiences and advice. As for those of you who live a distance from NYC, I understand totally, because I'm one of you. You have to add transportation and/or lodging costs to the budget. It's no longer cheap. But for those folks the face-to-face contact is even more important. For example, I had a phone conversation just today with a couple folks I met at Kindiefest. And I think that a lot of out-of-town attendees will say that they made valuable connections with artists and presenters in other cities, connections that helped serve them as they tried to expand their own base of operations. As I have not yet tired of saying, the genre still needs to focus on growing the pie rather than having each artist figure out how to get a bigger share of a smaller pie. Kindiefest is one step towards doing so. Finally, for those parents/fans who've made it this far, don't worry, tickets for a public Sunday show will be available soon. It was a great value last year and I expect it to be so again this year.

Video: "Trick or Treat" (Live at Kindiefest) - Justin Roberts

I know, I know, I've already showered praises upon the performance of Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players at this year's Kindiefest. But that original post only included a snippet of "Trick or Treat" and not the full song. Well, with Roberts' permission, here's the whole thing. Y'know, I probably could have spent most of the NPR review talking about this one song. It's perfect (almost too much so for purposes of this recording, as you can occasionally hear me lending vocal support), really it is. Only 3 1/2 months 'til Halloween, y'all... Justin Roberts - "Trick or Treat" (Live at Kindiefest) [YouTube]

88 Lines For 44 Kids Musicians

My last Kindiefest post, I promise. I'd written the lines below as a spoof of the New Wave hit by the The Nails, "88 Lines for 44 Women," and had intended the spoof to be for the website. But for some reason I thought it might be appropriate for Kindiefest and the many multitudes of kids musicians gathered. The poobahs in charge agreed, and so that's how I came to be standing up on stage on Saturday night in between sets, iPod in hand, reading off 88 lines while Tor Hyams jammed on keys in the background. Hyams didn't know the original song (see a live version here) well enough to play it, so instead we turned it into a beat poetry/spoken word/jazz thing. I'm a poor judge of how it turned out, but a couple other notes: 1) I like speaking in public, and I have no problem playing on stage in a quartet or an orchestra. But trying to be a lead singer and command an audience's attention is a hard, hard task. The whole experience for me was useful just to have that concept reinforced. 2) I was completely -- I mean totally -- oblivious to Anand Nayak from Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem joining in with some guitar jamming as they prepped for their showcase set, so focused was I on my lyrics. I was surprised later when people told me they joined in. So clearly rock superstar is not in my immediate future. For visual proof, see below (thanks, Jeff!). But thanks to Tor, Bill, and Stephanie for letting me join in the fun.

And here are all the full lyrics