One of the best parts of Sara Hickman's performance at the Austin Kiddie Limits Festival last September was her performance of "Iolana," from her album Big Kid (that's the song I made my Bob Dylan reference for). Well, the fine folks at DadLabs got Sara to visit them in their studio and give them another performance.
(Warning: I think I've skipped past some of the saltier language in the first half of the video -- yes, a post with kids' songs that has salty language, great -- but in case I'm still low-tech here, the song starts about 4:30 into the video.)
Between this and part 1 of the interview, Hickman sounds like she'd be a heckuva fun person to have a beer with. (Note: the song in this first part is hysterical, but definitely not for the kiddos.)
Listen To This: "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake" - Eileen Barton
I'm an occasional XM Kids listener. I know I'm not the only one, so I know I'm not the only one who knows that this song has been getting increasing play on the playlist. It's not kids music, and, heck, since it was recorded in about 1950, it's older not only than the kids listening, but probably everybody listening.
If this song doesn't put a smile on your face, then your candidate probably placed behind a write-in candidate in New Hampshire on Tuesday.
Eileen Barton - "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake"
The video is actually still pictures, so I'd just play the thing and work on something else. Only the first 2:45 of the clip is the Eileen Barton song, but the rest is a couple of Weavers songs, including "Goodnight Irene," so you can get a little Pete Seeger in there, too.
New Music, Album from ScribbleMonster
I've said before (though maybe not to any of you) that if you miss hearing the power-pop that saturated the airwaves in the early '90s, then kids' music might just be your best option. There are few better at that particular subgenre than the Jim Dague and the rest of his compatriots in ScribbleMonster.
They've got a new album, Songs With No Character, coming out this spring, and they've just added a couple songs from the album available for downloading and listening on their Myspace page. Both tracks have been floating around for awhile now. "Spare the Rock Spoil the Child" was, as you might expect, originally crafted for the Spare the Rock radio show and rocks mightily. "The Song of LIFE" has been around in a live version since spring 2007, but now is up in full studio glory. It's actually a (comparatively) mellow track, and really as geared toward the parents as the kids, but it's sweet in its own way. It's reminiscent of one of the great masters of power-pop, Fountains of Wayne, in their more country-ish moments (think "Valley Winter Song," for example).
And, hey, even if you're not sure about those songs, go to the Myspace page and listen to "I Wish I Lived in Michigan," "The Fur Trade," and "Chocolate Milk" along with 'em. It's 10 or so minutes of great music.
Two Songs (and a Catchy Jingle) from Brady Rymer
This has been available for awhile, but I wanted to point out that Brady Rymer has three new songs available for download as part of his Children's Dimetapp Breathe & Boogie Tour. Go here to download "Healthy Livin'" and "Even the Animals Sneeze," a couple mid-tempo folk-rockers that would've sounded fine on his recent Every Day is a Birthday CD.
Also available for download is "We are the Sniffles," which also has a video on the site. I'm sorta bummed because it's the best of the three tracks -- propulsive, great harmonies -- but it's got a couple shout-outs to Dimetapp (both in the song and on the video). It's worth a spin, though, because aside from the commercial reference (which kinda kills any repeat-listening value for me), it shows Rymer and his band at their best.
Rymer, incidentally, will be releasing his latest album, Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could, on March 4. You can hear one of the songs from the upcoming CD, "Road Trip" by attending one of his final shows on this tour in Rochester (NY), Houston, Dallas, and Madison, New Jersey (details here) and picking up the free six-song Rymer CD they're distributing.
So, yeah, I'm just waiting for the edited version...
Listen To This: "Beard For All Seasons" - Gustafer Yellowgold
Ever since the New York Times used the phrase “The show is a cross between ‘Yellow Submarine’ and Dr. Seuss" to describe Gustafer Yellowgold, it's been plastered all over their promo materials. Hey, if I were them, I would too. But I always thought it was just barely appropriate -- yes, it's animated and poppy, but those weren't quite the musical and lyrical influences I was hearing on the debut DVD.
But they've posted another track off their upcoming Have You Never Been Yellow? CD/DVD set, "Beard For All Seasons," on their Myspace page. And "Beard" definitely sounds like the Beatles (a clean melody, horns, handclaps) aided by a touch of Seussian lyrical whimsy. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
(Oh, and the DVD, which comes out October 16, has an audio commentary from creator Morgan Taylor. While the idea of an audio commentary on a kids movie isn't weird at all, I'm pretty sure this is a first for the kids' music world. DVD geeks unite!)
Listen To This: "Sad Robot" - The Jellydots
They Might Be Giants frankly retired the category of "Best Robot Song For Kids (and Adults)" with "Robot Parade," but I'm not going to begrudge attempts by other artists to take a run at TMBG's crown.
This week's contestant is The Jellydots, who've just posted another new track from their upcoming album Changing Skies at their Myspace page. "Sad Robot" is, as the title suggests, not the happiest of tales -- a lonely robot dreams of communicating with the stars. It also features a heavy bass line and lots of guitar work. It is a considerably different track than the previously referenced "San Diego." It's more like the "Adult Version" of "Robot Parade," on TMBG's Dial-A-Song collection, perhaps. And it seems like there should be some wistful Japanese animation to go along with it...
