Listen To This: "Washington, DC" - The Not-Its! (World Premiere / Free Download!)

The Not-Its - Washington, DC single cover

Sure, some of you may be thinking about Valentine's Day, but the more politically minded among us have already moved on to my favorite holiday in February: Presidents' Day.

It celebrates Presidents Washington and Lincoln, and I guess every president, and besides the 3-day weekend it gives many workers, it's also an opportunity to think about the nation's political process, leaders, and the people's role in self-governance.

The Not-Its! brand new album Are You Listening? is released this Friday, February 19th, and their latest single is titled "Washington, DC."  And while it starts out as a travelogue, it segues into about as nuanced a discussion of the political process as you'd expect from a pop-punk song targeted at 6-year-olds.  Are you listening?  Well, I'm making it as easy as I can -- for a limited time you can not only stream but also download the track below.

(Art by Not-Its! drummer Michael Welke)

The Not-Its - "Washington, DC" [Soundcloud]

Listen To This: "Pretty Little World" - Michael and The Rockness Monsters (World Premiere!)

Pretty Little World single cover

There will always be a need for simple pop songs for pure pop kids, and I've got one such song for you today.

The song's called "Pretty Little World," and it's a single from the upcoming 2016 debut album from Michael and the Rockness Monsters titled, well, Michael and the Rockness Monsters.  Which is just a long way of saying that it's the first album meant for the general public from Michael Napolitano, founder of the Preschool of Rock.  The New Jersey/New York-based program provides music classes and birthday parties for, um, preschoolers (and younger ones).

In any case, this song is gentle with a spirit of wonder.  Also, it features bells.  I love the bells.  If you want to grab a copy of the single for your very own, you can do so on iTunes and Amazon.  Or just stream the rainbow goodness below.

Michael and the Rockness Monsters - "Pretty Little World" [Soundcloud]

Listen To This: "Trees Are the Hair of the Earth" - Mr. Steve, the Music Man

I have been a longtime fan of Steve Lee, the Nashville-by-way-of-Arkansas musician -- his 2006 album What Did You Today, Stephen Scott Lee? was an out-of-left-field day-in-the-life slice of occasional pop perfection whose shiny brilliance blinded me and completely overwhelmed whatever resistance I usually have to songs that have messages.

It's been a looooong time for the follow-up, but Steve Lee, who in the kids music world now bills himself as Mr. Steve, the Music Man, is ready.  This Friday sees the official release of Earth Party!, the brand-new album from Lee, and I, for one, am very happy about that.  I reviewed Earth Party earlier this year, and here's a selection of adjectives I used about the album that encourages greater consideration of environmental needs: "earth-friendly," "rousing," and "joyful."  It's brief, but it shows every bit of the brilliance the 2006 album did.

So, I'm very happy to premiere "Trees Are the Hair of the Earth," a track that, as I noted in that review, "packs wordplay, a plea against deforestation, and a plaintive melody into less than 4 minutes of pop goodness."  Lee is joined by Street Corner Symphony, Gabe Dixon, Jason Eskridge, and Alyssa Bonagura.  Stream it below, and if you can't wait 'til the official release date, you can pick it up on iTunes here.  Enjoy!

Listen To This: "City Don't Sleep" - Frances England

Frances England - City Don't Sleep single cover

Yay for new music from Frances England!  It's called "City Don't Sleep," and it's a sneak peek (aurally, anyway) at her forthcoming fifth family music album Explorer of the World.  You'll probably notice immediately the unique percussion and sounds of the city.  The latter comes from England's approach for many of the songs on the new album -- rather than starting with chord progressions, she used field recordings she'd made over the past couple years as the foundation for many of these songs, and those sounds are woven through the songs.

Between this recording and the fact that the album is co-produced by Dean Jones and Dave Winer from Justin Roberts' Not Ready for Naptime Players, Explorer of the World is definitely right near the top of my most-anticipated 2016 kindie albums.  The single officially is out September 29th, but you can grab a copy now on iTunes and CD Baby (with Amazon coming shortly).  Or stream it below!

Frances England - "City Don't Sleep" [Soundcloud]

Listen To This: "Little Chicken" - Rudy Trubitt

Rudy Trubitt answers the question: what if Chicken Weebus decided to open up for Supertramp during their late '70s heyday?

I mean, I'm pretty sure that nobody's ever asked that question, but "Little Chicken" answers it anyway.  (And it's good to hear new music from the San Francisco-based Trubitt.)

Rudy Trubitt - "Little Chicken" [Soundcloud] [CD Baby]

Listen To This: "Sunshine Family" - Mista Cookie Jar (feat. Aaron Nigel Smith)

"Sunshine Family" single cover

It's another super kindie duet from SoCal's Mista Cookie Jar and the Chocolate Chips.  This time, for "Sunshine Family," MCJ brings in Portland's Aaron Nigel Smith for a summery jam with reggae, dub, and a bit of hip-hop in the mix.

Co-written by Mista Cookie Jar (aka C.J. Pizarro) and Smith, you can think of it as a big (BIG) I-5 duet from the the West Coast artists.  (And no offense to the East Coast, but the West Coast OWNS summer.)

Mista Cookie Jar and the Chocolate Chips (feat. Aaron Nigel Smith) - "Sunshine Family" [Bandcamp]