Radio Playlist: New Music March 2015

More! New! Music!  I skipped February (short month, gets no respect, amirite?), but if you want to catch my list from late January, you can see that playlist here.

As always, it's limited in that if an artist hasn't chosen to post a song on Spotify, I can't put it on the list, nor can I feature songs from as-yet-unreleased albums.  But I'm always keeping stuff in reserve for the next Spotify playlist.

Check out the list here or go right here if you're in Spotify.

**** New Music March 2015 (March 2015 Kindie Playlist) ****

Mista Cookie Jar & the Chocolate Chips – Jelly Beans!
Jed Maheu – Cookie Recipe (feat. Joey Galvan & Sean Hoffman)
Suz Slezak – You Got Love
The Boo Hoo Crew – I Just Wanna Go Home
Big Block Singsong – Owl
Sunny Day Rainbows – Max the Giraffe
Mista Cookie Jar & the Chocolate Chips – The Way We Gets Down
Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer – Howdy Little Newlycome / Ceildh House Polka (feat. Cherish the Ladies)
Liz, Holly, & the Jolly Lollies – Theo's Lullaby

Baseball Songs for Kids (2015 Update)

Spring Training starts today!  Spring Training starts today!  So I'm going to actually post something in a timely manner, and that is provide an update to list of baseball songs for kids.  For the most part, I've just repeated last year's list of baseball songs, but I've added a couple new tracks to the list, and if I've missed something, please let me know in the comments.

-- "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" (well, duh) -- try Wiggleworms Love You, from the Old Town School of Folk Music (nicely bipartisan, cheering for both the Cubs and White Sox), or also the Hold Steady's version.

-- "Baseball Dreams" -- off At the Bottom of the Sea, by Ralph's World (Cubs all the way in this one)

-- "I'm Gonna Catch You" -- off Under a Shady Tree, by Laurie Berkner (it has one relevant line -- "So I jumped into Saturday / And I had a baseball batter-day" -- yes, this one's a bit of a stretch)

-- "Pop Fly" -- off Justin Roberts' album by the same name, about a daydreaming boy playing the outfield...

-- "Centerfield" -- off Centerfield, by John Fogerty (not kids' music, but a great song anyway). See also Visqueen's rendition on the Desoto Records kidscomp Play!

-- "Talkin' Baseball -- off countless albums by Terry Cashman, who just re-recorded and updated his song every few years -- baseball history lesson in 3 minutes

-- "Big Train" -- off the RTT's Turn It Up Mommy!. About Walter "Big Train" Johnson. I'd probably disagree that he's the best pitcher ever, but that's another blog. Good song.

-- "Right Field" -- Peter, Paul and Mary.

-- "Cryin' in the Dugout" -- off Daddy-A-Go-Go's Eat Every Bean and Pea on Your Plate album. A humorous song, "Baseball Dreams" played for laughs instead of nostalgia.

-- "The Greatest" -- Kenny Rogers.

-- "Roll Around" -- Peter Himmelman, off of his My Lemonade Stand CD. A fun, rollicking song about a baseball who retires, then comes back to his true calling.

-- "Baseball Tips with Professor Buckley -- Peter Himmelman, My Green Kite, an amusing little spoken-word piece.

-- "Baseball" -- Milkshake, off Play!. Guest-starring Cal Ripkin, Jr.

-- "The Challenger Baseball Song" -- Ben Rudnick and Friends. All about the Challenger Division of Little League, for kids with mental and physical disabilities.

-- "Baseball, Baseball" -- Stephen Cohen, off Here Comes the Band.

-- "Hey! Batter!" -- Hank Cooper, from Playground Fortune Teller -- all about the language of baseball...

-- "High Five" -- They Might Be Giants (at least in part anyway, and the video features some baseball players -- and c'mon, the team sponsored a Little League baseball team...)

-- "Bruce Springstone's" version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."

-- Kathy Kallick's "brilliant refashioning" of Count Basie's "Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball"

-- "Bring 'Em In" -- the Deedle Deedle Dees (off their American History + Rock 'n' Roll = The Deedle Deedle Dees album)

-- "I Love Baseball" -- Jim Cosgrove (off Ooey Gooey)

-- "Home Run Ronnie" -- Debbie and Friends (off More Story Songs and Sing-Alongs)

-- "Lullabye with Baseball and Trains" - Peter Himmelman (off My Trampoline)

-- "Cool Papa Bell" -- The Deedle Deedle Dees (off Strange Dees Indeed, watch an early Lloyd Miller rendition here)

-- "Tommy Got in Trouble Today" -- the Bazillions (off Rock 'n' Roll Recess)

-- "Not So Good at Baseball" -- Barry Louis Polisar (off Old Enough to Know Better)

-- "Catfish" -- off Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series. I am unfamiliar with this one. But it's Dylan.

-- "Joe DiMaggio’s Done it Again" -– Wilco and Billy Bragg, from their Mermaid Ave Vol. 2 (not "kids music," per se, but totally OK.  Great, even)

-- "A Dying Cubs Fan’s Last Request" –- Steve Goodman. See "Talkin' Baseball," above.

-- "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" -- Brave Combo.  It's Brave Combo, how could it not be fun?

-- "Jackie" -- Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band (from Lishy Lou and Lucky Too).

-- "My Baseball Bat" -- The Boogers (Let's Go)

-- "Jackie Robinson" -- Ellis Paul (The Hero in You)

-- "Opening Day" -- Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could (single, listen here)

-- "Monster League Baseball" -- Eric Herman (The Incredibly Spaced-Out Adventures of Jupiter Jackson)

-- "It's Time for Baseball" - Robert Talmage

Best Kids Music of 2014: Top 30 Songs

I know.  This is madness, right?  Trying to come up with a list of my 30 favorite songs from the past year? Completely. Nuts.

But that's what I'm willing to do for you, dear readers.  More so than a list of albums or debuts or videos, however, a list ranking favorite songs is ephemeral, subject to the whims of a particular moment.  More than that, it probably tends toward the poppy, upbeat, and lively.  Tender lullabies have to do more work to stand out in my (or your) memory if you've heard literally thousands of kids' songs over the past year.

But regardless of how different my list would next week (or late in the evening), these 30 songs are among the best that kids music offered us in the past year.  ("Year," as always, defined as Oct. 1, 2013 through Sept. 30, 2014, though that's harder to stick to given the prevalence of singles which might have been released on either side of that window.  Deal.)

Also, these are in alphabetical order -- if you think I'm going to attempt to rank all these, you're even more nuts than I am in deciding to pick them.

Anyway, I've combined these into a handy Spotify playlist found at the bottom of this list (click here if you're already in Spotify).  Enjoy!

Bears and Lions - "Pancakes"

The Laurie Berkner Band – "Fireflies"

Caspar Babypants – "The Girl with the Squirrel in Her Hat"

Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band – "When I Grow Up"

The Dirty Sock Funtime Band (w/ Laurie Berkner) – "We're in Love"

Laura Doherty - "I'm a Little Fish"

Django Jones – "Counterpoint"

Gustafer Yellowgold - "Toothloser"

The Hipwaders – "Kings & Queens"

Charlie Hope – "Harmony" (feat. Elizabeth Mitchell)

Hullabaloo – "Like a Bird Must Feel"

Jazzy Ash - "Throw Me Something Mista" (feat. Mista Cookie Jar)

Randy Kaplan – "Not Too Young for a Song"

Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights – "Food Fight"

Josh and the Jamtones – "Green and Spakkled Frogs"

Luscious Jackson – "Hula Hoop"

Walter Martin - "Hey Sister" (feat. Kat Edmonson)

Mista Cookie Jar & the Chocolate Chips – "My My My"

The Not-Its! - "When I Fell (The Scab Song)"

The Okee Dokee Brothers - "Through the Woods"

The Pop Ups - "All These Shapes"

Raffi – "Love Bug"

Recess Monkey - "Smooth Sailing"

Red Yarn - "The Fox"

Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could – "Just Say Hi!"

Secret Agent 23 Skidoo – "Imaginary Friend"

The Short Films – "The Mysterious Okapi"

Ben Tatar and the Tatar Tots – "The Grape Jam" (feat. Spare Parts)

Danny Weinkauf – "Oh No Oh Yeah"

The Whizpops! – "Sea Turtule"

Radio Playlist: New Music January 2015

A new year, but the same reliance on Spotify for some of the highlights that have crossed my desk recently.  I skipped December (at least for non-holiday music, but if you missed November's list, you can see that playlist here).

As always, it's limited in that if an artist hasn't chosen to post a song on Spotify, I can't put it on the list, nor can I feature songs from as-yet-unreleased albums.  But I'm always keeping stuff in reserve for the next Spotify playlist.

Check out the list here or go right here if you're in Spotify.

**** New Music January 2015 (January 2015 Kindie Playlist) ****

Big World Audio Theatre – This Island Life (from The Peculiar Adventures of the S.S. Bungalow)
Michael O'Halloran – The Little Blue Bus
Kira Willey – Jazzy
Mo Phillips – Time Machine
Spiral Up Kids – Dreams
Billy Jonas – Monkeys Driving Cars
Nathalia – Norah's World
Brendan Parker – Dance!
Bunny Clogs – My Identity

Kids Songs About Dogs

It's been awhile since I've done one of these themed lists, but as has been the case with much if not all of the material here over this site's 10+ years of existence, this list is personally inspired.

We lost our older dog Duke earlier this week after a brief fight against a tumor, and shortly afterward, Lunch Money's "I Want a Dog" ran through my mind.  As someone who came to dog ownership later in life, I can't say that I ever went through the stages of pleading the song's narrator goes through ("I would name him Caspar…").  But singer Molly Ledford's wistful voice seemed appropriate for my (and our family's) emotional tenor.  "Duke" (or "Titus," the name of our other, much younger, dog) seems like a suitable name as well.

So here's list, though I'm sure I've left one of your favorites out.  Won't you help out?

---

Lunch Money - "I Want a Dog"

Raffi - "Doggone Woods"

Dwight Yoakam - "I've Got a Dog"

Billy Kelly - "Oh My Dog"

fleaBITE - "Dogs' Day Out"

Duplex - "Dog With a Sweater On"

Bunny Clogs - "3 Dogs and a Pancake"

Dan Bern - "Clark the Dog"

The Nields - "Dog on a Ball"

Heidi Swedberg and the Sukey Jump Band - "My Dog Has Fleas" [OK, that might be a bit of a stretch]

The Primate Fiasco [and many others] - "Doggy in the Window"

Pete Seeger - "Little Dogies" [again, that's a stretch, but, c'mon, Pete Seeger!]

The Thinkers - "Walk Your Dogs"

Laura Veirs [and Peggy Seeger] - "Little Lap Dog Lullaby"

Kira Willey - "Black Dog in the River"

Dan Zanes and Friends [and many others] - "Walkin' the Dog" [once more, a stretch, but, y'know, "Walkin' the Dog!"]

Laurie Berkner - "The Great Big Dog"

Caspar Babypants - "My Flea Has Dogs"

Caspar Babypants - "Dog Gone Gone Dog Gone

Johnny Bregar - "Blue Dog"

Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke - "I Had a Little Dog"

They Might Be Giants - "Hot Dog!" [see above re: "a stretch"]

Split Lip Rayfield - "The Weasel, Bean, Frog and Dog"

Parachute Express - "Me and My Dog"

La Kabala [and many others] - "Underdog"

Dick Cavett - "My Dog Is a Plumber"

Peggy Seeger - "Little Brown Dog"

Bears and Lions - "Good Boy"

Jamie Broza - "I Like Dogs"

Jamie Broza - "I Want a Dog"

The Hipwaders - "My Dog Steve"

Jesse Olsen Bay - "Doggy in the Diner"

Michelle Campagne - "The Little Blue Doggy"

Jefrey Au Go Go - "Peter the Pushy Puppy"

Owen Duggan - "Puppy Dog Jig"

Mr. David - "She's a Good Dog"

Sandra Boynton - "Dog Train"

Nat Johnson - "Dog"

Django Jones - "Smallest Breed"

Billy Jonas - "What Kind of Dog Are You?" [again, stretching this a bit…]

Barry Louis Polisar - "My Dog's Name Is Cat"

Human-Tim + Robot-Tim - "Hey Little Doggie"

Andrew and Polly - "When You're a Dog"

Duke Otherwise - "Dog Without a Tail"

Ralph's World - "Puppy Dog"

Ralph's World - "A Dog Named Bruce"

Hullabaloo - "Diamonds and Dogs"

Tom Freund - "I Walk the Dog"

DidiPop - "Wonder Dog"

Steve Weeks - "My Dog Ate My House"

Brian Vogan - "Gray Dog"

Justin Roberts - "Every Little Step"

Christmas & Holiday Music 2014

Every year there's an outpouring of holiday-related music spanning all genres, and while kindie's participation in holiday music is down a bit from, say, 2-3 years ago, there are still a handful of new entries.  Time's a ticking -- we're in the middle of Hanukkah and Christmas is but 4 days away, so let's jump in.

Albums

Bobs and Lolo: Wave Your Antlers -- My favorite kindie Christmas album of 2014, this is a solid collection of pop originals ("Festive Time of Year" and the catchy-in-spite-of-all-attempts-to-stop-it "Chris Moose") and Christmas classics, including some songs you don't typically get on kids' Christmas albums (I'm looking at you "Dona Nobis Pacem").  Fans of the British Columbia duo will definitely want to pick this up, and most fans of kindie pop will find this a pleasant addition to their holiday rotation.

Farmer Jason: Christmas on the Farm with Farmer Jason -- Jason Ringenberg's kids' music as Farmer Jason has often had the energy of his Jason and the Scorchers work, but totally wholesome.  Songs like "All I Want for Christmas (Is a Punk Rock Skunk)" and "Eat Your Fruitcake" blast through the stereo speakers, to be sure.  I am usually a big fan of diverse musical approaches on albums, but to me, those songs sat a little uneasily next very sincere renditions of a religious Christmas classic like "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" or a Ringenberg original, "The Animals Sang."  Farmer Jason fans will probably like the album, but non-fans may want to give the album samples a few spins to see if the bifurcated approach appeals before committing to the album

Mighty Magic Pants: It Must Be Christmas -- Mike Mennard and his crew offer a mostly irreverent take on Christmas -- titles like "Santa's Stuck in the Chimney," "Rudolph on the Barbecue," and "Grandpa Ate Too Much Again This Christmas" will give you a pretty good sense of the attitude.  It's respectful irreverence, to be sure -- "Lay Down Your Drum, Little Drummer Boy" is sung from the point of view of Mary, gently pleading with the Little Drummer Boy to stop his rum-pa-bum-bum-ming so Baby Jesus can get some sleep.  There's nothing particularly memorable about the musical settings, but with short poems serving as interstitials between many songs, this is essentially an hour-long Christmas revue musical that will likely provide some chuckles of recognition.

Idina Menzel: Holiday Wishes -- It's not a kindie album, but it's new this year.  No, she does not sing "Let It Go," because even though Frozen was released last Christmas, that song -- the song her obituary many years hence will no doubt reference -- has nothing to do with Christmas.  She does, however, sing a dozen Christmas-related songs in a perfectly tasteful and enjoyable way.  I could do without her duet with Michael Buble' on "Baby It's Cold Outside" (I've come to actively dislike the song for lyrical reasons), but the rest is well-chosen and produced.  If it sounds like I'm lukewarm, it's only because there's little here to distinguish it from dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of other Christmas albums from singers with beautiful voices.  I'm sure I'll listen in future years, but I doubt it'll become a treasured favorite.

Other Stuff

This year Hanukkah runs almost concurrently with Christmas, and Alison Faith Levy offers up a fun new song titled "All I Want for Chanukah is a Ukulele," strumming on a uke (natch) with fellow Bay Area musician Karla Kane from the Corner Laughers.  If only I knew eight chords on my uke.

Speaking of Hanukkah-related duets, Lisa Loeb also has one.  Hers, "Light," is a little more serious, but very pretty, and features vocals from Renee Stahl (half of Renee and Jeremy).  I can definitely see this becoming part of Chanukah-related playlists in years to come.

With "Got the Spirit," Mista Cookie Jar offers up a super-positive holiday jam (does MCJ do any other kind?) for your favorite nondenominational (or denominational or multidenominational) kid, again infusing his '50s soul with a thoroughly modern attitude.  Or is it vice versa?

Here's a Spotify playlist of kindie holiday songs from this year (including some songs referenced above (go here for link, here if you're in Spotify):

Danny Weinkauf – Wonderful Christmas Day
Farmer Jason – All I Want for Christmas (Is a Punk Rock Skunk)
Bobs & Lolo – Chris Moose
Mista Cookie Jar & the Chocolate Chips – Got the Spirit
The Wanna Bees – Party On the Rooftop
The Mighty Magic Pants – Pirate's Christmas Eve
The Wanna Bees – Snow Ball Fight

Previously on Zooglobble

The Pop Ups - "Favorite Cousin"

Bobs and LoLo - "Chris Moose"

Note: I received copies of the Bobs & LoLo, Farmer Jason, and Mighty Magic Pants albums for possible review.