New video this morning from LA's Renee and Jeremy. It's a little different from most kids music videos in that it's actually a benefit video, raising awareness for the anti-poverty organization Action Aid. The video is for "We Are One" from their debut It's A Big World!. The video, which features a lot of smiling kids, is simple, but I think it does what it was intended to do. It might even hold your kids' attention for 3 minutes.
Renee and Jeremy - "We Are One"
An Open Letter to Residents of Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, and the Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Area
So I've been getting newsletters from Elizabeth Mitchell on a regular basis talking about her late summer tour of the West Coast. I knew, therefore, that she was going to be singing with Renee & Jeremy earlier this month (Suni Paz in LA was a surprise) and Frances England and Charity Kahn this past weekend. I even knew (I think) that she was going to sing with Justin Roberts last month. (They sang the Velvet Underground's "Sunday Morning.")
What I didn't expect is that nobody was going to upload any video to the Internet. C'mon, people! I don't have one of those fancy iPhones or other cell phones with a camera in them, but somebody out there must've gone to the show with one in hand.
And now I hear that the lads from Recess Monkey are going to be joining Elizabeth on stage for their shows in Seattle this Saturday.
Seattle -- you can do it! Video! Video! Video! (Hey, I gave you, like, fiveRecess Monkey videos.)
(Note: Unless, of course, recording is expressly prohibited by the terms and conditions of the ticket entry. Then, er, forget I ever asked.)
Listen To This: "Share" and "Is It Really Any Wonder?" (and more!) - Renee and Jeremy
A few weeks ago, I got a note from Jeremy Toback, half of the LA duo Renee and Jeremy (you guess which half) which said that they were going into the studio to record the follow-up to their sweet and hypnotic debut It's A Big World!. Toback described the album as "definitely not lullabies... groovy and sweet. A little light, a little dark, like smores."
Well, music from those recording sessions are starting to trickle out. Luxury Wafers, the blog of the ChessVolt studios where Toback and Renee Stahl are recording the new album, has posted five new live mp3s for listening or downloading. "Share" is definitely the more upbeat of the tracks, while "Is It Really Any Wonder?" is a little more downtempo along the lines of the first album. If you liked the first album, you're gonna like those. (And if you haven't heard the first album, live tracks of "Free," "Night Mantra," and "We Are One" are there for your enjoyment, too.)
Toback wrote in to clarify that they're actually recording the album at his house -- they just finished this past week. So those tracks up above, which were definitely demo-style anyway, have nothing to do with the actual recording session for the album, photos of which are after the jump.
Will The Album Packaging Be Cute Again, Too?
For those of you who liked the soft, soothing sounds of Renee and Jeremy's debut CD, It's a Big World! (I'll include myself in that group), good news -- the duo announced in their newsletter earlier this week that they're currently writing songs for the follow-up and plan to enter the studio in August to record it. (Does that mean they won't be using Renee's nursery like they did with the debut? Pity, though as I think about it, the nursery, empty as the pregnant Renee recorded the debut, probably has, you know, an actual child. How would you like it if somebody decided to record an album in your bedroom?)
Anyway, just because it's so beautiful, the title track's video is after the jump.
KidVid Tournament 2008: Renee & Jeremy vs. They Might Be Giants
While yesterday's matchup was a live-action affair, the 2nd semifinal in KidVid 2008 is an all-animation competition. Renee & Jeremy offer "It's A Big World," a soft lullaby from their It's A Big World disk (review). They Might Be Giants counter with "The Seven Days of the Week (Never Go To Work)," a zippy anti-work/pro-trumpet practice tune from Here Come the 123s (review).
You know the rules by now. One vote per family -- one per family, folks! -- in the comments below, due by 9 PM tonight (Thursday). As always, vote nice, y'all.
Renee & Jeremy - "It's A Big World"
They Might Be Giants - "Seven Days of the Week (Never Go To Work)"
KidVid Tournament 2008: Renee & Jeremy vs. Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke
It's the battle of the ampersands in the Ella Jenkins Region, the last of the 4 KidVid '08 Regions to be decided -- the #1 seed Renee & Jeremy's "It's A Big World" (the title track from their debut CD of the same name) versus the #2 seed Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke's "I Had A Little Dog" (from their forthcoming - eventually - CD).
You know the rules by now -- one vote per family in the comments below, due by 9 PM tonight (Friday). As always, vote nice, y'all.
Renee & Jeremy - "It's A Big World"
Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke - "I Had A Little Dog"
