Newly-shorn concert/potluck promoter Bill Childs recently wrote of his appreciation for the Replacements.
That discussion, along with comments in this Justin Roberts Pop Fly review about how people have "linked" me with Justin Roberts, made me think about musical antecedents and current influences. Who would be the most important musicians (of any genre) throughout your entire life -- the ones, even if you don't listen to them on a regular basis now, who profoundly affect who you listen to now and, heck, who you are, period? And who are the kids' musicians who have done the same?
My answers are after the jump -- hopefully yours will be in the comments.
I'm My Biggest Fan
Actually, until today I was my only fan.
But, yes, now the Zooglobble Facebook page has two fans -- me and Muddy Girl Productions' honcho Karen Rappaport McHugh.
Wait? What's that? Zooglobble has a Facebook page? But why?
I have no idea. Much like I have no idea why I got a Myspace page. But I've had it for about 3 months now. If you're looking for someone who will tentatively embrace a website a good 18 months after it becomes popular, I'm your guy. Watch for the Zooglobble Flickr page this fall and Twitter site in spring 2009.
Anyway, if you're around, do stop by.
Music, Milieu, Manners... and Megadeth
We've had mixed luck taking our youngest, Little Boy Blue (who's about 2 1/2 years old), to cultural events. The Dan Zanes concert last month? Boy, the kid sat there and took it all in, bouncing a bit and clapping his hands. The musical version of Goodnight Moon we attended at our fabulous local theatre for young audiences, Childsplay? Let's just say it's a good thing we were in the back row, near the "screaming kid" room.
I'm gonna chalk that one up to hunger, but you know, maybe it's because we didn't have a chance to watch a Goodnight Moon DVD over and over like we did with Dan Zanes to prep the guy.
Anyway, Debbie Cavalier, who recently recorded a kids' music CD of her own called Story Songs and Sing-Alongs as Debbie and Friends, just penned a good guide for parents about to take their kids to their first musical event.
It's a solid set of common-sense recommendations which, thankfully, doesn't completely assume that your child's first concert is necessarily going to be the symphony. The suggestions -- listen to the music together beforehand, talk about speakers and appropriate concert behavior -- apply just as much to Megadeth as to Mozart. Though I'm guessing Dave Mustaine wasn't quite who Cavalier had in mind...
In Case You're A Little Tired of Dan Zanes
I think the world of Dan Zanes. But I'm willing to acknowledge that not quite everyone is as OK with the pied piper of family music as I am.
Mark Foley, the creator of New York's One Man Blam, has put his own take on Mr. Zanes up on YouTube. Now, considering that in the very description of the video, Foley says, "Dan Zanes & Company do such great work, who can resist joining in the fun?," it's clear from the get-go that the phrase "gentle satire" was created for stuff like this.
"Well, I don't have a tangerine suit / Or a fiddler in hot pink tights," Foley starts out, then later notes that "I threw out the very same duds / He got in an old thrift shop." He's aiming Nerf balls at Zanes, but he's certainly hitting the target.
Considering the other songs Foley's made available, Foley is clearly mining the same seam Zanes has mined with such success. And I've got to believe that Zanes himself would probably completely approve what Foley's doing with One Man Blam and Volunteer Music, which brings "free concerts for underserved communities and worthy civic initiatives." He, uh, just doesn't have the distribution deal with Starbucks.
One Man Blam (Mark Foley) - "Dan Zanes Blues"
Now where did I put that DZ ukelele of mine?...
A Sticker For Details
From my album submission guidelines:
Look there in the lower left-hand cover. That red sticker. That quotation at top, said by, erm... Who woulda thunk it?
I'm pointing this out not out of vanity -- trust me, if I do that, you'll know it. Nor am I pointing it out because I don't think it's true. I meant it when I wrote it two years about Brady's last album, Every Day is a Birthday, and I still think it's a true statement. Nor am I pointing it out to make clear that doing something like this will have absolutely no impact (either way) on my opinion of an album.
OK, maybe I am doing it for that last point.
But mostly, I just wanted to say that I appreciated my name being spelled correctly.
Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could is out on Bumblin' Bee Records on March 4.
#2 -- Quotations of two sentences or less on artists' websites or other promotional materials or by other websites/magazines do not require permission from the site owner. Quotations longer than two sentences, or any quotations attached to products actually sold to others, require express permission from the site owner. OK, I realize the very last part of #2 is not common, but I know that artists will quote reviews on websites, promotional materials, and even on CD wrappers/covers. I'm just covering myself in the event that somebody wants to quote me on the latter. I'm not expecting a lot of letters from that provision.And to be clear, when I said "not expecting a lot of letters," what I meant was, "putting this out there for a cheap laugh." So imagine my surprise when I saw the latest album from Brady Rymer, Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could, in all its shrink-wrapped, ready-for-retail glory:
Look there in the lower left-hand cover. That red sticker. That quotation at top, said by, erm... Who woulda thunk it?
I'm pointing this out not out of vanity -- trust me, if I do that, you'll know it. Nor am I pointing it out because I don't think it's true. I meant it when I wrote it two years about Brady's last album, Every Day is a Birthday, and I still think it's a true statement. Nor am I pointing it out to make clear that doing something like this will have absolutely no impact (either way) on my opinion of an album.
OK, maybe I am doing it for that last point.
But mostly, I just wanted to say that I appreciated my name being spelled correctly.
Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could is out on Bumblin' Bee Records on March 4.Proof That I'm Still Weird
As if I needed more proof.
Having a website devoted to a particular subject area -- in this case, kids music -- obviously draws other similarly-inclined readers and can make one think, "hey, this is kinda popular!"
Until you vote in a massive year-end poll -- in this case, Idolator's 2007 Pop Critics Poll -- and realize that you are, indeed, weird. OK, not weird, perhaps, but clearly my taste in music (submitted based on "professional" obligations, anyway) does not closely align with anyone else's. Here's the proof. Heck, at least last year, I think someone besides me at least voted for the Dan Zanes disk. It's really too bad, because I keep saying (and said so in my own ballot) that there's great music in the genre for all ages if you're only willing to give it a shot.
I really couldn't have filled out that ballot to look like other voters anyway because I barely listened to 10 "adult" albums in 2007 that were from 2007. It usually takes me 6 to 12 months just to get caught up. (I think I'll finally get to that new Georgie James disk next week.) So, for what it's worth, here are my top 5 albums of the year, adult division.
1. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga: Oh, how I adore this CD. It's not even close -- my favorite of the year by far.
2. They Might Be Giants - The Else: Which isn't to say this album was bad by any means. My favorite TMBG "adult" album since John Henry.
3. The Broken West - I Can't Go On, I'll Go On: A case of 8 or 9 OK-to-good songs and 3 awesome songs. Works for me. Roots-pop-rock.
4. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver: Technically speaking, I didn't even hear this in its entirety until 2008. But it's good. Really good.
5. (Tie) Feist - The Reminder / Kelly Willis - Translated From Love: Depends on whether I want my female singer-songwriting fix close to the Canadian or Mexican border.
