'Tis the season for Thanksgiving songs and while Thanksgiving tends to get short shrift musically compared to, say, Halloween or the Christmas/Hanukkah time, there are a few songs out there. Adding their names to the list, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer are offering up a free download of their song "Thank You" (off of Pocket Full of Stardust). It's a bit too sweet perhaps, but what do you expect? It's a Thanksgiving song. It also features lines like "Thank you for birds that are chased by my cat / Mom says I shouldn’t be thankful for that."
Pick up the song here.
One Last Reminder (Plus Bonus Video and Song): Win Dan Zanes Tickets
I've told you before -- you have until tonight to enter the contest to win a 4-pack of tickets to Dan Zanes Holiday House Party shows in San Francisco, Seattle, and New York City. The show's gonna be a blast, methinks. Enter now!...
But Dan hasn't forgotten people who won't be near those fine cities, too -- if you go here you can download "Colas" from Dan's fine Nueva York! CD. He's offering it as a celebration of Heifer International, an organization our family has supported in the past (particularly around this time of year).
And to get you in the holiday mood a little bit more, here's an old (but related) video...
Owls and Bogs: New Music from Charity and the JAMband
It's been awhile since we've heard from San Francisco's Charity and the JAMband, but Charity's just posted on her website a couple of tracks that she says are "a couple of the most-loved songs from my kids' time" at their preschool. You can stream or download a peppy "Rattlin' Bog" or a very atmospheric Wise Old Owl", along with chord/lyric sheets.
And for those of you wondering when we'll get another funky full album, she notes in her newsletter that it's...
"just about ready for the world. I've been singing about sunsets and moons and stars and dreams and owls and the light and love that inevitably shine through, despite, and because of the darkness."She also is reluctant to call it a CD and calls it a playlist instead. But I'm gonna call it a CD -- I'm old school like that.
Music To Vote By
Arizona has early balloting, but even though I had my mail-in ballot, I took it to the polls this morning. I also took my kids. Given the historical nature of the election, no matter who wins (especially if you're an Arizona resident), I wanted Miss Mary Mack and Little Boy Blue to say they went to the polls on Election Day 2008. (Oddly enough, there were hardly any Obama or McCain signs at the polling place, so the kids got their photos taken in front of assorted signs for the Legislature, school board, and propositions.) They'll thank me when they're older, they will.
Even though you don't get a day off, Election Day is a holiday to me. A party for democracy, how aweome is that?
My sense is that my (United States) readership probably will exhibit a near 100% turnout this year, but if you need some more kids music to get you in the proper frame of mind to vote (or to register for the next election), Brady Rymer has posted "My United States," a bluesy roots-rocker that, well, lists the United States. Check out the rhyme scheme (and his take on "Mississippi") and listen to or download the track here.
Listen To This: "Lovely, Love My Family" - The Roots (Yo Gabba Gabba!)
Well, I've told you about the second season of Yo Gabba Gabba! -- that's going strong. And I've told you about the upcoming soundtrack, set to be released tomorrow through iTunes.
Now both are set to come together in one giant you-got-peanut-butter-in-my-chocolate sort of combination.
Because I've got an mp3 from that soundtrack for your listening pleasure that -- unlike most of the rest of the album -- is actually a Season Two track.
Trust me, even if you're all Yo Gabba Whatta?, you're going to want to hear this...New Music From Yo Gabba Gabba. (Sorta. Kinda.)
I've already talked about the new Yo Gabba Gabba! CD coming out next week, but you don't have to wait 'til then to get some YGG-related tunes.
Vancouver's The Salteens have released two new songs they recorded for the show. If you follow that link and give 'em an e-mail address, you'll instantaneously start downloading two tracks they recorded for the show -- "All My Friends" and "Count on my Hands." Of the two, "All My Friends" is the poppier and more straight-forward song; "Count" is a little more didactic, but cute in its own way. One of the songs, according to lead singer Scott Walker, was used in the current Season Two, but with different lyrics.
On a side note, Salteens fans will be a bit disappointed with the forthcoming CD as the wrong Salteens song will be on disk. Apparently everyone loves "I'm So Happy I Can Dance," but the disk features "Be Kind To Animals."
