My Annual Post About "Felt Around the World"

A couple years ago -- exactly two years ago, April 1, 2012, I shared one of my favorite all-time posts here on the site, the world premiere of "Felt Around the World," which was "We Are the World" for a new (puppet) generation.

Last year I shared how the song had generated hundreds of dollars for St. Jude's Children's Hospital.  Now, I'm happy to report that the world's greatest song performed by Fabricated Americans has generated thousands of dollars for St. Jude's.  That's right, thanks to album sales and radio plays, we (that is, me and the folks at Recess Monkey, who coordinated the video and the musical contributions from our puppet friends) have now contributed more than $2,200 to St. Jude's.

Contributions keep trickling in, and you can still purchase the track at CD Baby, iTunes, and Amazon.  Thanks again to everyone who produced, purchased, or listened to the song.  Enjoy -- I still smile when I watch and listen today.

Hand Aid - "Felt Around the World" [YouTube]

Weekly Summary (7/8/13-7/14/13)

Long week to week-and-a-half, let's just put it that way. 

 Blog:   Video: "When I Get Bald" - Alastair Moock, Textbooks and Novels

Videos:  "It's OK" - Bill Crosby

Listen to Music:  None

Free Music:  "When I Look Into the Night Sky" - Lori Henriques

Kids Music Reviews:  None

Upcoming Releases: Constantly updating...

Podcasts

Kindie Week in Review:  Episode 23: There's a Mad Lib in There Somewhere

My Other Other Gig:  None

Bake Sale:  Episode 5: Jerome Schoolar (Dusty Biscuit), Biscuit Brothers Fine Arts Farm, River Raisin Ragtime Revue: Children's Ragtime CD 

 

(Early) Spring Kickstarter Update

Kickstarter logoThey're not monthly updates, these highlightings of Kickstarter and other other crowdsourcing efforts in the kids music world, but we pretty much could do that now.  Rarely does a week go by that a new family music project doesn't appear on Kickstarter, and I'm also hearing about new possibilities -- Koo Koo Kanga Roo (again) and Moona Luna are just a couple bands publicly mulling going the KS route.

First up, Bay Area band Orange Sherbet, who are Kickstarting for, well, just because they want to support their latest (and forthcoming) album Delicious. Besides offering copies of the music, of course, their project offers backers postcards, live music, and, yes, recipes.  Mmmm.... food.... 

Next up, Brooklyn band Astrograss is turning to the site to help fund their next kids' CD.  Their project offers backers unreleased music, t-shirts, posters, even lessons.  I've liked some of their previous work, so I'm totally serious when I say, "String bands for everyone!"

Staying in New York City, Tim and the Space Cadets are also using Kickstarter to push their new album, Anthems for Adventure, across the finish line.  Technically speaking, the monies raised by their project won't go to fund the two videos for the album (they're already shot), but I think I speak for everyone when I say that anything that helps produce a couple new Tim and the Space Cadets videos is a Good Thing.

Also of important note: Austin's Biscuit Brothers are Kickstarting once again.  Just go read the description and search my website for the band.  I think you know why this project is crucial.  Crucial!

Finally, a tip of the cap to Portland's The Alphabeticians and Alex and the Kaleidoscope Band.  Both the Alphabeticians' project and the Kaleidoscope Band's project were successfully funded.

 

Radio Playlist: New Music January 2012

Time again to update the Zooglobble radio station, covering assorted tracks collected in the last couple months or so of 2012. (You can see my October 2011 playlist here.) This playlist airs in the mid-afternoons (West Coast time), but if you can't listen in the afternoon, the tracks are scattered throughout the day, too. The listing below is in alphabetical order; the on-air play order is totally random (due to Internet music restrictions). Bill Bailey - The Biscuit Brothers (Get Up & Go) It's Not Fair - The Buzzniks (Bug Out) Goldfinches - The Chickadees (The Froggy Hop) Help - Cloud Cult (Minnesota Beatle Project Vol. 3) Walk Away - Debbie And Friends (All About Bullies...Big And Small) Sacagawea - The Deedle Deedle Dees (Strange Dees, Indeed) Max The Wonder Dog - DidiPop (Everyday Adventure) Samantha the Butterfly - Fox & Branch (Things Are Coming My Way!) I've Been Playing In A Soul Band - Groove Kid Nation (Music In Motion) Sugar Buzz - Jeanie B! And The Jelly Beans (Sugar Buzz) Living Inside Of A Jar - Jim Gill (Jim Gill Presents Music Play For Folks Of All Stripes) The Mixing Bowl - Kira Willey (Kings & Queens of the Forest) Soldier’s Joy - Laura Veirs (Tumble Bee) Sometimes - Little Miss Ann (Walk with Me) Welcome To The Library - Melvil Dewey (Deweylicious! Library Hip Hop) Bambas - Mujeres (Els Transports) Masha And The Rain - Sasha Bondarev (Sand Castle) Wrong Side Of The Bed - Soundzania (Soundzania Elementary School) Stink Bug - We Kids Rock Band (We Kids Rock!)

Review Basket: Christmas CDs

Here are a handful of new Christmas CDs that have crossed my desk that might be worth your time... and even possibly in time for you to listen to before, you know, Christmas... For the most part, the CDs below are going to be of greatest interest to the artists' fans, but if you're looking for a Christmas album that might be especially of interest to kids, you might want to start here. (If you're looking for Christmas CDs in general, by all means go here -- goodness, that is impressive.) Austin's Biscuit Brothers released their first Christmas CD, Have a Merry Musical Christmas, this year, and fans of the slightly goofy and slyly educational TV show will not be disappointed. For the most part, it's Biscuit Brothers originals -- a funny Tiny Scarecrow on "The Best Christmas Ever, " a sweet and jazzy "Together (a Christmas Waltz)," an expanded vocal role on "Have a Merry Musical Christmas." It's all appealingly goofy. Might not be the best entry point for a listener unfamiliar with the Brothers, but it's a fun cookie of a CD nonetheless. From the folks who brought you 2006's awesome Family Hootenanny CD comes Holiday Hootenanny, a 2007 collection of tunes from Detroit-area artists benefiting Detroit's Capuchin SoupKitchen. Definitely not a traditional CD in most senses of the word -- if you're looking for a swinging Ella Fitzgerald or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, keep looking because even the most traditional tunes sound off-kilter in Danny Crow-Haw's brief interludes here. While not as awesome as the first CD, the last 3 tracks -- American Mars' Dylanesque "The Little Baby Jesus," co-producer's Deanne Iovan's band the Come Ons' "More," and Ultimate Ovation's awesome rendition of "It's Christmas" (which reminds you where Motown was founded) -- are almost worth the price of the CD by themselves. Sample here. And there's more...