But good weeds, of course.
I would be remiss after talking about my set of kids music series here in Arizona if I didn't mention some of the other great musical stuff taking place next month and on into the summer in other parts of the country. While I'm not sure it was ever true to say "it's so hard to find recordings of great kids music," it's certainly not true in the 21st century, and it's increasingly not true when it comes to seeing it live.
I'm of course heading to Brooklyn for Kindiefest in just a couple weeks and while it's primarily an industry conference, the public festival on Sunday, May 2 (from noon to 4) is excellent. At New York prices, Ralph's World, Bill Harley, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, and Recess Monkey would probably be worth the $15 entry fee by themselves, but instead you get all of 'em, plus the Royal Order of Chords and Keys and Clementown. Not one of 'em based in NYC, either. Tickets are here.
I'm always excited to see other folks take further steps of their own into the kids music world, so I was glad to see Jeff Bogle from Out With the Kids start his own concert series in suburban Philadelphia. He's kicking it off with Chicago's Laura Doherty on Sunday, May 9 (3 pm) and Randy Kaplan just 6 days later on Saturday, May 15 (with the Deedle Deedle Dees coming in June). Randy's played Phoenix a couple times, and the Dees once, so I know Jeff's gonna have a great time with his series.
I'm obviously a big fan of Kansas City's Jiggle Jam Festival and while this year's lineup doesn't quite reach the heights of last year's, it's pretty darn close, with folks like Ralph's World, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, the Jimmies, Terence Simien and the Zydeco Experience, and Sugar Free Allstars joining the strong KC contingent of Mr. Stinky Feet, Funky Mama, and more. Y'know, the more I think about that lineup, maybe it is just as good as last year. And you can't beat the price... $8 in advance (per day), $15 per weekend. Memorial Day weekend, Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th.
Finally, heading into summer, Bill Childs has put together a nice little lineup of family-friendly artists to play the "River Meltdown Camp" at the Green River Festival in Massachusetts July 17 and 18. It includes Elizabeth Mitchell, Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion, The Nields, the Deedle Deedle Dees, Starfish, and lots lots more.
So, yeah, if you say you can't find good music to enjoy with your kids in a live setting, it's really mostly your own fault at this point...
