What about the little people?

Just in case you may have missed an ABC Kids news blast, or possibly been living under a rock, Justine Clarke the darling of children's TV and music in Australia is embarking on a national tour kicking off in July with dates so far for Qld, SA and WA (unfortunately she's not making it up this far north though as yet which is a shame) and more dates for the rest of the country to be posted soon (find dates here http://www.justineclarke.com.au/tours).

We would dearly love to see you up here in Qld's biggest baby boom town HINT HINT NUDGE NUDGE!!!!



On another note, some very cool little people are making a stir in Melbourne. Small Aussie kindie rockers The Mudcakes also have dates booked throughout June and if you are one lucky Melbournite you could even book them for your own personal performance. That would definitely make you the coolest kid in town!!

I asked Sherry and Rick (aka Mr and Mrs Mudcake) for a comment on the kids music industry in Australia, where big labels and brands seem to dominate our children's music and entertainment. They were so flat out booking shows and rockin the house that their multi talented and mega sock monkey manager 'Socrates Monk' came back with this statement...

"We are proudly independent and like to think we are part of the international movement towards more organic adult friendly children's music. We actually still get more interest and kudos paid to the Mudcakes from the US and Canada where the 'kindie rock/family music' scene is a viable part of the music industry and one of the fastest growing genres with great sales. In Australia people are just now starting to give children's music and the artists who are involved more respect. We hope that continues to be the case and that more folks will see that it is possible to be independent and forge your own path without relying on corporate record companies. "

Check out The Mudcakes website here for show dates, booking and more! Being fellow sock monkey aficionados I can't recommend them more :o) And to wet your appetite, here is a video of the Mudcakes song HUG - I love it for it's simplicity



So what are you waiting for? Get behind some great Aussie indie music talent and let the little peoples voices sing out loud!


If you know of any other indie kids bands out there in Australia trying to find a voice, send them this way

And finally Recess Monkey

I've been writing this post for about a week, trying to find time with all the real life issue that keep popping up. I was trying the save the best for last for music month and I think I have.

Recess Monkey are about to release their fifth album titled The Final Funktier on June 15th and I think it is one of the more anticipated music releases of this year in the Children's music genre. Stephen at Zooglobble calls them the "heart of kids music today" and they have accolades coming out the wazoo. But I think the true testament to why they are so loved it that they live and breath kids in their real life jobs as school teachers. Jack Forman (on bass, vocals and keyboards) teaches the 1st and 2nd grades; Daron Henry (on drums and percussion) is a the helm of the 2nd and 3rd grades; and Andrew Holloway wrangles the Pre-K and Kindergarten years. that just about covers the entire age group the kindy rock genre is reaching out to give or take a few years. This may be giving them an unfair disadvantage over their contemporaries as they have inspiration on tap from a classroom filled with different experiences and imaginations. Makes me wonder if there is any junior groupy hysteria happening in those class rooms.

Their latest offering The Final Funktier is a solute to space exploration performed in funky funky style as the name would suggest. The guys have played around with a bit of electronica on this album which is a step away from thier usual sound, and they have been joined by special guests from the Seattle Kindy scene Chris Ballew (Caspar Babypants), The Not-Its!, and Morgan Taylor and Rachel Loshak (Gustafer Yellowgold), as well as featuring kids in the chorus on 5 tracks.

Here is the first video from The Final Funktier - Moon Boots



Here is the video for Jet Pack



 The Final Funktier is set for a June 15th release with a launch happening at Kindiependent in Seattle on the 13th.

- Recess Monkey Town

- Kindiependent

Princess Katie & Racer Steve are Tiny and Cool

Once upon a time there was an improv and sketch comic called Katie O'Sullivan. She was touched and saddened to learn that there were sick kids in hospital sitting around all day scared and lonely. So she said to her musician husband Steve Borne, "You know what? We should go down there and cheer those kids up!" So off they trot to the costume shop to hire some fun costumes to go visit the kids in. They soon found that their visits had turned into performances and it was no longer practical to sing a play guitar dressed as Sponge Bob or Shrek. So Princess Katie and Racer Steve were borne.

Princess Katie and Racer Steve soon started writing their own songs based on their experiences with the kids and learning what the important issues were to them. Song writing turned to album recording, and fast forward past two studio albums and a live DVD release to album number three Tiny Cool just released in May.


Tiny Cool has a mixture of song styles from Latin, pop and James Brown style funk mixed in with three comedy skits all staying true to Princess Katie and Racer Steve's clear messages for kids about honesty, individuality, acceptance, kindness and the power of love. Katie and Steve work their magic by incorporating a bit of skit comedy into the album to introduce songs and get the imagery working in your head.

What also makes Princess Katie and Racer Steve unique is that they have adopted the characters as the band, rather than have a mascot or honorary band member. This has transcended their live performances to become the cartoon characters that decorate their album art, website and music videos. Their live performances incorporate the vibrant sets and props, skits and of course great family music that rocks. They are currently touring the US to promote and celebrate the launch of Tiny Cool.

Here is the animated video for JEANS! from their 2007 release Songs for the Coolest Kids

Check out Princess Katie and Racer Steve's website to listen to music from their albums and make sure to check out the live performance video for Tell Them How You Feel!

C'mon and meet The Not-Its!

There must be something in the water in Seattle. It is home to more Kindy rocker's than you can poke a stick at. And alongside some names we've met before (Caspar Babypants) and some we are going to meet shortly (Recess Monkey) are The Not-Its!

They are a five piece alternate indie pop outfit who have their finger on the button when it comes to kids music. Each band member sports a hefty music pedigree of indie band lineage and there is even a school teacher in the mix, which may or may not be purely coincidence or for spy purposes on acquiring inside material for songs.

Their first album We Are The Not-Its! debuted in June 2009 and has been receiving rave reviews ever since. Their second album, aptly titled Time Out To Rock has just been completed (seriously moments ago!) and is due for release on June 6th! And if it's anything like their first album, I think we're in for something a bit special!

Check out The Not-Its! website for lots of colouring and Karioki fun, and of course to hear the tracks from their first album. They get an extra gold star for having lyrics available, it's my pet hate when I'm singing along to a song only to have my 3 year old correct me on the lyrics, so I like to have the upper hand!

You can find We Are The Not-Its! at iTunes or directly from their website and you can also pre-order their new album!

Oh, and if you are lucky enough to be in Seattle on June 13, you may want to check out The Not-Its! at Kindiependent (is that not the coolest name!) alongside, Caspar Babypants, Recess Monkey, and Johnny Bregar for a FREE Share the Music Festival! I'm so jealous!!



And of course, here is a video of The Not-Its! "Come Play at Our House" to wet your appetite.

and one Anorak says to the other...

Rob (aka Supermundane) and Cathy (aka Cathy) from Anorak the Happy Mag for Kids have sent in a little contribution to Kids Music Month. You'll remember back in Spring of '08 they did a Music issue, so I reckon they are more than qualified to put in their two cents. I asked them if they could tell me a little about their favourite music memories from childhood. They figured the best way to respond would be to interview each other!

Music to our little ears
By Rob & Cathy from Anorak Magazine

Cathy: Do you remember the first song you ever heard? Mine is a vague memory but I can see giant speakers and hear "Hey Jude".

Rob: I can't really remember that much up to the age of five or six, I do however remember learning Summer Nights from Grease, the John Travolta part rather than the Oliver Newton-John bit, there must have been music before this as I was seven when Grease came out. I can remember various 60s music that my Dad played in the car and Don McClean's song Vincent, but I can't say which was the first I heard.

Cathy: You've just reminded me the long car drives we always seemed to do as a family and my Dad playing Supertramp all the time!

Cathy: What genre of music were you into before your teens?

Rob: I was really into 2-Tone music (The Specials, The Selector etc) when I was eight or nine, I used to go to primary school dressed all in black and white, like the man in the 2-tone logo. I also liked Adam and the Ants and Dexys Midnight Runners. I was then introduced to the world of Heavy Rock via a bootleg Status Quo tape my Nan bought off the market, this was when I was ten/eleven and, annoyingly, it went on to be an obsession for most of my early teens! What about you?

Cathy: I would LOVE to see pictures of you as a Little Mod, that is so cool. I listened to the radio a lot so it was whatever they played on there at the time. A lot of cheesy disco! My parents were really into dancing, they'd give us lessons in how to dance the cha-cha-cha, the tango and the rock in the living room etc. In fact that's all music was to us: an excuse to dance!

Rob: I stayed in my room a lot, listing to Black Sabbath whilst reading, or pretending to read, the Lord of the Rings...not so much fun!

Cathy: what kid-friendly music are you aware of now that you particularly like?

Rob: Well, something that isn't for children, but I think they would like, is Ivor Cutler's album Ludo. Not all the songs are that kid friendly (they are not offensive though) but some are very funny and have a childlike wonder about them that isn't always there in music made specifically for children. With lyrics like: "I saw Granny at the pictures biting all the buttons off the seats" and "Good morning! How are you? Shut up!" I think kids would love it.

Another album that is made for children but is even weirder is Monster Songs for Children by Jad Fair. Jad Fair is the front man of the long running band called Half Japanese and has always been known for his quirky, odd, and, at times, childlike approach to music. Here, he and his brother David run through the alphabet via all manor of monsters, including Bigfoot, the Jabberwocky and even Nosferatu! Each song is introduced by a child talking about the monster. It sounds a bit like the music from a Tim Burton film like the Nightmare Before Christmas but a little bit madder!

(click the pic to listen at Amazon)

An album I loved as a child was one called Spin a Magic Tune, which was a slight surreal journey through the main cartoon characters from the 70s including my favourite, the Hair Bear Bunch, in the company a child and a talking dog, unfortunately it has never been put onto CD.

Cathy: Sounds great! I have to admit I am pretty rubbish with music...Lately I have discovered a couple of great kid friendly bands: one is called Lullatone, they are a Japanese couple who do the sweetest, most enchanting music.

And at the other end of the spectrum, there's this US band called The Jimmies whose indie rock make me smile, they are a bit bonkers but much fun.

And the French Carton Park do utterly mad electronica for kids.

I must say Rob, your Nan must be one special lady if she's spotting bootleg Status Quo at the markets! Thanks so much to you both :o)

Charity and the JAMband

Jam is not a food or just a musical genre, it's a way of life for Charity Kahn, front woman of Charity and the JAMband!

When I started off writing this post, I was struggling to find a word to describe Charity. The words multi-talented gets thrown around in the kids music genre quite a bit, and I hesitated to use it in this case as it just doesn't seem to do enough justice. But there isn't a word that sums her up more completely. This is a lady who takes kids music and fun to a whole new level!

Charity is the front woman for Charity and the JAMband. They are a group of six eclectic musicians from varying backgrounds who came together piece by piece to create the JAMband experience. They now have with four albums under their belts (Jam (2002), Peanut Butter and JAM (2004), Rock Your Socks Off (2006) and the brand new double CD Party Like a Twinkle Star (2010)).

Charity (in the pink T) and the JAMband are... Charity Kahn: vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar; Daryn Roven: acoustic and electric guitars, cavaquinho, keyboards; Jake Wood: drums, bottles; Paul Lamb: bass, Mellotron, engineering; Laurie Pomeranz: vocals; Danny Zingarelli: percussion; and Jasper & Silas Crocker, Jonathan & Sophia Roven: kids' vocals!

Charity started off her musical career recording an album for adults while pregnant with her first child. She figured it was do or die time as the demands of motherhood would put any musical aspirations on the back burner. But motherhood does something to all of us that we least expect and before she knew it Charity had her own music and movement class in her lounge room with her own playgroup.

Fast forward nearly 10 years and Charity and the JAMband, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, perform regular gigs in libraries, pre-schools and elementary schools. on top of this, Charity also runs JAMspace which offers music, dance, theater and art experiences for toddlers, pre-schoolers and school-aged kids.

I've had a few email chats with Charity while getting to know her and her music and there is one thing I'm definitely missing out on over here in Australia and that's the live JAMband experience. But luckily for us Charity's clear and true voice will get you groovin in the lounge room via her four albums. There is a little bit of everything in her repertoire, pop, a bit of funky soul, jazz, a folksy blues sound, scat and even a little rap and you'll find yourself dancing around with the kids acting out the lyrics of the songs.

Image: Kids rockin with the JAMband @ Dolores Park

The latest JAMband album, Party Like a Twinkle Star, is split into two discs. The first Party is for when it's time to get up out of bed and start rocking. It's energetic, smile generating music that you just can't sit still and listen too, it requires participation, in fact almost demands it. that's where the flip side to the album Twinkle on the second disc comes in. Starting off with a very zen single note of One Golden Bowl, the mellow almost lullaby tunes and the combination of charity's meaningful lyrics and soulful voice make it perfect chill out and relax music. And I wouldn't be the first to say Twinkle is an album you'd listen too even without the kids around.

Pop on over to the JAMband website to hear Row Row your Boat from Party like a Twinkle Star. It's the current song of the month.

Click here more music from Party Like a Twinkle Star (disc 1 Party)
Click here more music from Party Like a Twinkle Star (disc 2 Twinkle)

Click here for more music from Rock Your Socks Off

Click here for more music from Peanut Butter and Jam

Click here to hear tracks from the first album Jam

Check out Charity and the JAMband's website for LOADS of information on the band, their ethos, music and if your lucky enough to be in the SF Bay Area, where you can find them for a live JAMband performance!

A little colouring and a little prize winning

A little bit of rock n' roll flavoured colouring to kick off the week...

The Indie Rock Colouring Book

Andy J. Miller (think Yo Gabba Gabba animation) is the illustrator behind The Yellow Bird Project's Indie Rock Colouring Book. A collection of 25 hand drawn illustrations inspired by some of the greatest indie rock bands of our time including Iron & Wine, Bloc Party, The National and Devendra Banhart. All proceeds from the sale of the book go to support the varied and deserving charities of the Yellow Bird Project which is dedicated to finding musical opportunities to incite change.

A must for indie rock fans. Purchase the book from the Yellow Bird Project direct for US$10 or from Australia's own MixtapeZine Shop


Congratulations are in order.... for Richard G who is the lucky winner of our Gustafer Yellowgold giveaway. Keep your winning smiles on for another new artist to meet tomorrow and another giveaway to boot!!

Set your Piggies Free with Ziggy Marley

I was supposed to be posting a review for music month today.... but I got a little side tracked during the day and haven't finished it yet :o( Never fear, tomorrow is another day!!

But I did happen across this little gem today on the TV. Something funky is definitely happening over on Sesame Street these days. I was making sock monkeys this afternoon during quiet time, and I got just a little bit excited when the song on today's show was Ziggy Marley singing Set your Piggies Free. I instantly LOVE this song!!!



How times are changing on Sesame Street this year with celebrity's popping out everywhere, they are making a big move to cross over pop cultures (I think I posted something a while back on appropriate celebrities popping up?)

Anyway, here's another one, it's Feist with 1,2,3,4 (the Sesame Street take) on their hugely popular song from back in 2008.



Now, back to that review....

Melodies & Memories with Chris from The Brothers Trimm

Chris Familton is the resident music guru at hip boys only blog The Brothers Trimm. He is also a freelance music writer (www.doubtfulsounds.wordpress.com) and a musician (wow!), and I'm telling you, I like the cut of his jib!! I asked Chris to contribute to Kids Music Month by telling me what his top 10 kids songs are and why he finds them so memorable. The list that Chris sent back not only includes some of my personal favourite from my own childhood but also introduced me to a few new finds.

I love them all, let me know what you think. Oh and don't forget to check out The Brothers Trimm. It's one of my favourite new blogs to follow.... even though I don't have boys!
Peter & The Wolf - composed by Sergei Prokofiev
Not strictly a song, this was a mesmerising collection of music with animal parts played by orchestral instruments. The cat was a clarinet, the wolf was represented by french horns and the bird was a flute. It encourages imagination in the listener and is a magical entrance into the world of classical music for inquisitive kids.



Spike Milligan - Ning Nang Nong
From the Bad Jelly the Witch album comes this brilliant nonsense song with its clever rhyming and crazy voices. It was a mix of The Goons eccentric humour and the psychedelic music of the time. Of course to a child it was just a catchy and funny song and one that I loved to sing along to.



Meet The Flinstones Theme
Of the TV shows that I worshipped as a child this was probably the one I heard the most often and never tired of singing along to. It was catchy, fast and had Fred’s infamous Wilma! yell at the end.



Rubber Duckie - Ernie (Sesame Street)
A classic jazz based song by one of Sesame Street’s most beloved characters. I remember and love this because of the swing to the song. It has that melodic nursery rhyme feel to it.



The Ramones - Spiderman (available on - Saturday Morning Cartoons' Greatest Hits)
This is a fantastic version of the classic cartoon theme in the only way that The Ramones know how. Relentless drumming, surf guitars and Joey Ramone’s 60’s tinged vocals. A band that all kids should get hooked to.



Danger Mouse theme - composed by Mike Harding
DM was the cartoon hero of the 80s generation. It stood out because it was a British production and the opening scene with DM and his assistant Penfold was set to an over the top Bond-like spy soundtrack. This reminds me so much of after school in front of the TV with biscuits and a glass of milk.



Chromeo - Nice N Clean (Yo Gabba Gabba)
Chromeo’s funk is perfect for kids as it has just the right balance of energy and melody. Here they preach the virtues of washing ones hands on Yo Gabba Gabba, pretty much the best show currently combining contemporary music and kids TV.



Mark Kozelek - Bedtime Lullaby (Available on - The Finally LP)
A gorgeous paean to sleep that works both as a beautiful song and a useful tool to send the kids off to dreamland.




Fat Freddy’s Drop - The Nod (available on - Dr Boondigga & The Big BW)
Reggae and funk music seems to really click with kids with its strong rhythms and swing. Put this song on and not only will they be dancing in no time, they’ll be singing along to the lyrics about cooking in the kitchen - with smiles on their faces.



Ron Grainer & Delia Derbyshire - Dr Who Theme
One of the scariest and most intriguing themes ever and was a lot more terrifying than the show itself. As a child this had me glued to the screen and transported to another planet. Taken as a standalone piece of music it was revolutionary at the time for its electronic composition and now sounds both hypnotically ominous and beautiful.

Interview: A mellow fellow... Morgan Taylor is Gustafer Yellowgold

Have you met Gustafer Yellowgold yet? If not, give yourself a smack to the head and pop on over to his website to checkout what all the fuss is about! Gustafer is a yellow fellow from the sun who has moved to greener and cooler pastures here on earth and is entertaining everyone with his mellow tunes about friends, his home on the sun and all of his adventures along the way.

Our special guest this week for Kids Music Month is Morgan Taylor who is the creator behind the musical sensation that is Gustafer Yellowgold. There isn't a music reviewer around who hasn't had stunning things to say about the Gustafer Yellowgold experience, so I thought we'd give Morgan a few questions to ponder.

Me - In a chicken and egg world, what came first? Gustafer Yellowgold the character or the music?
MT - The image of Gustafer came about physically in 1997. Really just two drawings I did when I worked at a record store in Ohio back then. One of them had the (yet unnamed) Gustafer frying up amphibians on the stove-top. That image was the genesis, and later after I moved to New York City I began to find comfort in this silly side to my songwriting. I started coming up with songs like "Your Eel" where I mention him cooking snakes. So that image really stuck in my subconscious and I built upon it much later. But when I was writing the songs I didn't realize I was making kids' music per se', I was just having fun making some tapes for my band mates really. SO the answer is BOTH.

Me - You have quite a musical pedigree, and I’ve read some impressive reviews comparing you to Dr Seuss and The Beatles, where do you draw inspiration from for Gustafer? Both musically and for the story and illustration?
MT - I certainly aspire to being great at what I do, and to be compared to those iconic masters of their fields, I really think is a bit lofty. But the description conjures the right mood of what I'm going for, I believe. Melodic, catchy pop songs paired with absurd humor and cartooning.

Me - A live performance for you combines a bit of comedy, obviously the music and the audio visual aspect in the back ground, and you've opened shows with Gustafer Yellowgold for bands like the Polyphonic Spree. A live performance for an adult audience compared to one for kids is obviously very different, but who do you find the better audience and why?
MT - The large majority of my audiences are half adult, half kids so I'm always playing to both. The rare occasion where I've played to adult-only crowds is funny because I barely change what I say to them. It shows that Gustafer Yellowgold is, simply, for PEOPLE.

Me - Gustafer Yellowgold is an original in the world of children’s entertainment. One of the biggest differences is that he is so mellow where everyone else seems to be trying to work kids into a frenzy. Do you find your audiences at live performances chilling out, or is there any fan hysteria happening?
MT - In the live shows I do tend to lean towards the more up-tempo numbers. But none of the stuff invites crazy or rowdy behavior. My goal is to make the audience think and laugh and sing. I realized a while back that the song "I Jump On Cake", has the craziest lyrics but is actually the slowest tempo, but it is the comedic centerpiece of the whole concert.

Me - The Golden Heart Symphony performance from 2009 looks like it was a feat to behold. What is the story behind your involvement in this project and is it something you’d like to do more of?
MT - Oh, that was a feat for sure. I would love to play with different orchestras all over the world if I could. It was really inspiring to see the music reach such a sonic platform. It felt like an out of body experience for me some of the time while performing. It was the first of hopefully many Gustafer symphony experiences.

Here's a little snippet of that performance... it involved a 52 piece public school orchestra!!


Me - Gustafer Yellowgold is a family affair, does being a parent and collaborating with your wife make the inspiration for Gustafer Yellowgold flow more easily, or do you find yourself a harsher self critic as a result?
MT - It makes us take it more seriously. We have to be organized with our time so that we don't go crazy. There's too much to do, really. At this point we're spending nearly every waking hour working to push it along. And there's still a lot that never gets done. We have way more ideas than hands at this point!

Me - You are up to your third CD/DVD for Gustafer Yellowgold and your touring schedule looks pretty full, what does the future hold?
MT - We're dividing our time so that I can finish drawing the new DVD. It will be called "Gustafer Yellowgold's Infinity Sock". It's on schedule for an early 2011 release.


Win a copy of Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever and a Gustafer Boneless Action Figure

Morgan has so kindly offered a copy of the latest CD/DVD release Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever and a Gustafer Boneless Action Figure. To win simply tell me the name of Gustafer's Pterodactyl friend. Email your answer to vicki@monkeytailandwellington.com.au with the title Gustafer Giveaway by 12pm Monday 17th of May 2010 and I'll randomly pick a winner from all the correct entries :o)

Lunch Money winner & tomorrow's interview

Well the first week of Kids Music Month has gone by in a flash!! We've still got loads more music to tell you about starting with an interview tomorrow with Gustafer Yellowgold creator Morgan Taylor and the chance to win some Gustafer goodies.

But firstly, the winner of last Tuesday's Lunch Money giveaway is Sara. M from Auckland. Congratulations Sara and thanks so much for entering, your CD's are on the way tomorrow :o)

Don't forget you can claim a 20% discount voucher to spend on anything in store if you give a Shout Out about us and can provide a link. Click here for more details.

Sweet sleeps and see you tomorrow ;p

Charity and the Jam Band

Just a little snippet this morning before I post the winner of the Lunch Money album giveaway (ps... you've got till 12pm Qld time today to enter)

I'll be reviewing/interviewing the lovely Charity Kahn from Charity and the Jam Band this month and I can't wait to introduce her to you. But in the mean time, Charity has just posted a super special offer on her website, you can download her latest album Party Like a Twinkle Star today only for just $1 as a lucky Mothers Day special. Click here for details....


Gone now... back soon.... with Lunch Money winners and a sneak peak of tomorrows interview and giveaway :o)

Super Music Friends for Mothers Day

I know it goes against my whole "anti merchandising/commercialising" ethos... but damn it if Yo Gabba Gabba isn't my favourite TV show!!! I've just been following through on a link from Zooglobble about Solange Knowles, (see below) and I've found myself pouring through some of the behind the seance videos on You Tube. I highly recommend checking out the Behind the Scenes on Jack Blacks appearance!! You can find the Yo Gabba Gabb YouTube channel here with videos for all your favourite Super Music Friends Show eps.

The first time I saw Yo Gabba Gabba a couple of years ago, I wasn't 100% certain I wasn't having a bizarre dream. I was more than a little relieved to discover a couple of months later that Yo Gabba Gabba was real and not only did it teach me how to dance like the puppet master (thanks Elijah) but it had some absolutely rockin' music for kids. I am attributing Yo Gabba Gabba as a big influence on how Kids Music Month came to be at Monkeytail and Wellington.

Some big names have made an appearance on Yo Gabba Gabba in it's 3 season history and it seems they are lining up at the door to get a piece of the action. And they aren't all kids entertainers either. Weird Al Yanokvic, Devo, Mos Def, Sarah Silverman, The Flaming Lips, The Killers, The Shins and Weezer just to name a few.

As Sunday is Mothers Day I thought I'd share a mellow moment from Yo Gabba Gabba from Season 3 in an episode titled Baby. The video is pure psychedelic Gabba, but the music is all funky sole diva Solange Knowles... and I agree with Stefan, the background is very distracting from a great song. Thanks for putting it out there :o)



Happy Mothers Day!!

Review: Move over Lullabies... It's Time for Wake Up Songs! - The Flannery Brothers

I may just be one of The Flannery Brothers biggest fans... not counting their Mum!! I'm torn between wanting them all for myself (so I can be in that "I loved them before they were famous" club) and buying copies for all my friends, whether they have kids yet or not!

And this isn't just my children's influence. There debut album "Love Songs for Silly Things" which I reviewed back last year sometime is quite often on in the car when there is no one but me to drum out the beat on the steering wheel. And I will proudly proclaim my entire family knows all the words to Best Pillow in the World.

So I was super excited when Dan sent me a copy of their latest EP Move over Lullabies... It's Time for Wake Up Songs. The album of 6 tracks is short, running at around 15 minutes, but there is none of that in your face wake up and eat sugar kind of hysteria that comes with some kiddie music. It continues on with their upbeat and catchy lyrics and an honest approach to life as a kid, but has a bit more of a mellow feel than their first album, which is perfect for first thing in the morning.

Pop on over to The Flannery Brothers website and click on the music player to have a listen to the mellow morning tracks, which includes track 4 Shake! and track 6 Sleepyhead.

A little bird tells me that a new Flannery Brothers album is in the works and due out sometime around September. With the geniune passion for kids music and an insight into what make kids tick, I think they are kindy rockers to look out for.

You can get your mits on The Flannery Brothers music at iTunes and directly from their website

Music for the eyes

One of the down sides to Kids Music getting a wider audience in Australia is that our dedicated children's TV channel only plays music from their own label, so therefore only those music videos make it onto our screens.

That means that unless you are a You Tube advocate such as myself, or buy CD/DVD albums like those that They Might Be Giants put out for kids, you are missing out on some seriously awesome video clips for kids music. And really, we live in such a visual world that if that is a large element to getting your music into the minds of the nation.

Now I could just rattle off all my favourites (chances are good that I probably will in the near future), but I thought I'd give you some of my children's favourites instead, after all they are the intended audience. So in no particular order, here are Monkeytail and Wellington's fave video clips for kids!

Willy Won't Smile for the Camera - Debbie and Friends


The Day After Halloween - The Sippy Cups (check out their website - AWESOME!!)


It's Cool to be Uncool - The Jimmies (in my opinion some of the best videos ever!)

Electric Car - They Might Be Giants


And lastly, this is my favourite of the moment. Goes to show you don't need a big budget to make a great clips, just a little imagination. This is my favourite song of Caspar Babypants so far, and with another album up his sleeve I can't wait to hear (and see) more :o)

$9.99 - Caspar Babypants

Review: Lunch Money

The two albums from Lunch Money slipped quietly onto the shelves at Monkeytail and Wellington a couple of months back and I've been dying to come back and write about them in a way that will do them justice.

With currently two albums up their sleeves and a third (Original Friend) on it's way, these guys are busy little bees. With tour dates booked all over the place for May and June, not to mention they hosted the children’s film series at the Nickelodeon Theatre (Columbia, SC’s art house cinema) which began in early April.

And it's no wonder they are in such high demand. Silly Reflection and Dizzy are both published under their own label Squirrel Mechanic Records. Between the three members, they are a music making dynamo. Lead singer Molly Ledford also writes and produces all their music and plays guitar. Jay Barry is on drums and vocals, and he also engineers and mixes the albums and JP Stephens who is on bass, vocals, mandolin, harmonica and whistling is also the bands official photographer!

To me, the beauty of Lunch Money comes from two things and both I'm attributing to Molly. For one, her songs are more complicated than your average kids song, they aren't the usual nursery rhyme rewrite in kindy rock clothing. For one, she loves a good simile. But she sings in a clear and true voice a making her lyrics easy to follow which is very important if you are a parent who is required to recall lyrics during a kiddie pop quiz (more on that later).

The second essence is in her ability to relate to children in her lyrics. I liken it to having a conversation with a child, Molly is down on her knee, eye to eye, l having a conversation about something silly and abstract to get a giggle. It's not very eloquent the way I'm painting the picture, but I hope you get my drift.

The second album Dizzy is definitely a poppier album over Silly Reflection. Dizzy has more of an instrumental backing, where Silly Reflection has a much quieter musical background with more of an emphasis on trumpets, finger snaps and clapping punctuating the lyrics. Both are exactly as kids albums should be. Clever lyrics about everyday kid stuff like tricycles, riding roller coasters and cookies as big as your head with a funky back beat.

The two Lunch Money albums are currently available here from Monkeytail and Wellington.


Win a copy of both Lunch Money albums Silly Reflection and Dizzy...

I have one copy of each album to give away to one lucky winner. Send me an email (vicki@monkeytailandwellington.com.au with the title Lunch Money Giveaway) and tell me which album the song Roller Coaster appears on. I'll randomly draw a winner from all the correct entries and let you know next Tuesday (May 11th) who has won.

Here's a live performance of Cookie As Big As My Head from Lunch Money at Summer on Southport 28 July 2007 courtesty of Gooney Bird Kids

Kids Music Month May 2010

Whether we do it knowingly or not, as parents we most likely try to influence our own music choices upon our children. I personally grew up with a playlist heavily featuring John Denver and Elvis among many other hit’s of the 50’s and 60’s. And I have fond memories of “performing” Up Town Girl by Billy Joel outside the school library during recess in the first grade. But how do you feel about your kids listening to today’s top 100? And what’s the alternative?

When I was a kid, and I’m not really that old yet, the only music that was made for children came on a little Peter Pan vinyl record or courtesy of the Wonderful World of Disney on a Sunday afternoon. It was theme songs and nursery rhymes with a few folk songs thrown in for good measure.

But nowadays kids entertainment and music is BIG business. The majority of music available for kids, especially in the mainstream market in Australia is very commercially focused and I think the line has been blurred between the entertainment and the marketing and merchandising potential. Unless you know what you’re looking for and where to find it, the choices are pretty limited to what the mainstream media has decided we all want.

But the music I’m talking about is different. Grown up bands and musicians are crossing the gap and have found a niche market where they can express their inner child and sing about everyday stuff like playing at the park, finding a bug in the garden or joining a soccer team. And they leave all the pre-requisite angst at the door that makes them a popular musician in the grown up world.

They appeal to both the kids on their level, with the fun to learn lyrics and the parents too by leaving their primary coloured glossiness at the door and adopting the riffs and rhythms of everyday popular music. The result is music you can really listen to, enjoy and sing-along to without developing a serious eye twitch when it’s on repeat.

Now don’t get me wrong, there is still a commercial aspect to this, no matter how much a musician loves his or her music, they still need to earn a living at the end of the day too. But I don’t know a single parent who would willingly put a Wiggles disk in the player if the twiddlies weren’t around.

All throughout May I’ll do my best to introduce you, dear reader, to some of the new music currently on my playlist. There is no marketing thinly disguised as music, or syrupy sweet nursery rhymes here. This is the stuff in the middle. For Australia, who is lagging behind the 8 ball a bit with this one, it’s so new it could almost be called the underground Kindy Rock scene. It is my mission to shout out to the world about Kids Music Month and try as I might to let you know that there is more out there on offer for our kids to get their musical fix from than Barney and The Wiggles.

Coming up during May…

an interview with Gustafer Yellowgold creator Mark Taylor, and Recess Monkey a group of primary school teachers who are rockin’ the class room with their soon to be released third album The Final Funktier. Plus some fun guest posts from our buddies across the ocean Anorak Magazine, reviews on the offerings from Lunch Money, the Flannery Brothers, Charity Kahn and the Jam Band and lots lots more. And not to mention every Tuesday during May we’ll have a cool new giveaway up for grabs.

I hope you’ll stick around to find out more :o)

Help to spread the word about Kids Music Month and get a 20% off voucher to use at Monkeytail and Wellington during May….. Click the image to find out more and how to claim a voucher.

Music News: Alphabutt by Kimya Dawson

Following on from my post last week about music that is and isn't appropriate for kids, I can't believe I didn't know that Kimya Dawson has done a kids album! Why didn't someone tell me?

Alphabutt, released after Juno, rings true to Kimya's style of catchy and laugh out loud funny lyrics and pushes the rude boundaries a bit too. The title track is a fast paced alphabet song where Kimya plays on the toilet humour and fart jokes that kids love so much. It moves really fast and kids may have trouble keeping up, I can't believe she sings it all the way through without getting tongue tied, but that is her style after all.

My favourite song on the album is I Like Bears, simply cause it reminds me of the Bear Hunt song (which I can never remember all the words too) and it is just so happy and fun to sing along to. Closely followed by Seven Hungry Tigers for it's pure nonsensical fun lyrics. But there are also a couple of tracks where the subject matter is purely adult focused, such as the weird cravings and neurotic worrying of pregnancy (Smoothie) and Happy Home which champions the importance of staying true to yourself.

For me, this is an album that I'd listen to and sing along with, but not sure I'd love it if the girls were reciting the alphabet this way, but not everyone's going to feel the same. If you love Kimya Dawson you will love this too without a doubt and I think it will be a winner more with grown up listeners than with kids.


You can by the CD or Vinyl from Fishpond or download it in MP3 from iTunes. Click on the iTunes link to hear samples from the album.

Here's a couple of live performaces from Kimya Dawson from tracks on the album.

Happy Home (Keep on Writing)


Alphabutt

Songs that will make milk come out your nose

It is often my gripe that the music our kids hear everyday on the radio just isn't appropriate for their little ears. I personally have has a "little miss sunshine" moment where my then 3yr old was in the shopping trolley singing at the top of her lungs how her milkshakes brought all the boys to the yard. Couldn't find a freezer section big enough that day to crawl into and needless to say we listened to Radio National everywhere we went for quite some time after that.

It's around about then that my love for Kindy Rock developed. It kinda all stated with Justine Clarke releasing her album and it constantly being played on ABC kids. I was so relieved to have a Wiggles alternative that I went on a mad web search to find more. I now have quite a collection and there are some albums that I've bought more for myself to listen to rather than the girls.

Which leads me to Godrey, Robbie Fulks song about the sickly unemployed amateur children's musician (listen to it here at iTunes). Its on the Bottle Let me Down album that we had in store for a while last year. I'd heard most of the songs before, having a particular fondness for I'm My Own Grandpa, remembering it from it's days on the Muppet Show. I gave the album it's first complete listen in the car on our Easter break. This is some funny stuff. Most of it so very far away from being politically correct, your first reaction is to snort/laugh through your nose (hence my reference to milk coming out your nose), and then check to make sure no one heard you laugh, and then continue to snicker to your self all day whilst you whistle the tune.

There are some other corkers on this album too with Senor el Gato and Don't Wipe Your Face on Your Shirt being the standouts in bad taste humour. But the are all so catchy you can't help but get hooked. The subject content can be a little iffy as far as the kids are concerned, but i doubt they'll put it all together and come out with anything but their own snickering at the toilet humour.