Crappy Halloween!

So much Halloween music, so little time. The EZ Archive migration has been a bitch, and that coupled with the annoying fact that I came down with a flu-type bug (it's not even November you cruel and merciless gods of fate, I wasn't even done recouping from my surgery!) so after my massive self pity party I had little to no time and in fact no place to post said songs. Sucksville.

Still, it is Halloween and it would be downright sad if smallages didn't post on such a day. So, I give you a link or two below to round out your Halloween sounds playlist for tonight's festivities.

I'd already mentioned Scar Stuff and well, it is the best in my opinion for all the creepy crawly sounds and old school tunes. Monster Shindig is another, although he has quite a bit less than Scar Stuff.

Power Records uploads the old LPs of my youth put out by Power Records, these are story albums with Wonder Woman and Conan the Barbarian, GI Joe and Star Trek. So bad it's good. Not super Halloweenie, but could be good if you've got yourself a little Wonder Woman or Superman on this day.

You Ain't No Picasso has a CD's worth of very nice halloween-inspired tracks up. Kid stuff? Some, for sure. Some, for not.

I watched a lot of TV in the last couple of days, being sick and all (pity me), and Fine Living of all networks has a long mp3 to download of spooky sounds, go to "Scary Sounds Download". can't say I've listened to the whole thing, but it seems pretty decent. They also have video, and this kills me, of Rick Dees reading the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Rick Disco Duck Dees!

And my kid is gonna be a Power Ranger, not a genie, but I have no pictures of that yet.

Happy Halloween!

PS- Testing my new server now, let's see if it works: Tuesday talks.

A Really Useful Engine

My son lived and breathed Thomas the Tank Engine from the age of 3 until around his 6th birthday when he suddenly became too sophisticated for talking trains. That hasn't stopped him from watching the show with his little sister (just to be polite, he explains).

The truth is that he loves Thomas. My daughter loves Thomas. Heck, even I love Thomas. Don't we all just want to be "really useful"?

Thomas made a movie six years ago. It featured clunky directing, awkward acting, and downright terrible writing. But my kids don't care. They love it. After 30 or 40 viewings, even I have to admit that the film has a few redeeming qualities. Alec Baldwin is fun to watch, and Diesel makes a good villain. But what I like the most is the music.

The soundtrack (which is now out-of-print) featured these sweet ballads and pop songs:

Ben Wright - "Summer Sunday"
Maren Ord - "Shining Time"
Joe Henry - "Some Things Never Leave You"
Atomic Kitten - "The Locomotion"
Dayna Manning - "I Know How The Moon Must Feel"

You can still buy the movie on DVD. It's really not that bad. Well, Mara Wilson and Peter Fonda are that bad, but the rest of it is fun.

- Phil

Fall Pickin'

Two things put me in mind of this music today.

I am SO psyched about the release of the of The Old Town School of Folk Music Songbook: Vol. One, yesterday! Just reading the track list sends me into fits of singing, which sends my kids into fits of eye-rolling, already. And they’re little. I’m jumping out of my skin to buy a copy.

Then, this whole autumn harvesty mood thing. I want to make quick-breads and drink cider and take my kids apple picking with Clea and her daughter. Here in CA, it’s all Valley. The Central Valley, where they grow all the food. It’s an amazing place to be right now. You can see and smell where everything in the market comes from and it is truly a glorious place to be.

But there’s this other super cool thing in the Valley. This wonderous folk music gem. I took a beginning instrument course at university extension, down in Fresno a couple of autumns ago. The man giving this course, Evo Bluestein, was an inspiration. He’s part of this folk music family headed by his father, Gene in the 50’s and 60’s, continuing now with Evo (and maybe still one or more of his siblings) playing in a couple of bands and teaching kids about music and folk dance around the Valley and the Southwest.

But the kicker was this CD I bought from him for my kids. It’s called A Horse Named Bill. Evo and his brothers and sister made it with their dad in the 70’s. It’s got that great folk authenticity -- they were a real family band. I think you can hear how much they loved each other and the music, even with the occasional teen sass popping up here and there. The songs are traditional songs, Woody Guthrie songs, Carter Family songs and more.

Music for me is so much about community and love and heart. The Bluestein Family’s A Horse Named Bill sounds just like that. I wish I could buy every one of you a copy and send them to you as a gift. But, I can share a song or two and I can tell you where to get a copy of your very own and one to send to your friends and nieces and nephews…

The Bluestein Family - Jubilee
The Bluestein Family - Pike’s Peak

You MUST hear Chawin’ Chewin’ Gum, but I’ve gotta leave you a reason to buy, now, don’t I?

Buy A Horse Named Bill

--deb in sf

Spooky Music, Round Two

First up, spooky sounds. I love interjecting the mixed CD with these hilarious bits o' drama, one after each "real" song. Some of these are super nostalgic for me, they're that old. And some are wav. format, but you can import them into iTunes no problem.

"She's Alive"
"Dracula's Been Expecting You"
"The Haunted Mansion" (a collection of classic sound effects)
"Thunderstorms"
"Yo Ho Yo Ho, A Pirate's Life For Me"

Onward. Frankie Stein and His Ghouls was a concocted studio band in the 60s that made a muncha buncha records that were basically guitar driven dance music of the day, intermixed with some yelps and sound effects. They're classic and if you're old enough, you surely will have at least a faint memory of the covers or the sounds. The covers were very Rat Fink-esque, only with Halloween monsters instead of giant hot rodding rats. That's one of them up in the corner. I love how it says "The Ideal Party Record" on it! These are from vinyl records, complete with pops and cracks. They add to the ambience, no?

Frankie Stein and His Ghouls, "Be Careful, It's My Throat"
Frankie Stein and His Ghouls, "The Creep"
Frankie Stein and His Ghouls, "Weerdo The Wolf"
Frankie Stein and His Ghouls, "Knives & Lovers"

The following is just plain ol' fashion good spooky organ music, old and crackly.

"Spooky Organ Music"

And lastly, it's the great pumpkin, Charlie Brown! From the original album, so yep, it's also filled with pops. I love it because this is how we listened to this record back in the day. Such a fogey am I. I don't believe this is available on CD, but I could be wrong.

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Part One)
It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Part Two)

All this fabulous music comes from Scar Stuff, a terrific blog about spooky music. There is so much more there, it's amazing and just a little overwhelming.

Part Three of my spooky series will not dip into Scar Stuff's deep pockets any more. I've got more recent stuff to share. Soon...

Oh and did you see, Ahmet Zappa is pairing up with the Henson children to produce a live action version of Fraggle Rock as a movie? Wha?

The Lennon Brothers

Sean Lennon released his second album, Friendly Fire, last week. It's beautiful and haunting. You should buy it for yourself.

For over twenty years I've been a fan of John's other son, Julian. I think his debut album, Valotte, is a classic that still holds up well. Since that first album, Julian's releases have been hit and miss. His songs are all very serious, and I wish he'd lighten up a bit, but I completely understand where he's coming from...

You see, Julian and I both had fathers who left us to start new families. His dad and mine were both very distant even though they had the financial means to be a presence in our lives. My dad wasn't a famous rock singer, but he was extremely well-respected in his field. Julian once said about his father John: "The only thing he taught me was how not to be a father." I could've said that. In fact, I have.

Sean lost his dad too, so it's a tragedy for both sons, and I suspect that they could sit down and compare notes on the myriad of thoughts and feelings surrounding their father.

But the real question here is, what have these two sons of a legend done for the kids? Well, not much actually. Their songs are almost all quite emotional and introspective. However, I dug through my collection and found a couple of very nice tunes to share with the kids.

When Sean was nine years old he released his very first song, a fun little cover of one of his mom's tunes (the CD is now out-of-print):

Sean Lennon - "It's Alright"

And, from Julian's 1991 CD, Help Yourself, comes this gorgeous lament for the environment. The guitar solo is by none other than George Harrison:

Julian Lennon - "Saltwater"

The sons of John Lennon have done well following in their footsteps. I'm still waiting to hear something out of Dhani Harrison and James McCartney. The only other "Son of a Beatle" is Zak Starkey, who is currently touring with The Who before he officially joins Oasis as their new drummer next year.

- Phil

Spooky Music, Part One.

Yesterday I went apple picking with my daughter and her kindergarten class. Very fun stuff, the kind of stuff that tinges those dreams you get when you're holding a newborn and wondering what the future holds for you and her. Prior to leaving for the orchard, I got to sit in on their assembly (mind you, her school has about 60 kids total, for all grades K-8.) It was kickstarted with a wild dance to Sister Sledge's "We are Family." Like all 60 kids crazily dancing in this packed room to "We Are Family." My daughter sang along to every word, apparently they do this every Friday morning and I had no idea. Absolute hysteria. But actually not as funny as the night before-- she was in the bathtub and out of nowhere she just busted out with these words:

You've got to give a little,
take a little, and let your poor heart break a little.
That's the story of, that's the glory of love.

You've got to laugh a little,
cry a little, until the clouds roll by a little.
That's the story of, that's the glory of love.

Yep, Mr. Shane, her music teacher has taught the five year olds "Glory of Love." Damn cute.

Okay, some Halloween tunes to start off your own CD of Evil sounds. In the words of my five year old daughter, "prepare to meet your doom!" (She's obsessed with Power Rangers of late. I didn't even know they still showed that stuff, but apparently the franchise is alive and well and just as bad as ever!) This is part one of the Evil series. There is a part two and three yet to come.

The Cramps, "Big Black Witchcraft Rock"
Roky Erickson, "I Walked With A Zombie"
Adams Family Theme Song (.wav)
Rob Zombie, "The Munsters Theme"
Music for Zombies, "Carnival of Souls"
Violent Femmes, "The Werewolf"

** Warning ** Roky Erickson songs are scary. The Cramps are never PC and the V. Femmes song does mention ripping off the maid's clothes to a round of applause. Hey, it's Halloween. I know I mentioned I made a CD for my daughter's class and I didn't include the Cramps or Femmes on that one, but I did go for the Erickson track.

I don't mind the discussion continuing regarding the merits of blogging full songs vs. the detriments, but if you comment on this cause, please don't do it anonymously. It's just weird to have a dialogue with "anon." And we promise, we won't hunt you down and poke you.

Also, in case some of you have been following me or this for awhile, I used to have another blog called Yer Little Sister. Where'd it go? A few months back, I moved everything over to my superclea.com address. It is there that I just spew and write when I feel like it and post other thoughts and comments and yes, music. There are links to all my books there as well, and you know, the holidays are coming up!! You can also read a "free" short story there and soon I will re-post my "free book," (it was up last holiday season) which is a holiday extravaganza that you can download and print. See, as a a creative person who has to make money from my craft, I feel if you read a free story or download a free book and like it, you're far more likely to spend the money to buy my other books. Just like these music blogs and, oh, nevermind...

More about: The Cramps, Roky Erickson, Violent Femmes, Music for Zombies CD

The King's Singers

I've been a fan of The King's Singers since I was a kid, first seeing them on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, where they made regular appearances during the 70's and 80's.

The vocal group was founded in 1965 by six choral scholars at King's College Cambridge. At first they called themselves Schola Cantorum Pro Musica Profana in Cantabridgiense. By 1968 they'd adopted the catchier name of The King's Singers. Over the past thirty years the lineup has changed, but the music they've made has remained strong. Well, except for a few pop-related mis-steps. But there's no better way to introduce your children to the joys of vocal music than through the vast catalog of The King's Singers...

They've sung German madrigals:
"Das G'läut Zu Speyer (The Bells of Speyer)"

British folksongs:
"Home Sweet Home"
"There's Nae Luck About the House"

Classical interpretations:
"Flight of the Bumblebee"

Gilbert & Sullivan:
"Patter Matter"

Popular tunes:
The Beatles' "Honey Pie"
Queen's "Seaside Rendezvous"

Gorgeous originals:
"You Are The New Day"


Buy King's Singers CDs here

- Phil, at A Family Runs Through It

Born to Country Dance

Where does he come up with this stuff? I’d swear it was just a procrastination tactic, but it was too golden. I don’t make these things up, truly.

Max came in to me when I was working the other day asking for a music break from his homework. He wanted to hear a country song because “momma, I was born to country dance.” Excuse me? After I got up of the floor from laughing all my inappropriate body parts off, I told him to do two more lines of writing and then I’d play him a country song. My boy’s got some moves, all right. I don’t know if they’re country, but they’re all Max.

We are city people, but this is great and very danceable stuff. You probably already know these songs, but hey, it never hurts to hear them again, I don’t think.

Johnny Cash – Ring of Fire
Hank Williams – Move It On Over
Patsy Cline – Side By Side

I gotta say, now that Clea’s back, I feel a little shy. I don’t know jack about music except that I like what I like and I think sharing it is more fun than singing and dancing alone in my living room. So, in that spirit, I continue on and hope you enjoy some of my wacky, dork princess tastes. Thanks for letting me stay and play, Clea!

--deb in sf

Cavemen & Celebs Singing, Badly

Continuing with my peripheral dancing around of songs that could potentially be used for your Halloween mix tape, I bring you the Neanderthals. They are led by guitarist Eddie Angel, owner of Spinout Music and awesome guitarist for Los Straitjackets, the kitschy surf-influenced men in Mexi wrestling masks (who, when they sing or talk, which isn't often, mostly do so in Spanish.) The Neanderthals play more garage rock and they do so in caveman outfits. The Neanderthals CD is really fun, push all the furniture to the walls dance music for kids and adults alike. Plus, they sing in caveman outfits. Lots of twisting songs, but of course the one that is a la perfect for Halloween? Their cover of "Purple People Eater." I've included an instrumental (save for the wolf-like moaning) from Eddie Angel's solo CD, Guitar Party, another good one for Hallow's Eve. And a fun taste of Los Straitjackets' slightly klezmer influenced surf fiestas.

The Neanderthals, "Purple People Eater"
The Neanderthals, "Twist To The Moon"
Eddie Angel, "The Panasonics Meet The Wolfman"
Los Straitjackets, "Tabouli"

Eddie also has a CD called Eddie Angel Meets the Beatles which is not him covering Beatles songs but rather Eddie covering songs that the Beatles covered early in their career. I like the twist. All are available on eMusic or via Eddie's label, Spinout.

**

Unexpected Dreams: Songs From the Stars came out earlier this year. It's bad. I mean, you'd expect, not unexpect and you'd be right with the first instinct. The concept in case you don't know is a bunch of stars, um, singing. I don't believe that's really Scarlett Johansson singing. I mean, I'm sure she walked up to that mic and opened her mouth, but the end result has been so tweaked and knobbed that I suspect it doesn't resemble the actual sounds that came out that day. Ewan McGregor sounds like Clay Aiken with a slightly diff accent, Jennifer Garner sounds like another American Idol second or third place winner, John Stamos is John Stamos and it makes me laugh because when I was a pre-teen and he was on General Hospital I thought there was no one else for me. Teri Hatrcher makes me wince and wince again. I will say, the John C. Reilly track is do-able, he's lovable and can sing in that I'm on Broadway and deserve to be here sort of way, but it's not like Great with a capital G. This CD is for a good cause, Music Matters, a music education program founded by the L.A. Philharmonic. Still, this is for lovers of American Idol (those who watch for the music and not the spectacle) and celeb gawkers of the most intense kind. The track list...

Scarlett Johansson – “Summertime”
Ewan McGregor – “The Sweetest Gift”
Taraji P. Henson – “In My Daughter’s Eyes”
Jennifer Garner – “My Heart Is So Full of You”
Jeremy Irons – “To Make You Feel My Love”
John Stamos – “Goodnight My Angel”
Lucy Lawless – “Little Child”
Marissa Jaret Winokur – “The Wish Song”
Eric McCormack – “The Greatest Discovery”
Victor Garber – “No One Is Alone”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus – “The Nightshift”
Nia Vardalos – “Golden Slumbers”
John C. Reilly – “Lullaby In Ragtime”
Teri Hatcher – “Goodnight”

But you're curious (and so was I) so here you go, the Ewan McGregor track:

Ewan McGregor, "The Sweetest Gift"

More info: Music Matters

A shower has never felt so good.

You know, it felt even better than when I was camping for like a week with no plumbing in site and my dog peed on me on Day 1. I have taken my first (and second, equally as great) shower since my surgery. Absolute fabulousness.

Not as fabulous as the wonderful blogging friends who have been posting here at small ages for the last two and a half weeks. Zak, Deb and Phil rocked it. They entertained me, informed me and made my insides dance, if not my outsides. So much so, that I've asked them to stay on as regulars. I honestly think that this space is better served by divergent points of view. I inadvertantly chose three people who I think represent totally different musical backgrounds and desires and yet three people who complement each other excceptionally well. I wish I could say I did that on purpose, part of a bigger plan, but I didn't. I just chose people I like. Just lucky, I guess.

So, here I am today, but tomorrow it may be one of the small ages friends. I hope you all enjoy and appreciate and dig right into the positive change.

Now, I love Halloween. In the next couple of weeks I will try and bring you the best of my Halloween collection that way you can make party tapes for your little ones Hallow's Eve celebrations. My kid and I made a CD for the holiday and have made 12 copies, one for each of her classmates.

But I'm getting ahead of myself, because I'm not posting all that music today. Today I am starting with a children's CD made by Jad and David Fair of Half Japanese. In case you're unfamiliar with Jad, he and his brother play their instruments, um differently than most and are considered to play "primitive rock," i.e. with no schooled talent. Jad has played with Kramer, Daniel Johnston and Yo La Tengo and his music is sort of an acquired taste, I suspect. But he has flashes of true charm, for sure. And he's freaking prolific. It makes sense that the guy sat down to do a children's record, his own work definitely has a childlike flair.

This CD, 26 Monster Songs for Children A-Z, is exactly what it says it is. A song for each letter of the alphabet about a monster. You know the Abominable Snowman, Bigfoot, Creature, etc... A child's voice announces the monster of choice with a short explanation of who they are and then the song. This is real fun, I suggest this whole CD and it is available for download on eMusic. And of course, the songs are terrific for Halloween.

Jad and David Fair, "Dracula"
Jad and David Fair, "Headless Horseman"
Jad and David Fair, "Zombie"

More info on: Jad Fair, Jad on eMusic

FYI - Clea's Craft Corner! You can make your own CD case for your classes' CDs on the cheap. Take a brown lunch bag. Don't open it up. Cut about an inch and a half off the top. Slip the disc in, again, without opening the bag up to standing position and then fold over the top and tuck it into the fold that is the bottom of the bag. It will just magically stay put. Get your kid to decorate the front with drawings or stickers or paint and voila, you have a cheap little project and a cute gift. Hope that makes sense. I do write craft books for a living and yet, that explanation seems to be missing something. Perhaps I'll put up a picture with my next post.

Good to be back...

i miss clea

The boys beat me on their sweetness, but I wrote this little post days ago. I just didn't put it up, because they are too darned speedy for me.

If you’re reading, wherever you are, girl –

I’m having a blast, but I hope you come back soon. In the tradition of your "I love them" posts...

Guggenheim Grotto – I Think I Love You
warning if this bugs – this song has the ‘h-e-double-toothpicks’ word in the chorus. Thanks to Heather at I am Fuel for this band, way back.

Iris DeMent – Hotter Than Mohave in My Heart
She's a country singer and has a very unique voice. Her music is so emotional. My littles like it, they do. Maybe think a little bit country Victoria Williams and listen with an open ear.

Some Trees Grow Bananas

It's Zak from the two mirrors. So either I've been holding out on you, or you all have been holding out on me. You see there is some great kids music being made by Jon Allmett. He also makes music for adults but has one cd released that focuses on music for kids. Jon's work with children at summer camps such as Camp Sunshine and Camp Kudzu inspired him to write an entire album of songs written specifically for children (and their families). However you should be forewarned, Jon Allmet is the Wierd Al of kids music. You see he takes songs that we as adults know well and makes them into REALLY funny kids songs. He also has some very brillant originals too. Look at the track listing below and see what songs he spoofs.

1. Four Fingers and Your Thumb (Violent Femmes, Blister in the Sun)
2. Georgia Gold
3. Don't Ask Me Why
4. Love Is
5. Rocky Road
6. A Clown Named Earl (Jimmy Buffett, Brown Eyed Girl)
7. New ABC's
8. Favorite Crayons
9. Some Trees Grow Bananas (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sweet Home Alabama)
10. Seesawing (Tom Petty, Free Fallin)
11. Summer of 99' (Bryan Adams, Summer of 69)
12. Slippin' in my Socks
13. Rainbow Connection
14. Wonderbread (John Mayer, Wonderland)

So, Aiden and Anna have been loving this cd for about a year now, and it occured to me that I had not written about it yet. So back to my original statement, if you know about this guy and you haven't shared then you are just as bad as I am. Try these four songs...

Four Fingers and Your Thumb (Violent Femmes, Blister in the Sun)--Jon Allmet

New ABC's (original track)--Jon Allmet

Seesawing (Tom Petty, Free Fallin)--Jon Allmet MOST HIGHLY RECCOMENDED

Summer of 99 (Bryan Adams, Summer of 69)--Jon Allmet MOST HIGHLY RECCOMENDED

GO BUY HIS RECORD FOR ONLY $10 VIA PAYPAL (SHIPPING INCLUDED)

Clea, we can't wait for your return. Not because we are not having fun taking over your site, but we realize how superior you are. Hope all is well!

A Legend, Not A Star

Phil here, sneaking in one last post before Clea returns.

Paul Kelly is an Australian singer-songwriter who, despite his legendary status down under, remains almost unknown in the rest of the world. His 30-year career has resulted in a stunning string of songs that combine poetic storytelling with melodic pop/folk/country hooks. David Fricke, of Rolling Stone magazine, called Kelly "one of the finest songwriters I have ever heard, Australian or otherwise."

I could compile several discs of his songs for my kids. His style is so accessible, and his lyrics so full of intelligence and beauty, we never tire of listening to him.

Here's just a taste of Paul Kelly:

"You Can't Take It With You" - from 1989's So Much Water, So Close To Home... Probably my favorite PK song.

"Madeleine" - from 1995's Deeper Water... Written for Paul's young daughter, this "acoustic" version is actually from an out-of-print Australian children's compilation.

"Dumb Things" - from 1987's Under The Sun... One of his biggest hits, it even showed up during the taxi chase in the John Travolta movie Look Who's Talking.

"From Little Things Big Things Grow" - from 1991's Comedy... The tale of aboriginal rights activist Vincent Lingiari and the Wave Hill Walk-Off.

"If I Could Start Today Again" - from 2001's Nothing But A Dream... Gorgeous song about second chances.

"Whistling Bird" - from 1999's Smoke, a collaboration with bluegrass band Uncle Bill.

"Melting" - from 1998's Words & Music... Beautiful duet with Monique Brumby. This song is summer to me.

"Love Letter" - from 1999's Professor Ratbaggy... An experiment with reggae, dub, and funk.

"Hey Boys" - a duet with Mark Seymour, from the 1992 film Garbo.

Paul Kelly is one of those singers who has almost immediate appeal. It doesn't take very much effort to dive in to his catalog. If you want to get one CD to start off with, I suggest trying his "Best Of" collection, Songs From The South. Amazon has new and used copies for under $10.

Thanks, Clea, for letting me guest-blog here. It was fun!

New Music For Old Bloggers

Phil here again... When I'm making a song mix for my kids, I'm never at a loss to find some pop nugget from the past. Beatles, XTC, Split Enz, Squeeze, Aztec Camera... Those are the bands I grew up with and still follow. But I don't want to be some old fuddy-duddy who thinks that good music stopped around the time the Internet was invented. So I try to keep up with what's current, almost solely through music blogs. Through this medium, I've discovered the joys of Sufjan Stevens, Iron and Wine, Jenny Lewis, Keane, Lily Allen, and so many more.

Here are just a few other new artists that the kids and I really enjoy:

Amy Diamond
"That's Life"
"Go Kid Go"
Sweden is obviously genetically manipulating their population to create perfect pop singers. Amy is, unbelievably, only 14 years old, but shows a lot of talent for someone that age. For some reason, her CDs are only available as expensive imports.

Au Revoir Simone
"Hurricanes"
This band from Brooklyn, New York, consists of Erika Forster, Annie Hart, and Heather D'Angelo. Their debut CD, Verses of Comfort, Assurance, & Salvation is being re-released at the end of the month.

Scissor Sisters
"Paul McCartney"
When I was a kid, I had a t-shirt that read "Disco Sucks"... Well, something happened to me over the years, because I love this stuff. Maybe it's because the kids go crazy for it, dancing around the house with smiles on their faces. I'll call it "Dance Music" and not feel like a traitor to my t-shirt. Buy the new Scissor Sisters CD here.

Ether Hour
"Walk On"
"Magnesium"
This was the biggest surprise for me this past year. Ether Hour is from the small rural college town of Pullman, Washington. It's basically a couple of computer engineers who like to make music in their spare time. Shades of Elliott Smith, David Yazbek, and Michael Penn. Not exactly happy dance music for kids' playtime... This is intelligent music for adults, but children might appreciate it too. Their entire CD, which you can buy here, is amazing.

The Feeling
"Never Be Lonely"
This British band makes radio-friendly power pop, so how come they're not all over the radio? Get their debut CD here.

Lily Allen
"Alfie"
Okay, this one is NOT for the kids, but I'm including it because Lily Allen is my current music crush. Every single song I've heard by her is brilliant. However, I refrain from playing her for my kids because the lyrics are both extremely witty and extremely R-rated. I'm not quite ready for them to hear about crack whores and marijuana. Buy her debut CD here.

Cutis Eller’s American Circus

I really dig Curtis Eller. He’s come out to the Bay Area to play a couple of times in the past couple of years. I happened upon his banjo playing, great singing voice, thoughtful songwriting and wild physicality at a club one night and was completely taken in. These aren’t jump around dance songs, but we love them and listen to them often.

One cool by-product is that his songs have started lots of very interesting discussions about Buster Keaton, Amelia Earhart, Coney Island, pigeon racing, Stephen Foster, Al Jolson, Elvis Presley, and other very interesting topics. We’ve learned all kinds of cool stuff.

Plus, he yodels.

Curtis Eller’s American Circus – Amelia Earhart
Curtis Eller’s American Circus – Stephen Foster
Curtis Eller’s American Circus – Red Red Robin

His live shows are totally not all ages, but if you live in NYC or the UK (or check his myspace page for other venues) you should definitely check him out. He’s super dynamic. A great fun show.

-deb in sf

The Boys From Swindon

Phil here... In my last post I talked about my favorite band, The Beatles. It's not much of a leap to get to my second favorite band, XTC. The boys from Swindon, England, have been around for nearly thirty years and continue to make some of the most quirky, intelligent, lovable tunes around. I consider Andy Partridge to be one of the greatest songwriters ever, along with Neil Finn, Paul McCartney, and Elvis Costello.

XTC's catalog is packed with kid-friendly songs. It's difficult to know where to begin among their 20+ albums, so I'll just go with the songs that my kids love...

"Playground" - from 2000's brilliant Wasp Star ... Andy's daughter Holly sings back-up.

"Helicopter" - from 1979's Drums and Wires... If this doesn't get you up on your feet and spinning around the room with your kids, then I don't know what will.

"Mayor of Simpleton" - from 1989's Oranges and Lemons... Andy wrote this to his kids, professing that he doesn't have to be the smartest dad to know that he loves his children.

"Cherry In Your Tree" - from the 1994 soundtrack to the TV show Carmen Sandiego: Out Of This World... This is one of the first songs my son ever learned to sing.

"Do What You Do" - from their 1978 debut, White Music... Not to be played for the kids right before bedtime.

"Fruit Nut" - from their 1999 orchestral album, Apple Venus... Colin Moulding sings of his love for gardening.

"Bike Ride To The Moon" - recording as The Dukes of Stratosphear, this is from their 1987 psychedelic tribute, Chips From The Chocolate Fireball.

"Happy Families" - from the soundtrack to the 1988 film She's Having A Baby

That's just a taste of XTC. They truly are a band that kids could fall in love with... Catchy melodies, fun lyrics, quirky sound. Not to mention hundreds of songs to explore. And there's more to come... Andy and Colin should have a new CD out before the end of 2007 (they take their time). Andy's been writing songs with Robyn Hitchcock. Can't wait to hear the results of that meeting of the minds.

BONUS SONGS!

Back in the mid-90's, Andy was approached by Henry Selick and Tim Burton to write songs for their animated movie version of James and the Giant Peach. He recorded some great demos, but for one reason or another Disney decided to hire Randy Newman (who else?).

Here are a few of the songs that Andy wrote for the film. My kids like these much better than Newman's:

Andy Partridge - "Don't Let Us Bug Ya"
Andy Partridge - "Everything'll Be Alright"

He had better luck writing the theme to the wonderful TV series Wonderfalls, although the show itself got canceled after just a few airings. Hope Andy cashed his paycheck in time.

Andy Partridge - "I Wonder Why The Wonderfalls"

The Blow

Hello, my friends, it's Zak from the Two Mirrors. I think you and your children should know about the The Blow. The Blow is Jona Bechtolt and Khaela Maricich and they have a record coming out on October 24^th on K Records. The Blow have a fantastic sound. Think Postal Service minus Ben Gibbard and the addition of a female vocalist, then go a little more upbeat and off kilter. You may even consider Luscious Jackson as an influence. At least the music portion. And thanks to Deb and Bill for reminding us all how fantastic Luscious is.

Below are two tracks from that upcoming record and my little Anna is just addicted to both of them. She just dances around with the look of sheer happiness in her eyes. Now Aiden, on the other hand, could care less because the songs provide him no desire now run around and scream (eg.. Cursive). But none of us can deny how a great pop song makes us feel and these tracks will exemplify that feeling. And how happy would it make Clea to hear that her theory about hand-clapping in songs is proven yet again with the track Pile of Gold. And don't be ashamed to dance like you were two years old again. It's worth it.

The Blow--Pile of Gold

The Blow--Parenthesis