CD Review: Brian Vogan and His Good Buddies, “Sing a Little Song”
Brian Vogan’s first CD, 2008′s Little Songs, has been one of my daughter’s favorites since it was released, so you can imagine the level of anticipation surrounding the arrival of his second album, Sing a Little Song. And taking the disc out of the envelope underscored one of the cool fringe benefits of this whole writing-about-kid’s-music thing — when Little Songs came out, Sophie was singing along to Vogan’s “Animal ABCs”; this time around, she read his name off the front cover. It was a special moment. How could the music help but be overshadowed?
Only by being awesome — and I’m happy to report that Sing a Little Song is just that. The album is credited to Brian Vogan and His Good Buddies, and the songs reflect that friendly, expansive spirit; where the first album was a low-key, homespun-sounding affair, this has more of a band feel. And you can hear why Vogan adjusted his approach this time out; he’s beefed up his arrangements, and the songs really benefit from the added layers.
What hasn’t changed is that Vogan’s songs are catchy as all get out — and unlike a lot of performers in the genre, he doesn’t do any annoying play-acting with his voice, displaying a refreshing level of trust in his music to speak for itself (and his audience to really listen). The album opens with the lovely “How to Fly,” a duet with Visqueen frontwoman Rachel Flotard, and from the opening bars to the closing chords, Sing a Little Song reflects Vogan’s quirky, down-to-earth perspective. He does touch on his share of oft-covered kids’ music topics (crossing the street, washing your hands, space, dinosaurs, trucks), but he puts his own unique spin on them, and he also makes room for stuff you’re not liable to hear anywhere else — like “27,” for instance. (It’s a song about counting to the number 27.)
My personal favorites are “How to Fly,” the instantly hummable title track, and the hard-rocking “Wash Your Hands,” but the whole album is impressively solid. This has been a really solid year for children’s music, and Sing a Little Song is one of my favorite 2010 releases so far. Listen to the samples at CD Baby and see if you don’t agree.
CD Review: Heidi Swedberg and the Sukey Jump Band, “Play!”
What comes to mind when you think of the ukulele? If you’re a member of my generation (or older), you probably think of Don Ho or his many cheesy, Hawaiian-shirted imitators — but the uke is so much more than “Tiny Bubbles” on The Lawrence Welk Show, and Heidi Swedberg is doing her part to demonstrate just how family-friendly ukulele music can be.
Play! offers up 15 tracks, most of them from the public domain (examples include “Froggie Went a-Courtin’” and “Pop Goes the Weasel”), with few production frills and plenty of silly charm. It’s a conscious throwback to the days of family parlor music — as Swedberg writes in the liner notes, listeners should “Tune up and learn one, two or three chords. Play!” And if you’re a little intimidated by the prospect of sitting down and learning to play “Kookaburra” or “My Dog Has Fleas,” don’t worry — she’s included tabs in the booklet. Unlike the many albums engineered to make your kids beg for Backyardigans dolls or Dora backpacks, here’s a collection that challenges you to make your own joyful noise. How refreshing is that?
And okay, so you probably aren’t going to shut off the TV and start a family band right away. But even if listening to Play! doesn’t inspire you to buy a ukulele for every member of your family, it’s still an awful lot of fun — Heidi Swedberg is an immensely appealing performer, and she has a lot of fun with her song selections, whether she’s crooning the “Japanese Umbrella Song” or lending a little pineapple flair (and singing saw) to “Dream a Little Dream.” For mellow afternoons, dancing in the kitchen with your kids, or family band practice, Play! backs up the cheerful demand imposed by its title. More, please.
CD Review: Oran Etkin, “Wake Up, Clarinet!”
Toots Thielemans once joked that when you mix jazz with anything else, you often end up with nothing. He was defending his decision to mix jazz with Brazilian music for his first Brasil Project album, so his point was ultimately that good jazz doesn’t have to be pure, but you get the idea — and if you’ve ever listened to a Kenny G or Dave Koz record, you probably agree that jazz generally doesn’t benefit from being blended or watered down.
Rules are made for exceptions, however, and here’s a fine one: Oran Etkin’s Wake Up, Clarinet!, which offers a delightfully breezy 22-minute course in basic jazz for the younger set.
Dedicated to, in his own words, helping kids “develop a rich musical vocabulary and creativity,” Etkin teaches the Timbalooloo Method, using games and stories to help teach music theory. Judging from Wake Up, Clarinet!, it’s a class I’d like to join. Unlike a lot of “____ for kids” projects, it doesn’t waste time with cutesy sleight of hand; these nine tracks (three intros and six musical numbers, running from 2:24 to 4:29) are simple, but they brim with an obvious, infectious joy. Not to mention solid musicianship: the small combo Etkin leads here (on clarinet and sax, natch) includes Jason Marsalis on drums, Fabian Almazan on piano, Garth Stevenson on bass, Curtis Fowlkes on trombone, and vocalist Charenee Wade, who serves as Etkin’s foil throughout. (You can watch Etkin perform three songs by putting the enhanced CD in your computer, too.)
It’s worth mentioning that the concepts Wake Up, Clarinet! addresses are decidedly basic — high notes and low notes, that sort of thing — but Etkin does such a fine job of incorporating those themes into the performances that it never feels like he’s talking down to the listener. These are just bite-sized songs, steeped in jazz, and bursting with a wonderful energy. Whether or not you think you care about jazz, this is a Wake Up that should strike a chord with music-loving families everywhere.
CD Review: Various Artists, “Many Hands: Family Music for Haiti”
You wouldn’t be visiting Dadnabbit if you weren’t looking for quality entertainment that your whole family can enjoy.
What if you could have it — lots of it — and support a worthy cause in the bargain?
That’s the idea behind Many Hands: Family Music for Haiti, the debut offering from Bill Childs‘ Spare the Rock Records, and it works splendidly. The track listing boasts a virtual Who’s Who of the best and brightest in kindie, including Recess Monkey, Elizabeth Mitchell, Gustafer Yellowgold, Dan Zanes, and Uncle Rock — and almost all of the songs are previously unreleased. The set was produced by Dean Jones of Dog on Fleas, who helped round up the artists (including Pete Seeger, recorded in a single take in his living room) and contributed a pair of tracks (Dog on Fleas’ lovely “Sing About the Sun” and the quirky, irresistible Jones solo cut “Little by Little”).
If you’re familiar with Bill’s work, or any of the artists I named above, you know what to expect from Many Hands — it includes its share of boisterous, candy-colored tracks (like They Might Be Giants’ “My Name Is Kingof Socks”), but this crew is fighting the good fight; where they go, smart, honest kids’ music is sure to follow, and most of it is stripped down to its bare essentials. There’s no artifice here, no pandering to children, no teeth-grindingly cute arrangements or lyrics. Just family entertainment, in the truest sense — beautifully recorded by a family of artists, to benefit families half a world away.
More about that worthy cause: Proceeds from Many Hands go to the Haitian People’s Support Project, where they’re working hard to repair the devastation of the January earthquake. It’s a crisis too great for one charity — or one great CD — to solve, but you can help by picking up a copy of the album and explaining the story behind it to your kids. And if you’re lucky enough to live within driving distance, you can attend one of the Many Hands concerts scheduled for the fall.
(While it wasn’t an official Many Hands show, Dadnabbit was lucky enough to play a part in bringing Dog on Fleas to our rural corner of New Hampshire recently. Pictures here.)
The more time I spend with kids’ entertainment, the less patience I have for movies or music that waste energy condescending to their audience. Kids are just like us — they respond to things that make them feel, that treat them with respect, and that trust their intelligence. The artists who contributed their time and talent to this project understand this, and that’s what makes it such a beautiful, valuable listen. If you buy only one CD for your family this year, make it Many Hands.
DVD Review: “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”
Based on the bestselling books by Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a funny film that the entire family can sit down and enjoy. It follows the first year of middle school for young Greg Heffley, as he does his best to become one of the most popular kids in school. His plans backfire and instead of becoming the most popular kid, he becomes one of the least popular students. Director Thor Freudenthal brings the same charm and knack for working with young actors that he brought to last year’s Hotel for Dogs. As with that film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid has a bright, enticing look and is wonderfully paced to keep everyone engaged. There is fine music and some enjoyable moments for the grown-ups, whenever Steve Zahn appears on screen. For all intents and purposes, this is a excellent movie. Well acted, beautifully shot, and it has a great message for kids about staying true to who you are and trying not to worry about the opinion of others. This message is especially important in those formative years that take place in junior high/middle school, which is where Diary of a Wimpy Kid is set.
However, I have problems with its lead character, Greg. To quote my daughter, “he’s a jerk.” There you have it, the hero is a jerk and honestly, he really doesn’t learn any lesson by the end of the movie. Moreover, he’s not even a lovable jerk. That bothered me.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to heroes in films being jerks. I’ve sat through many feature films where the main character never changes while everyone around the, evolves. Yet, all of those films have been about adults (mostly indie films). For some reason, because this is a film about children, and it’s for children, the effect isn’t the same. Is it because children are impressionable and maybe they’ll watch the movie and think that the lead character’s behavior is okay? That’s part of it. Is it because he shows little to no remorse for his actions? Yep. Making matters worse, Zachary Gordon, the young actor playing Greg, does such an exceptional job in the role that I started to hate him before the movie was over (the character, not the actor).
Who is the favorite character in the movie? It’s not the snarky older girl, Angie (Chloe Moretz) who walks around in a beret, expounds of the dullness of trying to be popular and carries a camera, like some kind of bohemian 7th grader? No, it’s Rowley Jefferson (an adorable Robert Capron), the nerdy, awkward boy who isn’t afraid to express his feelings and proceeds through life as his own person. While watching the film with my kids, I asked them who their favorite character in the movie was. Without hesitation they said it was Rowley. Why? Because he’s the one character that stays true to himself, the one character who tries his best and isn’t afraid to fail, and the one character who is an individual and isn’t trying so hard to fit in with the cool crowd.
Perhaps that was the point Freudenthal and Kinney were going for. I can only assume, yes; but damn it, they did such a good job with this film at making the hero a jerk, that I just couldn’t love the movie as much as I wanted to.
Despite my reservations about Greg, Diary of a Wimpy kid should be checked out, even if it inspires conversations with your kids about Greg’s behavior and why Rowley is so awesome. The Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Copy of the movie is an excellent deal. Besides the three different formats to play the movie, there are some great bonus features, including diary pages from Rowley (written by Kinney) and deleted scenes.
A Dadnabbit Concert Event!
I realize posts have been lighter than normal around here lately, but summertime isn’t just for taking vacations and soaking up the sun — it’s for doing things with your family, and that’s what I’ve been up to for the last couple of months. We’ll get back to business as usual as the temperatures drop, but in the meantime, here’s some exciting news for readers in the northeast: Dadnabbit’s first foray into concert promotion!
Dog on Fleas is one of our favorite bands, and when they let us know they were looking for a place to play in the area, we immediately thought of The Orchard School, a beautiful children’s enclave in rural Alstead, NH. A few phone calls later, we were counting down the days to August 20th, when the band will arrive for an evening of food (dinner is included in the ticket price) and family entertainment.
If you’re anywhere in the area, we’d love it if you could make it out to the show. Get directions here, and if you have any questions, send me an e-mail and I’ll be happy to help!
CD Review: Pete Seeger, “Tomorrow’s Children”
Even during his younger days, Pete Seeger was something of an ambivalent recording artist. He feared that the more he sang on record, the less likely people would be to join in and sing along; foreign as it might seem in this age of tabloid-reported indiscretions and phony social media friendships, Seeger never desired celebrity. He’s really always worked to build a creative relationship with his audience, and he’s always stressed the power of participation — in family, in community, and in the arts.
Now 91, Seeger isn’t the vocalist he used to be, but he’s only used this as an excuse to further embrace the group performances he’s always encouraged; his Appleseed Recordings tenure has included a number of collaborations, and that trend continues with the delightful Tomorrow’s Children. Read the rest of this entry
CD Review: The Okee Dokee Brothers, “Take It Outside”
Following the tradition established by albums like Jerry Garcia and David Grisman’s Not for Kids Only, the Okee Dokee Brothers blow the dust off traditional bluegrass and highlight its playful spirit, offering kids a knee-high gateway into the world of American roots music.
Of course, it isn’t like trad bluegrass is particularly hard for all-ages audiences to enjoy, but that’s no reason to complain about Take It Outside, the Okee Dokees’ follow-up to their 2008 debut, Kids with Beards. Anything that connects kids with the primordial joy of song is all right in my book, and Outside represents an assured next step in the duo’s self-proclaimed “mission to remind children (and adults) of their intrinsic ability to discover, imagine, and create through music.”
For proof that the Okee Dokee Brothers know what they’re doing, you don’t have to look much further than the company they keep — Take It Outside was produced by Tor Hyams and features liner note endorsements by preeminent kindie critics Bill Childs, Christina Refford, and Stefan Shepherd, all of whom know a thing or two about great family entertainment. And it isn’t hard to hear why they’re Okee Dokees fans: This a 13-track bundle of fun, cleverly written bluegrass, recorded with a minimum of fuss and bother, and soaked in kid-friendly charm. Read the rest of this entry
Melting Down at the 2010 Green River Festival
Greenfield, MA isn’t necessarily known as an entertainment mecca, unless you count the fact that it’s the birthplace of Penn Jillette. But last weekend, while folks in Philly were sweating it out during the XPoNential Festival held by our pals at WXPN — and hipper listeners were at the Pitchfork Music Festival — New England was busy being blessed with its own live music extravaganza: the 24th Green River Festival.
It’s held on the grounds of a community college in rural northern Massachusetts, but the Green River Festival isn’t the collection of acoustic guitar-toting folk singers you might expect. This year’s lineup, which sprawled out over two hot summer days and nights, included a touch of the traditional (Brooks Williams opened the main stage on Saturday), but made plenty of room for the unexpected (Allen Toussaint, Cake, and Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars are just a few eclectic examples).
One of the great things about the festival’s location is room — and plenty of it: Aside from the spacious main stage area, which housed thousands of chair-and-umbrella-toting concertgoers and dozens of craft and food booths, the festivities spilled over into a huge lawn area where lesser-known acts played at the Dance Tent, hot air balloon rides were available for folks who had $250 to burn, and our pal Bill Childs delivered two days of marvelous family entertainment at the Meltdown Stage.
I’ll be writing about the grown-up artists at Popdose later, but here’s a brief rundown of my Meltdown experience: Read the rest of this entry
DVD/CD Review: The Dirty Sock Funtime Band, “Sock-A-Delic”
If you’ve spent any time at all watching the Noggin network (apologies, corporate rebranders, I mean Nick Jr.), you’re familiar with the Dirty Sock Funtime Band, even if you don’t realize it. Like Laurie Berkner, the DSFB pops up in the interstitial music videos that the station runs in lieu of commercials, particularly during episodes of Jack’s Big Music Show — and like Berkner, they’re squarely on the sugary, high-energy end of the kids’ music spectrum.
Now, those of you who have been reading this site for awhile may remember that Laurie Berkner is one of my main musical nemeses — there’s just something about the way she’s always bouncing around with that smile on her face that bugs me — so I’m naturally predisposed to dislike any band that includes a pink-wigged man and a lead singer who looks like a tiny, hyperactive, Jew-froed Steven Tyler. And to be perfectly honest right up front, I sincerely doubt I’d ever watch or listen to the Dirty Sock Funtime Band on my own; for me, listening to this type of music is like eating frosting. A little goes a long, long way. Read the rest of this entry
