Just like the seasons, every year seems to bring another release from Seattle’s Recess Monkey. 2012 is no different. June 19th will mark the release of the eighth studio album from the trio. In Tents finds the band exploring the world of the circus. In addition, the group brought in Dean Jones to help produce the record. I interrupted Monkey Jack Forman as he was editing the video for ‘Popcorn’ which can be found right here. He’s obviously quicker at editing videos than I am at transcribing interviews. My favorite quote from the interview? “Well kids don’t drink nearly enough beer.“ Will you ever take a break? In Tents is your eighth album in eight years. We’re so lucky that everything is line for us to keep us inspired. We keep wanting to do this
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We look into the stories behind the band's new album, where they've been, and where they might be headed
Read More »Dadnabbit’s love of all things Dog on Fleas and/or Dean Jones has been well-documented ’round these parts, so I’m not going to even pretend to be objective about the band’s first best-of collection, the aptly titled The Bestest of the Best. Basically, what I’m about to say boils down to two things: 1. I love it; and 2. You should buy it now. That’s really it. If you trust my judgment at all when it comes to family entertainment, just stop reading now and order copies of The Bestest of the Best for your family and your closest parent-type friends. Come back here later to thank me. (You’re welcome.) If you need to know more for some reason, here it is: The Bestest of the Best culls a marvelous 20 tracks from the band’s previous
Read More »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
Read More »Now here’s an album that lives up to its title. The latest effort from Robert Burke Warren, a.k.a. Uncle Rock, further illustrates his gift for music that plays to kids without playing down to them — and addresses important topics in the bargain. Which isn’t to say The Big Picture is all serious: These 14 tracks touch on suitably kid-sized stuff like animals (“Leave the Bees Be,” “Sneaky Snake”), feelings (“Shake It Off!”), and mythical creatures (“My Friend Bigfoot”), and there’s even room for a song about a certain Texan rock legend’s distinctive singing style (“Buddy Holly’s Got the Hiccups”). But what really sets The Big Picture apart is the way Uncle Rock talks about the, um, big picture — like where garbage goes after we throw it away (“There Is No Away,” “Garbage Barge”),
Read More »Man oh man oh man. Why can’t they all be this good? Not only my favorite kids’ album of the year but one of my favorite releases period, Dean Jones’ stellar Rock Paper Scissors is everything children’s music should be: A wonderfully easy-to-listen-to collection of songs that, while childlike in their lyrical simplicity and musical exuberance, still hum with a wild and woolly grown-up rock ‘n’ roll spirit. It’s one long, joyful noise, this album is, and having spent enough time with it to allow the initial euphoric rush of hearing it to wear off, I can safely say it’s my favorite kids’ record ever. A big part of this has to do with Jones’ choice of backing musicians. At his day gig, Jones is a member of the highly regarded kindie outfit Dog on
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