Dadnabbit

A Conversation with Recess Monkey

In the kindie world, there are few events more momentous than a new Recess Monkey record. The Seattle-based trio is set to return on June 21 with Flying!, a 14-song set that, per Monkey custom, follows a loose concept. This time around, the band was inspired by superheroes, which is fitting, seeing as how these stars of the junior set moonlight as teachers when they aren’t plugging into amps. (It’s like they have secret identities or something!) If... Read More

2011 KidVid Tournament: Pete Seeger Regional

Another day, another senses-shattering round in the 2011 KidVid Tournament! Today’s matchups are being hosted by kindie kingmaker Bill Childs over at Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child — let’s take a look at our contenders in the Pete Seeger Regional division. #1 Seed: Keller Williams, “Hula Hoop to Da Loop” I like Keller Williams, and I enjoyed his kids’ album (aptly titled Kids), but on the surface, “Hula... Read More

CD Review: Recess Monkey, “The Final Funktier”

The Final Funktier sounds like it should be the title of a Star Trek sequel starring Bootsy Collins, but it’s really the name of the latest opus from Recess Monkey, the Seattle-based kindie kingpins who have been breaking new ground for family music since releasing their 2005 debut. Each of the Monkey’s previous five releases were stuffed with thematic and stylistic adventures, from Aminal House to Tabby Road to last year’s Field... Read More

DVD Review: “Field Trips with Recess Monkey”

Recess Monkey – Field Trips with Recess Monkey (2009, Monkey Mama) purchase from Amazon Our love for Recess Monkey has already been well documented, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t alert you to the imminent release of Field Trips with Recess Monkey, a DVD companion of sorts to the band’s most recent album, the stellar Field Trip. For those not already in the know, Recess Monkey is a fun-loving, award-winning trio whose previous... Read More

CD Review: Recess Monkey, “Field Trip”

Recess Monkey – Field Trip (2009, Recess Monkey) purchase this CD When I was a kid, Seattle was the place with nifty architecture where the SuperSonics and the Seahawks played (no reason to care about the Mariners, as ours was a Yankees household). When a got a little older, it was the place where flannel-clad heroin addicts made sad, loud music that the world went crazy for. These days, folks my age tend to think of coffee and economic summits... Read More