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Todd McHatton, "Galactic Champions of Joy"

CD Review: Todd McHatton, “Galactic Champions of Joy”

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Todd McHatton, "Galactic Champions of Joy"

Every album title says something, but any artist who gives a record a dazzling name like Galactic Champions of Joy is really shouldering the weight of expectations. I mean, just say those words out loud: Galactic. Champions. Of. Joy. What does a collection of songs have to sound like in order to earn such an exciting, effervescent title?

Here’s your answer:

Todd McHatton’s Galactic Champions of Joy is a wickedly addictive bouillabaisse of family-friendly kindie ‘tude and old-school pop geekery, rolled into fine layers and stacked into infinity. McHatton’s really wearing his influences on his sleeve here, from cockeyed songsmiths like Harry Nilsson and Shel Silverstein to whip-smart musos like Bill Frisell, and the result is a warm-n-fuzzy whirlwind of sound; this is basically the kindie equivalent of Jellyfish’s Spilt Milk, only without the insane budget and bleary-eyed studio bickering. Also, some of the songs are about animals.

If you love great pop music and you love your kids (not necessarily in that order), Galactic Champions of Joy is your must-own album of the fall — but if you need another reason to drop some of your hard-earned coin on McHatton’s music, how about this? If you buy the record this week, you’ll be supporting a worthy cause. I’ll let Todd give you the details:

I am overwhelmingly proud to announce that this Saturday, October 8th, I will be your guest DJ/Host on the perfectly amazing radio show Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child! It’s indie music for indie kids!

In celebration of this momentous occasion, starting tomorrow, and throughout the week until October 8th, we are donating 100% of the profits from all downloads of Todd McHatton / Galactic Champions of Joy to the Haitian People’s Support Project. This, in honor of Bill Childs’ beautiful Many Hands: Family Music for Haiti project. As of September, 2011, the Many Hands: Family Music for Haiti CD has raised over $35,000 for the Haitian People’s Support Project, providing drinking water for thousands and school tuition for kids in tent camps. We want to chip in a little bit more. YOU name the price, from $1 up to whatever you’d like to chip in. You get an album download of fun, joyful, music and you get to help some people that really need it.

Remember, to be a part of the Haiti benefit you must download Galactic of Champions of Joy HERE ONLY between October 3rd and October 8th, 2011!

Much thanks to Bill Childs at Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child…and thank YOU!

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Book Reviews: “Bunny Rabbit in the Sunlight” and “My Woodland Wish”

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If your kids love Caspar Babypants‘ music as much as mine do, you’re doubtless already familiar with the work of his wife, artist Kate Endle. Not only has she been responsible for each Caspar Babypants album cover, she’s also a busy Etsy shopkeeper and thriving illustrator of children’s books like Trout Are Made of Trees and Bella and the Bunny.

Now, Kate and Caspar are expanding their partnership, and the first fruits of their labor are here: Bunny Rabbit in the Sunlight, a beautiful, simply written bedtime story, and My Woodland Wish, the tale of a girl who wishes she could play with the animals in the woods around her house. Both books come with a URL where you can download an mp3 to go with the story.

Both books are fairly similar, in that they focus on the outdoors, feature stories built from easy-to-understand rhymes, and include plenty of lovely Endle artwork. The main difference between the two is that Rabbit in the Sunlight is a board book, and the shorter of the two — it’s the kind of thing you’ll pull out before bed for your favorite toddler — while My Woodland Wish offers more of a full-fledged narrative.

Their differences are less meaningful than their similarities, however — both books capture the peaceful, gentle spirit of Caspar Babypants’ music, and feature some of Endle’s loveliest work. I took the books out on a Sunday morning when my kids were running wild, and they calmed right down, eagerly identifying animals on the pages and absorbing the soothing rhythm of the stories.

Both books have been beautifully assembled by Sasquatch Press, particularly Bunny Rabbit in the Sunlight, which was printed with a really pleasant-looking matte finish on the boards. They’re affordably priced — you can own them both for less than $25 through Amazon — and they come with some wonderful free music. Don’t miss the chance to help support a pair of talented independent artists (and give your family a couple of great gifts in the process).

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DVD Review: “Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Yo Ho, Mateys Away!”

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The flagship animated franchise for Disney Junior, Jake and the Never Land Pirates has earned impressive ratings for the network since its February debut, and it’s easy to see why: It’s colorfully animated, with reliable Disney storylines revolving around adventure, teamwork, and friendship, and it draws on a venerable studio franchise without totally cashing in on its most popular characters.

It also boasts a pretty incredible voice cast, with talented voicework vets like Jeff Bennett (who plays Mr. Smee) rubbing shoulders alongside live-action stars like Madison Pettis, Ariel Winter, Colin Ford, and — yes, you’re reading this right — David Arquette as a talking parrot. (The list of recurring cast members is even more eclectic and/or impressive: Tori Spelling, Lisa Loeb, Adam West, and Sharon Osbourne have popped up in the cartoon cove.)

As cartoons go, Jake is fairly unremarkable, although its blend of bold color lines and swashbuckling adventure certainly puts it a cut above the sort of franchise cash-in it could have been. Jake (voiced by Ford), Izzy (voiced by Winter), Cubby (Jonathan Morgan Heit), and their pet bird Scully (Arquette) spend their days foiling Captain Hook and Smee’s ineffective plots, earning gold doubloons for teamwork along the way, with musical interludes as they go. The storyline beats will be familiar to anyone who’s ever seen a cable cartoon, but it’s all smartly done and extremely enjoyable for the target demographic.

This DVD set culls seven episodes from the first season’s 20-episode run, which seems unnecessarily chintzy, but to make up for its lack of comprehensiveness, Yo Ho, Mateys Away! bundles in a seven-song soundtrack CD and an “official pirate eye patch.” The patch is about as cheap-looking as you’d expect, although I suppose Disney deserves credit for making them out of fuzz-lined pleather instead of plastic.

All in all, you get about three hours of Jake and the gang for your $14.99, plus some music and the patch — not a bad investment for your next long car ride, and worth a spot in your family DVD library if you live with fans of the show.

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