Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child

Podcast is being ornery today. Archive copy is here. It's in mono only.

They Might Be Giants - Hovering Sombrero '05 (Here Come the ABCs)
Splash 'n' Boots - Spooky-Doo (Getting Our Feet Wet)
Josh Greenberg & the Mother Goose Jazz Band - Boogie Woogie Ghost (Rhythm and Rhymes)
Trout Fishing in America - The Goops (It's a Puzzle)
Jennie Avila - Gargoyles (For Kids)
Troubador - There's a Werewolf Under My Bed (All About Animals)
Laurie Berkner - Monster Boogie (Buzz Buzz)
Two of a Kind - This Holiday Is Halloween (Friends)
Kevin Kameraad - Pumpkin Belly (Tomato Collection)
Monty Harper - Trick or Treat Smell My Feet (The Great Green Squishy Mean Concert CD)
Babaloo - Gorilla in the Middle of My Bedroom (Bean Bag Bop)
Ben Kweller with Ben Folds and Ben Lee - Wicked Little Town (Wig in a Box)
They Might Be Giants - Something Grabbed A Hold of My Hand (Apollo 18)
Ralph's World - Harry's Haunted Halloween Circus (At the Bottom of the Sea)
Nerf Herder - Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme
Daddy A Go-Go - Scaredy Cat Cowboy Part 2 (Mojo A Go Go)
Roger Day - Monster Face (Ready To Fly)
ScribbleMonster & His Pals - A Monster Goes Rrraargh! (Best of Friends)
They Might Be Giants - Someone Keeps Moving My Chair (Flood)
Too Much Joy - Pride of Frankenstein (Cereal Killers)
Kevin Kammeraad - Moogie Monster Man (The Tomato Collection)
CandyBand - Monsters (More Candy)
Jack Sheldon - Them Not-So-Dry Bones (Schoolhouse Rock! Science Rock)
They Might Be Giants - Fingertips (Reprise) (Apollo 18)
Monster Mash (Music for Little People)
Telephone Company - Baby Halloween (The King's Surprise?)
Gunnar Madsen - Mayonnaise & Pumpernickel Bread (Ants in My Pants)
They Might Be Giants - Exquisite Dead Guy (Factory Showroom)
Peter Alsop - What If? (Pluggin' Away)
Compare and contrast, just like in high school:
Bill Harley - Monsters in the Bathroom (Play It Again)
Babaloo - Monsters in the Bathroom (Room for Everyone)
Wolf Party (Sun, Sun Shine: Songs for Curious Children)
Belly - Witch (Star)
Daddy A Go-Go - Scaredy Cat Cowboy Part 1 (Mojo A Go Go)
Rockapella - Zombie Jamboree
David Roth - Halloween
Deedle Deedle Dees - Scared of My Own Costume (Let It Dee)
Justin Roberts - Thought It Was A Monster (Yellow Bus)
Milkshake - Scared (Happy Songs)
Steve Weeks - 4 Little Girls (Alphabet Songs Vol. 1)
They Might Be Giants - Skullivan (The Spine Surfs Alone EP)

Yes, indeedy, we now have show-specific merchandise available here. Presently, there's no markup on anything. We'd love to see some shirts wandering around town!

Coming up this week -- a spooky special Halloween edition of the show. At least one full hour of Halloween or other monster/ghost/spooky-themed music. And that's at least a full hour more of Halloween or other monster/ghost/spooky-themed music than you get on, say, Democracy Now.

It's a cold morning here in Florence but we woke up and dragged ourselves down to the studio. Hopefully our cold and sleepiness will translate into a fun show. Here's what we played:

They Might Be Giants - Mammal (Apollo 18)
Joe McDermott - Spider Detective (Everywhere You Go)
Sho, Mo & The Monkey Bunch - Other Side of Tomorrow (s/t)
Omara Portunondo - Guantanamera (World Playground)
Peter Alsop - What If? (Pluggin' Away)
Gunnar Madsen - Tuna Fish (Ants in My Pants)
Lisa Loeb & Elizabeth Mitchell - Catch the Moon (Catch the Moon)
Pizzicato Five - Twiggy Twiggy/Twiggy vs. James Bond (Made in USA)
Brady Rymer - Look at My Belly (Look at My Belly)
Barenaked Ladies - Another Postcard (Everything to Everyone)
PSA (kids activities)
Brassy - Work It Out (Got It Made)
Scribblemonster & His Pals - Do the Bounce (Best of Friends)
Guided By Voices - Teenage FBI (Do the Collapse)
Len - Steal My Sunshine (You Can't Stop the Rush)
Bzots - Hey Wkewke (Powered Up!)
Candy Band - If You're Happy and You Know It (Candy Band)
Milkshake - Woo Woo (Bottle of Sunshine)
ID
Joanne Hammil - Pick It Up! (The World's Gonna Listen!) (by request)
Steve Weeks - Monkeys (Alphabet Songs Vol. II - Ivan Idea)
Candy Forest & the Singing Rainbow - Cycles
The Mahotella Queens - Mbube (African Playground)
Bill Harley - Dad Threw the TV Out the Window
Ben Rudnick - Dads Can Dance (Blast Off!)
Telephone Company - I Don't Want to Shop (The King's Surprise)
PSA (Bike Safety)
Mitch Friedman - Invisibility (Purple Burt)
Deedle Deedle Dees - Stand Up Straight (Let it Dee)
Skankin' Pickle - I Missed The Bus (Skankin' Pickle Fever)
Justin Roberts - Yellow Bus (Yellow Bus)
Trout Fishing in America - Are We There Yet? (inFINity)
Dan Zanes & Friends (with Suzanne Vega) - Erie Canal (Rocket Ship Beach)
Lunch Money - Roller Coaster (Silly Reflection)
fIREHOSE - Epoxy, for Example (Flyin' the Flannel)
Ralph's World - I'm Not Tired (Hear & Gone in 60 Seconds)
They Might Be Giants - No! (No!)

Hey, that was a fun show!

We're off to upstate New York this weekend for the sheep and wool festival. So we recorded the show on Thursday afternoon. I think it's better when we do it live -- maybe we feel less self-conscious about dancing in the studio when nobody else is around -- but it was still a fun show. Playlist below, archive copy here.

Archive of past shows and instructions on subscribing to the podcast here, now with more templatey goodness!

They Might Be Giants - Cowtown (Lincoln)
Ralph's World - Happy Lemons (Happy Lemons)
Sara Hickman - Middle of a Little Country Road
They Might Be Giants - In the Middle, in the Middle, in the Middle
Dan Zanes & Friends - Wonder Wheel
Dan Zanes & Friends - Rock Island Line
Elizabeth Mitchell - Car Car
Lunch Money - Caboose (Silly Reflection)
La Sonora Dinamita - A Mover La Colita (World Playground 2)
Danny Adlerman - Africa Calling (One Size Fits All)
Various Artists - I'm a Little Teapot (Jazz, Baby!)
Roger Day - Reach Up (Rock 'n' Roll Rodeo)
Jay Mankita - Wild Thing, Baby (The Day the Library Went Wild)
Bzots - Two Months Security Deposit (Powered Up!)
Scribblemonster & Pals - Dance Party (Best of Friends)
Brian Eno - Driving Me Backwards (Here Come the Warm Jets)
Violent Femmes - Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah (Means I Love You) (Saturday Morning Cartoons' Greatest Hits)
CandyBand - Frere Jacuqes (More Candy)
Papas Fritas - Vertical Lives (Buildings and Grounds)
Legal ID
Apples in Stereo - Rainbow
Danny Adlerman & Friends - It's Raining, It's Pouring
Brady Rymer - I'm a Little Raindrop
Laurie Berkner - In the Clouds
Lunch Money - Umbrella (Silly Reflection)
Ben Rudnick - Blackberry Blossom (Fun and Games!)
Daddy A Go Go - Come On, Get Happy (Big Rock Rooster)
Peter Alsop - Wiggle (Uh-Oh)
Desmond Dekker - Jamaica Farewell (Caribbean Playground)
Wendy Gelsanliter - Cabell and Sally (Dancin' in the Kitchen)
Dan Zanes & Friends - Down By the Riverside (Night Time) (Yes, a lot of Dan Zanes this week. There's no harm in that.)
Brian Wilson - Barnyard (Smile)
Cake - Mahna Mahna (For the Kids)
Sugarcubes - Eat the Menu (Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week!)
Keb' Mo - Love Train (Sing Along With Putumayo)
Monty Harper - Big World After All (Take Me To Your Library)
Gunnar Madsen - Tiny Mosquito (Old Mr. Mackle Hackle)
Gary Lapow - Get Up Off The Sofa (Food 'n' Fun)
Milkshake - Scared (Happy Songs)
They Might Be Giants - E Eats Everything

No archive of this show - didn't expect to be doing it.

Milkshake - School (Bottle of Sunshine)
Thomas Fersen - Croque (French Playground)
Justin Roberts - Humpty's At It Again (Way Out)
Cool Crooners of Bulawayo - I Van Enkulu (Swing Around the World)
Rudy Regalado & Chevere - America Baila (Latin Playground)
Ben Rudnick - MTA (Live at WERS "The Playground")
ID
Brian Wilson - Barnyard (Smile)
Kevin Kammeraad - Afraid Too? (Tomato Collection)
PSA
Michael Franti - Closer to the Sky (Songs from the Front Porch)
Deedle Deedle Dees - Gesundheit to the Lady in Blue (Let It Dee)
Monty Harper - Pop Up Sit Down (The Great Green Squishy Mean Concert CD)
Splash 'n' Boots - Good Day (Manatee Bay)
Roger Day - Parachute Girl (feat. Nanci Griffith) (Learning to Fly)
ID
Scribble Monster & His Pals - Scrub-A-Dub (Best of Friends)
B-52s - Wig (Nude on the Moon Anthology)
Brady Rymer - It's All How You Look At It
Smithsonian Folkways Children's Music Collection - on continuous

The archive MP3 of the show is here. Links to artist websites to come eventually.

They Might Be Giants - Robot Parade (No!)
Thomas Fersen - Croque (French Playground)
Laurie Berkner - After it Rains (Under a Shady Tree)
Dan Zanes & Friends - Over the Rainbow (Rocket Ship Beach)
Justin Roberts - Little Rain Drop (Great Big Sun)
Ben Rudnick - Rainy Day (Emily Songs)
Lunch Money - Umbrella (Silly Reflection)
Brian Wilson - Vege-Tables (Smile)
Jay Mankita - Wide Mouth Frog (The Day the Library Went Wild)
Brady Rymer - You Gotta Eat Your Fruits (Good Morning, Gus)
PSA (Tigar @ WNEC)
Michael Franti - Firefly (Songs from the Front Porch)
Flaco Jiminez - De Bolon Pin Pon (Latin Playground)
Miles Davis - Godchild
Sweet Honey in the Rock - Did You Feed My Cow? (Cellabration - Tribute to Ella Jenkins)
Dressy Bessy - Electrified (Electrified)
Scribblemonster & His Pals - Superhealthy (Chocolate Milk)
Candy Band - Get Up Already (LolliPunk)
Too Much Joy - Sandbox (Cereal Killers)
Daddy A Go Go - I Caught My Daddy Watching Cartoons (Big Rock Rooster)
Spoon - The Fitted Shirt (Girls Can Tell)
ID
Billy Jonas - Alien in My Lungs (What Kind of Cat Are You?)
Justin Roberts - Doctor, Doctor (Way Out)
Laurie Berkner - Zodiac (Victor Vito)
Justin Roberts - 98.8 (Not Naptime)
Trout Fishing in America - Alien in My Nose
Gunnar Madsen - Every Morning the Birdies (The Power of a Hat)
Sue Trainor - Morning Rhythms (Under Tables, Out Back Doors)
PSA (bike safety)
Monty Harper - Roundy Round (Take Me To Your Library)
Moby - We Are All Made of Stars (18)
Ralph's World - Playground (The Amazing Adventures of Kid Astro)
Ben Folds Five - Theme from "Dr. Pyser" (Whatever and Ever Amen - special edition)
Roger Day - Monster Face (Ready to Fly)
Kevin Kammeraad's The Tomato Collection - The Best Poem Ever (The Tomato Collection - The Big Album)
Sublime - Hong Kong Phooey (Saturday Morning Cartoons Greatest Hits)
Frank Black - (I Want to Live on an) Abstract Plain (Teenager of the Year)
Milkshake - Dance on my Shoes (Happy Songs)
They Might Be Giants - The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight) (Apollo 18)

On Saturday, we played a song called "Cicada" by the Chickasaw Mudd Puppies. We were listening to the show (archived are here) on the way to school this morning when that song came on, and Ella said she really liked it: "It sounds like tunnelling through the ground."

What a great image to get from a song.

Great stuff coming up tomorrow, probably including some good autumn songs, as the trees start to change color. Be sure to listen, and get in touch. During the show, the studio number is 585-1033, and our e-mail is show AT sparetherock DOT com (replace AT with @ and DOT with, well, a dot). Or post a comment here.

Ben Rudnick will be coming by the studio on Saturday, November 5, probably around 10 in the morning, to do a live recording for the show. We're thrilled about this and we'd love to have a few people come by to hang out with him and us! So send us a note -- show (at) sparetherock (dot) com -- and we'll let you know.

Thanks also to Ben for linking to us.

We're working on setting up an appearance by Trout Fishing in America in December and will keep you updated.

Archive copy here.

What we played this week (album names in parentheses - ooh, a new feature!):

They Might Be Giants - No! (No!)
Growing With Music - Che Che Kule (For Singing Families)
Robbie Fulks - Godfrey (The Bottle Let Me Down)
Brian Eno - St. Elmo's Fire (Another Green World)
Zak Morgan - The King of Fruits (When Bullfrogs Croak)
Jay Mankita - Frogs in the Morning (Wild Songs & Natural Stories)
Elizabeth Mitchell - 3 is the Magic Number (You Are My Sunshine)
Squirrel Nut Zippers - Pallin' With Al (Swing Around the World)
Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer with Brave Combo - Swing It, Baby, Swing! (All Wound Up!)
Kevin Kammeraad (& friends) - The Couch (The Tomato Collection Big Album)
Chickasaw Mudd Puppies - Cicada (Eight Track Stomp)
Mitch Friedman - Wonder Where (Purple Burt)
Trout Fishing in America - It's a Puzzle (It's a Puzzle)
Joanne Hammil - Snack Attack (The World's Gonna Listen)
Bzots - Bzots Theme (Powered Up)
Scribble Monster & Pals - Play With Your Food (Chocolate Milk)
Trip Shakespeare - Toolmaster (Are You Shakespearienced?)
Action Figure Party - Action Figure Party (Action Figure Party)
Candy Band - Pancake Mountain (Lollipunk)
White Stripes - We're Going to be Friends (White Blood Cells)
Daddy-A-Go-Go - Linus & Lucy (Mojo A Go Go)
Ben Rudnick & Friends - Spin (Fun and Games!)
Gunnar Madsen - Chicken Road (Old Mr. Mackle Hackle)
Pascal Parisot - Wonderful (French Playground)
Monty Harper - Big Red Fire Truck (Great Green Aquishy Mean Concert CD)
Mike Doughty - Firetruck (Smofe & Smang Live in Minneapolis)
Sara Hickman - Radiation Man (Big Kid)
Lunch Money - I Want A Dog (Silly Reflection)
Carmen Gonzalez & Koral Y Esmeralda - Chocolate (Latin Playground)
Gorillaz - 19-2000 (Gorillaz)
Fishbone - Everyday Sunshine (The Reality of My Surroundings)
Shonen Knife - Top of the World (If I Were A Carpenter)
Milkshake - Jump (Bottle of Sunshine)
Roger Day (w/ Indigo Girls) - Ready to Fly
They Might Be Giants - Birdhouse in Your Soul (Live) (Severe Tire Damage)