Playlist for 9/30/06

No Ella. But we'll still have fun, one hopes.

Late-breaking news! Ella came in around 8:45! Hooray!

Archive is here.

They Might Be Giants - Snail Shell (Apollo 18)
Connie Kaldor - I Love Tomatoes (A Duck in New York City)
Psapp - Everybody Wants to be a Cat
Frank Black - Jumpin' Beans (Rev 105 Radio Archive Vol. 1)
Ella Jenkins - May-ree Mack (Multi-Cultural Children's Songs)
Erin Flynn & the Coop Band - Mary Mack (Dreamers of Dreams)
--song ID
Steve Weeks - Monkeys (Alphabet Songs Vol. II)
Barenaked Ladies- Another Postcard (Everything to Everyone)
The Nields - Going to the Zoo (All Together Singing in the Kitchen)
School for the Dead - Beautiful Day in the Woods (Ayla) (The New You)
Thaddeus Rex - Slimy Green & Kind of Funny (We Wanna Rock)
--song ID
Sweet Diss and the Comebacks - Elinora
Beastie Boys - Intergalactic (Hello Nasty)
Paul Westerberg - Meet Me In the Meadow (Open Season)
Danny Adlerman - The Library Song (One Size Fits All)
Deedle Deedle Dees - John Brown (Let It Dee)
Miz B - Let It Rain (Raise the Brain)
Pixies - Bam Thwok
--song ID
Dressy Bessy - Electrified (Electrified)
Gap Band - Oops Upside Your Head
Dogs on Fleas - The Coo Coo (When I Get Little)
--interview with Kevin Kammeraad & ScribbleJim
Terrible Twos - Math Stomp (If You Ever See An Owl)
Rebecca Frezza - Saturday (Road Trip)
Ben Rudnick & Friends - My Name is Burt (Blast Off!)
Keith Munslow - Accidentally (Live at VFR)
Ralph's World - Playground (Amazing Adventures of Kid Astro)
Gwendolyn & the Good Time Gang - Freedom of the Heart (Ooodily, Ooodily) (s/t)
They Might Be Giants - Why Does the Sun Shine (Live) (Severe Tire Damage)

Music Geek Parents, Rejoice!

For Luscious Jackson has reunited to do a kids' record!

That. Will. Rock.

Soil and Gems...and a Nose.

Well, Ella went to bed with a fever last night. Hopefully she'll be better by Saturday morning.

Some new music this week -- more from Open Season, Thaddeus Rex, Connie Kaldor, and School for the Dead. Also a chat with Kevin K. and ScribbleJim, as usual.

The gem-and-soil page from the book:



...and the source picture of that huge nose:

Who's Buying Our Airplane Tickets?

Lucas Miller points out in an e-mail this fun festival happening in Austin in a couple of weeks.

We'd like to go, please.

That's Slightly More Recognizable

Still don't know what that weird thing yesterday was about, but this at least looks like it might go in a book. And, look! It's Rockboy again!

Sponsor

Hey, the website and podcast now have a sponsor, The Pokey Pup. It's a very cool online store and features a lot of the music we play, plus DVDs and such. It's owned by a stay-at-home dad with a real commitment to good kids' music. You'll see the link over in the right-hand column and a brief message on the podcast, and that'll be it. Check it out and thanks to the Pokey Pup!

Yikes!

What's that?



And what does it have to do with Michigan's state soil?

Upcoming Events...

Local performer John Sheldon will be on the show and performing at Cup & Top on November 11. We've played "Mighty Fine Hound" and other tracks from John, and his CD is a lot of fun.

So, let's see:

Weekly through October 28 - call-ins from Kevin Kammeraad & ScribbleJim
October 7 - Brady Rymer guest DJ set (calling in live)
October 28 - Kevin Kammeraad live in-studio and at Cup & Top
November 4 - Josh Levine live in-studio and at Cup & Top
November 11 - John Sheldon live in-studio and at Cup & Top
November 18 - Lunch Money & Uncle Rock live at Flywheel (5:00); maybe Uncle Rock on the show that morning
November 25 - Rebecca Frezza live in-studio
February 3 - Gustafer Yellowgold live at Flywheel

Very, very cool. Maybe I'll set up a little schedule over there on the right.

Frezza In-Studio 11/25

Rebecca Frezza will be live in-studio with us on November 25. Whoo-hoo!

Playlist for 9/23/06

Howdy.

Archive is here.

They Might Be Giants - Letter (Not A Letter) (Here Come the ABCs)
Elizabeth Mitchell - Alphabet Dub (You Are My Sunshine)
Asheba - Sapodilla (Children are the Sunshine)
Grown-Ups - Cantina Ska (I'm A Grownup EP)
The Real Tuesday Weld - I Love the Rain (Where Psyche Meets Cupid)
Milkshake - Rainy Day
Laurie Berkner - What Falls in the Fall? (Whaddya Think of That?)
Justin Roberts - Yellow Bus (Yellow Bus)
--song ID
--Kevin K & ScribbleJim
Paul Westerberg - Love You In The Fall (Open Season soundtrack)
Roger Day - Greatest Day On Earth (exclusive) (for Alice)
Teacher & the Rockbots - Water Cycle (Science)
REM - Stand (Green)
Uncle Rock - Rock 'n' Roll Babysitter (Plays Well With Others)
John Linnell - South Carolina (State Songs)
--song ID
--Yosi guest DJ set
They Might Be Giants - Dinner Bell
Yosi - Let's Get Cookin'
Presidents of the USA - Peaches
Ralph's World - Happy Lemons
Kevin Kammeraad - 29 Cookies
Ernie & Nealo - Pink Piggie Polka Pancake Picnic
Louis Prima - Banana Split for My Baby
Brady Rymer - Look At My Belly
--song ID
Yosi - Chicken Noodle Soup
Justin Roberts - Airplane of Food
Barry Louis Poliszar - The "I Eat Kids" Klezmer Polka
Vibrations - Ain't No Greens in Harlem
Daddy-A-Go-Go - Eat Every Bean and Pea on Your Plate
Golden Smog - Pecan Pie
Mel Blanc - I'm Just Wild About Animal Crackers
Flaming Lips - She Don't Use Jelly
Hipwaders - Jelly Beans
Yosi - Pass the Purple Pesto Pasta Please
--song ID
They Might Be Giants - Clap Your Hands (No!)

Welcome, SFGate People; More Rock Boy

Welcome, SFGate-sent visitors. Always nice to have more Bay area folks. Stop by Amoeba for me, won't you? And I had a really good burrito in the Mission last time I was there. Maybe you could send one out here?

Anyway. Here's the book version of the state rock and state fish; we'll be chatting with Kevin Kammeraad and ScribbleJim tomorrow about it. Also, remember that we'll have Yosi's guest set, all food-themed. And hopefully I'll be completely over this stomach virus that has had me more or less knocked out all week.



Oooh -- also, maybe we'll talk about the new treehouse:

Juice Pops Canceled

This Saturday's show by the Juice Pops at Cup & Top has been canceled. Their successor group (the Pop Rockets) will hopefully reschedule. I'll post if there's a replacement gig going on.

Behold Rockboy (in draft form)

A-ha! That earlier picture was the inspiration for the page about Michigan's state stone!

Saturday, we'll also be talking about the state fish.

Bam! The Future of Rock and Roll is no more

WOXY -- bam! the future of rock and roll -- is no more.

After the great Rev-105 in Minneapolis went off the air, I discovered the amazing 97x, broadcasting and webcasting from Oxford, Ohio, of all places. The playlists were astonishing, the DJs down-to-earth and knowledgeable, and I even came to like the ads for Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati. I can't count the number of bands I learned from through the station or the number of mind-numbing afternoons in practice in DC I got through with them.

A few years ago the owners -- a terrific couple of people -- sold the terrestrial station to a chain of stations. But the staff kept the station going, with the help of angel investors, online. And it was still great. But it had very little advertising and, surprise, very little revenue. So, last Friday, it shut down. The final five songs (with the MC5 being last):



Barb -- my personal favorite of the 97x staff -- will be doing mornings at my other favorite station, The Current of Minnesota Public Radio, starting October 3. I'm thrilled for her and for the station.

But I will still miss 97x.

Thanks, y'all.

(The "Bam! The future of rock and roll" line comes from Rain Man.)

What the heck is that?

It's nothing Blair Witch-related, I promise.

More later in the week.

Upcoming Guest DJ Sets

This Saturday, we'll have a great food-themed guest set from Yosi.

Then on October 14, Brady Rymer will be our guest DJ, playing a bunch of great stuff he grew up on.

They're both great sets - be sure to check them out! And of course, we'll continue our conversations with Kevin Kammeraad and ScribbleJim.

Playlist for 9/16/2006

Good morning everyone. Archive is here.

They Might Be Giants - What Is A Shooting Star? (Greasy Kids Stuff 2)
Seu Jorge - Starman (Life Aquatic)
Mates of State - Starman (All Day EP)
David Bowie - The Laughing Gnome
Robbi K - Keep the Beat! (Keep the Beat)
Feist - Mushaboom
--song ID
Yo-Yo Ma & Bobby McFerrin - Flight of the Bumblebee (Hush)
Josh Levine - A Real Bouquet (Josh Levine for Kids)
Eric Herman & the Invisible Band - I Can't Wait for Summer (Snow Day!)
Buddy Holly - Bo Diddley (Best Of)
Lunch Money - I Want a Dog (Silly Reflection)
--song ID
Folk Implosion - I'm Just a Bill
Charity & the JAMband - Jump Into the Middle
fIREHOSE - For the Singer of REM (if'n)
Sippy Cups - Jungle Boogie (Kids Rock For Peas)
Candy Band - Fashion Show (LolliPunk)
Campfire Kev - Cheese Stands Alone (The Campfire Kev Show)
--legal ID (9:00)
Cake - Mahna Mahna (For the Kids)
Jonathan Richman - Roadrunner
--song ID
Roger Day - Reach Up (Rock 'n' Roll Rodeo)
--Kevin Kammeraad & ScribbleJim call
John Sheldon - Mighty Fine Hound (Mighty Fine Hound)
Johnny Cash - There's a Bear in the Woods (Children's Album)
Lisa Atkinson - Celia Says (The Elephant in Aisle Four)
Baby Loves Jazz Band - I've Been Working on the Railroad (Baby Loves Jazz)
Cibo Matto - Spoon (Stereo Type A)
Mary Kaye - BB Dickinson (Spin Your Web)
Miles of Smiles - Chicken Gumbo (Let's Rock)
--song ID
They Might Be Giants - The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight) (Apollo 18)

The White Pine Has Become a Page

Listen tomorrow to hear how it became a song.

Not a lot new this week -- we have company in town and so I haven't really been checking out new music. But we will play some Mates of State, who we (well, not Ella or Liam) saw last night. Love them.

More White Pines

I made a mistake on the earlier post about Kevin Kammeraad's "White Pine" page. Here, in fact, is the first draft:



And here is a later version:



Listen Saturday to hear how it became the finest nineteen-second song about foliage I've ever heard!

Books, New Show Announced

Here's the first of the entries for favorite kids' book of the summer, from friend-of-the-show Kelli in Quebec:

Hi Bill & Ella!

favourite book... oh, there are so many!!

this summer's highlight was the Bibliothèque de Sutton Library's annual book sale in mid-July, which I worked with Zoé. Kids' books for 25 cents (CDN! that's like, 12 cents U.S.!!) It was a wonderful time.

our favourite book, hands-down, is currently "Petite Tache" by Lionel Le Néouanic, a graphic artist from Brittany whose work with Les Chats Pelés graces the album covers of Les Têtes Raides and La Tordue. (it's up there with Ralph Steadman's little dot -- great stuff!)

here's a sample of their work:

Remember -- we're still taking entries, and you'll get at least a CD and DVD. What's not to love?

Also: November 4, I'm pleased to announced that Josh Levine will be on the show and then playing a live set at Cup & Top Cafe in the center of Florence.

I'll try to post a comprehensive schedule of upcoming local shows soon...

The White Pine is the state tree of Michigan

Did you know that? You do now.

Here's Kevin Kammeraad's first sketch of the page dedicated to that fact:



Also, we still have a few Roger Day CD/DVD packs to give away, along with other miscellany. Send us an e-mail (show AT sparetherock DOT com) and tell us about your favorite kids' book from the summer.

Gustafer Yellowgold In The Grey Lady

Wow, what a great article!

And they'll be playing here in February...

How to win a Roger Day CD, and maybe a DVD, and maybe other stuff

Just to pull it out from the show --

Roger Day is playing next week in Boston. He sent us a bunch of CDs and DVDs, and we have some other stuff in the Mystery Box Of Extra CDs And DVDs And Stickers. So we have enough stuff to do some nice giveaways for this.

All you have to do is send us an e-mail -- show AT sparetherock DOT com -- describing your favorite (kids') books from the summer. We'll choose some or all to win the prizes and post the reviews here on the site too. Be sure to include your mailing address in the e-mail (we won't post that!).

Among the other things that you might win beside the Roger Day CD -- we have a couple of extra copies of the Kid Pan Alley CD, at least one extra Elizabeth Mitchell CD, and more. If you're super lucky and I get motivated, maybe even a CD of all of the performances we've had in-studio will get thrown in.

9/9/06 playlist

Man, that was a lot of stuff to do in one show.

Archive is here.

They Might Be Giants - Meet James Ensor (Severe Tire Damage)
Surf Tango
Robbie Schaefer - There Ain't No Bugs on Me (Songs for Kids Like Us)
Rebecca Frezza - Sweet Harmony (Tall and Small)
SteveSongs - Dancin' with Happy Feet (Morning 'Til Night)
Josh Levine - Tiburon (Josh Levine for Kids)
Mr. David - Hello! (The Great Adventures of Mr. David)
Elizabeth Mitchell - Who's My Pretty Baby (You Are My Little Flower)
Frances England - Tricycle (Fascinating Creatures)
--song ID/PSA (Boston Children's Book Festival)
Roger Day - Ready to Fly (Ready to Fly) (send us an e-mail -- show AT sparetherock DOT com -- talking about your favorite kids' book of the summer for a chance to win Roger's CD!)
Polyphonic Spree - Hold Me Now/Reach for the Sun
Gustafer Yellowgold - I'm From the Sun (Wide Wild World DVD)
--song ID
Superchunk - Hyper Enough
Ellen and Matt - Go To Bed (Best Friends)
The RTTs - Snack Time (Turn It Up Mommy)
Fountains of Wayne - Laser Show (Utopia Parkway)
Justin Roberts - Meltdown (Meltdown)
Earth Wind & Fire - Shining Star
Audrarox - Sugar High (AudraRox)
Pencilhead and the Playground Punks - Ranch (Punk Salad)
--song & legal ID
Dennis Caraher live in-studio w/ Matt Delaney
- Chasin' After Chickens
- Let It Go
- The Elephant Played Electric Guitar
Paul Simon - Me & Julio Down by the Schoolyard (Songs from the Street)
Monty Harper - A Pet Like That (Paws Claws Scales & Tales)
Burchie Green - While You Were Sleeping (Taking My Dog to Dinner)
Tom Chapin - The Happiest Song I Know (Some Assembly Required)
--interview w/ ScribbleJim & Kevin Kammeraad
Dog on Fleas - Give It Away (When I Get Little)
Baby Loves Jazz Band - Scat Song (Baby Loves Jazz)
Ralph's World - Fly Me To The Moon (At the Bottom of the Sea)
Hullabaloo - All of These Things (Sing Along with Sam)
TMBG - QU (Here Come the ABCs)

The Final Page

So from its humble beginnings as scribbles in a notebook, our little poems have become this:



Tomorrow, around 9:30 eastern, we'll talk with Kevin and ScribbleJim about how the poem becomes a man song.

Updated: Flowers & Birds: What Came Next?

So Kevin started with these notes on the Michigan state flower and bird. What came later? Well, this draft page:



Tomorrow, you'll see the book as it will appear in the book, then on Saturday, we'll hear the evolution of the songs that go with them.

Kevin provides some useful additional information:

One thing I forgot to mention is that my wife and I co-wrote the book. We didn't state who wrote what though. With this "behind the scenes" though it's cool to notice a bit more of who did what. For example, I wrote the first draft of the Robin, but Steph did the first draft of Apple Blossom.

Another cool thing is that I co-illustrated the book with my friend Ryan Hipp. So, some art is by him, some by me, and some we worked on together. Basically, the book was a big collaboration between me, Steph, and Ryan.

Also, the various sketches I'll be sending are not specifically an "exact step by step" . . . along the way, each one has a different number of steps throughout that.

Coming Up This Week

Friend-of-the-show Dennis Caraher live in-studio around 9:00 eastern. He's playing Cup & Top Cafe at 10 and has promised enormous Marshall stacks. Or maybe just a funny hat.

Friends-of-the-show ScribbleJim and Kevin Kammeraad (whose name I am now spelling consistently, and I think correctly), live on the phone at some other time.

Roger Day CD giveaways.

Ella talking about her first (half-) week back at school, and about starting soccer (immediately following the show).

Me talking about the huge bear in our yard last night. (At 4 in the morning, which is rather rude.)

It will rawk.

Zanesglobble!

Dan Zanes on Zooglobble. Go read it.

Your Mission

Find a kid-friendly Superchunk song.

And...go.

Birds & Flowers

As promised, here's the very first step in a couple of the poems in Kevin Kammeraad's A Curious Glimpse of Michigan that make their way into being songs. Later this week, I'll post a first mockup and then the final page from the book, and then on Saturday we'll listen to different versions of the songs as they progressed.





(The second one is a little big, so click on it to see it bigger.)

Make the hike to Boston

Saturday, September 16, will be the Boston Globe Children's Book Festival, running from 10:50 a.m. until 4:45 p.m. There are all sorts of neat activities during the day, but what caught my eye is Roger Day closing out the day at 4:00.

Unfortunately, Roger is flying in that morning so we can't get him on the show, but he is sending us some CDs to give away this week. They'll be open to both local and online listeners, but you'll have to listen to find out how to win them. It'll relate to reading.

(By the way, in that really cute picture of Ella, she's holding Roger's "Ready to Fly" CD.)

One more on that newspaper story

A PDF of the story -- which covers the local kids' music scene generally, not just us -- is over at Valley Free Radio's site. It's worth a read; I especially found the discussion towards the end about changes in kids' attitudes to be interesting.

And here's the cover of the issue (click on it to see it larger):



(In unrelated news, Dena and I watched the definitely-not-for-kids "Smile Time" episode of Angel last night. It's got some decent songs in the kids' show within the show, but I decided it would be a little too creepy to play them on the show.)

Ella's Haiku

By request, here's Ella's haiku she recited on the air and is thinking about making into a song. It's about a sea shell.

People catch me
Little lines are purple
Hard suction cups

...and here are ScribbleJim's hints on making a poem into a song:

Read poem.
Start to sing poem.
When you like what you hear, it's a song.

I find that it's helpful to sing ideas into a tape recorder. That way, you can remember how they go (which is important). This also allows you to listen later and decide which ideas you like the best.

He's From the Sun But Will Be In Easthampton

Gustafer Yellowgold, February 3, Flywheel.

Whee!

Playlist for 9/2/06

Good morning all! The archive is here.

They Might Be Giants - Dr. Worm (Severe Tire Damage)
Uncle Rock - Disco Nap (Plays Well With Others)
Music for Aardvarks & Other Mammals - Bellybutton Song (Sing Along with Putumayo)
Tom Lehrer - L-Y (The Remains of Tom Lehrer)
Elizabeth Mitchell - What Goes On (You Are My Little Bird)
Toots & the Maytalls - Freedom Train (World Playground 2)
Dan Zanes - I Don't Want Your Millions Mister (Catch That Train!)
--song ID
Frank Sinatra - Too Marvelous for Words (The Capitol Years)
Ellen and Matt - Side by Side (Best Friends)
--song ID
Suburbs - Rattle My Bones (Love is the Law)
ScribbleMonster - I Wish I Lived in Michigan (single)
Kevin Kammeraad - Best Poem Ever (Tomato Collection)
Danny Adlerman - School Bus Driver (One Size Fits All)
Audrarox - Short Attention Span (Audrarox)
Telephone Company - I-C-E-C-R-E-A-M (The King's Surprise)
Joel Caithamer - Bobby's Been Bad but Wanda's Been Worse (Activate!)
Yosi - On Top of Spaghetti (What's Eatin' Yosi?)
Aquabats - Turn Off the Idiot Box
Milkshake - School (Bottle of Sunshine)
Talking Heads - Wild Wild Life (True Stories)
Deedle Deedle Dees - Ina Mina Dika (Let It Dee)
--song ID & legal ID (9:01)
--interview with Kevin Kammeraad & ScribbleJim
Gourds - Education Song (Heavy Ornamental)
Eric Ode - A Camel Met a Turtle (I Love My Shoes)
Dog on Fleas - Green Grass of Summer (When I Get Little)
The Nields - Going to the Zoo (All Together Singing in the Kitchen)
Dennis Caraher - The Elephant Played Electric Guitar (Dog Bone Town)
Darrell Scott/Kid Pan Alley - Rainforest (Kid Pan Alley)
--song ID
Prince - Starfish & Coffee (Sign O' The Times)
Bzots - Make a Friend (Powered Up!)
Trout Fishing in America - It's a Puzzle (My Best Day)
--song ID
TMBG - Impossible (Bed Bed Bed)

More Pictures...and a New Cool Thing

I think you can access this without being a subscriber -- more pictures, including several not in the paper or on the website, are here.

The new cool thing: Starting tomorrow, and running through the end of October, we'll be talking every week (or just about every week) with Kevin Kammeraad and ScribbleJim about the process they went through with the new project, "A Curious Glimpse of Michigan." The book and CD will come out at the end of October, and on October 28, Kevin will be live in-studio (plus probably playing a local show).

So next week, and in successive weeks, you'll see on the site different iterations of pages of the book, and then the next Saturday we'll talk about how those pages turned into songs. It'll make sense when you hear it. I think.

Hampshire Life Story

You can see the picture that was on the front of the Hampshire Life section here, and, if you either are a subscriber or want to pay a little extra, the rest. Hampshire Life is the weekly lifestyle/arts magazine of the Hampshire Daily Gazette.

Here's one of the pictures that's inside:



Great picture of Ella, no? It's a neat story, with interviews with a couple of local artists including friend of the show Dennis Caraher.