Arkansas and Amy and Other Things That Don't Start with A

1. Welcome, readers from Little Rock Family. Nice magazine and website you've got there! I'm happy to be in it. In case you're skeptical about this crazy New Englander invading your pages, my parents are both from Arkansas (my dad from Magnolia, my mom from Fountain Hill (near Crossett)) and have retired back to Fayetteville, where they met. My sister's there now too and I have family all over the state, including in Little Rock itself.

2. I've added some more people to the list of performers at the Brooklyn show, including some intriguing non-kids' musicians.

3. Hooray! Amy is coming to the show! In that same post, she links to a great column she wrote for eMusic about friend-of-Spare-the-Rock Liz Mitchell (who unfortunately has a gig on 3/24 and will not be joining us in Brooklyn).

4. In what is tragically doomed to become an east coast/west coast brawl (we're Bad Boy Records to Stefan's Death Row Records), Stefan is working on putting together something semi-similar out west. Hey, if I can get tickets out, can I record that too? (I'm serious, by the way.)

2007-02-24 Playlist

Whoo-hoo! What a fun week. Thanks to Marty "The Next President of the United States of America" Beller for joining us. Also, thanks to him for clarifying for me that the name of the new TMBG album is "The Else," not "The Elf." (Sure sounded like "elf" to me.)

The archive is here.

They Might Be Giants - Spare the Rock (Vocal)
They Might Be Giants - Robot Parade (live)
Robbert Bobbert - I Love the Animals
Deedle Deedle Dees - John Brown (Live at Flywheel)
Pink Martini - Anna (El Negro Zumbon) (Latin Playground)
Uncle Rock - Rock & Roll Babysitter (Plays Well With Others)
Monty Harper - Loose Tooth (Great Green Squishy Mean Concert CD)
Justin Roberts - I Lost the Tooth I Lost (Way Out)
--Song ID
Prince - Starfish & Coffee (Sign O' The Times)
Ralph's World - The Coffee Song (At the Bottom of the Sea)
Brady Rymer - Keep Up With You (Every Day is a Birthday)
--song ID
ScribbleMonster - I Wish I Lived in Michigan
Pencilhead & the Playground Punks - Ranch (Punk Salad)
The Go! Team - Panther Dash (Thunder, Lightning, Strike)
Recess Monkey - The Rabbits (Aminal House)
fIREHOSE - For the Singer of REM (if'n)
Kid Koala featuring Lederhosen Lucil - Fruit Belt (See You on the Moon)
Jellydots - Bicycle (Hey You Kids!)
Candyband - Get Up Already (LolliPunk)
ScribbleMonster - Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child
--legal ID
They Might Be Giants - It's Spare the Rock
--Marty Beller Guest DJ Set
Katrina & the Waves - Walking on Sunshine
Earth, Wind & Fire - September
Laurie Berkner - Rhubarb Pie (Hot Commodity)
Police - Canary in a Coal Mine
Ben Folds - Gracie
Elton John - Crocodile Rock
--song ID
Bacon Brothers - Pots & Pans
Indigo Girls - Airplane
Avril Lavigne - Sk8er Boi
Warren Zevon - Werewolves of London
Squeeze - Cool for Cats
AudraRox - I Like to Pretend
REM - It's the End of the World as We Know It
--song ID
--interview with Marty Beller
The Telephone Company - Mustache (The King's Surprise?)
They Might Be Giants - D is for Drums (Here Come the ABCs)

Just a Sampler...

So we really only decided yesterday that we're for-real going to record an episode of the show in Brooklyn next month. But already, here's just a sampler of who's said they'll make it:

AudraRox
Astrograss
Yosi
Milkshake
Princess Katie & Racer Steve
Uncle Rock
Gustafer Yellowgold

...and there's more (a lot more), both who have already accepted and who I haven't heard from yet. (I might tell you who but I left my piece of paper with all of them noted at work, plus don't you want to have some surprises?) Unfortunately, the best-known Brooklyn hootenannier is playing in Boston that weekend. We'll get him next time.

We may be recording material for two shows!

(And if you can think of someone we should invite that I might not have remembered, send me a note. I can't promise to invite everyone who gets suggested -- space is limited -- but I'd love hints.)

And some more announcements

April 28 - Princess Katie and Racer Steve will bring their castle on the road and visit the show and play at Cup & Top Cafe afterwards. Hooray!

And the other very cool thing -- in early stages thus far -- is that on March 24, we're going to bring our show on the road for the first time, doing a Spare the Rock Hootenanny -- a live recording of the show in center-of-the-kids'-music-universe Brooklyn. We'll probably play it on the air the following week. More info on it to come.

Also on Saturday...and coming up

In addition to the Marty Beller guest DJ set, we'll also be premiering one or two short bits from They Might Be Giants (for whom he is the drummer). We don't yet have the revamped theme song, but we have a couple of short (sub-30-seconds) songs they wrote and recorded for us. So be sure to listen!

I admit that we haven't been listening to a lot of the new music coming in lately, nor have I been linking to as much of the very very cool stuff that's going on around the web. Dena took a new full-time job as the sales and inventory analyst here and so it's been a lot of schedule juggling. Plus I was getting a bunch of visits to my classes for a promotion decision (as of this fall, I'll be associate professor, hooray!), and it's admissions season, which means reading a ton of applications, since I'm on the admissions committee.

Anyway: hopefully things will be slowing down a bit again and the enormous stack of music can get a bit shorter, so you can start hearing more cool new stuff in the show. Happily, we have a lot of great cool old stuff, so even when we're not listening to new CDs, there's still good stuff!

Oh! Also -- it looks likely that we'll be in NYC for the weekend of March 22-25 or thereabouts, probably attending the record release party for the Park Slope Parents CD, which is apparently going to include 15 bands playing. There may be some other stuff we're doing; I'll keep you updated about that. New York listeners, be sure to get in touch and maybe we can meet up.

Spare the (Little) Rock, Spoil the Child

My music column will now be a monthly feature on the Little Rock Family website, starting soonish. Whoo-hoo!

And can I remind you how cool it is that this Saturday is the guest DJ set from Marty Beller, drummer extraordinare from They Might Be Giants?

ScribbleMonster is Overthrowing the World

A note from ScribbleJim:

ScribbleMonster has been invited to play as part of the Chicago run of the International Pop Overthrow music festival, 2007. International Pop Overthrow (IPO) is the largest showcase of power-pop music in the United States and brings in powerpop bands from all over the world to highlight what is new in the world of powerpop music. . . . The Chicago festival will feature 130 bands over 16 days (April 13 to April 28th) and ScribbleMonster will be the one children's band in the lot of 'em. The band is scheduled to be part of an afternoon show on the last day at the Abbey and our set will feature the live debut of "Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child" among other high-energy ScribbleTunes yet to be determined. It should pop in a powerful way.

Indeed.

Check out more:

http://www.internationalpopoverthrow.com
http://www.myspace.com/internationalpopoverthrow
http://www.abbeypub.com

And I defy you to get the Material Issue song out of your head before you go to sleep.

I Know, I've Got a Bad Reputation for Eating Cookies

Friends who attended Freedy Johnston's recent show in Northampton report that he announced from the stage that he's working on a kids' album, or perhaps an EP, or maybe just a song. Regardless, it would be interesting, no?

The Spare the Rock Empire Expands

Starting in May, my family music column will run in AlbemarleFamily magazine in the Charlottesville area of Virginia. That's in addition to Minnesota Parent (link over on the right) and our local Valley Kids, as well as local parenting website Hilltown Families. I'm close to being able to announce at least one other magazine picking it up too, and perhaps as many as two or three (or more?).

If you're involved in a parenting magazine and are interested in the column, get in touch (show AT sparetherock DOT com). Rates are reasonable, I meet deadlines, and I happen to think they're pretty good.

Hey, I guess I'm a syndicated columnist!

Yosi's Been Busy

...with a bunch of interviews:

Alternadad Neal Pollack
Bryan from the Pokey Pup
Show Favorite Kevin Kammeraad
XM Radio's Kenny Curtis

2007-02-17 Playlist

An early start for us today!

Archive is here.

--legal ID (7:53)
They Might Be Giants - Why Does the Sun Shine? (EP)
Timmy Abell - Little Red Wagon (Little Red Wagon)
Clem Snide - Fontanelle (Soft Spot)
Michael Franti - Firefly (Songs from the Front Porch)
Asylum Street Spankers - Sidekick (Mommy Said No!)
Glenn Miller - Tuxedo Junction
--song ID
Dan Zanes - I Don't Want Your Millions Mister (Catch That Train!)
--Aric Bieganek in-studio
Aric Bieganek - Kitty in Central Park
Steve Lee - Going to the Zoo
Wendy Geslanliter - Itty Bitty Kitty in New York City
--song ID
Paul Westerberg - Meet Me in the Meadow (Open Season)
Arcwelder - Cranberry Sauce (Pull)
The Clash - Lost in the Supermarket (London Calling)
Candy Band - Octopus on My Head (Calling All Kids)
AudraRox - Sugar High (I Can Do It By Myself)
--legal ID (8:58)
Mr. Richard - Loopy Doop (Tummy Talk)
Brassy - Work It Out (Got It Made)
ScribbleMonster - Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child
--song ID
Kool & the Gang - Jungle Boogie
Yosi - I Just Love You (What's Eatin' Yosi?) (shows)
Keith Munslow - Bus Stop (Live at VFR)
Bill Harley - Fifty Ways to Fool Your Mother (Play It Again)
--song ID/PSA (NCMC event)
Steve Weeks - Silent E (Alphabet Songs Vol I)
They Might Be Giants - E Eats Everything (Here Come the ABCs)
Michelle Shocked - When I Grow Up (Short Sharp Shocked)
Farmer Jason - Get Up Up Up! (A Day at the Farm)
Biscuit Brothers - You Are My Sunshine (Meet the Biscuits)
Elizabeth Mitchell - Ladybug Picnic (You Are My Sunshine)
Pam Blanchard & the Sunny-Side Up Band - Grabbed A Hold of My Heart
Milkshake - Bottle of Sunshine (Bottle of Sunshine)
Peter Himmelman - Nothin' To Say (My Green Kite)
Justin Roberts - Best Friend (Way Out)
--song ID
They Might Be Giants - Why Does the Sun Shine? (Live) (Severe Tire Damage)

Updated - Cool Stuff Coming Up

Keep an eye on that schedule over to the right, because it sometimes changes without me mentioning it here. But here's some cool stuff:

Feb. 17 - New! - Aric Bieganek
Feb. 24 - Marty "Just Water" Beller Guest DJ Set
Mar. 3 - Stefan Shepherd (Zooglobble) Guest DJ Set
Mar. 17 - Keith Munslow live in-studio and at Cup & Top
Apr. 7 (new!) - The Nields live in-studio
Apr. 21 - Ben Rudnick live in-studio and at Cup & Top
Apr. 21 - (Busy day!) Recess Monkey Earth Day Guest DJ Set (Also the day we'll be seeing Fountains of Wayne) (but not Ella or Liam)
June 2 - Mr. Richard live in-studio and at Cup & Top

Also! This week, we may have Steve Lee live in-studio (and hopefully will get his CD soon), and possibly will have Aric Bieganek, a local early childhood music educator. They're playing together this Sunday to benefit the Northampton Community Music Center, a great music school. Here's the press release:

Psychedelic Children's Folk-Pop Concert with Steve Lee Sunday, February 18, at 3 pm, at the Northampton Community Music Center

Children's Folk-Pop Singer STEVE LEE To Benefit Northampton Community Music Center's Music for the Young Child Program

Northampton, MA ~ On Sunday, February 18, at 3 pm, Nashville singer/songwriter Steve Lee will perform live at the Northampton Community Music Center with special guest Aric Bieganek. Fifty percent of the proceeds will benefit the Music Center's Music for the Young Child Program.

Steve Lee recently recorded a Psychedelic Children's Folk-Pop Concept record with help of Ian Fitchuk and Justin Loucks (Griffin House, Trent Dabbs, De Novo Dahl). The record "What Did You Do You Today, Stephen Scott Lee" is a 60-minute adventure through the mind of Steve and how he remembers his childhood. It deals with such topics as bullies, counting when you get angry and, of course, the fantasy of flying around the world with balloons. "It is genius," raved The Nashville Rage: "Kids music that adults can enjoy."

The concert will be held on Sunday, February 18, 2007 at 3 pm in the Recital Hall at the Northampton Community Music Center. NCMC is located at 139 South Street, Northampton, Massachusetts. Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for kids under 13. For more information, contact the Music Center at (413) 585-0001.

Contest: See The Terrible Twos

Are you in the New York area, or at least close enough to get there this coming Saturday at 1:30?

Then I have a family four-pack of tickets for you to see The Terrible Twos live at The Living Room.

Send me an e-mail (show AT sparetherock DOT com) by Thursday at, oh, 6:00 eastern, and answer the question:

What -- and be precise please -- would you did if you were to see an owl?

I'll pick a winner at random. Please be sure to check whatever e-mail address you use to e-mail me on Friday, which is when I'll let you know if you won.

And even if you don't win, go see the band!

How One Guy Sounds Like a Band

A few days ago, I sent Steve Weeks this question:

Many of the records we get where one guy does all the instruments sound like it, and in a bad way. They just sound like a bunch of separately-recorded tracks played together.

But I didn't realize until relatively recently that you played everything on your records. They really sound like an ensemble - a really good, tight ensemble.

What is it that's missing on those other records? Is it just production tricks? Why do your records sound like a real band?

I thought y'all might find his response interesting:

Thanks! I always worry about the limitations of being a DIY musician, so it's really encouraging to hear from you that the overall ensemble flows well for you. I really appreciate that feedback.

I honestly can't say what it is that I do different than other folks. A few things that might work in my favor are:

I love to experiment around with different instruments and parts on my songs. You wouldn't believe how many tracks don't even make the cut. When I'm working on a tune, I tend to sit around and "jam" with different instruments and try out different vocal parts. I play guitar solos through the entire song that I know from the get-go will never be on the final version, but it's just so fun! So maybe by the time you hear the final tune, you're hearing some of that jamming? There's a "lost" banjo part to Kiki Kangaroo, a "lost" piano in Xaver Xerxes, and I came close to cutting the electric guitar in Someday.

I re-do parts a lot. I'll put down a basic drum part just to have a beat, then record a guitar part, then go back a re-do the drum part so that I'm jamming with the guitar, then decide to re-do the guitar part to be more in vibe with the new drum part. You get the idea. Still wondering why it takes me 2 years to put out a CD? I'm a knucklehead sometimes.

There are certainly lots of guys that are one-man-bands that do it WAY better than me (Beck, World Party, NIN, Self, Sara McLaughlan)... it's no wonder that I'm in awe of these guys. Jon Brion is my hero.

The reason that I perform all the parts is due mostly to the fact that I have to record at night after the kids are in bed in a little room off of my kitchen... and often in 15 minute spurts. Not very conducive to working with other musicians. Also, I have to admit that I'm slightly intimidated by real musicians.. always have been. I can't really read music too well and understand nothing of music theory, so one of my biggest fears is to be jamming with a musician who says "Let's do 13-bar blues in A# augmented minor with a modal progression..." and I'll be found out for the faker that I am. :)

At the end of the day there's a pride in doing something yourself, and it gives you a great opportunity to learn new stuff. Instead of calling a studio percussionist, save up your money for a Djembe and Bongos and play around with them until you find a beat that works for Zed and Zoey. I'm sure doing your podcast you know what I mean. You've probably learned a lot about computers, recording, broadcasting, speaking, timing, interviewing etc. Someday when you're hosting America's Top 40 on the radio [Ed. note: Good lord, what a frightening image], you'll have people doing all that for you, but you'll be glad you did it for yourself once :)

More information than you wanted I'm sure, but you're the first person to ask.

Thanks, Steve!

Hilltown Families

I'm pleased to report that my columns that don't run in Valley Kids (which is every other month, and I write monthly) will be appearing at Hilltown Families, which is a wonderful resource for families in the hilltowns and the Pioneer Valley. They'll also continue to appear in Minnesota Parent, which is linked to over there on the right.

They've got a neat review of a show by The Junkman, along with reviews I've already linked to about the Gustafer Yellowgold show and Elizabeth Street visit to the Cup & Top Cafe.

Did I mention before that the Cup & Top now has a website? They do, complete with a calendar of events. We're on the verge of announcing a couple of shows there from folks you hear on the show often, so pay attention!

Playlist for 2-10-07

Thanks to The Pop Rockets for being great in-studio guests and for a fun show at Cup & Top!

Archive is here.

They Might Be Giants - QU (Here Come the ABCs)
Opus Ditty - What If? (Joyride Jet Engine Bus)
Carpenters - Top of the World
Elizabeth Street - Really Gross (Different)
Asylum Street Spankers - Boogers (Mommy Says No!)
Dean Martin - That's Amore
Shonen Knife - Top of the World (If I Were A Carpenter)
--song ID
Hullabaloo - Too Much Mango (Sing Along with Sam)
Buck Howdy - Bonus Track (Giddyup!)
Audrarox - Hope My Mama Say YES! (I Can Do It By Myself)
--song ID
B-52s - Wig
James Kolchaka Superstar - Hockey Monkey
Hypnotic Clambake - 500 Robots (Live)
Pencilhead & the Playground Punks - Jared's Song (Super-Powered Underwear)
Decemberists - Sons & Daughters
Ellen & Matt - Side By Side (Best Friends)
ScribbleMonster - Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child
--song ID & legal ID
in-studio with Pop Rockets
Pop Rockets - Trucks
Pop Rockets - New Sneaker Jive
James Brown - I Feel Good
Pointer Sisters - Pinball Number Count (Songs from the Street)
Steve Weeks - Zed and Zoey (Alphabet Songs Vol. 3)
Muckfurgason - Dictionary
Buckwheat Zydeco - Skip to my Blues (New Orleans Playground)
Deedle Deedle Dees - Teddy Days
Donovan - I Love My Shirt
Ben Rudnick - Merry Go Round (Grace's Bell)
Recess Monkey - KC (He's a Fine Dog) (Aminal House)
Princess Katie & Racer Steve - Tell Them How You Feel (Songs for the Coolest Kids)
Parker Bent - FROGGY (I Am Your New Music Teacher)
Peter Himmelman - Feet (My Green Kite)
--song id
Imagination Movers - Shakable Fruit (Good Ideas)
ScribbleMonster - White-Tailed Deer (Curious Glimpse of Michigan)
Milkshake - We Got a Band (Play!)
Justin Roberts - Meltdown (Meltdown)
--song ID
They Might Be Giants - They Might Be Giants (Flood)

Audra Rox Noggin

From friend-of-Spare-the-Rock AudraRox:

So it's finally happening!!
AudraRox episode of Jack's Big Music Show is
airing this Saturday February 10th @ 12 pm
on Noggin - the pre-school channel of Nickelodeon.
They will replay the show the following week @ 1 pm everyday.

You don't have cable?????
Good for you!! Too much TV - not good.
you can check the video out on the Noggin website [Ed. note: I don't see it up there yet]


& You can tell Noggin how much you LOVE AudraRox!!
send your feed-back!! (We will appreciate it!)
@ this link.....

Hooray for Audra!

Rawking Out

Local listeners may want to pick up the new issue of Valley Kids (not online), which has my column in it. This month, it's called "For Those About to Rock, We Suggest You First Take a Nap, OK?" Featured bands are CandyBand, Thunderlords, and Ernie & Neal. Approximately the same column (with localized jokes) will be in Minnesota Parent next month.

Dancing & Moving to Earth from the Sun

1. I've been tasked with creating a CD of bouncy songs for Ella's class Valentine's Day party, where they want to have a freeze dance. ScribbleMonster's "Do the Bounce" is automatic, as is Lunch Money's "Yes, We Have Rhythm." What else?

2. Today's Daily Hampshire Gazette has a great write-up of the Gustafer Yellowgold show. They don't have it online yet, and most of their online content is subscriber only, but it's a very nice piece. Local listeners should find it.

Are You A Big Boaster?

Will you ride a roller coaster?

You can win a Lunch Money CD, over at Gooney Bird Kids.

If you don't already own the CD, you must enter. And if you don't win, you must buy one.

Coming Up...

This Saturday we've got the Pop Rockets live in-studio.

Other recently-added things:

- February 24 - Marty Beller from They Might Be Giants guest DJ set

- March 3 - Stefan from Zooglobble guest DJ set

- April 21 - Recess Monkey Earth Day-themed guest DJ set (this is going to be great)

- April 21 - Dena and I see Fountains of Wayne. Whoo-hoo! I've seen them a few times, but this will be Dena's first time seeing them. It's in a great small venue here, probably half the size of the places I've usually seen them.

Oh, hey, I'm going to be in New Orleans for a conference from March 7 through the 9th, if anyone down there wants to grab coffee.

Prince!

Gotta say, this is pretty excellent. I love start and the occasional shots of the reporters, who have to be the deadest crowd for whom Prince has ever performed.

More Gustafer Pictures...

...along with a review, can be found here, part of the terrific Hilltown Families website.

Photos From Gustafer Yellowgold Show

We'll be hopefully getting some from Rachel too, but here's a start.

What kind of day would it be without starting off with some Gustafer pancakes?



and then some shots from the show:









(In that last picture, Ella's en route to get more pancakes, natch. We only had Gustafer pancakes at home - at the show, as Morgan pointed out, they were themed as "sun" pancakes (read: round).)

I can't begin to tell you how fun the show was. The kids and parents alike were utterly enthralled by the music and the illustrations. If you're within three hours of a Gustafer show, go.

And Morgan and Rachel were fun and charming and great guests; we enjoyed having yummy Indian food with them Friday night and having them stay at our home.

2007-02-03 Playlist

Well, good morning to you all.

The recording program crashed (again! time to check for upgrades, I guess), so it starts right at the end of "Hoodoo Voodoo." Happily, we got the terrific in-studio performance from Morgan and Rachel of Gustafer Yellowgold. Enjoy! The archive is here.

They Might Be Giants - Letter (Not a Letter)
Erin Lee & Marci - Snowdance (Snowdance)
Trip Shakespeare - Snow Days (Across the Universe)
Josephine Cameron - Anna's Bed a Silver Moon (Close Your Eyes)
Enzo Garcia - Hold My Hand (LMNO Music - Pink Album)
Frances England - Blueberry Pancakes (Fascinating Creatures)
--song ID
--songs for Molly Ivins:
Dan Zanes - I Don't Want Your Millions Mister (Catch That Train!)
RLFS Preschool - Down By the Riverside (Down by the Riverside)
Lyle Lovett - That's Right (You're Not From Texas)
Billy Bragg & Wilco - Hoodoo Voodoo
--song ID
Deedle Deedle Dees - Ina Mina Dika (Let It Dee)
Spoon - Fitted Shirt (Girls Can Tell)
Mr. T Experience - Unpack Your Adjectives (Greasy Kids Stuff 2)
Violent Femmes - Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah (Means I Love You)
Ernie & Neal - Preschool Punk (Rock the House)
John Hadfield - Ready, Fire, Aim (Robot Monkey Head)
Duplex - Nucat (Ablum)
CandyBand - Octopus on My Head (Calling All Kids)
--legal ID
ScribbleMonster - Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child
--song ID
Gustafer Yellowgold - I'm From the Sun (Live at VFR)
Gustafer Yellowgold - Your Eel (Live at VFR)
Shins - They'll Soon Discover (Spongebob Soundtrack)
Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) (Funeral)
Dominique Dimey - Clic-Clac (French Playground)
Mickey Farkas - Ne Fait Pas Ca (Bon Bon)
Happy Monster - Row Row Row Your Boat (Rhythm with Rhymes Vol. 1)
Us 3 - Cantaloop (Hand on the Torch)
Figureheads - Stir It Up (The Movement)
--song ID
Recess Monkey - Aquarium (Aminal House)
SteveSongs - No Good Toys (Little Superman)
Nields - Anna Kick a Hole in the Sky (All Together Singing in the Kitchen)
Juice Pops - Sunshine
Asylum Street Spankers - Training Wheel Rag (Mommy Says No!
--song ID
They Might Be Giants - Dr. Worm (Severe Tire Damage)

Tomorrow!

Gustafer Yellowgold live at Flywheel! (And probably on the show!)

Are you within, oh, let's say two hours? Then you must attend. The Flywheel show is at around 10. Free pancakes. What more could you want in life?

(The answer is "nothing.")

Part 2 of the F&K Awards

The second of my Minnesota Parent columns about the Fids & Kamily awards is up.

The last one, as you will no doubt remember immediately and with complete recall, was in the boy-themed issue, and so was about Liam's favorites from the top ten. This one's reflecting more of Ella's favorites.

Enjoy.