Listen any time you like at our page on WRSI.com!

Segment 1
TMBG – It’s Spare the Rock
-Ella ID
TMBG – Sleepwalkers (No!)
Astrograss – Let Me Stay Up All Night (Let Me Stay Up All Night)
Ratboy Jr. – Floating Up (Smorgasboard)
ID
Bill Harley – Grownups Are Strange (Yes to Running)
Songeez – Love’s Enough
ID

Segment 2
Gustafer Yellowgold – Pinecone Lovely
School for the Dead – Beautiful Day in the Woods (Ayla) (Live at Spare the Rock)
ID/prep to rock
Beatles – Birthday
Justin Roberts – It’s Your Birthday (Meltdown!)
The Jimmies – Somebody’s Birthday (Make Your Own Someday)

Segment 3
ID
Royal Order of Chords and Keys – Cruisin’ for a Snoozin’
Elvis Costello – (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding
Young Fresh Fellows – Picnic (Play)
ID
Alexandra & the Good Batch – Extended Playdate (Extended Playdate)
Baze & His Silly Friends – All My Silly Friends (One Little Smile)
ID

Segment 4
ScribbleMonster – Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child
ID
Ralph’s World – The Rhyming Circus
She & Him – Brand New Shoes
Ella Fitzgerald – You’re the Top (Cole Porter Song Book)
Bonerama – You’ve Got a Friend in Me (Funky Kidz)
Jose Conde – Cumbamba (Jazz Playground)
ID

Segment 5
ID
Dream Warriors – My Definition (And Now the Legacy Begins)
Bunny Clogs – Shpilkas (More! More! More!)
Hank Hooper – Hey! Batter! (Playground Fortune Teller)
ID/book time with Ella (Emily Winsnap & the Monster From the Deep)
Key Wilde & Mr Clarke – The Rattling Can

Segment 6
ID
Dar Williams – Babysitter’s Here (at Academy of Music 4/25)
Joe’s Backyard Band – Crow (Kick Up a Breeze)
Earth Wind & Fire – Sing a Song (Greatest Hits)
Keith Munslow – Spork (Homemade Fun)
Sweetback Sisters – Have You Seen My Chicken? (Chicken Ain’t Chicken)
ID
TMBG – E Eats Everything
TMBG – Spare the Rock

Ella talked about Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep.  Click on the book cover to find an independent bookseller selling it!

I was going to try to write about the whole day of the Meltdown.  It’s pretty much impossible, especially since I spent much of the day running around maniacally.  So a few thoughts, and then some links:

• Our best estimate is that at least 3,500 people came through.  Even though it got a little cozy at times, everyone was super friendly, happy, and fun!
• Everyone seemed to like the addition of the third performance area (the Chill Room).  Storytelling, puppets, cartooning, singing — what’s not to love?
• Hula hooping rocks.
• Trombones are awesome.  If you’re thinking about putting a sax solo in a song, replace it with a trombone solo.  It’ll probably be better.
• Sponsors: You rule.  Yankee Candle, Comcast, WEBS – America’s Yarn Store, Hampshire Gymnastics, River Valley Market — they, and the vendors (who also rule!) are how the event was free.  Thank you.
• Jarrett Krosoczka is amazing.  He put together an insane lineup of authors and illustrators.
• Our performers: crazy good.  Thanks to, in order of appearance: Dog on Fleas, Rona Leventhal, Maria Sangiolo, Royal Order of Chords and Keys, Alastair Moock, Tom Knight & Amy Dawn Kotel, Mister G, Mariana Iranzi, Jay Mankita, Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem, Ratboy Jr., Keith Munslow, Uncle Rock & the Playthings, Marcy Gregoire, Flannery Brothers, Laura Daisybee, and the Deedle Deedle Dees (who, as usual, destroyed) (in a good way).  I stand by my assertion that there will not be a better lineup of family music anywhere this year.

Some links:

• Great photos from the day are over at WRSI.com.  Or, maybe easier, at WRSI’s Facebook page.
• I’ve posted my photos on this (public) Facebook album.
• Dadnabbit came to the event and posted a nice overview.
• Out With The Kids came and has a whole series of posts.

And I’ve put all of the videos I am aware of from the event into one playlist; watch it here (or go to it here):

If you know of any videos or photos I don’t have up here, let me know!

Finally: Thanks to everyone who came, laughed, danced, ate, drank, bounced, hula hooped, shopped, made a weird wax thing with your hand, or just walked around, mouth agape.  I hope you had a ton of fun, and we’ll see you next year!  (And before then!)

Listen any time you like at WRSI.com!  And see you Sunday at 2 for Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, with Mister G opening, at the Iron Horse!

Thanks to Clementown for the terrific guest DJ set.

Segment 1
TMBG – It’s Spare the Rock
-Ella ID
TMBG – The Vowel Family
Heidi Swedberg & the Sukey Jump Band – Pop Goes the Weasel (Play!)
Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion – Go Waggaloo (Go Waggaloo)
ID
Gourds – Fossil Contender
Monty Harper – Roundy Round (Take Me to Your Library)
ID

Segment 2
Johnny Bregar – Dragonfly
Little Miss Ann – Mockingbird
ID/prep to rock
Hold Steady – Take Me Out to the Ballgame
ScribbleMonster – The World’s Greatest (Chocolate Milk)
Roy Handy & the Moonshot – Socks Are Overrated!!! ((I’m Gonna Be) Your Best Friend)
Quiet Two – Invisible Trousers (Make Some Noise)
ID/book time with Ella (Cornelia Funke – The Thief Lord)

Segment 3
Ralph & Ralph – Opposites
Dean Jones – Hail! Hail! The Gang’s All Here!
Mates of State – Jellyman Kelly
ID
John & Mark – People Have Good Reasons
Keith Munslow – Are You Gonna Eat That? (Homemade Fun)
Recess Monkey – Sack Lunch (Field Trip)
ID

Segments 4 & 5
Clementown guest DJ set:
Twilight Zone Theme
Bellville Rendez-vous – M&S
Yes, We Have No Bananas – Baily’s Lucky 7
Little Bed – Clementown
Big in Japan – Tom Waits
Little Old Money Maker – Meters
Radio One Radio Jingle – Jimi Hendrix
Fixing a Hole – Beatles
Fun Services – Phone Phreaks
Flea Keepers – Clementown
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious – Julie Andrews et al
Fistful of Dollars – Morricone
Shining Star – Earth Win & Fire
Runaway Waffle – Clementown
Man from UNCLE theme

Segment 6
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo – Luck
Run DMC – Reading Rainbow
Deee-Lite – Groove is in the Heart
Baby Loves Jazz – Duck Jam
ID
TMBG – Meet the Elements

This week, Ella talked about Cornelia Funke’s The Thief Lord.  Click on the cover to find an independent bookseller to buy it from!