Sometimes I post my whole Fids & Kamily ballot; this year I just love all of my top ten (and beyond!) so much that I don’t want to do that, other than saying that the best family record of the year for me was Molly Ledford & Billy Kelly’s Trees.  Funny, sweet, catchy, sometimes a little melancholy, smart: it’s so darn good.

Here’s the rest of the list, in alphabetical order (in the way that iTunes does it):

• Alastair Moock & Friends – All Kinds of You And Me
• Gustafer Yellowgold – Wisdom Tooth of Wisdom
• Jazzy Ash – Bon Voyage
• Lori Henriques – How Great Can This Day Be
• Lucky Diaz & the Family Jam Band – Adelante
• Red Yarn & Friends – Deep Woods Revival
• Renee & Friends – Simpatico
• Suz Slezak – Watching the Nighttime Come
• Tim Kubart – Home

Records that came really close:

• The Bazillions – On the Bright Side
• Bunnyclogs – Whales Can’t Whistle
• Cat Doorman – Calling All the Kids to the Yard
• Lloyd H. Miller – Sing-a-Long History Vol. 1: Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
• Pointed Man Band – Flight of the Blue Whale
• The Pop Ups – Great Pretenders Club
• Turkey Andersen – s/t
• Vered – Hello My Baby

And way more.  It was a good year.  Go buy some music.

We’ll be airing this on the KUTX show this Sunday, but in case you want to check it out now, we chatted with the author and illustrators of the ABCs of ATX and you can listen now.  The book is wicked cute and you’ll dig it.

(Click in the blank space to the left of the “00:00” at the far left end; there’s an invisible “play” icon there, honest.)

1st set
They Might Be Giants – It’s Spare the Rock
ID
They Might Be Giants – I Am Invisible
Marian Call visit (Good Morning Moon, The Elements)
Sonia De La Santos – Tan Feliz

[KUTX – Joe McDermott & Staci Gray show promo (0:30)
[KUTX – ABCs of ATX interview

[WJFF/KCMJ – Stevie Wonder – Master Blaster

2nd set
Lisa Loeb – The Muffin Man (new) (Nursery Rhyme Parade)
ID/prep to Rock
TMBG – Don’t Spare the Rock!
ID
Josh & the Jamtones – Monkeyman
Julie Ruin – Cookie Road
New Ps – Twin Cinema
Justin Roberts – Trick or Treat

[KUTX – Red Yarn & Friends – Rattlesnake]

[WJFF/KCMJ – Asylum Street Spankers – Sidekick]

3rd set
ID
The Pop Ups – interview
The Pop Ups – Apes in Capes backstage at ACL
ID
Joe McDermott – Why Do You Think I Am Robot (new)
Tim Kubart – Last Turn Home (new)
ID
They Might Be Giants – Omicorn
They Might Be Giants – Spare the Rock

It’s time! This week, we hang out with Mister G in studio 1A, and announce the Fids & Kamily Music Awards!

People in Austin: We’ll be doing the show LIVE this Sunday with our pal Elizabeth McQueen, as part of KUTX’s pledge drive. So we won’t play everything you see below, but we will have Joe McDermott live in the studio!

1st set
They Might Be Giants – It’s Spare the Rock
ID
They Might Be Giants – Toddler Hiway
Mister G in-studio
[KUTX Interview – ABCs of ATX]

[KUTX – Joe McDermott & Staci Gray show promo (0:30)

[WJFF/KCMJ – Christina Marrs – Ramblin’ Round
WJFF/KCMJ – Bob Marley – Small Axe

2nd set
[NO PREP TO ROCK THIS WEEK]
ID/prep to Rock
TMBG – Don’t Spare the Rock!
ID (intro Fids & Kamily)
10. Andrew & Polly – Little Bitta You (Odds & Ends)
9. Red Yarn – Bile Them Cabbage Down (Deep Woods Revival)
ID
8. Josh & the Jamtones – Rocksteady (Rocksteady)
7. Tim Kubart – Breakfast Club (Home)
ID
6. Recess Monkey – Paper Airplane (Hot Air)
ID

[KUTX –

[WJFF/KCMJ –
[WJFF/KCMJ –

3rd set
ID (TIED)
6. Renee & Friends – You and Me (Simpatico)
4. Lori Henriques – How Great Can This Day Be (How Great Can This Day Be)
ID
3. The Pop Ups – Indoor Picnic (Great Pretenders Club)
2. Alastair Moock & Friends – People (feat. Rani Arbo) (All Kinds of You and Me)
ID
1. Molly Ledford & Billy Kelly – Two Trees, Old Friends (Trees)
ID
They Might Be Giants – I Am Not Your Broom
They Might Be Giants – Spare the Rock

We’ve got some new affiliates and new time slots, so here’s a rundown of all the places you can hear Spare the Rock on the terrestrial radio machine (in addition to streaming it here any old time):

• KUTX 98.9, Austin, Texas — our flagship station — Sundays at 6:00 pm
• 93.9 The River, Northampton, MA (and 101.5 Brattleboro VT, and now 103.7 Keene, NH!) — Saturdays at 8:00 am
• WNKU 105.9, 89.7, 104.1, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Northern Kentucky (and many areas around) — Saturdays at 6:00 am
• 106.1 The Corner, Charlottesville, Virginia — Sundays at 8:00 am
• KVRZ 88.9, Libby, Montana — Saturdays at 9:00 am
• KIYU, Western Koyukon Region, Alaska — Saturdays at 7:00 pm
• Valley Free Radio 103.3, Northampton, MA — Saturdays at 7:00 am
• KFOK, Georgetown, California — Sundays at 8:00 am
• WJFF 90.5, Jeffersonville, New York — Saturdays at 10:00 am
• Spark Radio 102.3 KMRE, Bellingham, Washington — Saturdays at 10:00 am
• KCMJ 93.9, Colorado Springs, Colorado — Saturdays at 2:00 pm

Crazy!  Thanks to all of our great affiliates for airing the show.  And if you know a station — commercial or non-commercial — that you think could use great family programming, get in touch with them or with me!

1st set
They Might Be Giants – It’s Spare the Rock
ID
They Might Be Giants – Letter/Not A Letter
Tim Kubart in-studio

[KUTX – Cyclocross promo]
[KUTX – Elizabeth Mitchell – You Are My Sunshine]
[WJFF/KCMJ – The Jimmies – Tea Party

2nd set
Phoebe Lichty – Hung the Moon (new)
ID/prep to Rock
TMBG – Don’t Spare the Rock!
ID
The Not-Its! – Rock, Paper, Scissors
Ratboy Jr. – High 5 Your Shadow (new)
Terri Hendrix – Nerves
Soul Coughing – Super Bon Bon
ID

[KUTX – The Apples in Stereo – Sun Is Out]
[WJFF/KCMJ – The Apples in Stereo – Sun Is Out]
[WJFF/KCMJ – Shel Silverstein – Hug O’ War]

3rd set
Danny Weinkauf feat. Tina Kenny Jones – Only One You (new)
The Pop Ups – Pretend We Forgot (new)
ID
Brian Beattie feat. Will Sheff – Busy, Busy, Busy/Nothing is Something (new)
Pink Floyd – Bike
Mates of State – Pink Sugar Elephants
ID
They Might Be Giants – Computer Assisted Design
They Might Be Giants – Spare the Rock

47: The (approximate) number of folks we’ve had come by the studio since we moved to Austin just over three years ago.

28: The (approximate) number of acts I’ve booked for shows in Austin since moving here (doesn’t include The River’s Family Music Meltdown & Book Bash back in Northampton).