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Posts Tagged ‘children’s music’
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Grammy Whammy
By Daddy Brad Tuesday, February 10th, 2009
As I recall, the Grammy Awards were the other night. I didn’t watch. I was busy viewing reruns of “Arrested Development” over on HULU. Supposedly, this really pregnant chick sang, some kids from Nickelodeon got to jam with Stevie Wonder and a dude from Led Zeppelin won an award for singing with this chick from a bluegrass band. Sounds bizarre.
Since my wife is pregnant, my kids watch Nickelodeon and I love Led Zeppelin and bluegrass, I have come to the conclusion that I should give out some music awards of my own. Now I am diligent about exposing my kids to the music that I like. While our family play list is equally divided 50/50 between adult and kid tunes, I get really pumped when one of my kid’s favorites is actually a good album. Thus I give you my random music awards for 2008 in the kids’ rock category.
Here’s how I chose my nominees.
Number 1. My kids really loved the albums, screamed for them every time we got in the car and pitched snot-slinging fits if we didn’t listen to them!
Number 2. I heard the albums over 1,000 times each in 2008 and still actually like them.
Number 3. The individual tracks are musically complex and could be mixed into my I-pod play list during an adult party and no one would notice.
Daddy Brad’s Random Music Award Winners for 2008:
Best kids album that Michael Phelps might listen to while at a party In Columbia South Carolina:
Loquat Rooftop by Randy Kaplan
Best kids pop/rock album that you would never admit to liking, but contains some songs which are actually good and would get airplay on cool radio stations nationwide, if they were not about dolls and monkeys and sung by a dude with a red shirt and a puppet named Silly:
Flying Guitar by Steve Songs
Best kids album that Dr. Seuss, the Grateful Dead and Little Feat would most likely listen to if they spent a weekend partying together in a cabin in the woods.
My Best Day by Trout Fishing In America
I hope you and your children enjoy these selections.
Pre School Pre Christmas Pre Vention
By Daddy Clay Monday, December 22nd, 2008
The pre-Christmas countdown period certainly has its sweet moments — picking out and decorating the tree, time with family members you don’t get to see on a weekly basis, holiday parties — but the family stress levels are certainly increased with the loss of routines, the additional stimulation, bad weather limiting outdoor time, and the anticipation of Santa’s visit. All of these things seem to me to have the biggest impact on the pre-school set.
Kids younger than three are blissfully unaware, happily toddling their way thought the Yuletide land-mines. The school age kids can manage the welter of emotions with a little more sophistication, and/or can be bullied with the whole “Santa is watching” meme. But for pre-schoolers, Christmas is the season of volcanic eruptions. Because pre-schoolers are old enough to know what is happening, to get swept up in the hype, to desperately want things to take place right now, but without the ability to accept the delay of gratification. They can find the demands to behave at meals with guests, to mind dad in the mall, to wait in line for Santa, to be overwhelming.
In other words, our youngest is struggling.
He’s trying to be a good boy at the parties, at the grocery store, at meal time, but the loss of his school routine (and subsequent increased exposure to his older sibs) along with his anticipation of Santa’s visit have completely worn him out. There have been meltdowns aplenty in this Festive Season. One sign he had hit the wall came on our fourth consecutive night of entertaining for dinner — Coop simply could not even drag himself to the table for another meal with adults. We made a policy exemption for that one. Sometimes an orange and a dose of Dora is the healthiest dinner.
Another sign: Coop fell asleep in his mother’s lap, mid-refrain of “Jingle Bells” at the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar.
We’re trying to head off boredom and inter-sibling violence by programming the holidays pretty aggressively. The Armadillo is part of that. The Armadillo Christmas Bazaar has now entered the “Tradition” category for us. The event takes place at the Austin Convention Center downtown, and is essentially a venue for local artists and artisans to show their work during the holiday shopping season. There are always a few pieces that we drool over and dream about being able to afford some day, but honestly, most of the stuff is not for me. Too folksy/crafty.
The highlight for us is the music. Many of Austin’s best musicians play the tiny stage at the center of the bazaar. It may not be the purest place to listen to music, but it is oddly intimate, and a great place to see the artists up close. They also program the best local kids performers. Yesterday, we were treated to a great performance from the Biscuit Brothers and the inimitable Sara Hickman. Because their TV show is so adorable and engaging, it’s easy to forget that the Biscuit Bros have serious musical chops. The touch is light and bouncy, but the harmonies and instrumental work is rock solid. And there is to my old friend, Buttermilk Biscuit! She’s the best. Great to re-introduce the kids after the show.
And what to say about Sara Hickman? My first date in Austin with my wife was to watch this rockstar shake the rafters at Liberty Lunch, and she still brings that charisma and joy to every show she plays. It was so cool to bring my kids into that loop. She played some “Sara” songs, some of her kids music, and brought a whole herd of kids onstage for som
Dadlabs Poll Dads And Kids Music Hot Or Not
By Daddy Clay Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
The results from our latest poll are in and indicate that when it comes to kids music, dads are either in or they’re out.
40% of the respondents really didn’t listen to any children’s music at all. One can assume that these dads think that their collection of Billy Squire, Jimmy Buffet and Squeeze is more than sufficient to instruct their offspring in the finer points of music appreciation. This clearly biased pollster happens to fall in this category. My belief has long been that kids music belongs in kids players and that adult music belongs on adult players. What lessons do the kids need that Johnny Cash and Ryan Adams can’t teach them?
On the other hand, 32% or our respondents listen almost exclusively to music made for children. Which is cool as long as they have plenty of Sara Hickman, Trout Fishing in America, Jellydots, Joe McDermott, Dan Zanes, Farmer Jason, and the BummKinn Band in the iPod, otherwise they’re obviously going to go insane. One need look no further than the DadLabs video catalog to find great music for kids.
A smaller percentage of folks responded that they listed to kids music situationally, either on special occasions (16%) or in the car (12%). Bribing kids to get into the carseat? Encouraging them to behave with grandma coming over? We get it.
All joking aside, I think all the dads here agree that it is important to have music in the home, and fortunately there is a rapidly growing catalog of music that is palatable to both adults and children. Look no further than the amazing artists that have played here in the DadLabs studios for evidence of that.
Now go vote in our new poll:
If men could get pregnant, what symptom would be the hardest for them to deal with?
