Cool Music News from Our Clients
an irregularly updated newsletter from Sugar Mountain PR
You can go HOME
Click HERE for past newsletters.
Cool Music for Kids News - DECEMBER 2009
Happy Holidays Edition
www.sugarmountainpr.com


Grammy and kamily
The 52nd annual Grammy Award nominees have been announced, and we’re pleased to say that our clients
Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer's Banjo To Beatbox was nominated for Best Musical Album for Children.
Congratulations to
Cathy, Marcy and Christylez Bacon!

If you like awards, check out the recently posted national critics’ poll of the Best Children’s Music of 2009, the
Fids and Kamily Awards. You’ll see familiar names and faces, including
Peter Himmelman, Billy Jonas, Sarah Lee
Guthrie, Captain Bogg & Salty, Ben Rudnick
and Robbert Bobbert, clients we’ve been bragging about all year.
Now through December 10th, you can order all of these award winners with free shipping from Pokey Pup, one of
our fav specialty music e-tailers. Clients
Peter Himmelman, Robbert Bobbert, Rocknoceros and Billy Jonas also
made NPR's "
Best Kids' Music of 2009." These are the personal picks of Kids Corner radio's lovely host Kathy
O'Connell.

Holiday shows galore
Holiday time is ripe for music. It’s a great time to treat the kids to a live concert. Putumayo Kids hosts the Holidays
around the World show (featuring artist Johnny Bregar) at the Grammy Museum on December 12th.
Captain Bogg
& Salty will be telling tales and singing their rock-charged sea shanties in Portland at their Yo Ho Holiday Concert
on December 6th.
Hot Peas ‘N Butter will present their multicultural musical treats  at New York City’s Symphony
Space on December 19th. Bill Harley has family concerts planned this weekend and next.
Cathy Fink and Marcy
Marxer
host their 24th annual Winter concert; Justin Roberts has pre-Christmas shows planned in his hometown
of Chicagoland and will be counting down the hours at Legoland on New Year’s Eve. And
Peter Himmelman is the
starred attraction at the second
Minivan Family Concert on December 6th in Venice, CA.

Starry, starry night --- and day!
Charity and the JAMband is happy to have their new double CD set Party  Like a Twinkle Star  out in time for
holiday giving. You can hear all of the tracks and download the entire album now (or buy the lovingly illustrated
hardcopy set) from the JAMband website.  The JAMband will host gala CD release concerts soon in San Francisco
and Berkeley, CA.


Fun stuff to do, watch and read
Putumayo Kids Dance Off wants your home videos! Right now and through December 30th, you can submit
videos of kids and parents dancing to Putumayo tunes. Details are on the site.

Jitterbug TV is fast becoming the go-to place for fun music videos. They recently posted a host of Justin Roberts
tunes and videos on the site. It’s a fabulous and FREE place to discover new artists.

Mamarama author Evelyn McDonnell published a trend story in the Los Angeles Times recently, featuring Peter
Himmelman and other rocking artists in the alt.kids genre.

Coming up in 2010
Save your gift cards because Key Wilde & Mr Clarke’s Rise and Shine will be available at retail stores across the
country on January 5th. Get a sneak preview here: and send me your review copy requests now.

Earthworm Ensemble is a new group of talented Los Angeles area Americana artists who collaborated to create a
fun collection of original tunes for children. Their self-titled CD debuts on February 16th, and you can hear the
music and view the video “Mama Loves You” now.

Cathy and Marcy’s Songshop has kept their elves busy getting three new releases ready for February. The
Grammy Award winning performers are launching a new Meet the Instruments educational DVD series for
preschoolers with two videos: Things with Strings  and Tap and Clap. They’ll also release a new Little Ditties for
Itty Bitties audio CD by Michele Valerie of DinoRock fame.

Stay warm and enjoy the season!
Cool Music for Kids News - Winter 2010
Back to the Future
www.sugarmountainpr.com

Waggaloo on Vinyl
In a move that can only be described as 21st century retro, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings recently
announced the March 16th vinyl release of the Oppenheim Toy Award winning CD
Go Waggaloo. Created by
Woody Guthrie's granddaughter Sarah Lee, and featuring performances by the entire Guthrie clan as well as
Pete Seeger,
Go Waggaloo blends traditional folk music with contemporary lyrics and instrumentation. Among the
surprises on
Go Waggaloo are a scratching drum machine, songs about Xboxes and DVDs, and a spur-of-the-
moment song recorded on a cell phone by the Guthrie family on a road trip. For yet another fresh twist, the
vinyl release will include a coupon for a free digital download of the entire album. Catch Sarah Lee Guthrie and
family's one-hour music special with Robbie Schaefer on Sirius-XM's
Kids Place Live in March.

Old School Songs for a Green Generation
Next week, the collective effort of some of Los Angeles' top Americana artists will celebrate the sprouting of
their new CD
Earthworm Ensemble. The self-titled CD includes 11 original songs that will bear repeated
listening by kids of all ages. These songs offer an imaginative, child's eye view of nature and the universe, with
light and humorous touches throughout. "Bang a Drum" is a deceptively simple percussive piece that will get
kids up off the couch and banging along to the beat. A healthy, DIY message is humorously delivered in the
father-to-son song "Pizza Moon," and we can come along for the ride on old-timey songs like "The Traveling
Train" and "Walking Boy." Don't take our word for it; check out
DailyCandy's rave review.

Cathy & Marcy's Songshop News
Grammy Award divas Cathy and Marcy have been making smart songs for kids for more than two decades.
Their recent EP
Banjo to Beatbox continues to generate buzz and awards because of its ingenious combination
of traditional folk sounds with of-the-minute urban beats (as performed by Christylez Bacon). This winter,
Cathy
& Marcy's Songshop will release two new instructional DVDs called Meet the Instruments: Tap and Clap and
Things with Strings. The artists speak directly to the viewers, who will feel that they're getting friendly and
personal information about music and instruments. And for the first time, Cathy & Marcy's Songshop will release
the work of a fellow artist, with
Michele Valeri's delightful new collection of activity songs for babies and
toddlers:
Little Ditties for Itty Bitties.

String Band Music for Kids
Talk about old made new! One of America’s best-loved string bands with a loyal fan base, Rani Arbo & daisy
mayhem
, took the kids' music blogosphere by storm earlier this winter, and will soon offer the national release
of their CD
Ranky Tanky. There's definitely no hanky panky going on here. Their rendition of the Cat Stevens
hit "If You Want To Sing Out" is enjoying heavy rotation on Sirius XM's Kids Place Live. Check out band member
Anand Nayak's 3 year old son Jack on Youtube -- he's got rhythm!

Pop and Funk: Good Stuff Coming this Spring
Debbie and Friends delivers sold pop tunes for kids who are "all grown up" On most weekends, this Berklee
College of Music dean hits the stage and becomes a kindie pop sensation. Folllowing the success of her
Story
Songs and Sing Alongs
release two years ago, Debbie Cavalier will deliver More Story Songs and Sing Alongs
on March 30th. Debbie's got a host of great music videos, including some that were featured on the season
premiere of TV's "24" last month (check out what Jack Bauer's granddaughter is watching this winter!).
Debbie's
blog is also worth checking out for the latest performance news and free offers.

Some of the funkiest music ever made for kids is coming out of... Oklahoma!!!??? It's true, we recently
discovered the witty vibes of the
Sugar Free Allstars. Their 2007 disc Dos Ninos created a sensation with the
Fids and Kamily critics poll, and in late April, the duo of Chris (Boom!) Wiser and Rob (Dr. Rock) Martin will deliver
some new goods with
Funky Fresh and Sugar Free.

We'll soon have news about new music from Justin Roberts, Elizabeth Mitchell and more, so stay tuned
Cool Music for Kids News - Spring 2010
Pop Pop Pop for Kids – and More

You can’t underestimate the allure of pop hooks for kids. It’s the reason that Kidz Bop records consistently make
Billboard’s top album lists. But I doubt parents are keen on hearing their tots learn the lyrics to Lady Gaga’s songs
before they hit puberty. Do we want
boys whose voices haven’t changed yet, singing “Poker Face” or, “I’m gonna
chase you down until you love me,” as extolled by Lady Gaga on “Paparazzi?” (check out Christopher Healy’s
astute review of this song , featured on Kidz Bop 17). As Jennifer Gish of the Albany Times-Union says, “I’m
starting to think Top 40 radio is definitely off-limits in my car.”  Some aspects of KGOY are fine, but not this one.

Luckily, you and your kids don’t have to abandon the pop genre entirely just to avoid inappropriate lyrics. Enter
bands like
Debbie & Friends with their crisp and catchy tunes (check out their March 30th release More Story
Songs & Sing Alongs for evidence). And
Justin Roberts, who will soon deliver a playground full of power pop
tunes  about iconic childhood experiences with
Jungle Gym, due out in June.

Don’t stop with pop. There’s a world of music out there with kid-friendly lyrics, whether you and your kids like
rock, country, jazz or even string band style modern folk … which reminds us to remind you about our clients’ new
music:

Everything’s coming up daisies
Ranky Tanky is generating rave responses wherever we send it. As Robbie Schaefer of Sirius-XM’s Kids Place
Live notes, “
Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem avoid the cardinal sin of today’s adult-turned-kid/family artists: playing
down to their audience. These are really good, well-performed songs, played by very talented musicians.”

Uncle Rock has more than proved his talent with his previous three CDs and a music DVD. He’s about to
celebrate the national release of
The Big Picture, proving his thought-provoking lyrical skill and rockabilly
influenced music. Uncle Rock enlisted the help of multi-instrumentalist Dean Jones, the man behind the acclaimed
family music group Dog on Fleas, to produce it.
The Big Picture is a socially conscious salute to Uncle Rocks’
musical heroes, offering sonic nods to David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Cat Stevens, the Ramones, Buddy Holly ,
Johnny Cash and Billy Idol. The humorous advice song, “Leave the Bees Be” is enjoying heavy rotation on
Sirius-
XM Satellite Radio.

If you like your funk played on a Hammond organ, complete with the funkiest drum kit ever to come out of
Oklahoma City, be sure to check out The
Sugar Free Allstars’ April 30th release, Funky Fresh & Sugar Free.
This is the duo’s second family music release. They’ll perform at
Kindiefest in New York, chosen from among
hundreds of entrants to play the industry showcase there.

We just signed on with
StarFish, a very fun group of dads from New Jersey who will release their second family
music CD in June:
Enter Sandbox. While the rock vibe will entertain even the most jaded parent, the lyrics relate to
important things in kids’ lives – treehouses, time outs, homework and parents who always say “No.”

Batter up! And Celebrate Earth Day
Debbie & Friends just launched a new animated video celebrating the joy of a kid’s first baseball triumph. Check
out “Home Run Ronnie” now. It’s one of the fun songs on Debbie’s next release
More Story Songs & Sing
Alongs.
Through April 4th, Debbie is also running a Garageband Remix contest for her song “Willy Won’t.”
The aforementioned Uncle Rock offers a new song, “There Is No Away,” featuring the dreamy vocals of
Smithsonian Folkways artist Elizabeth Mitchell, with lyrics to make us mindful of where our garbage goes.
Earthworm Ensemble’s new self-titled CD has won national acclaim and tons of radio play nationwide. The song
“That’s What the Earthworm’s For” is a great way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. A new
Scholastic Storybook Treasures DVD,
He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands… and More Stories to Celebrate
the Environmen
t, features seven animated stories and a guide for parents and kids with tips on how to live
green.

Join Sugar Mountain PR on
Facebook!

Enjoy the thaw!

Beth Blenz-Clucas
Sugar Mountain PR
Twitter: @bethbc
Cool Music for Kids News – June 2010
Why Kids’ Music?

When we tell a new acquaintance that we work with great kids’ music, the usual response is a blank stare. At best,
the response is, “Well, I play my music for my kids. They don’t need children’s music.” Most music critics begin with
the same way of thinking. Witness this article by a writer for the
Hartford Courant as he reviewed a new Barry Louis
Polisar family music compilation. The story leads off: “Children’s music, with a few exceptions, is typically dreadful.”
A very cool mom blogger named Toni started out with the same opinion (“I’m always a bit suspicious of children’s
music. I mean, really, can’t children just listen to music?”).  But after listening to
Uncle Rock’s new CD The Big
Picture,
she comes away pleasantly surprised at its musicality and intelligence, wanting to hear more.

Granted, Uncle Rock is an exceptional artist. And granted, there is a lot of unlistenable music out there, mistakenly
created “for the kiddies.” I don’t blame people who avoid the genre. Most of the kid tunes on display at your local
big box retailer and on the
Billboard best-seller lists don’t reflect the new wave of independent music by real
musicians who delve a little deeper than these overly simplified and commercialized CDs. It turns out that you don’t
have to sacrifice musical quality while serving your kids with lyrics that truly speak to them. As Dan Zanes so aptly
remarked at Kindiefest in May, “what kid wants to hear yet another song about drinking or failed romance?”

I’m staggered to hear the creative exuberance in the new music so far this year on blogs like Zooglobble,
Dadnabbit, OutwiththeKids, AOL ParentDish and GooneybirdKids.  Jitterbug TV posts incredibly smart new kids’
music videos all the time, and a host of other sites like Kidzmusic.com also feature interesting options. Currently,
the only national radio outlet for this genre so far is Sirius-XM’s Kids Place Live, whose brilliant DJs play hours of
interesting indie music every day. And hosts of smaller shows at public and community radio stations across the
country are like little beacons of light, pointing parents, grandparents and kids to the wide world of interesting
family music.

As reflected by the reader responses to Harriet Barovick’s recent
Time magazine piece about “kindie rock,” the
range of what parents want is about as wide as the range of musical interests among the general public. Why limit
your kids to your music, or conversely (to cite the second letter writer to
Time) to music that is purely educational?
Play whatever you want for your kids, but realize that there’s a wide variety of options available in the new
“kindie” genre.

New CDs for Summer Listening
With rave reviews in the Star-Ledger and Time Out New York, and two sold-out CD release party shows, StarFish
rocks the summer with their new release
, Enter Sandbox. Check out this video interview with the band members
for an insider’s look at how they play and work together.

Justin Roberts continues his never-ending family concert tour with dozens of shows this summer, many of which
are free. His seventh family music release,
Jungle Gym is generating tons of buzz. Check out the one-hour
“Rumpus Room” concert on Sirius-XM’s Kids Place Live, which plays four times over this coming weekend (June 4th-
6th). Justin and his Not Ready for Naptime Players are currently producing a zany video for the new song
“Obsessed by Trucks.” Look for cameo appearances by Ezra and Keith of Trout Fishing in America. Fans in Chicago,
Boston, Columbus, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Winnipeg will get to see the band live in
the next few weeks.

Worried that your kids will suffer the summer slide? Why not help them build language skills, both in English and
Spanish, with
Hap Palmer’s newest release, Learning in Two Languages/Aprendiendo en dos idiomas. Hap is a
rock star among educators, and well known for his best selling
Baby Songs CDs and DVDs.

If you want to fill your summer road or plane trip with music and educational activities, the new
Scholastic
Storybook Treasures Wheels on the Bus Sing Along Travel Kit is just the ticket. The little carry-on kit includes 2
award-winning DVDs, a music CD featuring songs by the Bacon Brothers and Cyndi Lauper, a colorful activity guide
and crayons.

Peter Yarrow (of the legendary folk trio Peter Paul and Mary) continues to produce glorious new recordings of
classic folk songs with his daughter Bethany, and Sterling Publishing packages his CDs with gorgeously illustrated
books. His latest publication is
Songs for Little Folks.

Coming in August
The Okee Dokee Brothers’ second family release Take It Outside will present new and original songs with a
bluegrassy flair. The energetic Twin Cities duo of Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing enlisted the help of Grammy
nominated producer Tor Hyams and the smart guitar licks of Adam Levy of the Bunnyclogs to create a powerful new
sound.

Meanwhile, please join Sugar Mountain PR on Facebook!

Happy summer journeys!   

Beth Blenz-Clucas
Sugar Mountain PR
Twitter: @bethbc
Cool Music for Kid News - Midsummer Edition
Listen to Your First Lady

I smiled at this headline: First Lady Prods Kids to Exercise.  Unfortunately, while Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Get
Moving” campaign is brilliant, the idea of exercising in the midsummer heat is not an easy prod. And some kids are
just not into competitive sports. But anyone can dance. Check out these brand new family music releases for
songs that will get everyone up and moving:

Take It Outside is a new collection of witty and energetic tunes that will get your peeps off the couch. The Okee
Dokee Brothers
is the acclaimed Twin Cities duo of Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing, who together skillfully blend
a little bit of country, quite a bit of bluegrass and add in pop and funk influences for good measure. The crisp new
sound for
Take It Outside is helped along by Grammy award nominated producer Tor Hyams (known for creating
Kidzapalooza and Austin Kiddie Limits, among other kindie music events). Guest artist Adam Levy (Honeydogs and
Bunnyclogs) performs the rocking lead electric guitar on the song “Hero.” Stefan Shepherd of Zooglobble.com
contributed liner notes.
Catch The Okee Dokee Brothers at any of their shows in Minnesota this summer, at
Every Family Rocks in Des Moines in September and at Austin Kiddie Limits in October.

The Kids Are All Id – One of the top 5 CDs of 2010, according to the parents’ poll at Parentsconnect, is new from
Randy Kaplan. This indie artist, formerly of Brooklyn, NY, and currently based in Los Angeles, is hard to categorize.
Check out his covers of “I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin” or “Forever Young,” and then delve into his original, rich and
imaginative world where bears speak Hebrew and it’s hard to tell whether a girl is a monkey or a human. Three of
these new songs are adapted from Ezra Jack Keats’ works. It’s a wonderful, light and funny mix of tunes for all
ages, and Randy will play them at his summer shows.

Summer Concerts
In fact this is the busiest season for family music performances. Get your dancing shoes on and step out with the
family for
Justin Roberts and Bill Harley’s shows all over the place, or the Sugar Free Allstars at one of their
many library and festival shows, or
Debbie and Friends’ many family concerts at museums, libraries and arts
centers.

Baby Loves Disco Lemonade Tour
Is it true that disco dancing only burns 300 calories an hour? You can do better. In case you haven’t heard,
Baby
Loves Disco Lemonade Tour
is fostering family dance fever in more than 45 cities this summer and fall, bringing
music, fun and lemonade to clubs, shopping centers, hospitals and other venues.The tour is sponsored by the
cool retailers H&M and benefits Alex’s Lemonade Stand. A brand new Baby Loves Disco CD, featuring the DJ
talents of King Britt is coming in October, too.

Coming in September
OK, it’s a bit early to think about school, but three September releases will encourage learning and laughter:

    Bill Harley –  (September 14) This American humorist will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement award in
    the fall, and he has a new spoken-word CD coming out in mid-September called The Best Candy in the
    World. The two-time Grammy award winner spins fantastical stories grounded in everyday life.

    Oran Etkin – (September 14) this internationally acclaimed jazz/world music artist will release Wake Up,
    Clarinet! Oran teaches his Timbalooloo music classes to the kids of Harvey Keitel, Naomi Watts, Edie
    Falco and Liev Schreiber in NYC. This new release builds on Etkin’s Timbalooloo method of encouraging
    kids to internalize important musical concepts while exciting their creativity. Wake Up, Clarinet! features
    performances by drummer Jason Marsalis and soulful vocalist Charanee Wade. Etkin plans CD release
    concerts in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

    Jeremy Zmuda – (September 28)  Another popular NYC music educator will release  Use Your Words, a
    collection of catchy songs that help young kids build the vocabulary to express their feelings and needs.
    The lyrics were co-written with Lizzie Bicknell, an early childhood specialist. Madeleine Peyroux, Kirk
    Douglas (the Roots), and Leo Sidran also perform. A portion of the proceeds from the album will benefit  
    Kids Need a Melody,  a nonprofit program that provides music lessons and concerts to kids in need.

… And More Great Causes
We’re helping spread the news about Bill Childs’ new
Spare the Rock label release Many Hands: Family Music for
Haiti, produced by Dean Jones and featuring an amazing array of artists: Pete Seeger, Elizabeth Mitchell, Uncle
Rock, Randy Kaplan and Dan Zanes are among them. The CD benefits the Haitian People’s Support Project A host
of concerts will celebrate the release, including a Many Hands show here in Portland on September 11th with
Randy Kaplan and Recess Monkey.

Hoping for some peace and harmony among kids at school? We think Peter Yarrow’s Operation Respect offers the
best FREE curriculum out there for elementary school programs. We also recently discovered Moozie the Cow, a
non-profit educational program promoting kindness. The Children’s Kindness Network has a new CD coming in
August called Moozie’s Orchestra Adventure, featuring the talents of Larry Gatlin, Wynonna Judd, Kathie Lee
Gifford, Jessye Norman and many more.

Next month, we’ll send news about October releases from Elizabeth Mitchell and Jim Cosgrove.  Meanwhile, be
cool… and dance!