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an irregularly updated newsletter from Sugar Mountain PR
an irregularly updated newsletter from Sugar Mountain PR
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| 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 Environment, 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:
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.
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.
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! |
