Kiindiecomm is COMING!!!

Photo By John Garrido

Hey there folks who peruse this page. It’s been quiet for quite awhile.  I lost the passion for writing about music. I lost the passion for booking shows.  I still love getting out there and performing.  So this year when the annual application to the Kindiecomm Showcase was due I figured why not. I fully expected not to be chosen again. Here’s the thing.  IT’S NOT PERSONAL. The people who book shows  WANT to put on the best show possible. They NEED to attract an audience to justify paying you and keeping the lights on. I have seen Brady Rymer and The Not-Its play to 50 people at Jiggle Jam (which is now defunct) and it was THE BEST FAMILY MUSIC FESTIVAL of all time. By the way both acts absolutely CRUSHED it. Doesn’t matter the size of the audience. Play each show as it was going to be your last.  So what the point of all this… We got the call to play the Kindiecomm Showcase! We will be closing the show Saturday night! Persistence pays off with a huge dose of patience.Don’t confuse persistence with pestering. There is a very definitive line.  Keep performing, keep writing and keep getting better.  I’m gonna be writing here again weekly visiting new bands and talking about new Poochamungas recordings. So stop on by and let’s see what the rest of 2016 has to offer. We have some pretty cool stuff happening up ahead.

Don’t call it “kiddie music”… It’s rock n’ roll to me!

Nobody rocks harder than Josh and the Jamtones. Period.  Other bands are equal too but nobody surpasses the kinetic energy this band brings to shows and CD’s. Once they get moving this Jam is hard to stop!  I’d class them sharing the most energetic kindie band title with The Not-Its (one of our favorites and awesome live shows!).  These are bands that can rock out with anyone.  Don’t just call it “kiddie music.” There is a whole lot going on here for the whole family!  On their upcoming release Rocksteady, Josh and the Jamtones folk bring all that power once again. Not only that but I think this is their most cohesive effort to date. Don’t misunderstand me. The music is always infectious, horn powered and rocking!  While I loved the music I found the narration on their  last effort  Bear Hunt a little distracting. However my kids found it hilarious. So-what-do-I-know???  On this one the whole clan is in agreement and Rocksteady has been sharing space in the much vaunted car CD player with Red Yarn’s upcoming release (review next week). The groves and vibes are so good on this CD it’d make Pooh forget about honey, Snow White forget about that poison apple and Scrooge a good tipper!  Rocksteady is a infectious, skatastic driven, old school, original  horn powered reggae music festival of kinetic joy!  When it comes out GO BUY IT!  The CD releases on August 21st and will be available at the Jamtones page plus iTunes, Amazon and CD Baby.  Go support an independent artist today!!!  Check out the first video from the new CD Rocksteady below!!!

Good music available free and live music available free

I went to the Arlington Heights Public Library today to drop off a few Poochamungas Cd’s they’ll be giving out for reading awards during the summer.  I always try to help out libraries as much as possible. For one they are a valuable resource in many places and secondly they always support the many kindie musicians plying their trade around the country.  The Poochamungas have definitely played more than a couple library gigs. So after dropping off CD’s I took a perusal of what kids music they had available.  Well right away you notice Disney and that kidz bob (cutesy no talent edited recycled garbage IHOP). What then struck me was the number of kindie artists available as well. Casper babypants, the Not-Its, Justin Roberts, Recess Monkey, Bari Koral, Ralph’s World and many others. They had a great selection of FREE kindie music for anyone interested in introducing their family to high quality family music. I also know the Des Plaines Public Library carries some great music as well.   If you live in either of these neighborhoods check out them out! You won’t be dissapointed.

As for the other free music my favorite cast of characters takes the stage at Simons tomorrow at 8:30pm as Electric Dirt.  They’ll be singing the songs that Levon Helm sang all to well and celebrating what would of been his recent 75th birhtday. This ones free as well but be sure to drop a few dollars in the hat. It’ll be worth it!

My top ten and rejected again

Once again I sent my usual 10 page resume (not really) along with a request to be a judge for the Fids and Kamily Awards.  Once again I got a polite but firm denial to this exclusive club because they don’t allow kindie musicians to be part of the club…sniff, sniff.  Well even without my vote they are BY FAR the best award an artist could hope to win.  There are no fees involved and there are multiple industry, blogger and qualified people voting on the music which is not always the case with a lot of the awards out there like.  Many times only one or two people are reviewing all the music AND they charge a nice bit of coin. So congrats to the Fids and Kamily winners.   Here is how I would have voted. Free of charge! My top ten CD’s of the year.  Cue the music… Top Ten Cd’s for this year

1. Recess Monkey – WIRED  (The best CD I heard this year)
2. The Okee Dokee Brothers – Through The Woods (Not as great as the last one but still amazing)
3. Edie Carey & Sarah Sample – ‘Til the Morning: Lullabies and Songs of Comfort (Caught me by surprise.  Outstanding vocals and music)
4. Secret Agent 23 Skidoo – The Perfect Quirk (Great CD with smartest written song this year)
5. Dog on Fleas -Buy one Get One Flea (Dean Jones showing his own Genius)
6. The Hipwaders -Year Round Sounds (Just a great music with a California feel)
7. Brady Rymer – Just say Hi (Still the most underrated kindie artist out there with another great CD)
8. Laura Doherty – In a Heartbeat (Lyrics for tots. Music for everyone and from Chicago!))
9. Jon Samson – A New Kids Album (Sonically amazing)
10. Mills Trills – Everyone Together Now (Superiors vocals and a big sound)

These are the my pics for the best CD’s out this year.  For me the best CD by far this year is WIRED by Recess Monkey.  Not because the others aren’t great but because this one is so musically, lyrically and sonically awesome good! I should also mention its Grammy nomination voting time.  I still have some listening to do before I make my final Grammy Picks but rest assured WIRED has already made the grade. Everyone in the kindie world who is a voting NARAS member should have this as one of their nominations. I shall leave the other 4 to you.     Lots of great music out there this year. Bands super worthy but not in my top ten include Josh and the Jamtones –  Bear Hunt (I’m not big on narration but my kids laugh a lot), Baze and His Silly Friends – The Best Day Ever (just feel good music and my wife liked it!), Lucky Diaz and The Family Jam Band –  Lishy Loo and Lucky Too (Thingamajig is an amazing song!), The Not-Its! – Raise Your Hand (Power Pop awesomeness) and finally Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights –  Good Egg (Good songs and music on the whole disk).  Now I still have a few Albums to check out before I vote for the other 4 Grammy nominees but you should go and check out any of these CD’s. Go support an independent artist today!

Rooting for Denver

I gotta say my interest in professional sports has waned in the age of ownership greed and the self importance of players.  But I shall be rooting for the Broncos today.  I’d like to cheer for Seattle as I know a bunch of kindie bands rooting for the hawks. Recess Monkey, The Not-Its!, and probably most of the kindiependent artists. But their fraudulent coach makes that an impossibility.  Mr “I’m gonna be a Trojan for the rest of my… Who got caught with the money? See ya!” Carrol ran to the NFL after getting caught leaving his players to suffer his legacy.  Yes the NCAA is a big fat fraud as well.  Not all the players are blameless. But I digress… I do think that QB in Denver should get one more.  Enjoy the game and back to our music programming on Monday.  Go Denver!

2013 Remem-blurred!

The backyard view.

New Zealand started out the year as my friend Nick invited us (the wife and I) to his wedding in January (amazing). Seems it’s been full-speed-ahead-try-to-catch-up-break-neck-pace-all-year-long. The year I went to the Grammys.  Many thanks to Jeff Bogle for making it an epic adventure there as well. What a great time thanks to the McHattons (TESLA!)

It’s Electric!!!

, Okee Dokee Brothers, Mindy Thomas, David Tobocman, Debbie Block, Bill Harley and everyone else I got to hang with including new kindie blogger Rebecca Yorn Allison (Kids Can Grove)  Then there was a the last kindiefest ever! Didn’t know it at the time but many thanks to Bill, Stephanie, Mona and Tor for making it happen.  What a great time and I really did learn a thing or two from the panels but so much more from the people!

Great guys in great hats who make great music and me!

Story Laurie, Dean Jones (thanks for the beer), MCJ (always brings it funky), The McHatton clan (Such a great family), Mindy Thomas, Kenny Curtis. Rod Martin , Chris Wiser, Paul Butler, Dave Loftin, Paul Stark, Steve Songs, Laurie Berkner, Dan Zanes, Ralph, Jeff Bogle (again), Stefan Shepard, Rebecca Yorn Allison, Brady Rymer, Bridgette Rymer, Melissa Levis, Jacob Stein, Charlie Hope, Little Miss Ann, Mr Singer and the Sharp Cookies (good luck on the new school), Jack Forman, Drew Holloway, Korum Bischoff (Great addition to the School Break Primates) David Wax Museum (one of my favorite CD’s I heard this year!), Molly Ledford (I promise to be quiet next time), Morgan Taylor, Jason Rabinowitz, Joanie Leeds, Mr Kurt Gallagher (Peace and Quiet is a great song!), Lucky Diaz, Alisha Gaddis, Johnny Bregar (Polly’s Rain Dance is Awesome), Sean Hogan (Welcome to Fatherhood brother!), Kathy O’Connel (the Grand Dame of kindie), Danny Adamson, Tom Baisden (union brothers unite!), Tim Kubart (Congrats Chica Dude!), Beth Blenz-Clucas, Tito Uquillas and whoever I’m forgetting.  Just send me a note and I’ll add you to the list. Then we had a few gigs, finished our second CD, got some national exposure (thanks Elizabeth), played some more, kids kept growing, my daughter soloed in ice skating, my son jammed with me daily, listened to a lot of great music and wrote about a bunch of it. Went to CHITAG (thanks Rock Father). We also had family bouts of pnemonia, respitory ailments, colds and flus  and car crashes (no one injured).  My daughter just turned nine and my son will in a few months turn 4.  I joined a group of Dad Bloggers on Facebook (some seriously funny stuff).  Reconnected with some Pine Forest Camp folks from my youth.  Lost some weight and managed to keep it off.  On the right track closing out the year.  It was a interesting year to be sure and the growth has been good.  Thanks to all who have read the pages here and to those who inspire me to write and get better at it.  Hope everyone learned from 2013 and I wish them and theirs a Happy 2014.

Ageless kindie songs pt.2

The second edition of music made that knows no age.  Songs that could played anywhere with no one the wiser that they’re on a “kids music” album.  As we Poochamungas like to say… “Good Music Knows No Age.”  So without further ado…

The Not-Its – Busy.  The Not-Its are a pure power pop 90’s rocking goodness.  This song about a family tying to get out of the house with a great horn section, power guitar riffs and Sarah’s vocals would fit on any radio playlist.

Brady Rymer – Who Wants to Wear Shoes? Much of Brady’s music is ageless but this one especially.  From the opening guitar riff you know your in for a rocking ride.  This song deserves to be played loud and often (it has around here).  An autistic perspective on the wearing of clothing is poignant, funny, totally rockin and ageless.

Johnn Bregar – Polly’s Rain Dance.  A little rockin blues shuffle about a girl in the desert of Australia who makes it rain.  Johnny makes great music and this is a song that shouldn’t be pigeon holed as just for kids.  Especially with the amazing harmonica being played in this youtube video here.

Rocking CD with flavors of blues, country and all cool.

That’s three more tunes adding to the many kindie tunes that are truly ageless great music.

Finally getting to my top ten

The last few weeks here have been not of my own determining.  My daughter had pneumonia two weeks ago and now after much prodding my wife finally went to the hospital and found that she now has pneumonia.  So A Man, A Band and a Plan HQ is sort of shutdown.  Any plans I had to write about the Grammy votes for bands I felt had made music worthy of voting on went out the door.  I will say that I did vote for Justin Roberts and The Boogers.  Both big supporters of the Poochamungas and both put out really great CD’s.  The other 3 votes went to really great bands who are among the ones I am listing below for my top ten this year and please ignore the order as anyone of these could easily be at the top of my list on on given day.

1. Jambo – Hootenanny
2. Justin Roberts – Recess
3. The Not-Its – Kidquake
4. Alistair Moock – Singing Our Way Through: Songs for The Worlds Bravest Kids Bravest Kids
5. Francis England – Blink of an Eye
6. The Boogers – Extractum Victoris
7. Recess Monkey – Tambourine Submarine
8. Lucky Diaz – Fantastico
9. Lori Henriques – A Curios Place to Live
10. Josh and the Jamtones – Jump Up

Kindie at Lollapalooza and a song I wish I had written.

Hard rocking pop and a lot of fun!

I have mentioned in the past that bands in our genre need to  promote each other.  No one band can play all the gigs and no one wants to listen to the same songs on the mp3 player all the time.  That there is plenty of room for everyone and we only help each other spread the word.  Well here’s my part.  If you read this and are attending Lollapalooza be sure to check out  The Not-Its! today on the kidzapalooza stage around 3pm.  They rock as hard as any power pop band I have ever scene and they are one of my daughters favorite bands.  Smart lyrics, tight riffs and great vocals… Go check em out!

Peace and Quiet is the song I can’t get out of my head.  It is off of a CD titled 1,2,3,4 by a great guy and musician Kurt Gallagher.  I mentioned Kurt in an earlier blog post about Kindiefest as a regional guy who makes a living playing music.  Well this song is a fine example of his talent.  A easy, laid back, funky shuffle of a song that nails it about a sibling complaing about the other sibling and their noise making ablility.  It’s funny, smart and ironic.  I love when a song captures a part of life like this one does.   I played it when I hosted the Hilltown Family Variety Show but you can also click the album title link and buy it on Amazon or go to iTunes or wherever.  But buy it.  Buy the whole album!  It’s a great song and I wish I had wrote it.

The long (uphill bothways) road ahead

Do you only play kiddie music.  That’s what a friend of mine asked recently when inquiring about my band. “Kiddie Music”. She wasn’t trying to demean what I do.  But that is the perception we as KINDIE musicians fight against every day.  You mention kids music and everyone pictures Barney and The Wiggles.   But that’s not what we do. My band sounds nothing like either one. I think a lot of this has to do with the age of media and especially video.  Nobody turns on the radio.  Everything is now on a flat screen with surround sound.  Even in cars more and more people play videos for their kids.  Everyone is lumped into the same bowl.  But it’s a disservice to the music available.  Right now the KINDIE genre is a rich and diverse musical landscape.  To compare Brady Rymer to the Wiggles is like comparing Beyonce to U2.  It’s just not the same type of music.  Sure Beyonce and U2 both play music but you would never mistake one for the other.  Same thing in KINDIE Music.  We in the Poochamungas have adopted this slogan.  GOOD MUSIC KNOWS NO AGE.  But because we play for kids and families we get stereotyped with Barney, Wiggles and Sesame Street.  But we sound nothing like any of them.  The Poochamungas sound nothing like The Not It’s, Justin Roberts, The Boogers or Grenadilla either.  The only thing each of these bands have in common is they make really great music.  So parents, critics and anyone reading this. Do all of us KINDIE folk a favor and listen…  and then judge.  That’s all we ask. If you do that I’m sure some of this “kiddie” music is sure to surprise you.   If you want more info on this please check out my friend Stefan Sheperds Kindie Manifesto on ZooGlobble.  He goes further in depth on the subject and a read I highly recommend.