Songs for Groundhog Day

Exactly a decade ago, I published a list of songs for Groundhog Day.  "List" is a little overstating things -- it was exactly three songs long.

But now I've expanded the list by more than 100%!  It's now seven songs long.  [Ed.: With a few suggestions below and on social media, we're up to double-digits!]  Which, to be frank, is probably reasonable for the relatively minor holiday that is Groundhog Day.  But there's some good stuff here.  Unfortunately my very favorite groundhog-themed song, "I Hog the Ground," isn't available on Spotify, but the other six tracks are.

If you've got further suggestions, let me know in the comments.  But do it quick before Punxsutawney Phil is called upon!

"I Hog the Ground (Groundhog Song)" - Steve Burns / Steven Drozd (watch here)

"Oh Groundhog" - Lisa Loeb and Elizabeth Mitchell

"Groundhog" - Red Yarn

"Shadow" - Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights

"The Groundhog Song (How Much Wood Could a Woodchuck Chuck?)" - Daria

"How Much Wood Could a Woodchuck Chuck?" - Danny Adlerman and Friends

"Groundhog" - Sam Hinton

"A Shadow" - Gustafer Yellowgold

"The Groundhog's Lament" - Mr. Richard and the Pound Hounds

"Groundhog Day" - John McCutcheon

"Staten Island Chuck" - The Rock-A-Silly Band

Video: "Bird-Watcher Watching" - Billy Kelly

My First Comedy Album cover

I once called Billy Kelly the Funniest Person in Kids Music, and that was against some tough competition.

So the release of My First Comedy Album, Kelly's (not my), er, first comedy album, while a departure, wasn't exactly a surprise.  I wouldn't exactly call it "kids' comedy," but in its good nature, curse-free patter, and being devoid of first-date and airplane food jokes, it's certainly kid-adjacent.

You could stream the entire album to see if it makes you or kids chuckle or guffaw or chortle -- man, those are some great words -- but what if you only have about 40 seconds?  Then I'd recommend his "Bird-Watcher Watching" bit, helpfully animated by Kelly himself, below.

Billy Kelly - "Bird-Watcher Watching" [YouTube]

59th Grammy Award Nominations for Best Children's Album

... or, as I call it, the final victory of kindie.

Last month, the nominations for the 59th Annual Grammy Awards were announced, and while I continue to be less than completely convinced of the value of Grammy awards for kids music, there's no doubt that the awards are still considered a Big Deal throughout the recorded music industry, kids' musicians included.

First, let's list the five nominees in the category of Best Children's Album:

Explorer of the World cover

Explorer of the World

Frances England

Frances England Music

Infinity Plus One cover

Infinity Plus One

Secret Agent 23 Skidoo

Underground Records

Novelties album cover

Novelties

Recess Monkey

Recess Monkey

Press Play cover

Press Play

Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could

Bumblin' Bee Records

Saddle Up cover

Saddle Up

The Okee Dokee Brothers

Okee Dokee Music

 

The Grammy Awards will be announced on Sunday, February 12 -- the biggest awards in the evening, the rest of the awards (including this category) that afternoon.  And unlike most of the nominees, the kids' nominees take the opportunity to play a benefit concert the Saturday the day before the concert.  This year, the concert is on Saturday the 11th, and if you've got kids and live in Los Angeles, it's worth checking out getting tickets.  (You can read more about the history here.)  I went to last year's concert, and, yeah, it's a good time -- the public is unlikely to get to hear these five artists play together.

The annual Grammy weekend has also become the closest West Coast analogue to KindieFest/Kindiecomm, thanks to an annual industry-only luncheon also held on Saturday the day before the awards ceremonies.  This year is no exception (details here), and for those musicians who haven't had a chance to attend either the Grammy-related luncheon or the East Coast gatherings, it's definitely worth considering whether a day or two in the L.A. area might be within your budget.

I've been writing this site for more than 12 years, and when I started, the word "kindie" hadn't even been coined.  Yes, artists like Dan Zanes, Laurie Berkner, and Justin Roberts had released multiple albums, and of course artists like Trout Fishing in America, Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer and Raffi were walking along the paths Pete Seeger, Ella Jenkins, and others had created.

When I researched the Grammy nominations for the kids music awards (non-spoken word) handed out in February 2004 and February 2005, bookending the start of this site, I was a little surprised to see that it wasn't a collection of Disney retreads -- both years are pretty solid collections of albums from artists familiar to this site.

But I think it's fair to say that those lists come more from a folk-music tradition with some gentle pop thrown in.  I think that the Dan Zanes nod in 2005 is the only album that could safely plant both feet in the "kindie" tradition as it's been most popularly understood -- pulling in rock and other musical traditions beyond folk and pop, and not dependent upon music labels for funding and distribution.

This list, on the other hand, while pulling in elements of folk music and pop, feels like its heart comes from indie rock and some hip-hop.  At this point Brady Rymer (nominated for multiple Grammys) and the Okee Dokee Brothers (winners and nominated multiple times) seem like Grammy royalty, and only Rymer had released an album before 2005.

And unlike lists of recent years, on which Rymer, the Okee Dokee Brothers, and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo had previously appeared, there was no "exception" this year.  No non-kids artist making an album for kids, no spoken-word recitation of a book, no... nothing.  Just five artists all easily described as kindie stars, with roughly 35 albums for kids between them.  I don't want to say it's the perfect "kindie" list, because that implies a qualitative hierarchical distinction that I'm not trying to make.  But I'm not sure I could come up with a list that is... more kindie (as it's currently defined in terminology and example) than this one.

I don't want to say "my work here is done," but I think it's fair to say that one of my goals when I started this site more than a dozen years ago -- raising the visibility of great kids music that drew upon a broad range of musical styles -- has been accomplished.  I'm not taking credit for any of it -- that belongs to the artists themselves -- but I think it's time for me to think (again) about how to further expand the visibility of kids audio to an even wider audience, and to think (much more) about how to further expand who creates kids audio to an even wider creator base.  Because the two are related, and the two are how when we talk about kids music a dozen years from now, somebody will talk about a Grammy list that builds upon the paths the Okee Dokee Brothers and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo further blazed, but doesn't include them, either.

Radio Playlist: New Music January 2017

Hoo boy, it has been awhile since I've done one of these.  (October 2016, to be exact.)  But skip the holiday music, and there's still some stuff to listen to, to get your 2017 off to a good start if it hasn't already.

As always, it's limited in that if an artist hasn't chosen to post a song on Spotify, I can't put it on the list, nor can I feature songs from as-yet-unreleased albums.  But I'm always keeping stuff in reserve for the next Spotify playlist.

Check out the list here (or right here in you're in Spotify).

**** New Music January 2017 (January 2017 Kindie Playlist) ****

"Dreamland" - Mo Phillips

"Let's Dance" - Antibalas

"Being Different" - Karen K

"Back Seat Bop" - Katie Ha Ha Ha

"Lily 'o' Lily" - Nick Cope

"Find a Way" - Stacey Peasley

"Top Secret Personal Beeswax" - Junie B. Jones Musical Cast Album

"Elephant" - Priscilla Ahn

Video: "Say Hey!" - Mil's Trills (World Premiere!)

I know, we're in the midst of winter -- short days, overcast skies, and long sleeves.  (Even in the Arizona desert!)  So every now and then it's nice to see video clips clearly not filmed last week.

Now That We're Friends cover

This brand new video from Amelia Robinson AKA Mil's Trills definitely scratches that midwinter itch.  Filmed via GoPro while tooling around Brooklyn with friends, family, and random strangers on the street, "Say Hey!" from her latest album Now That We're Friends is a bright, sunny pop anthem celebrating friendliness and curiosity about your fellow human beings.  That's a sentiment worth getting behind any time of year.  Maybe specially in winter.

Anyway, the video gets a live biiiiig-screen premiere at Robinson's 7th Annual Winter Bash in Gowanus, Brooklyn this weekend, but I'm happy to be world-premiering the video (edited by Helen Murphy) for you today.  Enjoy!

(And, for what it's worth, I'm much more of a carrot man, myself.)

Mil's Trills - "Say Hey!" [YouTube]