Please Release Me: September 2011 Edition

Time once more for an updated list of new and upcoming releases, for the busiest time of year, release-wise. (Last month's list is here.) Additions to the list are noted with a "++"; changes to previously-mentioned items are indicated with italics. As always, if I've listed you on here and gotten something wrong (or something not ready for primetime), let me know and I'll edit or delete it. And if you're not on here and think you should be, drop me a line, too, and I'll get you added for the next iteration. The Mighty Buzzniks Bug Out (Sept. 11) Papa Crow: Things That Roar (Sept. 11) Rocknoceros: Colonel Purple Turtle (Sept. 13) The Jimmies: Practically Ridiculous (Sept. 20) Randy Kaplan: Mr. Diddie Wah Diddie (Sept. 20) Ted Jacobs: Back to the Garden (Sept. 20) Disney: Jake and the Never Land Pirates Soundtrack (Sept. 20) [features folks from Captain Bogg & Salty] ++ Todd McHatton: Galactic Champions of Joy (Sept. 21) Dan Zanes and Friends: Little Nut Tree (Sept. 27) Beethoven's Wig, feat. Richard Perlmutter: Sing Along Piano Classics (Sept. 27). [features piano works by Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, Debussy, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, and Joplin] Mr. Richard & the Pound Hounds: Backyard Astronauts (Sept. 27) ++ Yosi and the Superdads: Wake Up! EP (September) Groove Kid Nation: Title TBA (September) Roy Handy and the Moonshot: Title TBA (late September/early October) Laura Doherty: Shining Like a Star (Oct. 1) Alastair Moock: These Are My Friends (Oct. 4) Chip Taylor & the Grandkids: Golden Kids Rules (Oct. 18) [next family release from Smithsonian Folkways] ++ Various Artists: All About Bullies Big and Small (Oct. 22) Recess Music (Various Artists): U R Some 1 (mid-October) The Deedle Deedle Dees: Strange Dees, Indeed (Oct. 31) The Secret Mountain: Songs from the Baobob (October) The Ohmies: Morning Wish Garden (October) [prodced by Tor Hyams] Jim Gill: Music Play for Kids of All Stripes (October) DidiPop: Everyday Adventures (Nov. 1) Laura Veirs: Tumble Bee: Laura Veirs Sings Folk Songs for Children (Nov. 8) ++ Coal Train Railroad: Coal Train Railroad Swings! (late November 2011) Central Services Board of Education: Title TBA (fall) Chuck Cheesman: Title TBA (fall) Suzi Shelton: Title TBA (fall) Maestro Classics: The Soldier’s Tale (Dec. 1) The Dirty Sock Funtime Band: Dirty Socks Come Clean (January 2012) Riff Rockit: Title TBA (CD, DVD, January 2012) Hope Harris: Picasso, That's Who (spring 2012) Andy Z: The Grand Scream of Things (Halloween 2012) [produced by Tor Hyams] Other 2011 albums: Ah-Choo, Peter Apel, Funky Mamas, Big Don, Ratboy, Jr. Also, Rockabye Baby for Van Halen, The Police, Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Please Release Me: August 2011 Edition

Time once more for an updated list of new and upcoming releases, an increasingly crowded list at that. (Last month's list is here.) Additions to the list are noted with a "++"; changes to previously-mentioned items are indicated with italics. As always, if I've listed you on here and gotten something wrong (or something not ready for primetime), let me know and I'll edit or delete it. And if you're not on here and think you should be, drop me a line, too, and I'll get you added for the next iteration. Yo Gabba Gabba: Music Makes Me Move (DVD, Aug. 9) The Wiggles: Ukulele Baby! (DVD, Aug. 9) Caspar Babypants: Sing Along! (Aug. 16) Recess Music (Various Artists): Wild Child (Aug. 16) ++ Rockabye Baby: Lullaby Renditions of Madonna (Aug. 16) ++ Jewel: The Merry Goes 'Round ++ Disney: Muppets: The Green Album (Aug. 23) Maestro Classics: My Name is Handel (Aug. 24) Music Corner: Aesop's Animals (Aug. 28) Ben Rudnick & Friends: Live in Lexington: Under the Copper Beech (Aug. 30) [2008 live concert] Music for Little People: Toddler Favorites: The Movie (Aug. 30) Rockabye Baby: Rockabye Baby! 5 Year Anniversary Compilation (August) [Mainly features artists who've yet to receive the Rockabye treatment: Kiss, James Brown, Arcade Fire, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Stevie Wonder, The Kinks, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and the Beastie Boys.] Riff Rockit: Title TBA (CD, DVD, late August) Central Services Board of Education: Title TBA (summer) Professor Banjo: PB and Jam In The Nick of Time: Making Silly Faces (Sept. 6) Trout Fishing in America: Chicken Joe Forgets Something Important (Sept. 6) The Mighty Buzzniks Bug Out (Sept. 11) ++ Papa Crow: Things That Roar (Sept. 11) Rocknoceros: Colonel Purple Turtle (Sept. 13) Maestro Classics: A Soldier’s Tale (Sept. 15) The Jimmies: Practically Ridiculous (Sept. 20) Randy Kaplan: Mr. Diddie Wah Diddie (Sept. 20) Ted Jacobs: Back to the Garden (Sept. 20) ++ Disney: Jake and the Never Land Pirates Soundtrack (Sept. 20) [features folks from Captain Bogg & Salty] Dan Zanes and Friends: Little Nut Tree (Sept. 27) Beethoven's Wig, feat. Richard Perlmutter: Sing Along Piano Classics (Sept. 27). [features piano works by Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, Debussy, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, and Joplin] ++ Mr. Richard & the Pound Hounds: Backyard Astronauts (Sept. 27) Groove Kid Nation: Title TBA (September) ++ Roy Handy and the Moonshot: Title TBA (late September/early October) Laura Doherty: Shining Like a Star (Oct. 1) ++ DidiPop: Everyday Adventures (Oct. 1) ++ Alastair Moock: These Are My Friends (Oct. 4) ++ Chip Taylor & the Grandkids: Golden Kids Rules (Oct. 18) [next family release from Smithsonian Folkways] Recess Music (Various Artists): U R Some 1 (mid-October) ++ The Deedle Deedle Dees: Title TBA (Oct. 31) The Secret Mountain: Songs from the Baobob (October) The Ohmies: Morning Wish Garden (October) [prodced by Tor Hyams] ++ Jim Gill: Music Play for Kids of All Stripes (October) The Dirty Sock Funtime Band: Dirty Socks Come Clean (November) ++ Laura Veirs: Tumble Bee: Laura Veirs Sings Folk Songs for Children (November) Chuck Cheesman: Title TBA (fall) Suzi Shelton: Title TBA (fall) Hope Harris: Picasso, That's Who (spring 2012) Andy Z: The Grand Scream of Things (Halloween 2012) [produced by Tor Hyams] Other 2011 albums: Ah-Choo, Peter Apel, Funky Mamas, Big Don, Ratboy, Jr., Todd McHatton. Also, Rockabye Baby for Van Halen, The Police, Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Please Release Me: July 2011 Edition

Time once more for an updated list of new and upcoming releases. (Last month's list is here.) Additions to the list are noted with a "++"; changes to previously-mentioned items are indicated with italics. As always, if I've listed you on here and gotten something wrong (or something not ready for primetime), let me know and I'll edit or delete it. And if you're not on here and think you should be, drop me a line, too, and I'll get you added for the next iteration. ++ The Biscuit Brothers: Get Up And Go (July 10) ++ Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward and Various Artists: Winnie the Pooh soundtrack (July 12) Moey's Music Party: Happily Ever Moey! A Fairy Tale Lark in Central Park (DVD, July 12) Suzy Bogguss: American Folk Songbook (July 18 / Aug. 2) Eric Herman: The Elephant (DVD, July 19) Laurie Berkner: Party Day (DVD, July 26) Hipwaders: Golden State (Aug. 2) ++ Yo Gabba Gabba: Music Makes Me Move (DVD, Aug. 9) The Wiggles: Ukulele Baby! (DVD, Aug. 9) Caspar Babypants: Sing Along! (Aug. 16) Recess Music (Various Artists): Wild Child (mid-August) Maestro Classics: My Name is Handel (Aug. 24) Ben Rudnick & Friends: Live in Lexington: Under the Copper Beech (Aug. 30) [2008 live concert] Music for Little People: Toddler Favorites: The Movie (Aug. 30) ++ Rockabye Baby: Rockabye Baby! 5 Year Anniversary Compilation (August) [Mainly features artists who've yet to receive the Rockabye treatment: Kiss, James Brown, Arcade Fire, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Stevie Wonder, The Kinks, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and the Beastie Boys.] Riff Rockit: Title TBA (CD, DVD, late August) Central Services Board of Education: Title TBA (summer) ++ Professor Banjo: PB and Jam (Sept. 1) In The Nick of Time: Making Silly Faces (Sept. 6) ++ Trout Fishing in America: Chicken Joe Forgets Something Important ++ The Mighty Buzzniks Bug Out (Sept. 11) Rocknoceros: Colonel Purple Turtle (Sept. 13) ++ Dan Zanes and Friends: Little Nut Tree (Sept. 13) Maestro Classics: A Soldier’s Tale (Sept. 15) The Jimmies: Practically Ridiculous (Sept. 20) Randy Kaplan: Mr. Diddie Wah Diddie (Sept. 20) Ted Jacobs: Back to the Garden (Sept. 20) Beethoven's Wig, feat. Richard Perlmutter: Sing Along Piano Classics (Sept. 27). [features piano works by Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, Debussy, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, and Joplin] Andy Z: The Grand Scream of Things (Sept. 30) [produced by Tor Hyams] ++ Groove Kid Nation: Title TBA (September) ++ Laura Doherty: Shining Like a Star (Oct. 1) Hope Harris: Picasso, That's Who (October) Recess Music (Various Artists): U R Some 1 (mid-October) ++ The Secret Mountain: Songs from the Baobob (October) ++ The Ohmies: Morning Wish Garden (October) [prodced by Tor Hyams] The Dirty Sock Funtime Band: Title TBA (November) Suzi Shelton: Title TBA (fall) Milkshake: Title TBA plus Holiday Album Title TBA (Fall 2011) Other 2011 albums: Ah-Choo, Alastair Moock, Peter Apel, Funky Mamas, Deedle Deedle Dees, Big Don, Mr. Richard, Chuck Cheesman, Ratboy, Jr., Todd McHatton, Jim Gill. Also, Rockabye Baby for Van Halen, The Police, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Madonna.

Share: "Freeze Tag" - The Not-Its! (World Premiere)

TagYoureIt.jpgSeattle band The Not-Its! release their third album Tag, You're It! tomorrow, June 28, and the leadoff track is everything a summertime hit should be -- it rocks, it's catchy, and by combining the game of tag with popsicles, it covers a kids' quintessential summertime experience. In short, it totally earns the band's exclamation point. Now, courtesy of the band, I'm happy to offer this track as a world premiere download in advance of tomorrow's album release. Stream it or for a limited time download it as well, either here or in the player below. The downloading window's over, but the album's out now... Freeze Tag - The Not-Its! by zooglobble

Dan Zanes' New Album: Little Nut Tree (Release Date: Sept. 27)

LittleNutTree_lowres.jpgThere to the left is the cover art for Dan Zanes' new album, Little Nut Tree, which will be released on Zanes' Festival Five Records on September 13 now September 27. (Woo!) As always, the album features a cavalcade of stars: Andrew Bird ("I Don't Need Sunny Skies,” a Zanes original), Sharon Jones (R&B classic “Down in the Basement”) the Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars (the title track, originally by the Melodians), and Joan Osborne (another Zanes original, “Everybody’s Going to be Happy”). In addition to the big names, longtime Zanes fans will be happy to hear that in addition to his band (featuring Sonia De Los Santos, Colin Brooks, Saskia Lane and Elena Moon Park), other past collaborators such as Father Goose, Barbara Brousal, Bonga, Simon Kirke, Donald Saaf, and Tareq Abboushi will be on the album. Also appearing will Shawana Kemp AKA Shine from Shine and the Moonbeams, who is poised to make a big splash on the kids music scene in the upcoming year. Zanes is embracing the idea that this album is a "return" to family music. (His albums after the Grammy-winning Catch That Train! weren't necessarily in that vein, with spiriturally-themed, Spanish-language, and Broadway-sourced albums made in the meantime.) He cites Smithsonian Folkways albums as an inspiration and as for its general mood, Zanes says, "Little Nut Tree is the grooviest of the Dan Zanes and Friends family series CDs although you could still nap to it if you needed to." Nap to a DZ CD? Never! And, yes, Donald Saaf is doing the artwork, full board book style, once again for those folks like me still wedded to the physical medium for their music.

Please Release Me: June 2011 Edition

It is time again for my updated list of new and upcoming releases. (Last month's list is here.) As always, if I've listed you on here and gotten something wrong (or something not ready for primetime), let me know and I'll edit or delete it. And if you're not on here and think you should be, drop me a line, too, and I'll get you added for the next iteration. I've slightly changed the update conventions from last month. Additions to the list are how noted with a "++"; changes to previously-mentioned items are still indicated with italics. ++ Rockabye Baby: Lullaby Renditions of Def Leppard (June 14) Recess Monkey: FLYING! (June 21) Putumayo Kids - Kids World Party (June 28) Rock the Cradle: Dreamin' with Def Leppard (June 28) [new lullaby series from Tor Hyams' Happiness Records feat. Def Leppard band members] ++ The Not-Its!: Tag, You're It! (June 28) Charlie Hope: Songs, Stories and Friends: Let's Go Play! (June) Egg: Hard Boiled (June) Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke: Hey Pepito! EP (July 1) Moey's Music Party: Happily Ever Moey! A Fairy Tale Lark in Central Park (DVD, July 12) ++ Suzy Bogguss: American Folk Songbook (July 18 / Aug. 2) Eric Herman: The Elephant (DVD, July 19) [watch one of three amusing spoof preview videos here.] Laurie Berkner: Party Day (DVD, July 26) ++ Ben Rudnick & Friends: Live in Lexington (July) [double CD set, 2008 live concert] Hipwaders: Golden State (Aug. 2) ++ The Wiggles: Ukulele Baby! (DVD, Aug. 9) The Jimmies: Practically Ridiculous (Aug. 16) ++ Recess Music (Various Artists): Wild Child (mid-August) ++ Maestro Classics: My Name is Handel (Aug. 24) ++ Music for Little People: Toddler Favorites: The Movie (Aug. 30) ++ Riff Rockit: Title TBA (CD, DVD, late August) Central Services Board of Education: Title TBA (summer) ++ In The Nick of Time: Making Silly Faces (Sept. 6) Rocknoceros: Colonel Purple Turtle (Sept. 13) ++ Maestro Classics: A Soldier’s Tale (Sept. 15 Caspar Babypants: Sing Along! (Sept. 20) ++ Ted Jacobs: Back to the Garden (Sept. 20) ++ Beethoven's Wig, feat. Richard Perlmutter: Sing Along Piano Classics (Sept. 27). [features piano works by Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, Debussy, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, and Joplin] Andy Z: The Grand Scream of Things (Sept. 30) [produced by Tor Hyams] Hope Harris: Picasso, That's Who (October) ++ Recess Music (Various Artists): U R Some 1 (mid-October) ++ The Dirty Sock Funtime Band: Title TBA (November) ++ Suzi Shelton: Title TBA (fall) Randy Kaplan: Mr. Diddie Wah Diddie (fall?) Milkshake: Title TBA plus Holiday Album Title TBA (Fall 2011) Other 2011 albums: Ah-Choo, Alastair Moock, Peter Apel, Funky Mamas, Dan Zanes, Big Don, Mr. Richard, Chuck Cheesman, Ratboy, Jr., Todd McHatton, Jim Gill. Also, Rockabye Baby for Van Halen, The Police, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Madonna.