Listen To This: "Washington, DC" - The Not-Its! (World Premiere / Free Download!)

The Not-Its - Washington, DC single cover

The Not-Its - Washington, DC single cover

Sure, some of you may be thinking about Valentine's Day, but the more politically minded among us have already moved on to my favorite holiday in February: Presidents' Day.

It celebrates Presidents Washington and Lincoln, and I guess every president, and besides the 3-day weekend it gives many workers, it's also an opportunity to think about the nation's political process, leaders, and the people's role in self-governance.

The Not-Its! brand new album Are You Listening? is released this Friday, February 19th, and their latest single is titled "Washington, DC."  And while it starts out as a travelogue, it segues into about as nuanced a discussion of the political process as you'd expect from a pop-punk song targeted at 6-year-olds.  Are you listening?  Well, I'm making it as easy as I can -- for a limited time you can not only stream but also download the track below.

(Art by Not-Its! drummer Michael Welke)

The Not-Its - "Washington, DC" [Soundcloud]

Halloween 2014 Kids' Songs

Nothing like a last-minute roundup of holiday-related music, right?  If you want a much, much larger list, head here for a massive list of kid-friendly Halloween music, but here's a roundup of videos and tracks for your streaming pleasure. Blast it out your front door speaker at the trick-or-treaters Friday night.

As a bonus, I'll give you a Spookglobble rating -- 1 is for everyone, 2 is mildly scary (but should be fine for all but the most sensitive -- think slightly worrisome for a 3-year-old), and 3 could be scary for some kids.

Bears and Lions - "Halloween Is Finally Here": No PANCAKE! SWEEPSTAKES!, sadly, but it's good to have B&L music in any form, even seasonal.  Spookglobble rating: 2

Eric Herman - "Monster League Baseball" [YouTube]: It's a comedy sketch about, well, monsters playing baseball.  Spookglobble rating: 1

The Hipwaders - "Pumpkinhead" [YouTube]: As the band says in the description for the video, this is a cautionary tale regarding the dangers of too much Halloween candy. Perhaps play this for your kids before they go out Halloween night?

Mista Cookie Jar and the Chocolate Chips - "Halloween Every Night" [YouTube]: Surf-hop? MCJ's sound is sui generis, and this song commemorating both trick-or-treating and the cultural trappings of the holiday, is a mashup like everything else they do. Spookglobble rating: 1.7.

The Flannery Brothers - "Robot for Halloween" [YouTube]: Happy, joyful song about creating a Halloween costume. (I think you can guess what kind of costume). Bonus: download the song (and two others) for free! The song's a year-old, but some of that candy may be, too.  Spookglobble rating: 1.  (h/t: Cool Mom Tech)

Jazzy Ash - "Monsters": Gentle strut disproving the entire existence of monsters.  Spoilsport!  (Just kidding!) Spookglobble rating: 1.1

Charity and the JAMband - "Halloween": Another costume-celebrating track, celebrating all sorts of costumes. Also free for a limited time. Spookglobble rating: 1.

Joanie Leeds - "Confusing Costume": As someone who went as a "Black Hole" complete with a picture of Maxmillian Schell last year, I can relate.  Spookglobble rating: 1.

You Get a Present for Spare the Rock and Zooglobble's Birthday

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So ten years ago this week, this humble little website was born (more on that a little bit later this week).  And nine years ago earlier this month a humble little radio show, Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child, first aired.  In that time, I've written hundreds of reviews and featured hundreds of reviews, while Bill Childs and his kids have played thousands of songs on air (and internet).  We've done lots of other stuff separately and together, and we each have new and exciting projects in the works, but my site has always been at the heart of what I do, and I'm sure Bill feels the same way about his show.

I thought it might be fun to celebrate both this site's birthday as well as Spare the Rock starting its tenth year on the air, something that might span a year's worth of time.  And, yes, Bill was very much onboard.

So we're pleased as punch to announce the first in a series of free kids music tracks for you to enjoy.  Bill and I are talking to some of our favorite kids' musicians, both those making music for kids even before we hopped onto the Internet as well as newer artists continuing to shake up the genre, asking them if they'd be willing to write a song to give away.

But in the spirit of collaboration Bill and I have often shared, we're asking them to write and record those songs with another kindie musician.

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Our first track is called "When I'm Ten" and it's from Seattle-area bands and friends Recess Monkey and The Not-Its.  It's bit of a nod to the Not-Its' song "When I'm Five," but it's got a crunchiness (and slightly older perspective) all its own.  Recess Monkey bassist Jack Forman reports that "writing the tune with Drew [Holloway from Recess Monkey], Sarah [Shannon] and Danny [Adamson, both from the Not-Its] was totally organic - like we'd all been in a band for years."

Play the song below or download it -- for the next month only -- here.  [Sorry, the month has expired. Will the song ever resurface? Who knows????]

(Recess Monkey photo credit: Kevin Fry)

Weekly Summary (4/7/14 - 4/13/14)

Video: "All These Shapes" - The Pop Ups (plus free download!)

When it comes to '80s-aping synth-pop kindie tunes, there is nobody who's currently writing them any better than The Pop Ups.  "Box of Crayons," the lead single from their latest album, Radio Jungle, was awesome, and they've earned their next "awesome lead single" badge for the song "All These Shapes."  It's the first track on Appetite for Construction, their eagerly-anticipated third album, out later this spring. (They've also earned their "awesome album title" badge, as well.)

The song is wonderful -- a soaring, synth-y chorus, and lyrics that both inspire the little ones (and maybe the big ones) and have enough Easter eggs of lyrical content to keep the big ones amused.  The video, featuring hand-drawn art from Pop Up Jacob Stein (if you see them in concert, you'll know that drawing is a feature of their gigs), illustrates (in many ways) the themes of the song.  Much fun.

The Pop Ups - "All These Shapes" [YouTube] (via Cooper & Kid)

P.S. -- would you like a free download of the song?  Here you go:

Free Music (and New Video) from Todd McHatton

In the glass-half-empty/glass-half-full approach to looking at this, you could either say, "Stefan, it's been 48 hours since Todd McHatton made all his music free for download, and you're only telling me now? Grr!"

Or, you could be in the spirit of the season and view the glass as half-full (or more) and say, "Stefan, thanks for giving me 48 hours to download Todd McHatton's music for free!"

That's right, through Dec. 25, you can download of the California power/psychedelic popster's family-friendly music for free.  Just go to McHatton's Bandcamp page and begin.

And while you're downloading away, check out McHatton's latest self-animated video for his song "Santa Flying In Your Sleigh," a fun track from his Christmas Songs album, which he updates (almost) annually -- this year the update features a brand new "I Think I'm a Bunny" holiday remix.  Christmas joy to go around!

Todd McHatton - "Santa Flying In Your Sleigh" [YouTube]