Video: "Under the Big Umbrella" - Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could

Brady Rymer - Under the Big Umbrella cover art

We are in the midst of spring (or, if you’re in the desert Southwest, rapidly approaching summer), which means that it’s time for a sunnier attitude.

And as I think about kids’ musicians, Brady Rymer is right near the top of the list of those with sunnier attitudes. On May 17th, Rymer and his Little Band That Could release his tenth (!) studio album, Under the Big Umbrella.

Now, you might be thinking that I’ve failed in my narrative approach — “sunny” and “umbrella” being a more unusual pairing of words — but the album title track definitely takes more of a metaphorical than a meteorological view of the phrase. (If there were a camping-themed song here, it’d be titled “Big Tent" to be sure.) The whole album’s musical and lyrical approach will sound familiar to Rymer’s fans — roots-pop originals with an expansive sound and lyrics that welcome all. (These songs in particular were inspired by Rymer’s request for kids at a New Jersey elementary school for what was meaningful to them.) It’s a sunny set of tracks, hopeful in many ways.

We’re happy to be premiering the brand new video for “Under the Big Umbrella.” It’s a simple lyric video, but since it features the charming illustrations and hand-letterings of illustrator Emily Balsley, who did that cover art up there, that’s A-OK by me. (Go here for links to your favorite non-video way to listen to the track.)

Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could - “Under the Big Umbrella” [YouTube]

Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could - photo by Jayme Thornton

Photo credit: Jayme Thornton

Better Late Than Never: 2016 Children's Grammy Nominee Reviews

One of the embarrassing things about writing about the nominees for the 59th Annual Grammy Award for Best Children's Album is that even though I did so in late January 2017, many months after the 5 nominated albums were released, I had only reviewed one of the 5 nominees, Frances England's Explorer of the World.

So while I'm transitioning out of more intensive review mode into something... else, I did want to make sure I added a few words about each of these nominees.

As I went back and listened to these albums, or at least these following four albums, I was struck by the idea that these albums weren't necessarily albums that took incredible creative leaps beyond what the artists had done before.  Instead, these albums are good examples of the type of music some of kindie's most popular and consistent artists have to offer.

Let's start with the act that's been the most prolific for the longest time, Seattle trio Recess Monkey.  The biggest -- and really only -- novelty of Novelties, the band's 13th (!) album, is the fact that it was released on Amazon Music and can only be purchased or streamed there.  Aside from that, it's another  solid collection of pop-rock songs pitched at your favorite ever-so-slightly snarky 7-year-old.  Yes, the song "Sweaty Yeti" is every bit as silly as that title might suggest.  Compared to other albums of theirs like Desert Island Disc, Novelties dials up the clown prince factor, and dials down the emotional factor which, while never prevalent, sometimes played a supporting role.  But this is immediately identifiable as a Recess Monkey album and given the large role the band has played in encouraging other kindie musicians and their consistency (13 albums in, like, 12 years), the Grammy nomination was deserved.

Next we have Press Play, from New York's Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could.  If Recess Monkey's calling card has been silliness and high energy, Rymer's has been emotionally open roots rock, and he's been offering it for even longer than Recess Monkey, albeit at not quite as frenetic a pace.  (Press Play is Rymer's eighth album for families, dating back to the year 2000.)  Rymer sings unironically about the virtues of trying new things, being kind, and the blessings of family.  They're the kind of sentiments that, stripped of Rymer's energetic singing and his harmony-filled Little Band That Could, could feel cheesy or trite.  But Rymer's music has always managed to move past that and make those valuable notions on tracks like the country-tinged "Dress in Blue" and the horn-and-organ-aided "Chain Reaction" fun to dance to.  Rymer earned another Grammy nomination for Press Play, and it's because his music usually goes down as comfortable as a plate of burger and fries in the hometown diner the band is posing in an album photo.  

The only one of this year's nominees who had previously won a Grammy (for Can You Canoe?), The Okee Dokee Brothers, came back with the final album in their three-part "Adventure Album series," Saddle Up.  As you can probably guess from the title, after traveling down the Mississippi River and up the Appalachian Trail, this time the duo went out west, spending a month on horseback in June 2015.  So there's more of a cowboy theme to their music, though I wouldn't describe this album as the boys going full Riders in the Sky.  As with the album's two predecessors, this album gently weaves a few more traditional songs (such as "Ragtime Cowboy Joe") into the originals.  One of the niftiest tracks is "Sister Moon and Brother Sun," which features Navajo lyrics on a story with Native American roots -- its mere presence on a "Western" album is, if not groundbreaking, at least noteworthy for its relative rarity.  The album features a slick DVD, and while the boys didn't earn another Grammy for this one, I think the three Adventure albums are definitely one of the most critically (and, comparatively, commercially) successful trio of kids' albums of the 21st century.  Fans of the Okee Dokee Brothers would likely have taken this just as much to heart as their two previous albums.

Last on this list of reviews is the actual Grammy winner this year, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, a previous nominee and first-time winner for Infinity Plus One.  Skidoo continues to be the most vibrant practitioner of hip-hop for the younger set -- nobody else is as consistently intricate lyrically and musically.  I don't think Infinity Plus One is quite as... weird as its predecessor The Perfect Quirk, but it is far out, man.  Literally.  Because as you might guess from the album art, Skidoo's got a serious deep space vibe going on here.  A song like "Pillowfight Pillowfort" seems in the distant past at this point.  I'd say the whole album is more space-inspired than space-themed (the killer track "Secret Superhero" isn't really about space, for example), but in more than a couple places he proves to be a huge Carl Sagan fan.

As always, one of the secret weapons of Secret Agent 23 Skidoo albums' high repeat listenability is the depth of the musical arrangements.  You might hear "hip hop" in terms of the album description and think there's no connection with, say, Brady Rymer's roots-rock, but tracks like "Young Soul" and "Long Days & Short Years" would not sound out of place at all on Rymer's album.  (Actually, can we get a Skidoo/Rymer collaboration?  Thanks in advance.)  Infinity Plus One is a very solid collection of songs targeted more at the upper elementary school crowd, and while I think any of Skidoo's albums are a worthy entry point to his work for your family, this newly Grammy-crowned work is definitely an excellent place to start.  I'd recommend all these albums -- hopefully I've given enough clues to suggest which might be most appropriate if you're entirely new to kids music.

Very finally, I would be remiss if I didn't re-remind you of the review I did for Frances England's Explorer of the World, the other album nominated in this category.  I described it as "more experimental than most kids music," and if the four albums above are more refinements of the artists' individual artistic paths, I think Explorer shows off England's exploration (appropriately enough) of new paths, particularly in the music arrangements.  Tracks like "City Don't Sleep" feature sonic collages featuring everything but (and probably including) the kitchen sink.  This album was every bit as worthy a Grammy nominee as the four albums above, and I just didn't want you to forget about it as you were considering the albums above.

Video: "Me on the Map" - Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could

Still image from Brady Rymer's "Me on the Map" video

Nothing fancy about this brand new video from Brady Rymer -- just a well-done video with shots of Rymer playing music by himself, making music with kids, and roasting marshmallows in the woods, fields, and beaches near his Long Island home.  A great match for the celebration of home --think Springsteen at his happiest -- from Rymer's latest album Press Play.

(Don't think he's gonna catch many fish with his mandolin, though.)

Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could - "Me on the Map" [YouTube]

Interview: Laurie Berkner

Laurie Berkner is without a doubt a kids' music superstar, known for her albums, TV shows, videos, and so much more.  One might even say that to many preschoolers (and probably not a small number of current aspiring kids' musicians), she's kind of a hero.

This week Berkner releases Superhero (see what I did there?), her first un-themed album of all-new music since Rocketship Run, released in 2008.  Which isn't to say she's been relaxing in the meantime -- she's released holiday, lullaby, and classics albums, not to mention written a couple musicals and probably saved some kittens stuck in trees -- but I thought this would be a good time to talk to Berkner about kids' music today and how she keeps her music-making fresh and challenging for her after 20 years making music for families.

And the secret thrill she gets from writing musicals.

---

Zooglobble: Who are your superheroes?  Why?

Laurie Berkner: Oh man, there are so many for so many different reasons.  Here is my answer for today.  Ask me again tomorrow and I’ll have another list for you.

The first people who come to mind are: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Susie Lampert, Lucy and Brian Mueller, and Hannah Shaw.

-- Lin-Manuel for changing the face and sound of musicals through a creative risk that he spent six years of his life on, and for being someone who stands up for what he believes in (like breaking down stereotypes and fighting for immigrant rights).

-- Susie, for how she gets so much joy from giving both as a musician and as a psychiatric nurse for people with serious mental illnesses.

-- My daughter Lucy for navigating through the world of being a kid with her unique brand of creativity and kindness towards others and in that way being a teacher for me.

-- My husband Brian for never giving up on discovering his true calling and having the persistence and humility to go back to school at 40 years old alongside kids right out of college and finally get his PhD in psychology so he can do what he was meant to do and help other people with his insight and compassion.

-- Hannah Shaw (who is someone I just recently discovered) for making a career out of rescuing neonatal kittens who would otherwise be euthanized and fostering them until they are healthy enough- and old enough - to be adopted, as well as educating others in how to help these animals themselves. (Oh, and she’s also a rap artist!).

I admire and respect all of them so much for pursuing the things that they are good at, and that bring themselves and other people so much pleasure.  

It’s been about 8 years since the release of Rocketship Run -- what inspired you to start work on Superhero after that long break?

I had been writing and recording a lot in the interim, but everything I did was either based on a theme (Christmas, lullabies, classics, songs for the musicals I was working on) or because I was hired to write something for a specific purpose.  It felt like it was time to let my imagination be free and write a new batch of songs where I was just thinking about kids, and things I thought were fun or that I would want to sing about.  It was both wonderful and very daunting. I felt very free to write about anything that inspired me, but at the same time there were so many things that inspired me, it was hard to narrow down all of the choices!  I wrote 21 songs for this album and started many more that didn’t make it on there. 

Superhero album cover

You have a handful of duets on Superhero -- how do you decide who you’d like to sing with, is that a function of the song or the artist?

I always start with whom I would like to sing with.  Then I find a song that I think they would enjoy singing and that will bring out what they do best. I have so much fondness for both Brady Rymer and Kira Willey that I was very excited to ask them to be a part of this album.  I asked Kira before I had even finished writing the songs and was happy when I realized her lovely airy voice would sound so good (along with her violin playing!) on "Swing Me."  With Brady, I knew he would be playing on the album as part of the band and immediately thought of his voice once we had recorded the instrumental parts of "Opelika, Alabama."  Maybe it’s partially because I remember listening to his song “Road Trip” so many times in the car when my daughter, Lucy, was younger. He mentions so many fun names of towns and he has such a down-to-earth kind of energy, I just thought he would nail the vocals on that one.  He did.

With Ziggy [Marley], I was inspired to ask him because of having sung with him once before on his album, Family Time.  I love the way we sounded together on that album, and I’m a big fan so I was honored that he agreed to sing on Superhero with me.  I really love his voice and wanted it to be featured on a track that felt like a real duet, with two distinct characters.  It soon became clear that "My Marisol" was that song.

Have you found that writing or performing music is easier because those muscles are so well developed or harder because you’ve been doing it for so long that it’s harder to feel like it’s fresh?

That’s a great question … I definitely find performing easier now than it was when I started.  I’m still nervous before every show, but it’s less so now because I can remind myself how much I enjoy singing with everyone once I get on stage.  When I was younger I used to feel like I was actually going to throw up before I would perform.  I couldn’t even stand to do a piano recital in my teacher’s living room without freezing up and crying.

As for writing, I’m not sure if it’s easier now or harder.  I have much higher expectations of myself now that I’ve been doing it for so long, and sometimes that self-criticism really stifles my creativity. I used to just make up songs on my way to work as a pre-school music specialist so I would have new material for that day. Now I often tweak and play with a song idea for a much longer time than a 45-minute commute.  At the same time, the actual process of writing a song when I have a deadline is less of a mystery to me now, so I have many more strategies I can use to get the writing process started if I’m struggling. 

You’ve written a couple musicals and are working on a third -- what is the best part about working on a musical as opposed to writing and performing on your own or with a band?

I love that there is a story that I have to help move along and that I’m writing in different voices for different characters.  I’m not really very good at envisioning the musical as a whole before I’ve written the songs or before I have seen the actors play their parts, so when it does finally all come together it’s an incredibly moving experience.  I love hearing other people sing my songs well and in ways that I would never be able to do myself, and I love being IN THE AUDIENCE!  I never get to do that at my own concerts.  To experience my music along with other people as a listener is just the greatest experience.  It’s like being a fly on the wall, especially when people around me don’t notice it’s me sitting next to them while they are reacting to the show. 

Laurie Berkner sitting in chair

What makes you most nervous about being a (kids) musician in 2016... and what makes you most excited?

Most nervous: streaming services like Spotify, because they pay so little and make selling albums so much harder. Therefore it’s difficult to make a living as a musician -  which is something I have worked very hard to do for the last 20 years. 

Most excited: all of the possibilities for making and sharing music.  Because it’s so easy to access music now, that many more people can experience it, enjoy it, and share it.  It is amazing to me that when I started out, in order for people to hear my music I had to sing for them live or I had to get my cassette tapes directly into their hands.  The only way for me to do those things was to gig a lot and sell the music to them myself.

Now I can share my music on YouTube and millions of people can watch it any time they want, and I can sell my music online (or put in on a streaming service like Spotify!) and anyone who wants to hear it has access to it.  That is AMAZING to me. It also allows me to make connections with other musicians and my fans so much more easily.  I love that ability to be more connected to the people I admire and who care about what I’m doing.

Photo credit: Darrell Hoemann Photography (top), Steve Vaccariello/wardrobe by Corinne Barlow (bottom)

Video: "Press Play" - Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could (World Premiere!)

Still image from "Press Play" video

This new video for "Press Play" from Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could, well, it just grooves along in so many different ways.

First, you've got the song itself, which bubbles along so happily.  Then you've got the production design for the video, which has such a groovy '60s vibe that I half expect someone to come on in the middle and say "Sock it to me."  And then there's the band members, many of whom look... oddly familiar.  Rymer asks if you recognize any of the legendary musical icons represented here.  (As for me, my favorite is the Mozart-by-way-of-Jerry-Lee-Lewis.)

In any case, this video for Press Play's title track is a treat and I'm pleased to offer up the world premiere here.  All you need to do is press... well, you know.

Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could - "Press Play" [YouTube]