There are days when I just want to listen to something a
bit more aggressive than the usual children’s music fare. But, I learned a
valuable lesson the day I jumped out of the minivan while the kids sat
inside listening to Fatboy Slim’s F-bomb-laden In Heaven: my CD selection is not
safe for kids.
I’ve recently come across a couple of bands who must know my story all
too well. Candy Band is made up of four Detroit moms who love to play
loud, fast, punky music, but keep the lyrics safely G-rated. Just
thinking of what their live concerts must look like puts a smile on my
face. Tiny mosh pits? Doll crowd surfing?
Their latest CD, Calling All
Kids, features songs with ridiculously clever lyrics, thumping drums
and head-bobbing bass and guitar riffs. I love their twist on Simon
Says which gets anyone listening into the game. Octopus On My Head
has a cheerful chorus with a twisted story line. Their last song,
Monsters, features a– be still my heart– live youth orchestra
that helps them tear through the song at a furious pace, wailing violins and all.
My other find is the Boogers, whose new kids’ album, Road to Rock,
sounds like a cross between The Ramones and a book of nursery rhymes. I do wish
they had chosen a less um, evocative band name, but have to admit that
these guys rock whether they are singing their own This Song is about
Transportation, the familiar Itsy Bitsy Spider, or Fish Will Fly which
uses The Ramones’ Judy is a Punk for its melody.
Both bands are so much fun, they almost make me forget that the only
live concerts I can stay awake for anymore are ones that end before 10. –Christina
Candy Band’s Calling All
Kids available at CandyBand.com
The Boogers’ Road to Rock available at CD Baby
