Now that it's still light at bedtime, my kids are bouncing off the walls when I try to tuck them under their covers at night. I need help, and I'll take it in the form of Sunflow's latest CD, the lullaby collection Under the Stars . It's…
At only 16 minutes long, The Hipwaders EP, Goodie Bag may be short but it's still the perfect little morsel of music for a quick drive across town, or to get us moving during a speed-cleanup session before company arrives. This Bay Area …
I've done enough seven-hour road trips with the kids to know that the right music can eliminate the fear of "are we there yet? " So before strapping the kids into their car seats, I spruce up our music collection with some new tunes for …
The fact that Billy Jonas' Knock Knock song has taught my kids a bunch of jokes that are actually funny is alone worth the price of his new CD, Happy Accidents . But on top of that, Happy Accidents has loads of smart, humor-full and funk…
It's already been ten years that Putumayo's eclectic playground series has been introducing families like mine to kid-friendly music from around the globe -- from New Orleans, Brazil and even a multi-cultural Sesame Street. And now the n…
Let's be honest, you get to a certain age and concert tees sort of lose their appeal (or should). But if you've got an inner groupie hiding in there somewhere, you are so going to love the Guitar String Bracelet Charity Project from Wear…
The first time I heard Recess Monkey a few weeks back, I instantly fell in love with their unique sound and smart lyrics. This Seattle based three-man band combines kooky with clever in their new album, Field Trip , to create songs that …
I've read a few reviews that liken Ben Rudnick & Friends' new CD, A Frog Named Sam , to a kid-friendly Grateful Dead or Phish album which I guess could be a real plus for a lot of people. For me, though, who spent one blurry weekend at a…
I think that one of my roles as a parent is to expose my kids to music that doesn't suck, so when I see one of them reaching to put on Bunny Clogs' CD, More! More! More! , I breathe a little sigh of relief that they are choosing somethin…
This weekend I had the pleasure of attending Stinkfest (hereon forward known as Kindiefest ), a conference for the very cool if fairly small indie rock music for kids world. There was a running joke throughout the day about how many pitc…
Robbert Bobbert, aka Robert Schneider of the very cool indie rock group The Apples In Stereo, showcases his unique voice with Beach Boy-esque backing harmonies and experimental sound combos in his new self-titled CD for kids, Robbert Bob…
I know less Spanish than the average eighth grader, so I was a tad skeptical about my ability to review a CD called Spanglish Sing-Along! (Exclamation point theirs.) I shouldn't have worried. Miami's Spanglish Wrangler, aka Will Thomas, …
My taste in music runs more in the indie vein, but in kids' music, you've gotta hand it to Trout Fishing in America who have been putting out Grammy-nominated, family-friendly folksy rock for about 30 years. But this time around, they've…
I thought I knew what to expect when I saw the cover art on Mama Mac's self-titled kids' CD : I was sure there would be an acoustic version of Kumbaya and maybe a few 70's folk songs. Boy, was I wrong. A veteran of the LA indie music sce…
Listening to Molly, Jay and J.P. of Lunch Money sing about the stuff of childhood makes me nostalgic for the days when spinning around in a circle didn't leave me feeling queasy. In fact, their new kids' music album, Dizzy , is an ode to…
You know the indie pop band Presidents of the United States of America? Well now lead singer Chris Ballew has an alter ego called Caspar Babypants, and he's replaced the more grown up alt-rock sound with a more folksy beat and lyrics esp…
When my kids heard Schoolhouse Rock was coming out with a new DVD, Schoolhouse Rock! Earth , they were as excited as I was, seeing that they've heard the original songs since they were old enough to say Unpack Your Adjectives . I can't t…
My love affair with Rick started when I was just young girl and I heard Jessie's Girl come blasting on the radio. Twenty something years later, it's still my favorite song of all time. (And there is a video of me singing it at a karaoke …
Pirates may be lawless, mean and smelly, but I'm having a blast listening to the buccaneering rock of Portland, Oregon's Captain Bogg & Salty on their new CD , Emphatical Piratical . And fortunately, instead of telling my kids to rob and…
I'd like to thank Donny, Marc and Ben of Atlanta's The Baby Grands for helping to bring my heart rate down after another "we're late!", mad-dash to the car with the kids. Hearing their cool, Jack Johnson-esque musical style paired with s…
Hearing an eight-year-old belt out a song about romantic love, or a six-year-old mournfully sing about the end of high school is a bit unsettling. Fortunately, I have found Cathy Heller, whose debut CD, Say Hello to the Sun , gives my ki…
After listening to the 24 bite-sized songs on Parry Gripp's Do You Like Waffles? , I'm pretty certain he could come up with a rockin' song about any food product out there. In fact, this album was born after Parry tried his hand at comme…
I'm a woman without singing ability. Also, my sense of rhythm is limited to 4/4 time. But when my daughter developed an interest in scat after hearing about it on a kids' television show, it was time for some musical research. No need fo…
Mommy, why you shakin' your booty ?, my son asked a few minutes after we popped in Easy , the 2008 release from Secret Agent 23 Skidoo . Never mind where a four-year-old learns such language, Easy is one cool hip-hop CD with music that i…