Happy 2010! - January 1, 2010
Walking Oliver wishes you a happy, peaceful and musical new year!
Walking Oliver: News & Reviews
Season's Greetings! - December 28, 2009
Walking Oliver would like to wish you all the very best cheer for this holiday season. We actually had snow here in the south of England for the second time in one year!
Snowmen were in abundance and it seemed like we were constantly dodging sleds whizzing by, often driven by red-faced adults with maniacal childish grins on their faces.
See you in 2010. Until then, keep listening to good music!
Cheers!
Paul
Two more Christmas songs to check out! - November 24, 2009
Here are two terrific artists that Walking Oliver is now distributing for in the UK––singer Susie Tallman and long-time folk rock duo, Trout Fishing in America. Both have Christmas CDs available (Get Susie's here and the Trouts here!) and here are a track from each album for you to listen to as many times as you want!
Santa Brought Me Clothes!
(by Trout Fishing in America)
In the Bleak Mid-Winter (by Susie Tallman)
There are more great Christmas songs coming your way between now and the 25th of December, so check back often!
Christmas is coming. . . . - November 8, 2009
Hey, we know it's early but we also know some of you out there are already doing your Christmas shopping. Well, here's an opportunity to listen to the first 5 songs from our hit Christmas CD, "Don't Want No Bones for Christmas" without shelling out a penny!
We like try before you buy deals!
In the hopes, of course that you'll find it irresistible and order 4 or 5 as Christmas presents. The CD features a booklet designed and illustrated by award-winning master scribbler, Korky Paul! And all lyrics are included, as well.
It's a dance-along, sing-along unforgettable Christmas album and we hope you enjoy listening to it! If you decide to order it, you can click the link above or use the BUY CDs tab and then choose Walking Oliver. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
Come join the new WO Blog! - October 30, 2009
http://walkingoliver.blogspot.com/
Come be part of a new community that is sure to introduce you to a whole new way of looking at music. Share your thoughts and opinions and support quality music for family listening.
Downloads now available! - October 5, 2009
Downloads now available!
The good news is you’ll now find the original Walking Oliver catalogue of songs available once again for downloading under the Songs-MP3s tab over there on the left. Once you click there you’ll be presented with a list of CD titles. Clicking on any of them will bring up the list of song titles on that CD with an accompanying audio clip link, and clicking on the song title will bring you to that song’s page which contains the song lyrics, another audio clip, and an ADD TO CART button which will let you purchase the song through PayPal and download it to your computer’s hard drive. There you will have it forever and always!
The new website is much faster and easier than the older one because you don’t have to create an account with us first. Clicking on the ADD TO CART button takes you directly to our PayPal page and once you’ve paid you can download the song directly from there by clicking on the RETURN TO WALKING OLIVER button. You can put as many songs as you like into your PayPal cart and pay for them all at once.
Of course, if you prefer to buy the physical CD and have us ship it to you, click on the BUY CDs tab instead and we'll have it in the post to you within 24 hours.
We’re working hard to have the rest of our artists music up and available for downloading as soon as possible–– hopefully before Christmas if all goes according to plan.
And remember, you’ll always find our freebie downloads available under the VAULTS OF WALKING OLIVER tab and we will be adding to them on a pretty regular basis, so stop back often!
Announcing Walking Oliver Distribution! - September 22, 2009
Whoa! Check this out!
Walking Oliver takes a bold step this month. To begin with we’ve opened a new arm to the business –– Walking Oliver Distribution. We are now the exclusive UK distributors for nearly a dozen fantastic American Family Music artists!
For years I’ve been hoping to find a way to introduce this great music (and these great artists!) to a UK audience and I’m really pleased to say that we’re finally able to do just that.
We now have in stock a treasure trove of some of the very best of Family Music imported from America!
Here are some of the great musicians you’ll soon be able to find here in the shops––
Trout Fishing in America – This great folk-rock duo has been rocking family audiences since the late 70s (!) and is still going stronger than ever. With 4 Grammy Award nominations under their belts and numerous parenting awards, this is one of the groups who started the Family Music movement in the US.
Medeski, Martin & Wood – This trio of avante/funk jazzers is an unlikely group to be making an album for family listening but when they did it a whole lot of people sat up and went, “WOW!” For something really different and truly infectious check these guys out!
Lunch Money – The first time I heard Lunch Money’s lead singer Molly Ledford’s voice singing “Silly Reflection” I thought I was in love. This is a voice and a band that will keep you smiling from beginning to end. Funny, smart, poppy and a little punky, it’s impossible not to love these guys.
Daddy A Go Go – Daddy A Go Go’s John Boydston has been a family favourite in the US for years and a mainstay of the Family Music movement. Carrying the torch for real rock ‘n roll, John has a wicked sense of parodic humour and a keen ear for what kids will love to sing along to. Amazon critics have awarded 6 of their CDs “Best of the Year.”
And this is just a taster! To really get a sense of what I’m on about here click the BUY CDs tab over there on your left and have a look and a listen to these, and the rest of the great new artists that Walking Oliver is proud to be representing.
Best of all, you don’t have to wait for these CDs to show up in the high street shops. If you like what you hear you can order today through the Walking Oliver website. We’ll ship your CDs to you within 24 hours of getting your order.
Here's wishing you and your family happy listening!
The Walking Oliver Team
The Fastest-growing Segment of the Music Business: Family Entertainment - August 28, 2009
Walking Oliver, the award-winning U.K.-based children’s music label is pleased to announce the formation of Walking Oliver Distribution, a subsidiary of the company whose goal is to introduce children’s music and family music artists from North America to audiences in Britain and Europe.
With a keen awareness of the demand in the U.S. for quality family friendly musical fare, Walking Oliver is unique amongst British companies having helped pioneer this burgeoning market on both sides of the Atlantic with great success since 2003.
Encouraged by recent events such as KindieFest and the success of such Family Music artists as Dan Zanes, Brady Rymer and Lunch Money, Walking Oliver’s director and world-renowned vocalist, Paul Austin Kelly enthuses,
“It’s all the rage now. When we began Walking Oliver there were artists and musicians in the States trying to make a living at playing and recording Family Music, but there wasn’t nearly the buzz that there is now. Suddenly you’ve got well-known pop groups like They Might Be Giants and respected jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood––they’re making really successful CD for kids and families and, more importantly, many of them are touring it all live.”
Starting with a catalog of around forty titles of mostly American imports, Mr. Kelly looks forward to expanding quickly over the next few seasons as more British artists take up the genre. He also looks forward to bringing many of his American artists to the U.K. for live performances possibly as soon as 2011.
Dinosaurs CD wins iParenting Award! - August 10, 2009
Walking Oliver does it again!
We just got the exciting news that our most recent CD “Where Did The Dinosaurs Go?” has won a 2009 iParenting Media Award for Outstanding Audio. We’re really happy to be adding yet another prestigious award to the Kelly family mantlepiece, joining our NAPPA Honors Awards for “Hello Michael Rosen” in 2004 and for “Through Tenderwood” in 2007.
The iParenting Awards seal of approval helps parents and guardians decide what are the best entertainment products for their children. They’re also part of a Disney Internet Group media property.
As you can imagine, we’re all thrilled and would like to thank all of our friends and listeners for their support as well as the wonderful folks at the iParenting Media Awards for their kind recognition.
Here’s the link to 2009 winners’ page if you’d like to have a look.
http://iparentingmediaawards.com/winners/24/Audio.php
Almost there––just a little more fiddling - August 1, 2009
Welcome to the new Walking Oliver website. We're almost there but need a few more days of adding content and fiddling about to get things working smoothly. So by all means have a good look around and if some things seem to be missing or just aren't working quite up to par yet, give us another day or so and then come have another go at it, okay.
We're really excited about this new site and what it has to offer. We think it will be more user-friendly and faster while still a fun place to hang out for a while.
See you!
Paul
Wishing You a Happy 4th! - July 3, 2009
You know the summer is in full swing in the U.S. when the 4th of July rolls around.
America and Britain have been such close friends with common interests and values for so long, it’s hard to imagine a time when they were adversaries. There’s certainly an important lesson in that for everyone.
Whether you’re having a backyard barbeque, going to the beach, attending a ball game or entering the hot dog eating contest at Coney Island, Walking Oliver would like to wish all of our American friends and listeners a happy and safe Independence Day weekend.
Let the fireworks begin.
New CD "Where Did the Dinosaurs Go?" ready for release in March. - February 4, 2009
Well, it's finally finished and due to be released into the American marketplace on March 17th of this year! Here in the UK it might be available even sooner than that. We couldn't be happier!
And how about that new Korky Paul cover, eh? Have you found Oliver yet?
"Where Did the Dinosaurs Go?" is about getting into science and the environment, social issues and animal rights issues––all kinds of interesting topics that are important for kids to be thinking about and discussing in our world today.
And when you have a CD full of songs that are as much fun to listen to and sing along with as these are, you can't help but learn something in the process.
If you can't wait for the CD and want to download it now you can get it here on iTunes US or here on iTunes UK. It's available in many other countries on iTunes, too, so if you don't happen to be either in the US or the UK just go to your local iTunes Store site.
And, hey, if you like the CD? Do us a big favour and leave us a nice review on iTunes, okay? We LOVE that and it makes iTunes take notice of us, too!
Have fun!
Paul
Bravo, Bob Sherman! - January 8, 2009
All of us at Walking Oliver would like to congratulate Bob Sherman the host of the outstanding radio program "Woody's Children" at WFUV in New York on the occasion of the show's 40th anniversary!
Bob Sherman was one of the first radio personalities in the to U.S. to play Walking Oliver songs on the air back when the label was just getting started. For that early recognition, we'll always be grateful.
If you've never heard "Woody's Children" it features folk music in the spirit of the great Woody Guthrie. As folk music has always been very near and dear to my heart and an abundant source of musical inspiration, it was an honor to have been a part of the show.
Once again, congratulations to Bob Sherman and WFUV for 40 years of a job well done!
Woody's Children
The ROOFLESS INTERROGATOR gets funny with a fella named MATT CLARK - December 1, 2008
Hiya music lovers! Oliver here, the Roofless Interrogator, back after a long holiday in Hawaii. Man, you should see my tan! And, being a dog, I’ve got no tan lines! I’m presenting here my latest interview with my newest victim, er, suspect. . . um. . . ARTIST! That’s it––a new artist named Matt Clark who’s got a new CD of music for kids, called Funny Little Fella. Read on and get to know Matt. He’s a pretty swell guy for a human. MC:When I was a kid, my grandparents had a golden lab named Pumpkin. She lived on their fifty-acre farm south of Portland, Oregon where my cousins and I would spend our summers. Pumpkin was our constant companion around the farm, chasing cows with us, swimming in “the crick,” your basic summer on a farm stuff. She was a wonderful dog. She got cancer when I was eight, and my grandpa had to put her down. We cried our eyes out saying goodbye to her. We have our last picture with her in front of my mom’s old Buick Skylark. RI:You got any heroes? Me, I’ve always been partial to Snoopy. Real quiet but I think deep down he’s a bit of a wise guy. Can you name 2 of your heroes and tell me why they are your heroes? MC:Abraham Lincoln is one of my heroes. I admire him for his magnanimity and humility, his intellect and humor, and his wonderful political prose (his Second Inaugural Address brings tears to my eyes every time I read it). He was a masterful politician, bringing such divergent personalities and differing political viewpoints into his cabinet, and then dealing successfully with a lot of infighting.
Another of my heroes is Joe Strummer of The Clash. I love his raw energy in Clash performances. What a lyricist, and from what I’ve read, a real “salt of the earth” guy. I admire that The Clash spoke out against racism and other forms of inequality.
RI:How about your musical inspirations? You a Howlin’ Wolf fan?? Recently, I’ve been listening to The Minute Men and Neutral Milk Hotel, plus a lot of children’s music (market research). I don’t seem to have time anymore to become obsessed with bands. RI:Know any jokes? Wherever he went, he wanted the people to shout, “Look at that ‘S’ car go!”
RI:Heh-heh! Nice one! Here’s one for the electoral season: If you were elected next president of the United States what would be the first thing you would do as president? RI:Why do you like writing songs? Why do you like writing songs about kids? Ever written a song about a dog? RI:What’s your favourite food? I get this stuff here in England that comes in a huge bag, little nuggets––good but kind of dry. Sometimes Paul mixes chopped carrots in with it and I like that a lot. Your food come in a big bag, too? RI:If you make another CD what do you think it might be like? Different than Funny Little Fella? How? I’d like to expand my song writing to include other subject matter (beyond Rowan and whoever is born next). I work for an environmental non-profit organization so maybe I’ll write some “watershed rock”. I could use environmental restoration as my next generative device.
RI:What would you like to do to make the world a ‘greener’ place?
MC:My first influence was folk music. In the early seventies, my mom was a guitar-wielding hippie in Berkeley, California where I was born. She had (has) a binder filled with folk songs, which she, my sister, Brin and I would sing together. I have a preternatural memory for song lyrics. I think a lot of those synaptic connections were formed during my early folk music days.
The first album I bought was The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour, followed closely by The Beach Boys’ Endless Summer. I was eight or nine. Around the same time, I got The Police’s Ghost in the Machine for Christmas, and I remember listening to Spirits in the Material World over and over again until my dad asked me to turn it off. I spent a lot of time listening to my parents’ records as a kid. They had a lot of acid-rock albums, plus several albums by a country-folkie guy named Hoyt Axton who I still absolutely love.
My mom took my sister and me to see some memorable concerts. We saw Elizabeth Cotton in concert as well as James Brown. My dominant memory of the James Brown concert was the white guy behind us chanting incessantly, “Who is the Godfather? James Brown.” A few years later, my mom and I went to see Bob Dylan with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I think I was in eighth grade. We have a picture. I wore one of my dad’s old hippie shirts, and I had a face full of pimples.
My history of influences is really a history of minor obsessions. I’ve spent several months-long periods of my life with one band or even one album stuck in my tape deck. Here’s the chronology (omitting some of the shorter lived dalliances):
Pre-seventh grade – The Beatles
Seventh grade (1982) – The Who
Ninth grade and Tenth Grade (1987-88) – The Grateful Dead
Eleventh and Twelfth Grade (1989-90) – R.E.M.
College freshman and sophomore (1991 – 92) – Clash / Pogues
College junior and senior (1993 – 95) - Talking Heads
Peace Corps (1996 – 1998) – Bob Dylan / Townes Van Zandt
RI:Hey, tell me a little something about your parents? Where do they live and what are they like? I like hearing about people’s folks. My Dad split before I was even born and I haven’t seen my Mum in years. Lives over in a place called Robert’s Bridge, I think. Ah, it’s not easy being a dog! (sigh)
MC:My parents, Ed and Janet are both medical doctors as is my older sister, Brinton. My folks and Brin and her family live in Portland so we see each other frequently. We’re a close-knit family. We rule three of the four quadrants of Portland with an iron fist. My dad’s retired from his medical practice but he keeps busy as a board member of The Nature Conservancy. My mom still works four days a week. They love to travel, bird watch, read, paint. They’re civic-minded, engaged, and curious. I admire them both immensely. They spend a lot of time with Rowan as well as with Brin’s kids, Hayden and Elise. They take care of Rowan one day a week, which is a great help to Abby and me. My grandparents took care of Brin and me while my dad was working and my mom was in her medical residency training. I think it’s wonderful that my folks have a chance to develop the same kind of close relationship with Rowan that I had with my grandparents.
MC:Why did the snail paint the letter ‘S’ on his automobile?
MC:Try to address climate change in a meaningful way.
MC:I like writing songs as long as it is relatively painless. Luckily, when I have a song topic in mind, the lyrics and music seem to come easily (particularly lyrics). For Funny Little Fella I used Rowan’s development as a generative device, helping me come up with subject matter for songs (birth, rolling over, growing teeth, walking etc). Without a generative device like that, I think I’d have trouble coming up with subject matter to write about.
MC:I love cherries and blueberries. I love beer. There’s a wonderful Ethiopian restaurant about five blocks from our house. I overeat every time we go there.
MC:One of my worries is that I will feel compelled to write an album for our next child, but will have run out of ideas. I don’t want him or her to grow up with a complex - - i.e. you wrote a great album for Rowan but stopped when I was born. I was always a little miffed that my parents gave my sister Brinton such an unusual name, then named me Matthew along with 50% of all other boys born in 1972.
Grow more of our own food in our garden. Bike to work more frequently. We’ve insulated our home. We drive fuel-efficient cars. We also have photo-voltaic solar panels on our roof (thanks Auntie Pearl!). My guilty pleasure is taking long hot showers, which I really shouldn’t, considering what a precious and scarce resource clean water is.
RI:It’s been great talking to you, Matt!
And for all you folks out there, that’s all for him and that’s all from me! See you again soon!
Walking Oliver presents singer-songwriter, Matt Clark! - November 10, 2008
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Matt lives in Portland OR and works for an environmental non-profit organization trying hard to help us create and maintain a healthy planet.
We’re very pleased and proud to present Matt’s first CD release entitled, Funny Little Fella, a collection of songs that he wrote for his newborn son, Rowan.
And who wouldn't have written and recorded an album of songs for a kid that cute, eh??
One of the wonderful things I’ve discovered about this album is that it is not only terrific music for kids to listen to but it’s also great for parents to listen to––especially parents with very young children. Matt is not only a keen observer of kid’s behavior–– he also has a wonderful take on how adults see kids, and that really comes across in his songs!
I hope you’ll join us in welcoming Matt Clark to the Walking Oliver family and also go buy a copy of Funny Little Fella and celebrate childhood in a new and unusual way!
Stay tuned for a special interview with Matt as Oliver goes undercover once again as The Roof-less Interrogator. Coming soon!
(Retailers Please take note: As of August 2009 Matt Clark and Funny Little Fella will be distributed in the UK exclusively by Walking Oliver Distribution.)
Oliver Signs Metronome Deal! - June 24, 2008
We’re really happy to announce that Walking Oliver has signed with Metronome Distribution in the UK. This is great news because it’s been several years since our catalogue of CDs has been available in UK shops due to the loss of our sales and marketing company back in 2005. But, hey! Shortly they will be once again and we’re very pleased about that! We’re looking forward to working closely with the people at Metronome to assure an ever greater presence here on this side of the pond.
Along with our children’s catalogue of CDs Metronome has also agreed to carry our new jazz and pop line that we’ve just begun, designed for more grown-up kids. Our first release is Paul Austin Kelly with the Kenny Clayton Trio and it’s titled, “The Song is You.”
It’s a new and unique collection of Great American Songbook titles with an Anglo-American twist, featuring the vocals and trumpet stylings of Paul Austin Kelly, together with the legendary pianist and arranger, Kenny Clayton, who has been pianist and music director for the likes of Petula Clark, Matt Monro, Shirley Bassey, Charles Aznavour and Dick Haymes––to name a few!
Oliver makes his Met debut. . .well, sort of. - October 15, 2007
Talk about deja-vu. Apparently I'm not the only one in the opera world to have a special place in his heart for Weimaraners. It seems the Metropolitan Opera, yes the prestigious Met in New York also recognizes the charismatic quality of this wonderful breed and has included their own Oliver, so to speak, in this season's publicity campaign - photographed by William Wegman
Suddenly it seems that maybe naming our record label after our family dog wasn't such a crazy idea after all. Then again, Walt Disney did quite well with his mouse friend.
Have a look at the Met Weimaraners here...
Marla Lewis loves to talk to plants! - October 7, 2007
When I reviewed Marla Lewis’ first CD, “We All Laugh in the Same Language,” in April of 2005 for Walking Oliver I said the following,
“It has all the necessary elements to make a great children’s music album: lyrics that speak eloquently and entertainingly combined with melodies that are memorable and singable.”
This more than holds true for I Love to Talk to Plants, Marla’s terrific new CD release on PlumJuice Records.
Beginning with the wonderfully infectious In My Pocket, Marla’s pop sensibilities are in fine form and kids would have to be pretty jaded indeed not to find themselves moving their bodies and singing along. I might even say the same for their parents!
Following the winning formula of her first CD, Marla mixes the styles with Billy Joel-esque pop sitting very comfortably next to Andrews Sister-style trio singing which in turn is followed by a very danceable samba number which is then torn up by a Cars-like rocker. Through it all Marla’s lovely melodies soar, the musicians play with a real understanding of style and musicality (special kudos here to guitarist and recording engineer Bob Stander!) and best of all Marla’s voice is a thing of beauty and expression, with an uncanny sense of intonation that many would envy.
All of the songs here are finely crafted and every kid will have his or her favorites but my personal stand-outs are Whenever Celia Sings, Sambas Swaying in the Trees, The Weirdest Dreams, Mighty Jackie, The Strikeout Queen (the alternate mix given as a bonus track) and The Boogey Woogey Man.
My only complaint–– and this is really not a complaint at all but just a selfish whim–– is that Marla’s singing is so well controlled and just once I’d like to hear her really let loose and belt something bluesy. Ah, well, I can dream, can’t I?
Get Marla’s new CD here!
Paul Austin Kelly
Lewes, ENGLAND
Walking Oliver signs with NewSound Distribution in US! - August 17, 2007
We've got big news! We're now being distributed by NewSound Kids distribution, a subsidiary of Allegro Music. I think we've finally found just the right partnership for our brand of childrens' and family music and are very pleased that WO music CDs will soon be available in stores throughout the US.
Says Dot Rust of NewSound Kids––"We at NewSound Distribution are very excited to be working with Walking Oliver Productions as their distribution partner in the U.S.
It’s such a pleasure working with Paul Austin Kelly, an artist of unparalleled talent in so many areas – singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, producer, and chief cook and bottle washer at Walking Oliver. I listen to a lot of new kids’ music every day, yet I return to Paul’s CDs as a sort of “mental floss” - a refreshing break from the often “same old, same old” that’s so pervasive in kids music right now. His music is of such high quality, so well produced, so inventive and so accessible to kids of all ages, I think it should be in everyone’s collection. We are working to see that happen here at NewSound and so we’re looking forward to a long and successful partnership with Paul and Walking Oliver!"
Man! How cool is that? We're looking forward to it, too, Dot! Thanks!!
Paul
London Times picks "Walking Oliver Sing-Along" to assuage mother's road rage! - June 7, 2007
In a lead story today in the London Times (times2 section) "The Walking Oliver Sing-Along" was chosen as an example of the kind of CD to have on hand to keep kids happily occupied during trips in the car.
To quote,
"Stick on some sing-along songs. It's important to play ones that you can bear to listen to more than three times in any journey. The Walking Oliver Sing-Along
Are we happy to hear it? You bet!
Great new CD from "Jeanie B. and The Jelly Beans" - December 2, 2006
Reviewed by Paul Austin Kelly
Jeanie B. and the Jelly Beans latest CD, “Mommy Knows Best,” is a wonderful blend of countrified songs featuring the truly beautiful and expressive voice of Jeanie B., as well as the very capable band that backs her.
When I say that these songs are countrified I mean that in the contemporary sense––this is country music in the way Lucinda Williams, for instance, is country music. It’s a mix of styles from traditional country and country swing to blues and pop and even a gentle go at some rap. Never heavy, never crude, though. And always very musical. Not a condescending moment, musically speaking, on this CD––if you didn’t listen to the lyrics you wouldn’t know it was aimed at kids. That’s rule number 1 here at Walking Oliver and it’s one of the things I really love about this disc. It’s also one of the reasons why both you and your kid(s) will probably love it, too.
The songs are a good mix of up-tempo and slow songs, enough to keep you dancing around through most of it while you sing along, with the occasional mid-tempo number mixed in so you can get a breather. Jeanie brings the mood and the tempo down for the last 4 songs, though and the CD ends on a very sweet and gentle lullaby. Lovely.
Some of the stand-out tracks are the infectious pop of “The World is a Wonderful Place,” the driving drum beat of “The Bootay Dance,” (You gotta skip, jump, stick out your little rump and do the Bootay Dance), and “Colorblind,” which is the best song about love and tolerance I’ve heard since Marla Lewis’s “We All Laugh in the Same Language.”
“Clap the Beats” is a fun way to teach kids some ear training basics about rhythm in music and “Mommy’s in Menopause” might win the prize for one of the most outrageous topics ever tackled in a kid’s song. I’m still not sure how I feel about it but I’m glad I heard it because I’m still laughing.
“She'll have her own personal summers,
rip off all her clothes
It's really quite a bummer that only women know
Never give you warning
Happy, then sad
Don't even try to touch her
Feel sorry for your Dad cause…
CHORUS:
Your Mommy's in menopause
She'll burn like a yuletide log
Get hot flashes all the time
All the sudden she'll be fine
Poor Mommy"
Toward the end of this set is the touching generation-spanning “Mama’s Love:”
Chorus:
Mama’s love is like the sun
Like the moon and stars above
There’s one thing I’ll always have
Mama’s love."
Check out the Jeanie B. and the Jelly Beans website, too, since all the lyrics are posted there and plenty of info on Jeanie and the band and even notes on how she came to write many of the songs. You can buy the CD through their website or click on over to iTunes and download it. No reason to wait. This is good stuff!
The Roof-less Interrogator chats with Jeanie B.––the head Jelly Bean! - December 1, 2006
Oliver - The Roof-less Interrogator
It's December and it's chilly outside. No snow here in the south of England, though. And since I can't be out schussing downhill on my new Bone-i-fied Snowboard I've decided instead to talk to the beautiful and vivacious Jeanie B.–– she of the wonderful Jelly Beans. I therefore present, forthwith or withforth or frithwoth, the following interview. I hope you enjoy it. (wrothfrith??)
RI:Hello there, Jeanie B.! Let’s get the important stuff out of the way first––3 questions! JB:No, but you will need to change the Pampers many times a day! (do you use that brand of diapers in the UK?) JB:Witches bathe in vinegar, everyone knows that!!
a) If you pamper a cow, will you get spoiled milk?
RI:Hee-hee! Liked that one. But Jeanie, we don't use diapers at all in the UK. We use nappies. Next question––
RI:Crikey! Really? I didn't know that. . . okay, last one!
c) If you fart and burp at the same time, does it cause a vacuum in your tummy?
JB:We call that at burt, and it will cause euphoria if the timing is perfect!!!
RI:Hmph, that's funny. Whenever I do it all I get is thrown out of the house. But anyway, don’t worry about these questions. They’re absurd. I just like thinking about them . . .
JB:Strangely, so do I!!
RI:Jeanie, congratulations on your new CD, Mommy Knows Best! It’s filled with some terrific songs. Can you pick your own 3 personal favourites and tell us about them and how you came to write them?
JB:First of all, thank you so much for your kind words! I am flattered to the point that I hardly believe you are actually referring to my CD! If I had to pick my faves, it would be “The World is a Wonderful Place” firstly. I wrote this song, as I do many of my songs, with my two boys ages 6 & 8. (they were 4 & 6 at the time)
We were walking home from the store one evening and my youngest asked “Mommy, why are there so many things in this world that make me happy?” I replied “the world is a wonderful place”. Boom! There was the chorus! They wrote the verses by listing all of the things that were wonderful about their lives. I am so proud that none of them are materialistic. I really didn’t edit them. I also love the music on that song. I must have been listening to REM that day or something, it just makes me happy!
My 2nd place winner is “Colorblind”. I have to say that I am most proud of this song on the CD. It took me 4 months to write it. The original version was 7 minutes long. I have a lot I want to say about tolerance and really feel that children are taught racism and fear of those who are different from themselves. Left to their own devices, they are extremely accepting and curious about other walks of life. It is really up to the parents, and our society, to preserve this wonderful nature in children. I also loved writing the music to this song. I feel it, more than any other song on the CD, crosses the line between children’s music and “grown up” music. An underlying goal I have is to blur the distinction of the two genres so that all generations enjoy my music. Interestingly, the repeating riff in the song was stumbled upon while I was teaching a guitar lesson to a 10 year old student.
My 3rd favourite song is “Mommy Knows Best”. I call it the new theme song for Mothers! I wrote this at the request of my booking agent Jennifer, whose then 3 year old daughter was a bit of a handful! She asked me to give her a tool to teach her daughter to stop saying “no” to Mommy all the time! I asked her what situations her daughter was resistant to and those ended up being the items in the verses. Many Moms since have told me that they use the song to remind the children that Mommy’s in charge and they say “yes” to her, not “no”.
It’s a public service song really! Glad I could help and it’s a fun sing a long.
RI:We at Walking Oliver often find that kids really want to know how people write songs. Can you describe how you do it? Do you have a process?
JB:I have many processes.
Firstly, I will confess that some songs come from the Muse, which happens to be children in this case, and others I work at very diligently. I have a couple of places that I “store” ideas. I carry a handheld recorder with me or my cell phone at all times. If I think of an idea, I record it immediately as I find that the idea will vanish in an instant sometimes if I don’t. I have lost as many songs as I have written because I didn’t record them in time. I do this with both lyrics and music.
Sometimes the words and music come to me simultaneously, sometimes separately. I also have a folder of just incomplete song lyrics. Many are written on napkins or scraps of paper. I don’t transfer them to cleaner paper because when I sit down to finish the song, I want to remember where I was when I first got the idea so the feeling might revisit me and help me complete the song.
Some songs, like “Colorblind”, I spend months finessing and contemplating, others I write very quickly. Sometimes a song will fly out of me so fast that I can hardly write or record it fast enough and it is the complete deal. This usually happens when I’m talking to a child who is simply providing me with everything I need. “Mommy’s Got a Baby in Her Tummy” is a prime example. A little girl I had never seen before ran past me in the park one day and announced “My Mommy’s got a baby in her tummy”. She zoomed by again and said “If it’s a boy we’re going to name him Kevin”, and on and on she went. The lyrics to that song are almost verbatim the conversation that we had about her impending sibling. The melody came to me all at once and I ran home (dragging my kids behind me) and wrote the whole song in about 5 minutes. This was one instance where I did not have a recorder with me and didn’t want to forget!
My Bass player has said that sometimes I just fart out songs faster than anyone she has ever known. With that of course comes the risk that some will stink!!
RI:(And being a dog, I can really relate to that last comment!!) Hey, tell me about your band, The Jelly Beans! How’d you form the band and why did you call them jelly beans?
JB:I knew the bassist, Lisa Crowe, through my Brother-in-law, Jon Bonansinga. He has a rockabilly band called The RipTones that she is a fan of. We would often run into each other at his shows. She was in a band that sometimes shared venues with his.
We both fell from the face of the earth musically when we had our kids. When I got the itch to do children’s music, I called her first. She was happy to have an excuse to play music again and not feel guilty that it took her away from her kids because after all, it was for them!! She was friends with our drummer Theresa Drda, whom I really wanted to play with, so she called her for me and convinced her to join our curious pursuit. My husband Jay played Harmonica for us and after a year or so in that configuration we added a multi-instrumentalist to fill out more guitar parts and other instruments. Andon Davis is that person today, who also produces my CD’s.
Why the jelly beans? It seemed to roll off the tongue with Jeanie B and it was kid friendly. They had to be called something! So why not jelly beans?
RI:Why not, indeed? Another thing I was wondering about. . . there’s a song on your CD called “The Bootay Dance.” What’s a “bootay” and why is it dancing?
JB:Your “Bootay” follows you wherever you go!! It’s your bottom of course! This song was co-written by my 5 year old niece who is quite the little dancer. She actually came up with the idea of a song that featured shaking your rump. We worked up the other “moves” together and “The Bootay Dance” was born.
There quite frankly is nothing cuter than a room full of wee ones shaking their bootays to music. I have to admit that it is self indulgent on my part. I sometimes write songs that I know will amuse me while the kids are dancing to them!
RI:(Have a hard time seeing my bootay. Darn tail gets in the way!) I love some of the rhymes that you use in your songs. Do you think about rhymes and rhyming words a lot? How do you do that, and why is it so much fun to hear rhyming words?
JB:I think that hearing rhyming words makes you feel like they (the words) are in the same family. Like two siblings that belong together. It’s pleasing to the ear. It is often humorous and that makes us smile. There is more to it than just finding words that rhyme, they must rhyme and finish a thought in the same meter of music. This is where the real challenge comes as a writer.
How do I use the all important rhyming word and convey the thought in 8 beats as well? I think about rhymes all the time. My husband, who is a professional writer, taught me a great trick. I write the alphabet at the top of the page when I am working on a song. When I need a rhyming word, I’ll go through the alphabet and search for it. If I am trying to rhyme with “hit” for instance, I’ll start at “b” and do “bit, git, kit, lit, mit, nit” and so on until I find the right “fit”! Sometimes I get in a snit, but eventually, to there I will git!
RI:(And if she doesn't stop doing that, she's gonna get bit!) I hear that you do a lot of performing. Do you enjoy that? Do you ever get nervous about going on stage?
JB:I LOVE to perform. Sitting in my basement writing songs is rewarding, but what fun is it if no one ever dances with you? I just love kids and to see those little faces responding to my music is priceless. The parents too, I love to see families enjoying each other and themselves and if my music can bring them together, then that’s what it’s all about for me.
I like to write songs for both the kids and the adults and get a thrill playing for them. I used to get nervous, and sometimes I still do when it’s a big show. After I had my kids, I took a few years off from performing “adult music”. When I started up again, I took every gig I could get, no matter where, to just get over my stage fright again. Then I started playing for kids and I don’t get nervous any more. I would say excited is a more appropriate word. Nervousness comes from being unprepared, and since you can never be prepared for what kids may do, why bother getting nervous? Just do your best and learn from every performance.
I try to engage the kids and if it’s not working, I have a lot of songs in my arsenal that I can go to. My band is top notch so they always just follow along. It’s important that everyone has a positive experience at my shows. You can’t please everyone all the time though. I hope that someone at every show will connect with the music at some level. So far, so good!
RI:What’s the funniest thing that ever happened to you on stage?
JB:I still blush and laugh when I think of this!
At my “Mommy Knows Best” CD release party, I made the faux pas of the decade! I always start my show with a “Hello” song that I wrote. I begin by having the kids yell out the letters as though they are following the cheerleaders at a sporting event (a little spelling exercise of sorts). I say “give me an H!” they yell “H”! Give me an “e”, they yell “e”! and so on until we have spelled “Hello”. Well, I forgot about the all important “o” this particular day and when I got to the “what’s that spell?” part of the song; silence fell over the room. Lisa, standing next to me with her bass poised in disbelief looked at me with a smirk and said “hell?” Nice way to kick off a family show, eh? I have never been allowed to forget that by both my band and my fans. I now make a big deal about the “o” at each show!
RI:That is funny!! What’s your next CD going to be about?
Well, I have more songs than will fit on a single disc, so I have to edit them down and pick a theme I suppose. I think it’s about life as a kid. I am trying to write for kids a little bit older this time around. Less preschool, more grade school age. There is a song called “I Just Want to Play” that addresses how over scheduled children are today and they really grow their best sometimes when they are allowed to just play. Another called “How Would it Make You Feel” is about thinking before you take an action that may hurt someone’s feelings or body. Also a song for the Dad’s, maybe two. I got some flack from the Dad’s after all the Mom songs on “Mommy Knows Best” so I owe them I guess! I’ve got songs about being a big sister/brother, babysitters, a fun go crazy kind of song called “Why Does it Feel so Good” and of course lullabies and love songs “Comes From My Heart” and “Everybody Needs a Kiss Goodnight” will likely end the tracks. I like to end my CD’s with lullabies. It’s cleansing for the palate and the parents always know where to find them.
RI:(Zzzzzzzzzzzz. . . . mmmm, lullabyes. Huh? What? Any mail why I was out??) Jeanie, if you had to give kids one piece of advice to help them in their everyday lives, what would it be?
JB:I would offer the same advice to grown ups as well; respect others and yourself. In the words of the great teacher Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “Sooner or later, all the people of the world will have to discover a way to live together.” I believe respect is where that starts.
RI:Amen to that! It's been a great pleasure chatting with you Jeanie B.! Best of luck to you and your Beans. Keep that great music coming.
Click here to buy the new Jeanie B. CD!
Check out Operakids website! - May 25, 2006
For the last 15 years, thousands of students along the eastern seaboard have enjoyed an innovative musical program, SO THIS IS OPERA. Lyric soprano and music educator Yvette Lewis has developed this unique, multifaceted program to introduce young audiences to the world of opera. Each component of SO THIS IS OPERA has been carefully crafted to enhance the operatic learning experience of your students.
OperaKids
The program features operatic arias, storytelling and audience participation. It is accompanied by a teacher guide that includes interdisciplinary and interrelated teaching strategies designed to enhance your student's appreciation and understanding of opera. Students learn the technical and artistic elements of opera.
About the Artist
Yvette Lewis is a lyric soprano who has performed extensively throughout the eastern seaboard including appearances with the Washington Opera, the Baltimore Opera, the Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia, the Baltimore Symphony and the Spoleto Festival in Melbourne, Australia. Ms. Lewis has been a finalist in both the Metropolitan Opera Mid-Atlantic Region and the Opera Company of Philadelphia/Luciano Pavarotti competitions.
The Interrogator Paws Potash. Wayne Potash, that is! - April 11, 2006
Hiya Gang! Roof-less here with another arsty-fartsy interview for you. This time my paws fall on family performer and recording artist Wayne Potash & The Music Fun Band. Be sure to check out their website for lots more great music and performance information. And now without further adieu, “Heeeeeeeeere’s Wayne!” The Wayne Potash Interview
RI Hiya Wayne! Your latest family music CD is called "Don't Forget the Donut." It's got some really great songs and terrific performances but what in world is that title about?
WP Hi Roof-less! Thanks, I'm really proud of the new CD. We took a wonderful family vacation to the Grand Canyon a couple of years ago, and we travelled along Route 66 quite a bit. I was really into playing that song "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" when we got back. There's one line that goes "Don't forget Winona" in the song. I was singing it with a group of children who started laughing every time I sang that line. When I finally asked them what was so funny I found out that they thought I was singing "Don't forget the donut!" We've been singing it that way ever since. RI: That's great! Sort of like one of my favourite old pop songs, "Bad Moon Rising." The tag line in that song is actually "There's a bad moon on the rise." But I always thought they were singing "There's the bathroom on the right."
Anyway, I know you've been playing family music and performing for kids and their families for a long time. How did you get started in this racket? Er, I mean career?
WP: My mother was a folk singer and ran a nursery school when I was a kid. I worked there for a couple of summers as a camp counselor and led the sing-a-longs. During college in Boston I volunteered to sing songs at a local day care center, which I loved. After college I had the opportunity to fill in as a singer for a party at a nursery school whose regular music teacher was sick. A few weeks later the school asked me to come once a week to do music with the children, and the staff was very encouraging. I picked up more schools over time and started doing parties and shows. Parents and teachers urged me to record my material. RI: Who were some of the people who were most influential in your life?
WP: Well of course my Mom and Dad, and mostly my older brother Michael who LOVES music. Folk singer Pete Seeger was an enormous influence on me, from his awesome music to his personal involvement in making the world a better place. The Beatles were a big influence musically and production-wise too. My fourth grade music teacher Mrs. Clark had me read about the life of Beethoven, which hooked me. RI: Wayne, tell us where you're from and a little bit about your childhood! Were you always musically inclined? Did you have a dog, perhaps?
WP: I grew up outside New York City, in a suburban town. My mom taught me to play guitar when I was five or six. Even before then I used to set up a little record player I had and listen to music for hours. My dad ran a hat factory in Manhattan. I played in a couple of band with my friends. We had lots of animals as pets when we were growing up- two sheep dogs named Cupid and Psyche, monkeys, ducks, goats, sheep, rabbits, a skunk named Stinky, turtles, and birds. When I was sixteen we moved to a rural farm in Pennsylvania where we raised sheep for wool, goats for milk, pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, and cats. We also had a several dogs. Nowadays we have two cats, a rabbit, and Freddy the fish. RI: Your CDs really sound great––the playing is very professional, the singing is fun and always in tune! How'd you learn all that, anyway? They don't teach all that in schools, do they?
WP: I'm so glad to hear you comment on the sound of the CD! I did graduate from Berklee College of Music in Boston which is a fantastic place to become a professional musician. I learned how to record in the studio, how to write better songs and arrange them, how to play better guitar, singing, and work well with other musicians. I worked as a producer/recording engineer at Heart Punch Studio in Boston where I learned a lot, too. The children I see weekly at schools around Boston have also been a huge help. I learned from them that the secret of sharing the love of music that I have, is by having a lot of fun with the music myself. You can't fake that. RI: Tell us something about your group, The Music Fun Band. Who are those guys and where did you meet them?
WP: The Music Fun Band are very close friends of mine who also happen to be fine musicians. When we get together to practice we have a great time laughing, eating, telling stories, playing baseball in the backyard, and most certainly playing music. My drummer Bryn Carlson is a very funny guy who played with me back in my rock and roll days. We met through a mutual drummer friend in Boston. Paul Sedgwick is my camping buddy. He was a new drama teacher at a school where I was giving guitar lessons. He barged in my room one day, interrupting a lesson with his banjo strapped on, and he started the playing the famous introduction from "Dueling Banjos". Naturally, I had to answer each banjo riff on my guitar. We played through the whole song, much to the surprise of my student who thought we were crazy. Paul was so good I asked him to join my group. He makes his own instruments including didgeridoos; he's very artsy. Our bass guitar player is John Wiesner, the son of the director at one of the schools I play at. John is a great player, fun to have around, and is pretty good with a baseball too. He's a very talented music teacher. RI: You seem to keep a very heavy performing schedule. Tell us what you like about performing and why you do so much of it.
WP: I love the reaction of the audience to our music. There's a kind of magic that sometimes happens between the band and the audience that is really thrilling. The guys in the band know me really well and will follow me musically no matter what I do. We have a good time when we play, and I think that's why the audience has so much fun. I play lots of solo shows as well, and I enjoy the privilege of spending fun, quality time with children and families. I am so fortunate to be able to make a living playing music, something I love to do. RI: If you couldn't be a musician what would your second choice career be?
WP: That's a tough one, Roof-less. I used to want to be an animal doctor because I love animals, but after working with children for so long I'd want to do something to help children in need. My wife Sherrill is a physical therapist who works with very young special needs children who need help learning to walk and function doing things we all take for granted. I really admire that. RI: What's your favourite song to perform live in concert?
WP: "Wiggly Tooth" is my favourite right now. It's a gentle song that my audiences relate to and sing along to, even though they've never heard it before. I had a wonderful kindergarten class not too long ago. They were all losing they're baby teeth and were begging me to write a song about it; it makes me think of them too. RI: Picture yourself now on another planet somewhere far away from Earth. You're responsible for setting up a new society on this distant planet. What are you going to do that's different from what we've done here on Earth to make life there better for everyone?
WP: This is a pretty heavy question. With all the problems here on Earth it feels tempting to want to go to another planet and start over. I'm a big fan of the seven principles of Universal-Unitarianism which include the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equity and compassion in human relations; acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth; a free and responsible search for truth and meaning; the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process; the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all and respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. I don't think I could come up with a better set of guidelines for day to day living. Maybe free music lessons for all! RI: What a great vision! And we sure couldn't argue with free music lessons. Thanks Wayne!