Walking Oliver: News & Reviews

I scored the Big Cheese of Walking Oliver this week, Paul Austin Kelly, one of the real heroes of contemporary children's music. Don’t know who he thinks he is these days running off to sing in some opera every time you turn around. I’m beginning to think he has delusions of grandeur! Oh well, as long as he keeps up the good folk and kid’s music, who cares what he does in his spare time, right?



RI: So, tell me, Paul–– How many tenors does it take to change a light bulb?
PAK: I haven’t a clue.
RI: Six. One to do it, and five to say, "It's too high for him."
PAK: Oh, hardy-har-har! Your interviewing techniques just keep getting better and better, Oliver.
RI: Please! I’m wearing my Roofless Interrogator disguise!
PAK: Sorry.
RI: All right. So, what’s new at the Walking Oliver Studios these days?
PAK: Well, one thing that’s really exciting is that we’re about to offer pay-as-you-go digital downloads here on the Walking Oliver website. Not only will our whole catalogue of CDs be online for purchase but you’ll soon be able to pay a small fee and download just the tracks you want!
RI: That’s great! Just like iTunes and MusicMatch. But how about if I wanted the whole Walking Oliver Sing-A-Long, for instance. Could I download the whole album?
PAK: Sure. The whole 25 tracks, or just the ones you want. It’s up to you. I think we’re going to call it the “A la carte Menu.”
RI: That’s really FAB! Will you be offering any other downloads?
PAK: Yep. We have a whole slew of songs that have never been released on CD that we will be making available for the very first time later this year. We’re also going to start offering Walking Oliver sheet music downloads so you can learn the piano or guitar parts to the songs and play and sing them yourself or with your friends.
RI: Ooooh! I can hardly wait. Will I be able to download any of my favourite howling songs?
PAK: Well, dunno. But Howlin’ At the Moon will be available. Your big nose and floppy ears are on the cover of that one!
RI: Thank you so much for reminding me.
PAK: Don’t mention it.
RI: What else is new?
PAK: My new album Sing-A-Long 2 is finished and is going to be released on November 15th.
RI: Excellent! Can you tell us what songs are on it?
PAK: I’ll tell you a few––“Jenny Jenkins”, “Old MacDonald”, “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain” and “The Farmer in the Dell” will be on it. There are also some spirituals, like “Rock-A My Soul” and “Walk in Jerusalem Just Like John”.
RI: Cool. Any Rock ‘n Roll?
PAK: Well, there is a version of “Ugly Bug Ball” that I’ve always wanted to do. It was originally written for a Disney movie called Summer Magic that starred Hayley Mills and Burl Ives. Burl Ives sang it in the movie but it was a big production number. He also released it as a 45rpm single––
RI: A what??
PAK: An archaic form of recording.
RI: Oh. Right.
PAK: It was how they used to get songs on the radio. It was only for promoting two songs at a time, one on the “A side” and another on the “B” or “flip” side of this disc made of vinyl, a bit bigger than a CD. Anyway, this single version of the song that Burl Ives recorded was nice, bouncy Rock ‘n Roll and that’s what my version is closer to. I’m really happy about the way it’s turned out.
RI: I guess about wraps it up! Anything else you’d like to add?
PAK: No, I guess not.
RI: Okay, then––just one more question. How can you tell if an opera singer is really stupid?
PAK: How?
RI: When even the other opera singers notice.
PAK: That does it! No bones for you this Christmas!
RI: Really? Are you finally getting me that electric guitar? ;-)

Your favorite canine sleuth has really outdone himself this time and has dug up the dirt o­n o­ne of the greats in the business! He's Canadian, he sings, he writes songs––he even had his own TV show for 12 seasons––he's, of course, none other than FRED PENNER. Here's the interview:



RI: Okay, Fred, let's get the most serious question out of the way first. If you could have your choice of wearing a Brown Organic Mushroom Earring, a Banana Boat Beanie or Size Seventeen Sassafras Shoes, which would you wear?

FP: I'm not an extreme dresser. I tend to be a little o­n the neutral side of clothing, and since I already wear size 15 shoes. . .
....yes, 15....I expect the Size Seventeen Sassafras Shoes might fit quite nicely.

RI: Fred, can you tell us something about how you came to be an artist and entertainer for children? I mean, it’s o­ne thing to be a musician, or to be a songwriter, or to be an entertainer––but you rolled those all up and decided to offer all these talents to kids! How come?

FP: Music was always in my life. As I was growing up. . .
I had a wonderful spectrum of sound around me from classical music and opera to swing music, to the great harmony groups and sing-able songs from the 50's.

My younger sister Susie was a Down Syndrome child and as I was growing up I was very aware of how deeply she was affected by my music. It seemed to become a part of her to the point of tears often. This helped forge my philosophy regarding the power and effect of music o­n a child's vulnerable spirit.

I sang in choirs at school, played guitar at all the folk events in the 60's and discovered that I was pretty good at leading a group in song. Through years of theatre training and working in Child Care I finally branched off in the early 70's o­n a solo singing career. This carried me to a number of groups and performances in University and club shows until I met my wife in 1977.

(Kornstock)

We started a children’s dance theatre company - Sundance - and the popularity of our shows led to an offer from a fan to finance my first children’s recording 'The Cat Came Back' in 1979. From there the pieces fell into place, touring across Canada with Raffi which led to the Fred Penner's Place TV series o­n CBC in Canada and then later o­n Nickelodeon.

The response from my fans was very heartfelt. Parents of special needs children went out of their way to tell me that my music truly made in difference in their children’s lives.

"Never underestimate your ability to make a difference in the life of a child.”

I believe that and keep it clear in my mind as I create my songs. Parents find my music enjoyable and inspiring for their whole family, and non-condescending...something that is particularly important for me.

RI: Fred, do have any anecdotes or insights about what it was like touring with a band like Kornstock? Were you travelling and living together? What did you have to do to get along with each other? And finally, what was the funniest thing you ever did o­n stage?

FP: Kornstock was a comedy show band from 1973-77. Al Simmons is a comic genius and the time o­n the road was often quite wacky. Touring with any group is challenging.

One of the funniest moments happened in the small town of Winkler in southern Manitoba. We did a 10 minute Sesame Street sketch where I played Cookie Monster and Al played Grover. At o­ne point we are teaching prepositions to the audience (i.e. Around, Over, Under, Through............Near (Al comes face to face with me)......Far (Al moves to the other side of the stage, demonstrating the literal difference between these words, then he repeats Near....looking right in my eyes, and then, as we vamped the next chord of the song, Al (Grover Monster) jumps off the stage, runs through the audience to the fire escape o­n the city hall 50 yards away....he climbs up the fire escape to the very top and yells out...FAR!!!!

There was constant cheering that lasted until Al was able to run down the fire escape and return to the stage. Performances with Kornstock always had that 'unknown' quantity, and perhaps this was the reason the band is remembered to this day.

RI: And as if being a rock star wasn’t enough you then went on to have your own hugely successful television show called FRED PENNER’S PLACE. I know everyone reading this will want to know what it’s like to be on TV and how is that different from performing live?

FP: I loved doing the Fred Penner's Place series. When you are onstage in front of a live audience, the reactions to the songs are immediate. On television the camera is your audience and you have to relate to it as if it was a real person. The series has been off the air since 1997, but I receive e-mails from all over North America from young adults now who fondly remember the show.

RI: I’ve heard you were in Africa recently as part of World Vision Canada. Can you tell us what that was about and why you were there?

FP: Last September my 23 year old son and I went to Zambia with World Vision to do a TV program in support of child sponsorship. In the West we often don't realize how truly fortunate we are. By doing a program like this perhaps our awareness of the difficulties that so many of our fellow human beings are going through will help us become more compassionate and supportive of others.

RI: Was there anything different about the kids you met in Zambia as compared to kids in say, Canada or America or Europe?

FP: The children in the village of Kalomo, Zambia were wonderful. They loved to play and sing and enjoyed our time with them. Children are the same all over the world. The obvious difference is the living conditions, and the basic human needs, shelter, clothing, food, health care.

RI: What is it that makes you want to write songs?

FP: I write because I have something I want to communicate. It may be a melody that I find particularly engaging, or a topic that I need to write about. When I sing an original tune and the audience responds, there is an encouragement to keep doing that.

RI: What’s so special about music? And is it important to be particular about what we listen to?

FP: Music and sound is always around us. When we do something and there is music playing, we associate that song with the activity. I believe that some music can be detrimental to us because the lyric content is too negative or the music itself is too dark. Children learn by observing and imitating.

RI: You keep a rigorous live performance tour schedule, Fred. If you had to choose, what are your 3 favourite songs to perform in concert?

FP: My 3 favourite songs in performance are:“The Cat Came Back,” “Home Is Where The Heart Is” and “Proud.”

RI: Who are 3 of your favourite children’s musicians?

FP: Tom Chapin, Al Simmons, Rick Scott.

RI: What role do you see music playing in a world where children are having to face such atrocities as we’ve seen in the past few years?

FP: Reaching out to children with songs that are supportive of the challenges they may be going through, and perhaps let them know that they are not alone in these challenges. The songs can have great melodies and be inspiring to sing along with. As parents we must take more responsibility in what our children consume, this includes music.

RI: And lastly, if reincarnation were real and you had the choice, what would you choose to come back to this world as and how would you be different from what you are now?

FP: I like the person I have become and I am proud of my work in this world. I have been given an opportunity to use my voice and ability to touch a generation, and this to me is the highest compliment possible.

And you can read more about famous Fred Penner at his website,
Fred Penner

Well, it’s been a great week. We’ve had a Number 1 hit with “There’s a Hole in My Bucket” (Walking Oliver Sing-A-Long) and a Number 2 hit with “I Know An Old Lady” (also Walking Oliver Sing-A-Long), both on the iTunes Children’s Music Top Song Downloads!

They’ve been sitting in the Top 5 for over a week now mostly thanks to iTunes having included those two songs on their iTunes Essentials Children’s Songs compilation.

Here’s a big thank you to iTunes!

The other great news is that our song “Don’t Want No Bones for Christmas” has been chosen a semi-finalist in the UK International Song Writing Competition for 2005. The song can be found on the Walking Oliver CD “Don’t Want No Bones for Christmas” or can be downloaded separately from iTunes or just about any other download service you can think of.

We’ve had a great week. Hope you have, too!

Keep listening!

I’ve had Sho, Mo & The Monkey Bunch on my iPod all week and it puts me in a good mood every time I hear it. I’ve been listening to it on the train to London every morning on my way to rehearsals. If it can lift me out of rush hour hustle and bustle it’ll do great things for you and your kids. At home, in the car, anywhere. Children's music just doesn't get much better than this!

Let me give you some highlights––
Five Little Monkeys gets things off to a funky, dancing start. A wonderful vocal by Shoshana Sperling, good spare dance arrangement with plenty of monkey sound effects. This is the old fave about monkeys on the bed, one fell off, etc. Great fun.

Beatles-style brass band and snare drum will wake you up in The Morning Call.

Lil’ Chick is comic book hokum in country western style. Faberge sings this with a delightful southern accent. Even if you never wanted to know what would happen if you poured hot water on a chicken's leg, this is sure to entertain.

It doesn’t last more than a minute or so, though before we hear the opening percussion and guitar riff for Honk Honk, the albums clear hit single. This is the one I keep coming back to time and time again. Sho rips into this old camp tune with a vengeance and turns it on its ear. The drummer turns the beat over and over and you just can’t help dancing and singing along!

The tempo stays up with Posses & Convoys and Brown Cow and so does the fun level. One of the special things about this CD and why it will be appealing to so many is that it moves and changes quickly, never dwelling on anything long enough to lose your interest. Silliness and sound effects and funny accents abound and keep you laughing.

After the engaging bounciness of No Way the feel and tempo of the album takes a distinct change. As advertised on the cover, the first half is designed to pick them up and the second half to put them down. This leaves you free to listen to one half of the CD or the other on its own, depending on whether you’re trying to stimulate your kids or get them ready for naps and bedtimes.

My favourites of the slower half are You Belong to Me and Love Bird. (Those of you who remember Steve Martin’s movie, The Jerk will remember You Belong to Me as a duet between Steve and Bernadette Peters. In the film Ms Peters has a wonderfully funny moment when she suddenly whips out a trumpet and plays the solo in the middle of the song. Here the solo is done as a sweet vocal “tromnet” imitating a muted trumpet.)

An odd but interesting idea was constructed for the final track Lullaby. The song seems to finish after three minutes and then the CD continues to play silence for nearly seven more minutes. Then a brass band fades in and someone starts telling us to wake up, rise and shine, etc. More silliness and ad-libbed conversation amongst the band and some kids.

Don’t over-think it! It’s all part of the charm of Sho, Mo and The Monkey Bunch. Get the CD and play it for your kids, and for yourself. You won’t be sorry!
The Monkey Bunch

PART 2


Fiddle player Ben Lee recalls:“I loved the way there was a big painting by one of Richard's kids (Rooney I think) on the wall, and remember Richard talking of how it was the concept for the album, with darkness and light, dreams and reality, day and night,or something!”

We took little cut-outs that we’d made and we’d move them around on that tapestry and try to visualize how the whole thing would work. Several times when the songs we were trying to use didn’t match up with the ideas that we had, we just ditched them. Other times the idea the for the song was so strong that we decided to. . .
. . . make the story take a detour so that we could accommodate the song.

At any rate, the tapestry became a focal point for our decision making. It was how we kept track of things. We spent a fair amount of time drinking coffee and staring at the thing. It’s still there in the studio, I think. I’m just sorry we didn’t include a photo of it in the CD booklet. It was really beautiful.

When we recorded Unleashed on British Isles we did guitar and vocal guide tracks of each song before we fleshed out an arrangement. This is often done so that the form of the song and the tempo are all set out for you––you know where the verses are, the refrains, the bridge, and where the song slows down and picks up speed.

Well, we never really made guide tracks with “Tenderwood” because we didn’t want to be nailed down to our first impressions. We wanted the songs and the arrangements to grow and change as we lived with them. I was also adamant about wanting some interesting sound effects and atmosphere that would be heard in between the tracks.

I didn’t want the usual song, 3 seconds of silence and then another song type of thing.

We were looking to create something more “through composed,” as if it were one 45-minute piece made up of lots of smaller sections or movements.

The reality of day-to-day recording in this way, though became too complicated. We were trying to create the thing from the beginning to the end and it kept getting screwed up. We’d record a song that had bits of sound effects in it and then after the song was over we kept recording stuff that was supposed to lead to the next song. But if something went wrong or we needed to change something it became too risky.

We needed to record the songs and the background and “forest sounds” separately. In order to do this we needed to make fairly definite decisions about the story and the songs. And back to the tapestry we went for another think.

END OF PART 2

Part 1

I’m often asked the question in my travels, “What kind of musical activities do you recommend using with preschool children to bring them to an awareness and appreciation of music?”

Now, usually these are not people who are convinced that with the right activity combined with the right mantra they could conceivably transform their little ones into another Mozart. They're just well meaning parents who would like to do something positive musically to help their kids along a little.

Being a parent myself I know very well how they feel!

The schools are all doing what they can, I suppose but with their limited funding . . .

. . . . the fact remains that less and less time and money and emphasis is being put on music and the arts while more and more is being spent on sports. Not that there’s anything wrong with sports. On the contrary, physical activity can often be the basis for a very positive early understanding of the basic elements of music. But I would certainly like to see more of a balance.

Did you know that a large portion of the "corporate music machine" is doing everything it can to make a fast buck at your kid’s expense? Many music industry bigwigs are purposefully targeting the ears of 5 and 6-year-old kids with pop groups that have next to nothing appropriate to say to them. They’re not targeting youngsters at the expense of older kids––they’re just casting their nets ever wider to increase profits. And that's business. They can only succeed if you let them, however. You ultimately hold the purse strings. And preschoolers are so impressionable! It's a shame to waste the time that can spent so profitably to their musical benefit. Kids can learn to be musically discerning. There truly are only two kinds of music out there––good and bad. The rest are just style categories.

What I’m setting out to do in this series is give you as parents some musical activities that you can do with your preschoolers to set them up with an awareness and appreciation of music.

Proper awareness of sounds and music starts when language starts, so it’s never too early to begin.

I’m planning to add one activity for each article I write on this topic. When the series is done you should have a solid starter collection of preschool musical activities that you can use again and again. After a while you’ll be able to add your own twists to them to keep them from getting stale.

Okay––here's the first one, simple but hopefully stimulating:

This is an exercise in listening and hearing melody and rhythm in the world around us. I think parents will find this an interesting and enlightening activity, too, because all of us take for granted the sounds around us.

It’s nice, too because it’s activity that can be done almost anywhere––at home, driving in the car, waiting in the doctor’s office or walking in the park or woods.
But let’s start in the house. Find a place in your house where there are sources of natural sounds about––could be an open window with birdsong or other animal sounds filtering in, the wind blowing a branch against the window, a motorbike roaring by––whatever.

Pick a sound and point it out to your child––make sure he or she hears the one you’re speaking about–– and then imitate the sound. Make the sound with your voice or using mouth noises, clicks, pops––whatever. If it’s a steady repeating sound be sure to follow its rhythm. If it has pitch, match its pitch as best you can.

Let’s say for example there’s a dove cooing in the tree outside the house. Imitate the cooing sounds as precisely as you can. Next see if you can’t get your child to imitate the cooing sounds with you. Be sure to imitate the silence in between coos, as well because this is the natural rhythm of the bird’s song.

The silent spaces and their lengths in music are as important as the sounds themselves.

The point here is to get your child to begin listening keenly and be aware of the sounds around him.

The sounds of nature and the mechanical man-made sounds all around us are the sounds that our music often imitates.

Sometimes it’s blatant imitation as in a piece of program music like Haydn’s Toy Symphony, or Tom Wait’s Rain Dogs recording where pieces of pipe and bells and pot lids actually provide the percussive soundtrack. More often though, it’s more subtle––the strings providing the sounds of the wind in Respighi’s Pines of Rome or Coleman Hawkins’ breathy saxophone imitating the sensuousness of human breathing. Listening for and appreciating the pitch, the rhythm and the timbre of these sounds is a great first step in learning to listen to and to appreciate music properly.

I think your preschooler will find this musical activity fun and stimulating at least for short periods of time. But more than short periods of time isn’t necessary, nor is it the point. Awareness is what we’re after here, not filling up hours of time. You open the door and hopefully your child walks through and begins to enjoy listening and imitating sounds on his own accord.

By the way, speaking as a professional musician I can tell you that I learned this little game from my father. It’s something I’ve always carried with me and have been able to use in my own musical activities, whether it’s in writing a piece of music or interpreting an Italian art song. And yes, my own son has become quite adept at it, as well. I hope you can use it and enjoy it, too.

Let me start out by stating very bluntly that I love this CD! 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. All the songs are originals, by the way, written either solely by Marla or with a collaborator. The performances are professional and classy throughout, not always a given with even the finest folk albums. To top it all off Marla’s voice is a truly beautiful and expressive instrument, and she sings knowingly and comfortably through everything from Dixieland to Rap. The songs all have a reason to be here and they’ve been ordered in such a way that listening from beginning to end is a satisfying and meaningful experience. Hooray! The album format is still alive and well!

And let’s talk about the songs:
Marla starts out the CD with a heavy hitter, “We All Laugh in the Same Language,” a beautifully inspired song about unity and the great melting pot of the human race. Living and teaching in one of the greatest of melting pots, New York City, Marla speaks from experience here as she says,

We all laugh in the same language
We all love to learn and play
Our hearts beat in the same rhythm
Round the world, we’re all the same.

Pete Seeger says he loved this song so much he sent it off to Sing Out! magazine for their consideration. And this song sets the tone for the ones that follow.

After a jumping Cajun-style number called “Wondering Why” we’re treated to perhaps the most finely penned song on the album, “Best Friends.” It simultaneously belongs to and transcends the children’s genre so beautifully that this parent had a hard time getting its words and melody out of his head for several days:

If I’m a rainbow, then you’re the sun
Shining all my lovely colors on everyone
If I’m the paper, you’re the pen
You bring out the best in me, you’re my best friend.

Its simple and charming sentiment is likely to bring tears to the eyes of both you and your child. A true classic.

Marla roughens up her vocal delivery for “Muskrat Rap,” and the boys in the ‘hood better watch out. This lady can rap! Okay, not the most urban street rap in the world but not fluff either. This is bound to be a hit with the school kids.

“Homeless Man” is particularly poignant and brave at a time when we’re told not to waste our money on people living on the street! Isn’t it pleasing when decisions concerning our own generosity, compassion and charity have been taken out of our hands? It really does simplify things, doesn’t it? (NOT!)

Next time you meet him share your bread
And be glad for the roof above your head.

The album closes with the delightful “Round and Round,” describing metaphorically the circular nature of things––

Round like a zero, round like an O
A Frisbee, a CD, a Cheerio!
Round and round and round we go
Where we stop, we’ll never know
Spinning swiftly round the sun
We’re suddenly back where we started from!

–– and it makes you want to put this CD back in the player and listen to it all over again!

The songs in between are all fun and full of charm and the whole package is quite a joy to listen to. It’s sure to be a pleasure for most kids between the ages of 5 and 10 and it’s one of those rare CDs that will bear repeated plays and grow with your kids!

Thanks, Marla. I’m looking forward to the next one already.

Purchase your copy of We All Laugh in the Same Language here!

PART 1

When Richard Durrant and I were putting the finishing touches on "Unleashed on British Isles" at the end of 2003 we were already discussing a new children's music project. At that point Walking Oliver Ltd was officially only 3 months old. Next on my list of upcoming CD projects was something vaguely described as “something with nursery rhymes.”

When we started kicking some ideas about, . . .


Richard mentioned two things right away: one was that he had always wanted to do a version of "The Grand Old Duke of York" and pair it with "Fighting for Strangers"––the other was to orchestrate the “Organ Grinder’s Song” from Elgar’s Starlight Express for folk instruments. Well, one out of two ain’t bad and the “Old Duke” and “Strangers” got a life together, probably for the first time in history. Although we tried our best to find a place for the “Organ Grinder’s Song” time and copyright issues were against us. Also, by the time we had spent another 6 weeks on this project we had also come to realize that perhaps "Tenderwood" wasn’t the right space for Elgar, anyway.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

My own ideas involved finding ways to “grow” nursery rhymes and bring something fresh and new to them as well as maybe uncovering old or obscure verses for well-loved rhymes. This we did with the wonderful Oxford Book of Nursery Rhymes, an encyclopedia which gave us a history on the subject, including verses of rhymes that had not seen the light of day since the 17th and 18th centuries. It was a great aid as well as a very enjoyable read. For three months it rarely left my side.

The concept of the album came about when we decided that the music should tell a story, or at least paint a picture. We envisioned a magical place where our music could take place and since it was to be music for children we agreed to have a child as our centrepiece, someone who could act as a witness. We decided to have the action take place in one day. In order to keep track of and organize our creative ideas Richard asked his kids to paint a large tapestry showing a full day from left to right.

END OF PART 1

Review by Paul Austin Kelly


“This is a very special disc,” is what it says o­n the back of They Might Be Giants CD entitled, “No!” Although I read this with some skepticism at first I knew this group for what they were––inventive, unusual, whimsical and anything but trendy. That’s four for four in my book! And since it also says that it is the band’s “first disc of songs for the entire family” I knew I had to have it.I have to say, it’s been close at hand ever since I bought it and I very often find it in o­ne of our numerous CD players around the house–– if it's not in mine then it's in my son’s. I hear the songs coming frequently from our iTunes playlist and there’s always a copy in the car for those roadtrips.

The CD opens with a jaunty little guitar riff and then you’re wrapped up in the delightful nonsense of Fibber Island where “we strum rubber guitars, our friends all live on Mars and we sew buttons on our cars.” Robot Parade is a short little tune that might be seen as a throwaway or filler song if it wasn’t so catchy and memorable! I find myself humming it under my breath all the time! And the effect they use on the vocal arrangement is too cool for words! Where Do they Make Balloons is a pop song worthy of, dare I say it, The Beatles. To my mind it’s hookier and smarter than Yellow Submarine or Octopus’s Garden. And yes, I’m ready for the hate mail but listen to it first, okay? :-)

I got a real special treat when I heard they had re-recorded one of the safety TV commercials from my childhood. In the Middle, In the Middle, In the Middle (written by Vic Mizzy) is just the way I remember it, from the cheesy synth line that opens it to the Mom Next Door voice of Robin “Goldie” Goldwasser who sings it with such period sweetness. An unforgettable charmer for the kids and little piece of nostalgic heaven for us parents.

From there we go to the wonderfully weird world of TMBG––The Edison Museum is both creepy and arch in its comic tongue-in-cheek history lesson and The House at the Top of the Tree is an irresistible rewrite of The House that Jack Built.

Violin, I Am Not your Broom, and I Am A Grocery Bag are all strange but delightful little experiments in sound and language, and Bed, Bed, Bed makes bedtime seem like the most wonderful time of the day.

The music is childlike yet never childish, the arrangements are clever with great attention having been given to how all the sounds interrelate. These guys are the real deal! I can’t think of an album that is more deserving of the “Family Music” label but on the other hand, the CD is so good that a label really isn’t necessary. It’s just really good. Get it for your family.

The Roofless Interrogator has picked the appropriate day to reveal the first of a series of fiendishly cunning disguises!  Keep an eye out for the next interview.

Happy April, Everybody!

According to Contemplator.com, the grandaddy of websites about British Isles folk songs, the song Aiken Drum first appears as a nursery rhyme in Percy Society's Early English Poetry, Ballads, and Popular Literature of the Middle Ages (1841).

The name in the original nursery rhyme is Edrin Drum.

According to Traditional Folksongs and Ballads of Scotland by John Loesberg, the tune dates to "at least the 18th century or earlier" and in James Hogg's Jacobite Relics of Scotland (1821), there is a political song circa 1715 with the chorus "Aikendrum, Aikendrum" but it was evidently to a different tune. . .

. . .which is all neither here nor there!

What I want to know is, what's the deal with the ladle?

The song clearly states this Aiken Drum character "played upon a ladle".

One search I did turned up a Mongolian instrument called a shanagan-khour. Shanaga is a ladle or dipper. This was simply a ladle o­n which strings were strung. It was commonly used in any Mongolian gatherings where the folk songs of the country were sung.

I was unable to turn up any photos of the shanagan-khour. If anyone has one and would kindly email it to me, I'd be happy to post it here.

Another possibility is the kyl kiak, from the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan. Carved from a single piece of wood, it resembles a big wooden soup ladle with two thick black horse hair strings. Its 'dipper' is covered with a soundboard made of camel hide. Except for a steel brace screwed into the instrument's back, every part of the kyl kiak grew from the earth or an animal.


The kyl kiak

Since the song Aiken Drum hails from Scotland o­ne might wonder why this guy Aiken would be playing an instrument from Mongolia or Kyrgyzstan. But, then again, o­ne might just as well wonder why he would wear trousers made of haggis bags!

I’m afraid it is doomed to be yet another unanswerable question from our great folk heritage. Anyone out there with any further insights into the background of the ladle? Hit the comments button below, please. We're all ears!

But my advice? Don’t let it spoil your day. Just listen to the song again. Maybe louder this time.

Ruthless Interrogation
(a version of this interview was originally printed in The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky—Feb 19, 2005)
by Marty Rosen

Paul Austin Kelly is a rare bird. He's an American-born operatic tenor whose resume includes starring roles at the Concertgebouw, the Metropolitan Opera and Covent Garden. He's also a singer-songwriter who specializes in music for children.

When he isn't singing roles such as Don Ramiro in Rossini's "La Cenerentola (Cinderella)," as he does this weekend with Kentucky Opera, he is writing and recording tunes such as "Rappin' Gingerbread Man" and "Why I Don't Like Ghosts" for his own record label, Walking Oliver (www.walkingoliver.com). Busy as he is, Kelly managed to spare the Ruthless Interrogator a few minutes between rehearsals.

MR: Does shoe size matter in a woman?

PAK: To me, I don't think it's particularly relevant. I think style matters more than size.

MR: What are the advantages of being a tenor?

PAK: I think the tenor more often gets the girl o­n stage, though rumor has it that baritones are usually more successful offstage. I think that's probably just a rumor, though.

MR: Is it tough for you to switch from, say, Rossini to singing "Rappin' Gingerbread Man"?

PAK: No, it's a breath of fresh air. It's sort of like popping out of a box that feels too small in a way. The constraints are different. There are rules in both, but the constraints for something like Rossini, or Mozart, or Donizetti, are so great that when you finally just take the lid off and say, "I can do whatever I want," and you're the creator … it's a wonderfully freeing feeling.

MR: Isn't it unusual for a person to maintain a career as an opera singer and to be a songwriter and performer in other genres?

PAK: I think it's pretty strange. There are obviously other crossover artists, but I don't know that there's anyone doing the sort of odd things I'm doing.

MR: I understand you're a Dylan fan.

PAK: Very much.

MR: There's a scene in Pennebaker's Dylan documentary where Dylan says that his voice is much like Caruso's voice. What do you think about that comparison?

PAK: As much as Dylan gets criticized, I've always found him a great natural singer. Not because he has a great natural voice, but because he has great phrasing. I've learned all kinds of things that I can use even in something like a Rossini opera. I can hear something that Dylan did in the way of phrasing so that the words just make perfect sense, and I can take that idea and use it in my own way in a classical piece of music. I would prefer to compare Dylan with Sinatra, rather than Caruso, just because of his impeccable phrasing.

MR: What music would you like played at your wake?

PAK: Duke Ellington. Maybe "Mood Indigo."

On January 30th 2005 WFUV’s Bob Sherman, long-time host of the well-known and respected folk music show “Woody’s Children”, broadcast a show which included 2 of the songs from “DREAMS: The Walking Oliver Poetry in Song Competition 2004.” The two songs broadcast were Why I Don’t Like Ghosts, (words written by Rowan Butterfield with music by Richard Durrant) and . . .
. . . Sweet Dreams (Words written by Francesca Haygreen with music by Richard Durrant).

We apologise for not alerting you in time for the broadcast, but you can still listen to the whole thing by accessing WFUV’s archives at www.wfuv.org. Just choose the WFUV Archives link on the left side of the screen and then choose Woody’s Children from the drop-down menu. Once that page has loaded choose the January 30th show and you should be on your way. And you know, if you were to have listened to this live from the UK you would have been up until 1 o’clock in the morning! This is much more civilised, don't you think?

Bob gets a few of his facts wrong in his commentary, twice saying Francesca Haygreen is 15 years old (Sorry, Francesca!) and claiming that I am singing when in fact it’s the voice of Richard Durrant. Imagine that! Oh well, Bob obviously likes our work (this is the fourth show that he's featured Walking Oliver music in!) so we forgive him everything!

Congratulations to winners Rowan Butterfield and Francesca Haygreen for their songs being the first to receive nation-wide broadcast in the USA! Could we at Walking Oliver be any more proud? Not much!

The Walking Oliver Poetry In Song Competition 2004
Dreams
A childish innocence
Rating: 3 Stars

The Walking Oliver Poetry In Song Competition, in which primary school children were invited to compose poems to be set to music, has given young children the perfect way to experience poetry writing and to share the experience with others and the CD that has come from this exploration is fascinating to listen to.

At first the lyrics. . .
sounded much like Shakespeare put to an 80's synthesised beat and crossed with the singing of Monty Python. Each track invoked images from a time when I was much younger, and saw the world with the eyes of a child. Highlights include tracks like "Fade Away" by Stephanie Scott, which describes the loss of a friend, and "It's Easy to Dream" by Kathleen McMahon, which describes their dreams for the future.

Ideal for any child aged 5 to 13.

by Ben Chewter

Continuing on our award giving journeys, we had a lovely stop at the Bury Grammar School for Girls on the 7th of October. There we met with "Poetry in Song" winners Lucy Shaw (Split: You Fractured My Heart) and Laura Hoath (The Bus that has No Sheep In) as well as two of our chosen illustrators for the DREAMS CD booklet.

Shown here are Laura Hoath, Amy and Harriet MacFarlane, Lucy Shaw, Carol Kelly and Paul Austin Kelly at the Bury Grammar School for Girls.

The two songs were met with very enthusiastic applause by the classes attending and all four of the girls seemed very pleased with their newfound celebrity.

Lucy Ashworth, the teacher who encouraged the class to participate in the Poetry in Song competition expressed her great pleasure in the process and the way the competition had been run as well as the outcome of having two winners from her school out of the 1300 submissions that we received for 2004. She also felt very strongly that many more students would be anxious to give the competition a go for its second event in the spring.

We were especially full of admiration for Lucy Shaw who’s poem Split was a very personal statement of her parents break up. We thought she showed great poise and maturity and seemed to have the respect of her classmates for having written such a strong poetic statement.

Last Spring, a company called 'Walking Oliver' and the Times Educational Supplement collaborated to hold the first 'Poetry in Song' competition.  Children in primary schools across the country were invited to write poems with the theme of dreams.  The winners' poems would be fitted to specially composed music.

I e-mailed my entry 'Fade Away' and two other poems to Walking Oliver and was surprised to hear I was the first to enter!  In the end they received over 1300 entries.

A while later, I was sitting in a Maths lesson when my teacher called over, "Steph! You've won the poetry competition!"  I was so excited; I literally bounced up and down on my chair! Little did I know what would happen next!

On Monday 10th october, I received an e-mail from Carol Kelly (the wife of Walking Oliver's producer) saying they were coming to my school on Wednesday.  I couldn't believe it!

When we filed in for assembly on Wednesday, my heart was pounding.  Carol and Paul Austin Kelly talked about Walking Oliver and the competition.  I was called up to receive a certificate, signed by Michael Rosen, Paul Austin Kelly and Herbie Flowers and the CD.  I listened to my song all the way through, which was a magic moment.  I will always remember this year as a special time.

Steph Year 7

Place: Stuck in traffic on the M25

But eventually, we made it up to Cambridgeshire, where we met Philip Brown, author of “Before the Dance.” At Duxford C of E Primary School, he had a fan base with him, in form of his parents and grandparents, who graciously offered to take photos.
The school assembly led by head teacher concerned the issue of “talents,” and we got to officially recognise Philip’s particular writing talent.

Paul explained how he had struggled with the composition process for this poem, but finally felt he’d succeeded once he settled on a 3/4 meter, making the song a waltz. Great reaction from all students, even though Philip seemed about to pass out from nervousness!



Later on that day, we visited Olney Middle School to give Stephanie Scott her award. A bit special for us this one, as Steph’s poem was the very first one we’d received!



Paul sang a few really high notes for the kids, and also sang Rowan Butterfield’s song a capella at the end. Olney kids asked a lot of questions about the CD business, like, “Do you have any employees?” and “Do you make any money?” They also enquired about Paul’s taste in music, like whether or not he liked heavy metal. Paul said he grew up listening to Metallica. Student gave him the thumbs up sign. Alison Waspe, the Head teacher, was very welcoming and hoped we would come back for another visit soon.

Some more coming up in the beginning of November, so watch this space!

It's been the month of the Poetry in Song Competition, a venture that we've been running here at Walking Oliver in partnership with the Times Educational Supplement. We were warned that we might only get 100 or so entries for the first year, but 1300 submissions later!!! we're a bit overwhelmed, smiling with pleasure and relief, and wondering how in the world we're going to choose only 10-15 winners out of this massive outpouring of creativity.


The Poetry in Song idea struck me shortly after I wrote and recorded our 2nd CD, Hello, Michael Rosen! Setting Michael's poems to music and getting his enthusiastic response to his lyrics-turned-music got me thinking. If two crusty, world-weary adults (sorry Michael!) could get such a kick out of this kind of activity, a kid would really love it!

So when one of our imaginative staff members came up with the idea of sponsoring a competition… voila! The First Annual Poetry in Song Competition was born. And we're loving it.

And we learned some really interesting things about kids…

Our theme this year is "Dreams," a broad topic leaving lots of room for interpretation. So we got dreams not only about flying and dancing, nightmares about monsters and goblins, fantasies about being a pop star or footballer or meeting the queen, but also serious longings for an end to war and crime, a wish that parents would stop fighting, or relief from bullies. Kids are worried about our world.

And what are we teaching them?

Along with the poems we asked our entrants to tell us about where they shop for books, for CDs, about their current favourite song, band, favourite television show, stuff like that.

What is disheartening, but not surprising, is the effect of advertising on our youth. A seriously limited number of products are being hyped with multi-million pound advertising budgets, eclipsing everything else in the minds and vision of our children. We're still compiling our data, but it's clear that children are only buying the bill of goods sold by the advertisers, and we encountered only small variability in children's tastes in books, films, CDs or sport heroes.

We as parents and teachers must be aware of encouraging our children to dig beneath the surface for other choices. Let's not force-feed our young. Let's expand their choices, not narrow them. Try that unfamiliar book, or listen to a different kind of music in the car. The libraries are an inexpensive way to try something on for size.

It's not easy to fight the corporate battle, but it's a fun-filled adventure, to be sure!

That's the end of my rant. I can't wait to start writing the music for the CD- I've already got lots of ideas. Thanks to all who submitted poems and took the time to write. Get your friends to do it next year, or try writing one together!

Take it easy!

Paul