Root Down in the Shadow

Part of the ongoing series of 'Molly Songs' : a weekly look featuring songs that our children will love, but more importantly parents can enjoy as well. Molly & I got two very important presents over the winter holidays.  She picked up a cool ukulele and I got a DVD of Nirvana MTV Unplugged.  Together we've spent many hours watching the DVD as she is constantly deciding which her favorite is, trying to remember who we can go see live and who we can't, and learning as much as she can about her favorite grunge band.  So far the other Curt and his brother Chris Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets are her favorites. The Nirvana MTV Unplugged DVD is a great reminder of what music to listen to with your kids.  You don't want crap that is easy the first time, just because that's "what kids will like".  Good music is really worth the time and effort if it piques their interests.  It took skipping to 'Lake of Fire' and 'Plateau' to get her...

A new pick from the ongoing series discovering songs that both child and parent can enjoy!  From the 2008 release (on DVD and CD) Here Come the 123s They Might Be Giants ~ The Seven Days Of The Week ('I Never Go To Work')

Elizabeth Mitchell and band graced the Wilmington, DE waterfront on a recent Saturday morning for a wonderful Kindie (Kid-Indie) show at the Grand Opera House!  Fittingly, as her first album was intended to be for her family, it's with no great irony that the band is made up of her family!  Her husband Daniel Littleton handles the guitars and backing vocals.  His brother Miggy was on the drums right behind his wife and fellow kid artist The Good Miss Padgett !  Miggy & Anna's daughter held the enviable position of dancer and idea giver!  Nearly family and great friend Jean Cook plays the violin. The star of the show, one could argue is the daughter of Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton, the amazing Storey Littleton.  She wonderfully takes on the recorder on 'You Are My Sunshine', harmonica on 'Who's My Pretty Baby' and backing vocals on many songs but most prominently on 'Three Little Birds' and 'Lovely Day'. The true star is c...

Part of the ongoing series of 'Molly Songs' : a weekly look featuring songs that our children will love, but more importantly parents can enjoy as well. I've had a chance to talk to a lot of parents about this and I'm not the only parent to have this dilemma.  It's either subject yourself to the crap that's called kids' music or torture your child with your stuff, right?  Not so, has been my position.  Seems it's shared by indie artist and first-time mom Laura Veirs .  She and her husband, music producer Tucker Martine, took matters into their own hands and made an incredible folk-children's album. The thought was, per Tucker Martine, @5;18 in the video below, "Kids love the Beetles ! You know, they just like if you put good music in front of them.  So, we definitely kept that in mind that we just need to make something that we enjoy ...  maybe speaking to our child-like nature." Inspired by the birth of her son and by countless f...

Part of the ongoing series of 'Molly Songs' : a weekly look featuring songs that our children will love, but more importantly parents can enjoy as well. I've discussed in the past what the key ingredients are for the Molly songs are, whether it is simple lyrics or fun beats.  This week's installment is a fun song, I've actually had a hard time recognizing as a "Molly Song", but it has been obvious to Molly for a while now. In fact last night, I was taking her for a night out and I also needed to go to World Cafe Live to look into some tickets.  Perfect solution was eating at World Cafe.  Long story short I told her we were going to a "dinner music" place.  Her response of course was "Can we see Amy Correia?", since her first dinner & music was watching Amy at the Steel City Coffeehouse .  I told her "No, but we can listen to her on the way".  Her response was "Riding around, riding around?"  Asking to hea...

Part of the ongoing series of 'Molly Songs': a weekly look featuring songs that our children will love, but more importantly parents can enjoy as well. I've discussed in the past what the key ingredients are for the Molly songs are, whether it is simple lyrics or fun beats.  This week's installment is a fun song, but visually appealing video aspects are what caught Molly's attention!  Lisa Hannigan's 'Knots' is the lead single from her late 2011 album Passenger.   Lisa Hannigan 'Knots' from Passenger The 'Knots' video is so much fun!  Visually, it captivates you while listening to the song.  If you see the making of 'Knots'  you'll find that it was done in one amazing take!   The 'Knots' video was uploaded September 19th, 2011 the day before the US release of Passenger.   Since then, three other of the album singles have had videos released.   'Little Bird'  on October 19th, 'Safe Travels ' Novem...

Part of the ongoing series of 'Molly Songs': a weekly look featuring songs that our children will love, but more importantly parents can enjoy as well. Everyone once in a while the little ones just need a song to dance to.  But at the same time, you need a song that you don't want to rip your hair out listening to over and over to again.  I had been checking out David Guetta's  Nothing But The Beat , when 'Turn Me On (Feat. Niki Minaj)' caught the ear of my little one.  The result was an epic dance Party, that required the song over and over again.  I had to do something to get this to stop.  Enter Ximena Sariñana .  According to Wikipedia:  "Ximena Sariñana Rivera (born October 29, 1985) is a Mexican singer-songwriter and actress . Sariñana's musical career was launched in 2008 with the release of her first studio album Mediocre , an adult contemporary pop-rock / vocal jazz album that has been critically acclaimed and nominated for ...

Part of the ongoing series of 'Molly Songs': a weekly look featuring songs that our children will love, but more importantly parents can enjoy as well. This week's selection at first seems like an aberration for me as it is neither arty nor a typical kids song.  However, it fits many of the typical pieces of a "Molly Song."   Foremost, Molly digs the song and sings a long.  Furthermore, it has repetitive simple lyrics that are easy to understand and remember for a little one.  Finally, it's catchy.  The real aberration is that it the rest of the album is not fit to be heard by my little on. Hottie Katy Perry is a popular get ready for work/pre-school selection of my wife & little Molly respectively. I picked up Teenage Dream  one weekend with the Tangled Soundtrack.     I am so glad I bought the other album as well, as I quickly had to take  Teenage Dream  out of my cd player.  Many of they lyr...

Part of the ongoing series of 'Molly Songs': a weekly look featuring songs that our children will love, but more importantly parents can enjoy as well. These "Molly Songs" are such a joy to me, finding my daughter enjoys music nearly as much as I do.  Being able to share my favorite things with her is incredible.  I especially love it when she is listening along and asks who is singing.  Even better than that, is when my rambunctious 3 year old makes a request on her own for a band or song. This week's edition was a must, as it became clear that Molly & I had been keeping some of our songs to ourselves.  Just Friday, the wife and a friend and I went to see David Wax Museum at the beautiful Longwood Gardens, in Kennett Square, Pa.   Due to the advanced median age of the crowd, after the show the place emptied leaving a few stragglers getting merchandise and the very cool opportunity to chat and get autographs with the band.  I wa...

Part of the ongoing series of 'Molly Songs': a weekly look featuring songs that our children will love, but more importantly parents can enjoy as well. Molly's musical experiences lately have been vast.  She's been totally into the  Tangled  soundtrack after a visit to Florida this summer, hanging out with Ella & Liam.  She defiantly ignores the correct lyrics when signing the songs, but loves to sing them.  At this point, they are her second most frequently sung songs being  K'Naan 's  'Wavin Flag'. She loves Foster the People, but also argues with me over which songs are theirs.  It's as if they can only sing one song?  Also, in her bedroom cd player right now is a rotation of  ROME  from  Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi ,  the Civil Wars , and  Annie Lynch & The Beekeepers . Her favorite video lately has been Mary,Mary by  Jocie Adams. the Newest  Molly Song of the Wee...

Part of the ongoing series of 'Molly Songs': a weekly look featuring songs that our children will love, but more importantly parents can enjoy as well. In most cases, Molly songs are child focused or rather upbeat.  In this case, 'Charlotte's Web', is neither, rather a captivating song that Molly has loved for the last year and a half.  The child like attraction to the opening track of Annie Lynch & the Beekeepers 2007's self titled album is two fold.  First, for some amazing coincidence Molly refers to the song as "Piggy Song".  Obviously someone had to have mentioned this connection to the children's book, but it wasn't my wife nor I.  Second, Molly has been having quiet time or falling asleep to the Annie Lynch albums since I've picked them up in April 2010. Except for one rousing track on 2009's Squid Hill Sessions led by Mat Davidson vocals instead of Annie Lynch, the albums are incredibly consistent and captivating.  Yo...

Part of the ongoing series of 'Molly Songs': a weekly look featuring songs that our children will love, but more importantly parents can enjoy as well. Molly is now obsessed with "Make-up Girl" otherwise known as Florence + the Machine.  Watch the video and you will know why she is "Make-up Girl", and who the "Blue Ladies" are! It's a great video that is very visually appealing. If you are like me and don't listen to the radio at all (FREE OR SATELITE) you may have missed the Florence phenomenon, but I was lucky enough to hear the song on SNL . Florence + the Machine 'Dog Days Are Over Enjoy For more info check out: florenceandthemachine.net Don't forget in June the album is $5 to download!

Part of the ongoing series of 'Molly Songs': a weekly look featuring songs that our children will love, but more importantly parents can enjoy as well. Mahna Mahna performed by the Muppets. There is a ton of information available on this cult classic kid song.  Wikipedia is the best all inclusive source. I'll give you the quick version.  Back when Jim Henson was growing the Muppets, he was featured on some variety shows.  When the Muppets own variety show option was picked up, this successful bit was re-used.  The song itself is based on an Italian song " Mah Nà Mah Nà ", which varied in popularity before and after the Muppet version success. " Mah Nà Mah Nà " by Piero Umiliani . The most popular remake since the Muppets has been Cake's version on 2007's Cake: B-Sides and Rarities .  Before my research, I disliked this version as I thought it was too much of a departure.  Little did I know it was most similar to the original, ...

Part of the ongoing series of 'Molly Songs': A weekly look featuring songs that our children (including my Molly) will love, but more importantly parents can enjoy as well. This week's entry into Molly Songs is an example of the trend for those rock stars turned parents. Kelsey Friday, back in the day was Kelsey Barber, the hot lead of Pittsburgh's now defunct Brownie Mary. Brownie Mary was the premier female led band in Pittsburgh's late 90's Alternative Scene. Many tremendous bands existed with the Clarks, Brownie Mary, Buzz Poets, Rusted Root, and the Gathering Field leading the way. Over the years the scene changed due to new styles and personnel changes. For Kelsey and Brownie Mary it was both. For Kelsey herself was she 1st became Kelsey Friday, then became a mommy, and then traded in her late night gigs at bars for family friendly gigs at Elementary Schools. For Kelsey, now fronting Kelsey Friday and the Rest of the Week , she still gets to ...

Part of the ongoing series of 'Molly Songs': a weekly look featuring songs that our children will love, but more importantly parents can enjoy as well. Last January, I downloaded the iTunes free video of the week: Anya Marina -'All the Same to Me'.  It was somewhat of a guilty pleasure of mine to listen to in the beginning.  It has a catchy pop rhythm (piano) & beat (clapping and up-right bass), and it has great use of a seemingly 1 part horn section.  Best of all is the soft sensuous voice singing the tune.   If you watch the video it's even better as the attractive Anya Marina , leads a circus troupe turned band for rousing performance of her single 'All the Same to Me'. If I lost you in the description, head to her site http://www.anyamarina.com/videos.php to catch her as a temptress adult store employee covering T.I .'s 'Whatever You Like'. If you liked the description of the song so far, and want to hear how this could possibly p...