Sleep well tonight knowing that our country is safe...

Disaster has been averted! The crack team also known as the TSA uncovered my sinister plan to smother each and every one of the 50 passengers squeezed on to our tiny plane with Rendezvous BBQ sauce. Fortunately for all aboard ,and frankly the nation as a whole, my $3.50 sealed bottle of tasty sauce, a Memphis treat that is available for purchase for $4.99 on both sides of the security checkpoint at the Memphis airport, was confiscated.

Dry rub, it turns out, does not pose a serious national security threat but my sealed bottle of liquid Tylenol (I can't swallow pills) almost did. Luckily a supervisor was nearby for my helpful TSA rep to shout the $10,000 question...and I quote "Is this considered medicine?" Yes genius, it is.

Hey look! A little family of geese crossing the street in front of my rental car. How cuuuuute.

While in Memphis, I toured the Gibson guitar factory, watching numerous axes being created, painted, stringed (strung?) and tuned.


A very neat tour in a cool building in a upstart part of a underrated Midwestern city. I've gone adjective crazy!!!!







I'm not usually one for over-gentrification but the downtown core of Memphis is a pretty fun place to visit, what with Beale St., AutoZone Park, FedEx Forum, the National Civil Rights Museum and some great restaurants all in a few block radius of each other and all steps from the mighty Mississippi River.
_______________________

And now for the totally random-it's been weeks since I wrote about anything other than kid's music-section of this post:

I came home to find the Mouse fully upwardly mobile, which is fun. She no longer needs her parent's legs or fingers to hold on to and the edge of the sofa has been rendered useless in her eyes.

In other news, the Mrs. and I will be taking in the live simulcast of This American Life at a local movie theater this coming Thursday. We're pretty excited as we love the radio show (and just last night bought season one of the TV show on iTunes).

We're less than one month from our Sarasota, FL mini-vacation. Super-jazzed to see the Mouse slash and frolic in the warm (over 80 degrees already!) Gulf of Mexico.

Our home construction is finally finished. The 5 week job that lasted 8 calendar months wrapped up last week and we couldn't be more...nonplussed about it. I guess it's the anti-climactic end to the nightmare but we're just not stoked to have that extra room. It's just there and my only regret is that I didn't write about the entire experience. What a waste of prime blog material!

We are days away from the 2nd Anniversary of Out With The Kids! Just like last year, I have a ton of great giveaways scheduled. It should be quite a joyful celebration of this lil' blog...you'll laugh, you'll cry...and if you're lucky you might win some sweet swag.

Winners, Winners! We have Winners!

Happy belated Earth Day!

I spent my April 22nd in an ideal environmental way - burning jet fuel and gasoline on a business trip to Memphis, TN. Yeah!

While I was out of town, we had a couple contests end which means we have a couple winners to announce.

Congratulations to Smellyann - you have won the M&M World Goodies and to WindyCindy and Kyra - you each have just scored a copy of the greatest kid's record ever made!

Justin Roberts "Pop Fly" - The Giveaway!!

Last week I told y'all how much I love the new Justin Roberts record...now it's time to give a couple copies away so that you and your's can enjoy the greatest kid's record ever made.

Simply leave a comment, with your name/email address, on this post by the end of the day Thursday (that's midnight ET on 4/24/08) and you will have a chance to win a "Pop Fly" CD.

While you're at it, enter my other active giveaway as well for a chance to win some cool NYC M&M World swag.

This giveaway is happily a part of the quarterly Bloggy Giveaway Carnival.

A Birthday Weekend, Five Weeks Late - Part 2 and A GIVEAWAY!!

Welcome back for Part 2 of the Bear's NYC B-Day Weekend wrap up. This one comes with a giveaway (at the bottom)!
Check out Part 1 if you missed it yesterday.






We stayed at the newish Hampton Inn just blocks from the South St. Seaport. 'Twas a nice place in a cool area (2 short blocks to the #4 and #5 trains...and almost under the Brooklyn Bridge which I took a picture of with my iPhone - the room pic here is from the hotel's site). The rooms are small but do feature a very soft, comfy bed and a 27" flat screen TV. The small theme is continued in the lobby and the "dining" area offering free breakfast in the A.M. and warm cookies/cold milk in the P.M. yet it all comes without a small price tag (rooms are consistently going for $300+ a weekend night).

There is a neat little playground 1 block to the south of the hotel's door, so that's a plus if you stay here with your gang but considering the rooms will likely be a tight squeeze for a family, you may want to consider another hotel in Lower Manhattan, maybe the Embassy Suites on the Hudson river side, near Battery Park. One big positive was the air-conditioning system in the room - it was effective and got the room cold in an instant (we all like to sleep in a chilly room, bundled up with blankets) while not being too obscenely loud. Another nice perk was the $20 validated parking (for 24 hours/no in-out) nearly across the street (not the outdoor spots right next door though, I almost made that mistake). The Embassy Suites, in comparison, will charge you closer to $50 to park for 1 day.

We checked out early on Sunday then went for a drive, something that a sane individual normally wouldn't find enjoyable in Manhattan but, much like D.C., was a ton of fun early on a Sunday morning. We cruised up FDR Drive so the Bear could see more bridges and the boats out on the river then cut over to cruise past Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where I visited for my "real job" several times (the girls had never seen the Upper East Side) before eventually heading into midtown for a stop at M&M World. Another good thing about Sunday mornings? Street parking 2 blocks from Times Square and no meter to feed! I felt like a King after I scored that spot. I stood there for a moment admiring my work while the Mrs. and the Bear were eager to being the short march to candy heaven.

The sweets were nice (as was the quick stop into Other Music where I picked up four new records!!), but the main event of Sunday was at Joe's Pub on Lafayette St at Noon...Ellis Paul's family matinee show. Mr. Paul, as you may recall from my glowing "Dragonfly Races" review, is a big hit in the OWTK house. His debut kid's album is stellar and seems to have real staying power - it's still requested by the Bear and the Mrs. every time we take a drive.

I had the thought a few days before the gig to put in a request for "Abiola" by emailing his camp. He received the request and was gracious enough to work up a live version of the Bear's favorite tune about a smart girl who is crowned princess for her honesty and bravery. I spoke to Ellis after the show and he said he had never once played "Abiola" live because of the vocal work needed for the song - namely a female's voice, as Abiola herself, for 1/2 the singing. To compensate for the fact that he is not both a female and male he modified his vocals a bit for Abiola's lines. Was very cool and very nice of him...it made the Bear's day.

Buy Ellis Paul's terrific kid's debut right now. You won't be disappointed...I promise.

M&M WORLD GIVEAWAY!!!

OWTK brought back some goodies from M&M World to give away to one lucky winner. Simply leave a comment on this post by midnight ET on Wednesday April 23rd 2008. In the comment, let OWTK know about your all-time favorite candy.

I'll kick it off: my favorite growing up was a candy bar (not the record label) called BAR NONE. I don't think they make it anymore. My favorite now is TAKE 5.

ONE (1) winner will be selected at random and will receive a NYC M&M World Little Miss Liberty M&M Dispenser and a heaping of green-grass speckled Central Park GREEN M&M's - a NYC exclusive packaged in a a snazzy plastic wine bottle.

A Birthday Weekend, Five Weeks Late - Part 1

***PM Edit to add some additional photos I forgot including one of The Bear as Gustafer. Oh and in case you can't tell I haven't the foggiest idea how to add a bunch of photos on Blogger without making the post look hideous.***

The Bear's big 4th birthday gift, a weekend in NYC, took place this past Saturday night. We spent one evening and two glorious spring days in the Big Apple with our little lady.




On day one we grabbed some tasty pizza from PIE and soft serve courtesy of the Mr. Softee truck conveniently parked at the corner of 15th and Union Square (who knew those trucks still serve un-frozen ice cream?! they don't in our neck of the woods) then sat in for the 2pm performance of Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Sensation - the little yellow fella's off-Broadway spectacular!

The Gusty show was great and the quaint DR2 Theater proved the perfect lil' venue for the experience. This was the 4th time we've seen a Yellowgold live show put together by Morgan Taylor and band but it was still fresh and enjoyable - thanks to the addition of sound effects, expanded narrative and some extra "slides" including a small bit called "Falcon Pants" which might be the funniest thing I've ever seen, goofy interaction with the audience and the hilarious "sponsor-ads" extracted from the Gustaferyellowgold.com website.

Even the Gusty merchandise offerings have been expanded! There are now snazzy tie-dyed shirts and gear featuring Slim and Forrest Applecrumby. Overall, the Mellow Sensation show is well worth your coin if you're in and around NYC this spring (the show runs twice, 11am and 2pm, every Saturday until May 17th 2008 - get your tickets here)

**A little scoop from Morgan after the show - he is putting the finishing touches on Gustafer Yellowgold DVD/CD #3! Very exciting news...naturally I never though to probe for a title/date/etc. Quite the journalist, no?

That night, we ate outside at RED near the South St. Seaport, chosen mostly for it's proximity to our hotel and for the fruit smoothies on the menu (the Bear loved the Banana/Strawberry), and then caught the end of a neat street performer's act just down the block towards the East River. I was even involved in the show a bit when I was asked to give a couple young lads a dollar for helping with the act. The boys were brothers and their mom who was absolutely beside herself. It was almost as much fun watching the mom's expression as her kids (ages 3 and 5, I think) became the stars of the show. The Bear was in awe of the finale from her front "row" spot on the cobblestone - a juggling effort involving a flaming torch, a knife and an apple while riding a unicycle...yikes!

Walking back to the hotel, we spent too much money (all on The Mouse, oddly enough) in Firefly Boutique, a Park Slope original children's store that recently launched it's Manhattan wing in the Seaport district. While we shopped the Bear played with the over sized Melissa & Doug tree house/doll house that was on display. Then the Bear, who had already been singing aloud while walking through the crowds of people spilling out from local bars found a light pole to complete her performance of "Singin' in the Rain" sans the precipitation and umbrella. A Kodak moment and me without my camera. Go figure.

Part II tomorrow...

Justin Roberts "Pop Fly"

Let me start this review by making the following declaration:


"Pop Fly", Justin Roberts' sixth album for kids, is without a doubt the greatest children's record ever made. There you have it...you could legitimately stop reading now.



Oh, you're still here. Well, let me explain a bit further...

"Pop Fly" (released today on Carpet Square Records) is a fascinating album for several reasons. The record, like none before it, has prompted an artistic integrity conversation with the Bear. This is something she probably heard me mention in regards to adult bands and records that I've been listening to but never before in relation to a kid's act that she fancies. Upon hearing half of this disc I needed to explain to her that some artists (be it in music, film, literature), when they reach a certain level of popularity, may attempt to replicate their now-recognizable style to keep those adoring fans on board for future projects/releases. This is disgusting for several reasons. Most notably because the artist is limiting their own creativity and artistic potential and also because they are also selling their audience well short by assuming fans cannot appreciate anything different or grow artistically along with their favorite author/songwriter/filmmaker. Ridiculous.

Thankfully, Justin Roberts is doing neither. "Pop Fly" is a diverse and ambitious work that has Justin and the band genre-hopping while expanding the depth of instrumentation from prior releases. Additionally, Roberts' vocal work has never been better. He has always been a sort of vocal chameleon, often sounding fresh yet distinctly familiar and comforting. For example, throughout "Pop Fly" you'll hear him sounding like Ted Leo on the hilarious "She Sits" (listen for the lines with elongated, embellished vowel sounds "...the baby sitter's got it maaade" and "...when I'm in the 7th graaade") and Bob Dylan on "Henrietta's Hair' (initially I was calling this Josh Ritter-esque but of course all roads paved with this sound lead back to Mr. Zimmerman). The production quality of his vocals, along with the rest of the music, is top notch. This may be the best recorded kid's record ever as well, it is pristine without being glossy and too-perfect...if that makes sense.

Liam Davis (Justin's longtime producer/multi-instrumentationalist/collaborator) is a true star. If you didn't think so before, "Pop Fly" makes it quite obvious. His deft touch is all over this new album - from tasteful mandolin fills to the Beach Boys-backing vocals on "Kickboard, Baby, Yeah" to the playful Casio-sounding keyboard parts in the chorus of "From Scratch". "Pop Fly" is layered with numerous moments of gorgeous musicianship, those seemingly nonchalant little guitar parts, lyrical phrases and bass lines that make a great record memorable.

It only makes sense that the best album would also contain some of the best individual songs ever recorded for the underage set and "Pop Fly" does. The aforementioned "Henrietta's Hair" and "From Scratch" are two perfect examples of Roberts' brilliance in the areas of musical composition and songwriting as are "Giant Sized Butterflies" and "Fruit Jar" - the two lullaby-esque songs on "Pop Fly". I am almost giddy when I think about this album. It is magical and absolutely perfect without a weak or even average song in the bunch.

We are in interesting territory here as the Bear's favorite acts are releasing subsequent records and she is growing with the artists. It is an incredibly exciting time for the Mrs. and I as we are witnessing the growth of not only a little girl but the development of a true, pure music lover. We as a family couldn't be more pleased to have Justin Roberts' music serve as catalyst and fuel for this artistic and musical passion.




Buy "Pop Fly" now!

Home Sick

For the third consecutive Monday, I am not in work. This time it's me who is sick. What started nearly a month ago with a Mouse stomach bug has since moved through The Mrs. then the Bear and now your's truly. Each sickness comes with a one week lag time between obvious infection (read: violent puking...yeah!)

Fortunately, I was struck AFTER our weekend in NYC and not during it. We had a fantastic time in Manhattan enjoying the gorgeous weather (70 and sunny on Saturday and mid-50's and sunny on Sunday), great music and a trip to the delicious M&M World in Times Square. Much more on the trip coming later in the week along with a sweet M&M World giveaway.

Okay, that is all for now...off to bed...

OWTK NCAA Kid's Music Tournament - Round 2 - Rebecca Frezza vs. Gunnar Masdsen

The final contest of the 2nd round is here...#1 seed Rebecca Frezza barely squeaked past Suzi Shelton in the 1st round to earn a matchup with #4 Gunnar Madsen, who defeated Thaddeux Rex last week.

Check out Rebecca's warm and summery video for "Carnival Ride"



You will want to click on the links above to re-read the OWTK reviews of both records and find the audio samples to, well, sample. Then leave your comment/vote (with your name/email please!) for either Rebecca Frezza's "Special Kind of Day" or Gunnar Madsen's "I'm Growing" by midnight ET on Friday 4/11. Your comments will help decide the winner. Also, feel free to cast your ballot in the Stardust Lullaby vs. Harmonica Pocket contest!
Everyone that leaves a comment with their name (fairly difficult to award CDs to 'anonymous') during the Tournament will have a chance to win the Final Four CDs.

A Mellow Sensational Weekend

The OWTK gang (minus the Mouse) will be hangin' in the Big Apple this coming weekend. The trip marks the delayed 4th birthday getaway/gift we promised the Bear in leu of a party. On Saturday afternoon we will be in attendance for Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Sensation off-broadway show (extended for 2 more weeks though May 17th due to popular demand!) and then on Sunday we will head to Joe's Pub for Ellis Paul's family matinee (where we will hope that he plays "Abiola" - the Bear's favorite tune from the remarkable "The Dragonfly Races").

We may try to squeeze in an early evening viewing of Horton Hears and Who and then get all fancy for a nice dinner on Saturday night.

Should be a fantastic weekend in the world's greatest city...that is providing the rain currently in the forecast for Saturday decides to show up a day early. Fingers firmly crossed.

Colin Meloy at the 9:30 Club in D.C. - This Sunday! Free Tickets!

If any OWTK reader is a Colin Meloy/Decemberists fan and either lives in/near our nation's capital or will be able to get to Washington D.C. this Sunday night you are welcome to recieve two (2) free tickets to Colin Meloy's solo show at the famed 9:30 Club this coming Sunday, April 13th at 7:30pm. Just send me an email at outwiththekids_at_gmail_dot_com. I'll send them priority mail to you straightaway.

*This is not a contest of any sort...I simply have an extra pair of tickets and would love to see them go to good use.

OWTK NCAA Kid's Music Tournament - Round 2 - Mr. Oscat vs. Bari Koral

Continuing with the 2nd round...

(4) Mr. Oscat moves on to face (5) Bari Koral Family Rock Band. An interesting matchup of two lower seeded acts that scored nice upsets in round 1. I couldn't find any Bari Koral kid's stuff on youtube, but here is Mr. Oscat's "Ducks in a Row". Again, this isn't a video competition...I'm just including this as an easily accessible sample. Enjoy.





You will want to click on the links above to re-read the OWTK reviews of both records and find the audio samples to, well, sample. Then leave your comment/vote (with your name/email please!) for either "Mr. Oscat Says..." or The Bari Koral Family Rock band by midnight ET on Wednesday 4/9. Your comments will help decide the winner. Also, feel free to cast your ballot in the Stardust Lullaby vs. Harmonica Pocket contest!
Everyone that leaves a comment with their name (fairly difficult to award CDs to 'anonymous') during the Tournament will have a chance to win the Final Four CDs.

Baseball with The Bear, Part Deux

The Bear fell ill this morning, after a weekend of fun with her cousins. She and the Mouse slept through the night (Holy Crap!) but the Bear screamed out at 6am and began throwing up...from the hallway into our bathroom.

Yesterday we were in New Jersey for the Kelsey Theater's performance of Singin' in the Rain. T'was a total surprise for the Bear...she had no idea what we were doing or what we were seeing until the pre-show announcement thanked everyone for coming to see Singin' in the Rain. Her jaw hit the floor. The staging lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes (yikes!) and was 95% faithful to the movie even going so far as to feature an on-stage rain storm. It was definitely "local theater" but it was good enough to please our lil' Singin' in the Rain fan who sat in awe of the action on stage and music from the elevated orchestra section.

Since the Bear and I were home all day we got a 2nd chance at baseball's "opening day". No rain today in Cincinnati or Pittsburgh so the Phillies and Cubs' rare Monday afternoon games got started on time. We snuggled the entire day watching America's Pastime together...for the second consecutive Monday. What a life!

I made some homemade applesauce for the Bear, which she promptly let go of. So, she spent the rest of the day nibbling on saltines and drinking apple pedialyte. What was perfect was that she didn't act sick or miserable, aside from her puking episodes, so we were able to play a bit and actually enjoy the unexpected day off. It's days like this that convince me that I could be a stay at home dad. My favorite time on earth is when I'm hanging out with her (to paraphrase a new Justin Roberts' tune).

OWTK NCAA Kid's Music Tournament - Round 2

Welcome to round two of the OWTK Kid's Music Tournament. Thanks to all who voted during round one (over 300 total votes!). We are down to 6 bands and their newest albums now.

Stardust Lullaby flat out spanked Brady Rymer in what many consider to be the most shocking upset in the long and storied history of the OWTK NCAA Kid's Music Tournament (wink, wink). Cher & Gene Klosner now advance to face The Harmonica Pocket, fresh off their win over Johnette Downing and her Dixieland Jazz for Children album, in the 2nd round.

Not that this is a video competition (Zooglobble's got that cool idea cornered) but here is a new Stardust Lullaby video, hot off the presses, to help you decide the winner this time around. When making an animated video, it helps to be married to one of the creative folks behind The Simpsons, as Cher is.



You will want to click on the links above to re-read the OWTK reviews of both records and find the audio samples to, well, sample. Then leave your comment/vote (with your name/email address) for either Stardust Lullabies or The Harmonica Pocket by midnight ET on Wednesday 4/9. Don't forget to also vote on the Mr. Oscat vs. Bari Koral 2nd round matchup!
Your comments will help decide the winners. Everyone that leaves a comment during the Tournament will have a chance to win the Final Four CDs.

The Piano Cat

I miss my kitty cat today. Not that she ever tickled the ivory (the 2nd time I've managed to squeeze my favorite musical phrase into an OWTK post this year) but still, seeing Nora rub her cheek against the black and white keys brings a little tear to my eyes. Check out the talented Nora play piano.



The Mrs. thinks we should adopt a new feline friend but I can't bare the thought right now. I quipped that I'd be better prepared to find a new wifey should she kick-it than get a new kitty. I'm only half-joking.

Justin Roberts "Pop Fly" Video

Oh Happy Days! Justin Roberts new video for the title track of his new record has been unveiled. Check it out.

Harmonica Pocket vs. Dixieland Jazz - the results are in

Wow was this one close! The Harmonica Pocket edged out Johnette Downing's Dixieland Jazz for Children by a slim margin to advance into round two. HP's opponent will be announced in the coming days.

Before we say goodbye to Johnette, check out this neat video of her performing and being interviewed by her local eyewitness news program. Then listen to The Bear's favorite song these days - "Do The Charleston".

Today is the last day to vote in the Rebecca Frezza vs. Suzi Shelton matchup!

David Tobocman vs. Mr. Oscat - the results are in

Mr. Oscat has emerged victorious in his 1st round game against David Tobocman from the Singin' in the Rain Region. Congrats to him!

Since I will be re-seeding this tournament, it will be announced in the next couple days who Mr. Oscat's 2nd round opponent will be.

Before we say goodbye to the super-talented David Tobocman, please check out his stunningly beautiful video for one of the most gorgeous songs of the year - "Home". Enjoy!



Be sure to cast you ballot for the 6th and final first round contest - Rebecca Frezza vs. Suzi Shelton. Voting ends tomorrow night at midnight ET.