SteveSongs: The Marvelous Musical Adventures DVD

*This is a positive review, I swear...just hear me out...

Listen, the OWTK household very much enjoys "Marvelous Day" (the CD and this new DVD, released yesterday on Rounder Records) but as refreshingly pleasant as the music is I am at times nagged by this slightly uncomfortably cheesy feeling I get when listening to SteveSongs. Steve Roslonek tip-toes that ever-so-very-fine line between being a caricature of a kiddie musician (if you've ever been to a birthday party or some corporate event that features kid's "entertainment" you may know what I mean by that statement. If not, think amateur musicians performing astonishingly banal tunes half-hearted while sporting gigantically fake Kool Aid smiles) and actually being a quality one in, you know, real life. His new PBS Kids acronym "Mr. Steve" isn't helping his case to be considered the later.

Fortunately for Mr. Roslonek he is one hell of a gifted songwriter penning such gems as "Ducks Hatching" (on the CD but not the DVD), "Spyrtle the Turtle" and "Opposite Day". With SteveSongs, Roslonek manages to be silly, educational and melodic simultaneously and the results are generally marvelous. I do believe his ever-present smile to be authentic and genuine, making all the difference in the world to me while watching and listening to SteveSongs.

On his new 90 minute DVD SteveSongs: The Marvelous Musical Adventures Roslonek combines eight cool HD videos including the title track and "Opposite Day" as well as a very clever and funny video for "Blast Off!" with a live concert, a couple PBS Kids extras and about 20 minutes of outtakes all of which are quite hilarious. Additionally, the package contains an bonus music CD with seven songs (including a few brand new tunes). All in all, it's $15 well spent.

In today's world we are so damn cynical and doubting of anyone who seems too happy or too earnest in what it is they do. I too often fall in to that trap as well (hell, just see the entire opening of this here review). But I beg you, cast aside such foolish cynicism and embrace SteveSongs for what it is - good, clean (dare I say wholesome?) family fun that will have you singing, dancing and laughing with your kids for an hour and a half. And at the end there is no doubt that an honest smile will be planted on your face too.

Pick up a copy of the terrific "Marvelous Day" CD and/or the DVD.

Introducing the Do'Bees

The Do'Bees is a relatively new series of children's books penned by publisher, businessman and entrepreneur Kyle Donovan. The purpose of the series is a uplifting one, to help convince youngsters that they can be(e) anything that they want to be in life. The series is on it's second character-focused installment now with those two books following the inaugural volume "Introducing the Do'Bees".

"Introducing..." spends a few pages highlighting each of the six bees giving the reader a super high level overview of their key personality traits. Essentially, this introduction tees up the subsequent books perfectly by giving children a glimpse into each bee's most endearing (or frustrating) quality - that quality to be flushed out in narrative form later on down the line. The bees are into mostly pleasant things like race cars (CurBee) and trying new things (BillyBee) but a couple of them have tendencies that I find more than a tad unusual for inclusion in a kid's book. HoniBee wants more than anything to be a famous singer and actress. It's the famous bit that confounds me. Feeding a culture already obsessed with fame and idolatry seems an odd path for book aimed at preschoolers. Then there's Angilo Elibee (the only bee with more than one name) who lustily craves monetary wealth but for no apparent reason. Angilo just saves and saves with the ultimate goal of being the richest bee of all. Interesting.

Now, I do understand the foundation of the content. Author Kyle Donovan drew inspiration for the books from his daughter's ever-changing answer to the $10,000 question: "what do you want to be when you grow up?" And I can see a young gal in the 21st century wanting all of the things described in the Do'Bees book. So in that regard the book makes sense. I am using "Introducing the Do'Bees", a cute book that the Bear has really taken a liking to since first reading it a week ago, to explain that some people in the world have wants and priorities that are far different than what we go after in life. That some folks spend their days chasing down things that in the end have very little substance. I must say that I do appreciate the book for opening up this kind of conversation in our house. I am quite curious to see how the wants of HoniBee and Angilo are handled in future installments.

The Do'Bees series is hyper-illustrated with so many images and colors on each page that it's at times unbearable yet simultaneously eye-catching. It is definitely unlike anything else in the house.

Check out the snazzy Official Do'Bee website where you will find ordering info and details on the next two Do'Bee books, highlighting HoniBee and CurBee.

Obama Biden 2008! It's Officially Offical!

As an Obama supporter I am quite pleased with local boy Joe Biden getting the VP nod. So pleased that I went crazy making stylish and cool new Obama Biden t-shirts, bumper stickers and democratic ticket buttons. Love Obama Biden 2008?


Buy some Obama Biden shirts, stickers and mugs today.

On Departing

At High Noon today I saddled up my trusty horse and rode off into a rare mid-day sunset. To the untrained eye however, it probably looked like I was simply walking out of work for the last time.

A surreal feeling. I spent just about 30% of my life inside those walls with that organization and to be officially gone feels both comforting and very odd. As I type this at 10pm on Friday night it's as though nothing is different. I imagine that will change come Monday morning.

What I have not addressed here since announcing this big move is what you, my loyal OWTK reader, should expect once I am fathering "full-time". The plan is to write more...more parenting wisdom (ha), more CD/Book/Movie reviews and, more broadly to grow this parenting blog thang into an international phenomenon...sound good? Heck maybe I'll even complete an entire post without a single spelling error...a guy can hope, right?

My Last Week of Real Work

I'm 1/2 way through my last week at the desk job. On Monday August 25th I will officially be professional-unemployed and then on Wednesday Septemeber 3rd I'll officially be a stay at home dad...and to be perfectly honest I don't know which one scares me more.

Bronze Medal Parenting

The OWTK household has caught Olympic fever. We got it bad. I was cheering hard for the pre-recorded Norwegian female handball team on Sunday afternoon. The Mrs, like the rest of the free world, has been spellbound by Michael Phelps. Yep, she's a Phelps Phan phrom now on. The Bear is loving the girl's and boy's gymnastics, as I thought (and feared) she would.

As a result of all this Olympic spirit we've had the TV on about 500% more than usual, including every single evening. I'm trying to justify all this by telling myself that it only happens every four years and the Bear will be eight when the London Games kick off in 2012. So it's special for that reason and it's also cool to show her all the nation's flags and colors then look at the globe/atlas to spot where those countries are in relation to us and France (the Bear's European familiarity). So there is a slight geographical lesson buried in there as well.

In all honestly, the games have been great. I usual much prefer the winter games - loving the luge, ski jump and of course ice hockey but the summer games have been impressive. I love that we can tune in at 8pm Eastern and see live events from the other side of the world. It's all been very cool.

And to think that all this Olympic TV viewing will bleed right football season when the television is guaranteed to be on quite a bit.

Dr. Dog - Tonight in Philly!

The OWTK 4 will be hangin' in Rittenhouse Square tonight for the free outdoor Dr. Dog show.

Whoa, can't wait to hear "America's Next Great Band" again.

I know what you did last weekend

Alright, I have no idea what YOU did this past weekend but here's what we did:


Made our 1st trip back to Winterthur since becoming a member during the Jane Yolen weekend in the Spring. I had no intention of joining back then but the regular admission lines were so long that I gleefully forked over a wad of cash to get in right away (and again whenever I want for the next 12 months). I did the same thing at the Franklin Institute last year during the wildly popular King Tut exhibit. Those lines were almost out the door yet the membership desk was totally clear.

Winterthur and their Enchanted Woods is a beautiful place to spend a day. On this trip we got to experience the indoor portion of the grounds and discovered the K is for Kids exhibit (neat), the very comfy Jane Yolen reading room complete with over sized floor pillows (wonderful) and the kiddie Touch-It room which is set up like a old fashion house with china tea set, wooden toys and antique dolls (pretty cool) - the kids are encouraged to play with everything in there.

The gem of Winterthur though are gardens and, for anyone with tiny tots, the Enchanted Woods. The mystical Woods are filled with a troll house, a labyrinth, a frog pond, a giant bird's nest and a faerie cottage. You're kids will love it. And for any child who loves to ascend a great oak, there is an ideal climbing-tree just behind the Enchanted Woods...right in front of a big open area perfect for a picnic. It's an idyllic spot on a beautiful blue-sky-day.


Working backwards...On Friday the Mrs. and I had an appointment at the Apple Store. My iPhone crapped out on me after getting wet during the Newport Folk Fest. They swapped it out for a new one, no questions asked, but dummy me didn't yet sync my photos from the Mystic Aquarium and the Festival, my contacts or my notepad notes with dozens and dozens of t-shirt design ideas! Ack! They're all gone forever. The good news is that I once again have a fully functioning iPhone thanks to the great people at the Apple Store's Genius Bar.

Also on Friday my notice from COBRA arrived alerting me of my right to continue my health insurance coverage once I leave my job next Friday...all for the fabulous rate of $1265 per month! Yay, where do I sign for that affordable deal! The Mrs. is remaining employed for various reasons, that dollar amount being a large one.

YES TO RUNNING! Bill Harley Live

Every once in a while a CD arrives in the post and it ends up knocking my family's socks off. These records come out of nowhere for us, typically because we've never heard of the acts before cracking open the mailbox door and peeling apart the sticky side of an over sized yellow envelope.

The spirit of the songs on these albums shoot off the disc and envelope you completely for a time. It's a beautiful thing to have happen as a music lover...to be overtaken by a single collection of tunes. It may only last a week or two but for that time you are utterly consumed by a single album, spinning it virtually 'round the clock.

Joe McDermott's "Everyone Plays Air Guitar" qualifies, as does Justin Roberts' "Meltdown", Dr. Noize's "The Ballad of Phineas McBoof", Ellis Paul's "Dragonfly Races" and, of course, Frances England's "Fascinating Creatures". Now you can add another, actually two, discs to the list in "YES TO RUNNING!" Bill Harley's boisterous, excitable and truly laugh-out-loud hysterical live double disc (and wonderful DVD, available separately or as part of a package).

It's sort of criminal that I've never heard of Bill Harley, considering he's been at this kid's music/storytelling thing for years, is a Grammy winner and is a contributor to NPR's All Things Considered. But alas, I had no idea who the guy was a month ago. Now, he is an OWTK favorite and we're about to dive into his back catalog of music and spoken word records (both kiddie and adult) - which is another sign that an artist or record has taken hold of you...the desire to hear EVERYTHING the dude has recorded previously.

"YES TO RUNNING!" (to be released officially tomorrow, 8/12/08) is a live album recorded in front of a huge, energetic group of Harley-heads. These folks know all the words to all the songs and stories. It makes for a great listen as the crowd's enthusiasm enhances the at-home-listener's experience by really making you feel a part of the event. The Bear, age 4.5, and her 10 year old cousin both adore the stories of The Teacher's Lounge, Mrs. Ammons and the Boy's Room, and The Ballad of Dirty Joe. As much as a 4 and 10 year old love this disc, I imagine the real range of audience may be even wider. I could see 2-3 year olds and 10-12 year old tweens finding joy in hearing Bill tell, in a 1/2 (clean) George Carlin and 1/2 Bill Cosby manner, stories & songs about childhood, sibling rivarly and grade school life. I can certainly attest to the fact that adults will positively flip for Harley's dead-on recollections of those by-gone years. This is because as much as they are his experiences they are really shared memories with anyone who went through the 2nd grade and survived the 4th. Every adult will be time warped back to their own childhood and will find this live album to be incredibly enjoyable to listen to over and over again. His songs, while much shorter and less meaty than the tales, are no less interesting. "You're in Trouble" and "Is Not is Too" are absolutely hilarious and will provide for hours of sing-along fun even after the disc stops spinning.

I've reviewed a lot of music and kid's media on these pages but I must tell you, this is the most refreshingly enjoyable collection of songs and stories I've ever heard. To me, YES TO RUNNING! is a must own for any family with grade school age kids or with adults who managed to escape primary school with their lungs and fingernails in tact.

I strongly recommend that you consider picking up the double CD and/or DVD today.

Check out video samples from YES TO RUNNING! here.

Funky Mama "Moo Juice" CD Review

The first thing you will probably think upon hearing "Moo Juice" is: How the heck does that voice come from such a petite individual? That was my first thought as I listened to the soulful, motown-esque tunes on Funky Mama's new record "Moo Juice". This record represents a rare treat in kid's music - the chance to expose a child to a kiddie version of a non-rock/folk genre (which is the category most children's music falls into these days).

"Moo Juice" is straight up Supremes-inspired funk-lite music with a vocal delivery that really packs a punch. Think The Commitments soundtrack without the smell of booze and cigarettes. Tracks like "Sippy" and "Potty Train" stand out here but really each song is strong in it's own way.

Funky Mama Krista Eyler's story is also worth listening to. She ditched an on-air TV reporter gig to focus on being a mom and recording music. Now that is a cool career change. Her efforts have really paid off as she has produced one hell of a unique kid's album that deserves your attention.

Sample all the tracks here. Then pick up a copy of "Moo Juice" on the same page.

The Terrible Twos "Jerzy The Giant" CD Review

The Terrible Twos debut record was a breath of fresh air in the kid's music world. Matt Pyror brought his melodic, emo-tinged (I cringe at the mention of the term emo) rock music to the kiddie set with outstanding results. When the new TT's disc arrived in the mail a few weeks back we in the OWTK household were giddy. We had a road trip to a far away birthday party and were going to spend a lot of quality time with the Jerzy the Giant. Only problem was, the new songs didn't have that immediate connection. The sense of awe that was so prevalent on "If You Ever See An Owl" was missing. We listened through a couple times then slipped in something else for the rest of the drive. I kinda forgot about The Terrible Twos for a spell until I heard a cut or two on Spare the Rock. Then I was prompted to stream the album on Vagrant's website and slowly but surely started coming around to the new tunes. Now, I listen straight through and have found real pleasure in the new record. While my initial impression was, to be honest, one of trying to hurry a record to "cash in" on the kiddie rock craze my new mindset when it comes to Jerzy the Giant is that this sophomore effort represents another solid effort of clever storytelling and infectious hooks all built on a steady foundation of Matt Pyror's true and pure love of his own children. The music is sweet, touching and funny. Add to that a song with the lyrics "great big poop, tiny tiny poop" and you have a winner in my book!

Topics covered here are not your typical kid's music fare (stinky folks that refuse to take showers, the great big poop song...just to name a couple) and that is one of the reasons The Terrible Twos continue to win over fans from coast to coast. Pryor and company are, despite my quick first response, still offering up something unique and thoroughly enjoyable in the children's music space.

The Terrible Twos on MySpace

Cake Jumper!

For the longest time the Games page on the Gustafer Yellowgold website teased visitors with this image of Cake Jumper, a fun looking activity that was always "coming soon". Well "soon" has finally arrived as the big red ribbon on the Cake Jumper game was cut today.

The game is a hoot. You play as Gustafer and the object is to smash as many cakes, pies and treats as possible collecting points along the way. As you advance through the three rounds the desserts get more interesting and the speed of the game quickens. Head on over to the Gustafer Yellowgold website and play a game or two.

In other exciting Gusty news, the yellow dude from the sun is back in the big apple for another Off-Broadway run. Having caught the show the last time around I recommend that anyone and everyone head into lower Manhattan this Fall to check it out.

Newport Folk Take Two

Boy o boy was Sunday a better day for us in Rhode Island. We decided to spend the afternoon in town, walking the streets, hopping in and out of stores and having a delicious lunch (lobster pizza with roasted red peppers, green onions and a lobster sherry sauce in place of tomato sauce - yum!). We knew we would miss some terrific music, Calexico specifically, but we wanted to give the kids a break and see something else up there. What a great idea! The girls, which for this weekend included my 10 year old niece, had a very enjoyable day. My niece asked to come along for the ride while at my parents on Friday night, battling with her parents for the right to go away with her uncle, aunt and two cousins. I couldn't say no, figuring it was a cool chance to expose her to some different music and a new kind of traveling experience.

We arrived at the Festival at 4:10 exactly, just in time for the start of Levon Helm's set. Then we headed over to the medium-size Harbor stage for The Avett Brothers who have just launched themselves into my top 5 favorite bands. Holy crap what a great show! They played a song that, as it turns out, has been around for a while in their live shows but just recently made it on to a record, their new, quieter affair called The Second Gleam. It's called "Murder in the City" and it's amazing. Check out the brothers performing it a few months ago in Atlanta.



We then headed back to the main Fort stage for a full-fledged Parrothead event as Jimmy Buffet closed out the 2008 Newport Folk Festival. My niece finally got to hear some stuff she actually heard before, as her parents are big-Buffet fans.

Back at the hotel, we ordered a pizza and the mouse wore the bear's underwear on her head. That's it.

And the rains came!

Day 1 of the Newport Folk Festival was a washout. About three songs into She & Him's set the floodgates opened and it began to pour. This continued for over an hour. Not fun to have a 14 month old baby is a cold driving rain. We bailed and missed Jim James and Felice Brothers. None to pleased. The car is drenched inside too since we sat for an hour, in ungodly traffic, trying along with thousands of other festival-goers to escape Newport. In looked liked we had jumped into a swimming pool completely dressed and then went for a ride.

A crappy day, all in all.