Thursday, December 27, 2007

Covered in Kidfolk, Part 2:
Loudsongs and Dancearounds for Cool Moms and Dads



School's been out for days, and I'm already exhausted. But after a whirlwind tour of relatives and sled runs, Sturbridge Village sleigh rides and Santa stocking mornings, the kids are sugared up, full of pep and peppermint. What to do with a case of the sillies? What better time for another round of Covered in Kidfolk?

Last time on Covered in Kidfolk we brought you a sweet set of lullabies and softsongs; songs in that post are still live, just in case today's songs tire you out. If you joined Cover Lay Down in the past two months, or if you're just in the mood for something a bit quieter, head over there for a mellow dozen-or-so from the likes of Alison Krauss, Jack Johnson, The Be Good Tanyas, and Shawn Colvin, and a good overview of our Covered in Kidfolk series, and why it's meant to serve your ears, too.

But the point here is to jangle out some energy. So today, we bring you a broad set of genre-pushing folk and folk-related artists hanging out on the fast, upbeat end of the musical kidfolk spectrum. Some are traditional kids songs, sped up as far and stretched out as hard as acoustic instruments can go. Some have their origins in our own childhood favorites, from Sesame Street to Raffi. Some, like Prince's Starfish and Coffee, will be familiar as songs from your own collections, only repackaged for a kid-friendly audience. All give your kids a chance to rock out without you or they resorting to violence.

Whether you've got kids visiting for the holidays, or are just a kid at heart, I think you'll enjoy these raucous folkcovers of familiar and traditional songs for kids. Take a few minutes with your legs up on the couch and watch the kids burn off the sugar -- or, if you've got it in you, use this opportunity to dance around a bit. Just be careful running around the coffee table. Remember, it's all fun and games until someone barks a shin.


Remember, kids: whether you prefer popfolk or sleepsongs, buying local and direct from artists is the best way to ensure that the musical ecosystem remains diverse, rich, and authentic for generations to come. As always here at Cover Lay Down, artist and album links herein go directly to artists' and labels' preferred source for purchase wherever possible. Buy if you can, for the sake of your kids and theirs.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great post! I'm working on a set of music for my kids to enjoy in the car, that we big people can more than stand to listen to. You've been a great help. Thank you, and keep it coming.

PS, If you ever consider launching a sister site devoted entirely to kid's music, make sure you post a link here; I'm sure I'm not the only one who would to know about it.

Anonymous said...

The Taj Mahal, Don't You Push Me Down song is certainly a favorite in my house. I see you got the track from Sing Along with Putumayo. There is a childrens cd called Daddy-O Daddy! that is childrens songs written by Woody Guthrie and performed by Billy Bragg & The Blokes Ramblin' Jack Elliott Taj Mahal Syd Straw and others. I highly recomend it.
Thanks

boyhowdy said...

Glad to hear we're in tune (ha!) with our readers' needs. Who knew there were so many parent-types among us?

And thanks for the rec, Sailormom. The CD looks folky and worth having, so I added it to the main entry. Always good to be promoting a diverse set of musicians!

heather said...

My 4 year old son loves that Prince cover that Matt Nathanson does and I think it's hilarious when he asks for "the one about Cynthia Rose." I told Matt this last summer after his Boulder, CO show and he thought that was great too. Ahhhh, introducing your kids to Prince. Nothin like it.

Great site you have here!

Anonymous said...

eatstopeat -
eat stop eat -
fap turbo -
fatburningfurnace -
fat burning furnace -
fatloss4idiots -
final sync -
final uninstaller -
fitness model program -
fit yummy yummy -
flatten your abs -
forex ambush -
governmentregistry -
government registry -
healthy urban kitchen -
homebrew installer -
homemadeenergy -
home made energy -
instant article wizard -
jamo rama -
joyful tomato -
lose man boobs -
lower body make over -
maternityacupressure -
maternity acupressure -
maverick money makers -
meet your sweet -
muscle gaining secrets -
muscle gain truth -
natural cancer treatments -
niche review templates -
nyhms warcraft guides -
pappa pc -
pc booster -

Anonymous said...

To be a good benign being is to procure a kind of openness to the far-out, an gift to guardianship uncertain things beyond your own restrain, that can lead you to be shattered in unequivocally extreme circumstances for which you were not to blame. That says something exceedingly impressive with the get of the ethical compulsion: that it is based on a trustworthiness in the uncertain and on a willingness to be exposed; it's based on being more like a plant than like a jewel, something fairly tenuous, but whose mere special beauty is inseparable from that fragility.

Anonymous said...

I am really Glad i came across this site.Added coverlaydown.blogspot.com to my bookmark!

Anonymous said...

mzqejwgeo, Xrumer tutorials , QncrPsU.

viagra said...

That was an interesting piece of information on handwriting analysis. Please post more about graphology. Thank you!

free viagra said...

Really great post, Thank you for sharing This knowledge.Excellently written article, if only all bloggers offered the same level of content as you, the internet would be a much better place. Please keep it up!