Steve Elci and friends celebrate their new release “Crayons in a Box” The CD addresses issues such as diversity, the environment, bullying and more!

The title track “Crayons in a Box” has already captured some international attention by placing second in the John Lennon International Songwriting Contest session II.

Steve Elci’s love for catchy hooks in his musings and soaring vocal style has won him acclaim from fans and critics alike. “Steve Elci is a songwriting machine with the chops and creativity to comfortably establish his own hooks” – Rick Koster, Arts Columnist/Reporter for The Day Paper. “Hey, Didn’t the Beatles Sing About a Submarine” William Yardley – The New York Times.

Additional band members include Casey O’Neill, Michele O’Neill, and John Van Ness.

Crayons in a box is scheduled to be released May 21st, but why wait? You can hear the title track here today!

More information at www.steveelciandfriends.com

Kiddie Kats sing quirky and funny renditions of rock and pop favorites!
 
Visit the Kiddie Kats website at http://kiddiekats.com/ to check out lyrics, watch videos, listen to songs, and get updates on the band! You can download and purchase the Kiddie Kats album, released 1/1/12, on iTunes, Amazon and Amazon-on-Demand.
 
This unique record for children, features 13 upbeat songs including 4 Karaoke numbers to encourage kids to create lyrics and meows of their own! And because they care about the earth, they have used as few materials as possible in their packaging.  Kiddie Kats are out to change the world…one meow at a time!
 
Enjoy this meow-alicious video:

Gary Storm: Songs for Children

Gary Storm’s much loved album, Songs For Children, was for many years heard only by his family and those within his circle of friends. It is now available to the world on Amazon.com. The whole recording consists entirely of Gary’s melodious voice and his acoustic guitar. His singing and strumming are warm, ageless, and reassuring to all. Samples can be heard on http://kidssongs.biz/wp/.

Gary’s music inspires children to sing and dance. Kids laugh at the chorus of “The Teddy Bear Song,” and always beg to hear it again. They leap up and dance to the “Winter Solstice Song” and quietly dream to “Heartbeat,” a mother’s lullaby. Adults find pleasure in the sophisticated simplicity of the songs that celebrate innocence, and they smile knowingly to the “Diaper Changing Song” and the “Teething Song,” which are written from a parent’s perspective.

The full CD is 35 minutes long, and includes a booklet of lyrics and charming illustrations by Gary’s four children. Each song is also available as an MP3 download. Most of the songs on the album are by Gary, created for and co-written by his children. Gary sings about subjects that matter to kids: princesses, princes, wishes, magic, jokes, bathrooms, lollipops, and teddy bears. Among the collection of songs is a sing along version of Ella Jenkins’ “Mary Mack,” a nostalgic adaptation of “Bicycle Built for Two,” and a magical mashup of traditional songs like “Bah Bah Black Sheep” and “Twinkle.”

Gary Storm follows the spirit of great children’s performers like Burl Ives, Roger Whittaker, Raffi, and Fred Penner. He has a Ph.D. in English and a law degree. He plays viola and guitar and is a member of the rock band “Wes Studi’s Firecat of Discord.” Gary’s wife, Linda Storm, is an artist and a Montessori teacher (www.lindastormart.com).  Gary and Linda were married live on the radio on WUWU-FM in Buffalo in 1983. They have four beautiful accomplished children, April, Nathan, Cadance, and Juniper.

FREE  DOWNLOAD BONUS: Beautiful Song, Wonderful Song

Here is a video just for fun.

Learn more at http://kidssongs.biz/wp/

Andrew Queen’s new album is all about food: growing food, cooking food, sharing food, healthy food, junk food, eating food, and even being eaten (think mosquitos and blackflies!).  We are offering a FREE download of his song “Down the Road” from this album.

Down the Road is about our modern food system wherein much of what we eat comes from all around the world.  In fact, the idea for the song came when Andrew was out for dinner with his wife and they realized that none of the food on their plates came from their home Province of Ontario, or even in Canada.  Their dinner had traveled from three different continents, and thousands of miles to be on their plate that night.

We know you will love this song (which is why we have arranged with Andrew Queen to give it to you free), and you will also enjoy his tasty album.  You can listen to the song “Down the Road” below, and download it for keeps, by clicking on the album cover.

Award winning NYC children’s singer/songwriter Suzi Shelton is getting ready to release a new EP with her brand new music video “Tomboy In A Princess Dress” on December 11th. Originally inspired by her seven year old daughter, this song portrays some pretty active and strong girls who also love to wear princess dresses, tiara, and tutus. “I can climb the tallest treetop, barefoot without a care. Tough as nails and fast as lightening, braids and ribbons in my hair.”

The eponymous title track “Tomboy in a Princess Dress” is written for families to celebrate girls who embody extraordinary girl power whether it’s climbing a mountain (literally or figuratively), riding a skateboard or starting a water balloon fight…while not diminishing the need to express themselves in dress up. Suzi’s new release features 3 brand new recordings with her rockin’ band including “Tomboy in a Princess Dress,” “Smile in My Heart” featuring her daughter Emma on backup vocals and traditional song “Pony Boy.” It also contains the brand new music video for “Tomboy in a Princess Dress, ” produced by Roley Poley Productions.  You can hear all three tracks here.

On “Smile in My Heart” Emma makes her recording debut, although she has been performing at Suzi’s concerts for years as part of the backup group “The Gumdrops.” “Pony Boy” is an upbeat, sweet, traditional folk song and features Chicago-based children’s artist, Little Miss Ann. The EP was produced by Marc Bazerman and features Suzi’s band including Steve Elliot on guitars and banjo, Matt Clohesy on bass (both upright and electric) and Rob Heath on drums as well as Erin Hewgley on cello, and the Gumdrops, Samantha and Sabrina van Putten.

Suzi is also a local mom blogger who writes about her parenting experiences with a 7 and a 13 year old, and life in the children’s music industry where she has performed for over 10 years. She has performed at Symphony Space, The White House, and Madison Square Park’s Outdoor Summer Concert Series, as well as other venues across the country.

Suzi Shelton is offering an ONLINE HOLIDAY FAMILY SHOW (pay what you wish) via Stageit.com on Monday, December 19th at 6:30pm (EST). Anyone with a computer can join in on the fun and hear the new songs, and email her their song requests during the show.

Laura Veirs released her newest album on November 8th.  Tumble Bee is a collection of folk songs for children.  Recorded by Grammy-nominated producer Tucker Martine in their home in Portland, Oregon in the spring of 2011, it covers a wide range of American folk songs, from early 20^thcentury work songs to the ballads of Jimmie Rodgers, Woody Guthrie, Peggy Seeger and Harry Belafonte. Veirs and Martine have made a jaunty and moving album to be enjoyed by children as well as all fans of Veirs’ earlier work.

The album features guest appearances by Colin Meloy (Decemberists), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Bela Fleck and Brian Blade (drummer for Bob Dylan) among many others. As Smithsonian Folkways recording artist Elizabeth Mitchell says, “This is a luminous, smart, essential and truly extraordinary album.”

Inspired by the birth of her son and by countless fans who’ve told her over the years how much their kids love her records, Veirs became curious about the history of American children’s music.  She and Martine listened to hundreds of songs from the past several centuries, including Harry Smith’s famous Anthology of American Folk Music. They selected what Veirs calls, “a sampling that reflects our richness as a people.” Tumble Bee was recorded at home in the spring of 2011.

“Many of these songs have been forgotten throughout the years,” says Martine.  “We wanted to bring these beloved songs to a new generation with an instrumentation that both honors their traditions and creates something unique.”

You can learn more about Tumble Bee and Laura Veirs in this video. You can purchase Tumble Bee on Amazon, and at LauraVeirs.com.

Charlie Hope’s recently released third album, Songs, Stories and Friends: Let’s Go Play! is full of fun and adventures, with a story thread throughout.

Cool Mom Picks says “this would be my new go-to CD gift for little ones. I can just see my preschool niece grabbing another tiny fist to dance in circles to the happy-pop of Best Friends or listening intently to the clever short spoken-word pieces like Tiny Tim, about a soap-bubble eating turtle.” Read more at Cool Mom Picks.

Tiny Tim is my daughter’s favorite too.  In fact, she was repeating it after hearing it only 2-3 times!

Join Charlie Hope and her friends to the park! You’ll go on a journey with songs, verses, and the spoken word. You’ll recognize some songs (join in if you like!) and learn some new songs as well.

So, bring your lunch, your imagination, your friends, and Let’s Go Play!

You can purchase Songs, Stories and Friends: Let’s Go Play! at Amazon, and other fine retailers!

Get your FREE download of “One That I Love” here!

Listen to a preview of clips below:

Debbie Cavalier of Debbie and Friends, one of the top children’s music artists in the nation, released her first-ever DVD on March 29th.

Featuring 10 animated music videos and bonus live performance footage, Story Songs & Sing Alongs is available from NewSound Kids distribution ($14.95 SRP).

Debbie’s music videos were featured on the TV show “24” last year, and they have been viewed by hundreds of thousands of fans on YouTube, Jitterbug.tv, Kidz Bop’s Preschool VOD channel, and the Debbie and Friends website at http://www.debbieandfriends.net. Parents and teachers from as far away as the U.K., Brazil and Spain write in to tell Debbie how much their children enjoy Debbie’s videos on YouTube; now for the first time, they’re collected in one colorful package.

Story Songs & Sing Alongs features cartoon versions of some Debbie and Friends’ songs, including tuneful twists on the familiar tales of of “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Jack and the Beanstalk,” plus original songs like “Willy Won’t” and “Home Run Ronnie.” Each offers an entrancing, sing-along story line set to catchy pop music. Most of the songs are also featured on Debbie and Friends’ two Parents’ Choice and iParenting Media award winning CDs, Story Songs and Sing Alongs and More Story Songs & Sing Alongs.

The DVD also features two live concert videos featuring Debbie Cavalier and her band performing “So So Happy” and “Simon Says,” plus a behind-the-scenes chat with Debbie, hilarious concert outtakes and fun fan interviews.

For years, parents and kids have told Debbie that they’d like to take her cartoon music videos on the go, all collected in one handy place. “We added the live music component because I wanted families who live in places where we’re not yet performing to experience a Debbie and Friends live concert,” she adds.

Far from being a video babysitter, Story Songs & Sing Alongs provides truly interactive entertainment for kids. Just as they do at a Debbie and Friends show, kids are invited to sing along with the cartoon music videos. “Viewers are not sitting back and zoning out, but rather they are active participants with the music,” Debbie explains.

Debbie Cavalier is a Boston based artist who is a Berklee College of Music dean by day and a high-energy pop star most weekends. She has a deep understanding of what works with kids, having worked with trailblazers in the world of children’s entertainment: Shari Lewis, Buffalo Bob Smith of Howdy Doody and Bob McGrath. Each has influenced her songwriting and creative approach to sharing music with children. After working in the field of music publishing and education for more than two decades, Debbie wanted to get back to working directly with children. She will soon offer activity suggestions to parents and educators to use with the new DVD.