Musical Notes: Music industry news and releases for children and teens

‘PlayingGuitar’ by Petr Kratochvil

Welcome to another edition of “Musical Notes.” This week’s post covers news of super star Mary J. Blige’s recording for Dreamworks upcoming feature film, THE  HELP; live events and performances in Florida and California and the latest release from award-winning musician Joanie Leeds. Also featured are adorable music videos to share with your child from Princess Katie & Racer Steve, and a special Flag Day Celebration from Didipop.

NEWS

Super star Mary J. Blige records original song for upcoming feature ‘The Help’

DreamWorks Pictures and Geffen Records announced that multiple Grammy® Award–winning recording artist Mary J. Blige wrote and recorded an original song for the soundtrack of DreamWorks Pictures and Participant Media’s THE HELP, a film based on the New York Times best-selling novel of the same name, opening in theaters August 12, 2011.

“The Help” soundtrack - music from the motion picture, will feature the original song from Mary J Blige “The Living Proof.”  The soundtrack, from Interscope Records, will be available Tuesday, July 26 at select Starbucks locations.

The song, “The Living Proof,” was written and recorded by Blige especially for THE HELP after she saw a screening of the film, which takes place in 1960s-era Mississippi and chronicles the journey of three very different women who come together and embark on a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk. “The beautiful thing about these women is that they were very smart,” says Blige. “They chose to walk in love and forgiveness.”

The film celebrates the courage to inspire change; “To speak to so many women with this song means a lot to me” says Blige. “I wanted to be involved with this film, because I think we need to encourage each other more, we are here to tell a story.”

Blige has received 9 Grammy® Awards and four American Music Awards as well as recorded eight multi-platinum albums. Mary J. Blige has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and her next album "My Life Too....The Journey Continues" will be released Sept 20, 2011. 

In the video below, Mary J. Blige discusses her recording “The Living Proof.”

LIVE PERFORMANCES AND ENTERTAINING EVENTS

Baby Loves Disco

Baby Loves Disco

Friday, June 10, 2011 at 5:00 p.m.
Don Cesar Beach Resort, A Loews Hotel
3400 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach, Florida 33706
$15 per person or 4 for $50

Saturday, June 11, 2011 at 1:00 p.m.
Seminole Towne Center
200 Towne Center Circle, Sanford, Florida 32771

FREE*

Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 2:00 p.m.
Loews Miami Beach
1601 Collins Avenue, Miami, Florida 33139
$20 per person or 4 for $60

EVENT NOTES:

“Families are invited to join the Baby Loves Disco Nation, to dance, play, savor healthy snacks and generally enjoy good times with family and friends. Parents and kids are invited to dress up as their favorite superheroes, or come just as they are. For daily updates on the Tour, visit Baby Loves Disco's pages on Facebook and Twitter.  

Each event of the tour rocks with special guest superhero DJs and MCs, dance instruction, big video screens, super contests and surprises at every turn.  At its core, each event retains the patented mix of Baby Loves Disco magic that has helped connect a worldwide community of moms, dads and kids of all nations, of all colors and all walks of life, all in the name of dance (and fun!).”

For more information or to purchase tickets, please follow this link.

Pasta: A Pop-Ups Musical Adventure

Electric Lodge Performance Space
1416 Electric Ave., Venice, California , 90291

Wednesday, June 15 through Thursday, June 30, 2011

Performances on Wednesdays and Thursdays are at 11:00 a.m.
 

Friday, June 17 through Sunday, July 3, 2011

Performances on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are at 11:00 a.m. and at 3:00 p.m.

Admission: $15.00 per person

EVENT NOTES:

Join kids’ rockers Jacob Stein and Jason Rabinowitz as they treat young audiences (ages 2 and up) to an educational and comic musical adventure, taking children through the magical land of Brooklyn - with the audience's help. The Pop Ups will search for the ingredients to make the best locally sourced pasta sauce ever, so prepare for a high-energy live act involving life-drawing, dance-beats, colorful puppets, animals, trains, guitar riffs, mermaids, gardens, instruments, vegetables, sparkles, and rocking interactive dance numbers that will catapult kids out of their seats guaranteeing a good time for everyone. You’ll be entertained with their rocking music from their critically acclaimed CD “Outside Voices.”

For more information phone 1-800-838-3006 or visit this link to purchase tickets/

CD’s

JOANIE LEEDS & THE NIGHTLIGHTS: WHAT A ZOO!

   WITH GUEST ARTIST SECRET AGENT 23 SKIDOO

Joanie Leeds, 2010 Parents’ Choice Gold Award-winner for her hit album I’m a Rock Star, offers a solid line-up of kid and parent-pleasing songs in her newest album release: What a Zoo!
 
A delightful musical menagerie of rockin’ tunes, expertly sung , covering a wide variety of animal critters, from mosquitoes to clams, blue whale to ‘Tofurky;’ all with clever lyrics - some embedded with important messages like remembering to look both ways when you cross the street.

Leeds is expertly joined with her band, The Nightlights, and guest artist Secret Agent 23 Skidoo.

The 37-minute CD, offers ten originals compositions and four cover tunes, including time –tested favorites, “Wimoweh” and “Froggy Went A Courtin.”

What a Zoo! is available online through the artist’s website, where you can listen to sound samples, and is also avaiable through amazon.com, cdbaby.com, and at specialty toy and bookstores across the country.

MUSIC VIDEOS

Here’s a music video to make you and your child smile, “Sand in My Sandwich” – from Princess Katie & Racer Steve’s CD, Tiny Cool!

Katie says, “We certainly had a lot of laughs making it and hope kids get a kick out of it.”

And now another treat to share with the child in your life, a music video that salutes Flag Day from Deborah Poppink a/k/a Didipop.

Deborah says, “I've always liked Flag Day, so I created this music video to explain the history of June 14th. Happy Birthday Old Glory!”

Musical Notes: Music industry news and releases for children and teens

‘PlayingGuitar’ by Petr Kratochvil

Welcome to another edition of “Musical Notes.” This weekly column is dedicated solely to the best in musical entertainment. Like our sister columns, “If it’s Tuesday it must be toys and tours,” Wednesday’s “Book Report” and Friday’s “Popcorn Report,” which respectively features information on toys and travel, the world of literature and movies, this weekly post highlights the important world of music as positive entertainment for children and teens. Be sure to check back each Thursday.

This week’s edition of Musical Notes focuses on a stellar lineup of musicians - those contributing their talents to Disney-Pixar’s CARS 2; a new CD from GRAMMY^®-winners Kathy Fink and Marcy Marcer, and a peek at Gustafer Yellowgolds newest CD/DVD release plus information on an upcoming Baby Loves Disco charity event.

NEWS

CARS 2 features an all-star lineup of musicians from around the globe

Disney-Pixar’s much-anticipated 3D animation/comedy/adventure, CARS 2 is set to release in theaters nationwide on Friday, June 24, 2011, but fans of the franchise will relish the release of the film’s soundtrack on Tuesday, June 14, which features a stellar lineup of contributing musicians from the United States, United Kingdom, France and Japan.

Helping to bring this global espionage action-packed adventure to life are notable Oscar^® and GRAMMY^®-winning composer Michael Giacchino; chart-topping, multi-platinum-selling American alternative rock band Weezer; multiple GRAMMY^®-winning country superstar and Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year Brad Paisley; bestselling British singer/songwriter Robbie Williams; the French superstar Bénabar and that power-pop Japanese girl band Perfume.

ENTERTAINING EVENTS

Baby Loves Disco “Super Hero Tour” at Lowes Regency Hotel, 540 Park Avenue, New York

Show Details: “An afternoon of dancing, music and kid-friendly activities. The event is part of the multi-city Baby Loves Disco Superhero Tour, and it is one of 12 events at Loews Hotel locations around the country.

Families are invited to join the Baby Loves Disco Nation, to dance, play, savor healthy snacks and generally enjoy good times with family and friends. Parents and kids are invited to dress up as their favorite superheroes, or come just as they are. For daily updates on the Tour, visit Baby Loves Disco's website or pages on Facebook and Twitter.

Net proceeds from this family disco dance party will support community schools through Donors Choose.org, the official charity of Loews Hotels; a web-based not-for-profit that provides essential classroom tools to teachers across the country.”

For lots more information about Baby Loves Disco, please see a post from last year’s highly successful “Lemonade Tour.”

Ticket Prices

$20.00 – Children
$30.00 – Adults   
Tickets may be ordered online through this link.

CD

Sing to your Baby

Communicating with your baby often begins with music, but some parents believe they can’t sing, or don’t know how.

GRAMMY^®-winners Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer present their newest 22-track CD, Sing to Your Baby, which not only entertains, but provides encouragement to parents who want to share this endearing form of communication with their child.

Photo by Sara R. Coats

Sing to your Baby is a beautiful compilation of music, tenderly sung and expertly accompanied on a variety of instruments from banjo to dulcimer.

Performed by two of today’s top children’s musicians, Sing to your Baby includes lullabies and rhythmic pieces specifically designed to help parents learn how sing to their own little one.

Available in CD format for $19.95, Sing to Your Baby comes with a 32-page richly illustrated book that includes advice and complete song lyrics to help parents.

Sound samples for Sing to Your Baby are available direct from the artist’s website, where you’ll also have an opportunity to hear how the songs actually sound in both female and male voices.

Adorable shower/new baby packages of Sing to Your Baby are also available, and may be ordered direct from the artist’s shop.

DVD

Gustafer Yellowgold’s Infinity Sock

In this fourth outing by popular illustrator/songwriter Morgan Taylor, “Gustafer Yellowgold” (that cute cone-headed little alien from the sun) has settled in his new Minnesota woodland home with his pet eel, "Slimothy," ready for new adventures.

This is a charming 90-minute storybook that comes to life through ten engaging videos laced with soft rock music and thought provoking lyrics that crosses generational boundaries - a truly unique offering.

Guest artists include John Stirratt and Pat Sansone of WILCO, along with bassist John Munson.

Gustafer Yellowgold’s Infinity Sock DVD/CD combo carries a suggested retail price of $19.99 and is available at Amazon.com for $16.99, or through Amazon Marketplace for best pricing at $13.78.

Below for your enjoyment, is a sneak peek trailer of Gustafer Yellowgold’s Infinity Sock.

Baby Loves Disco: Dancing with the kids for a good cause

Question: What do you have when you take some of the hippest nightclubs in the United States and transform them into an afternoon dance venue to raise awareness and funds for children suffering from cancer? You have Baby Loves Disco Lemonade Tour 2010.

Already celebrating for several weeks across the country in 50 different locations including nightclubs, shopping malls, schools and children’s hospitals, Baby Loves Disco, the club-scene for little ones and their families, offers an afternoon of dancing and fun with real live DJs spinning a mix of music from the '70s and '80s; all to raise awareness and money for the non-profit organization devoted to finding a cure for pediatric cancer, Alex's Lemonade Stand.

From a modest beginning at a Philadelphia Nightclub five years ago, Baby Loves Disco has blossomed into an internationally recognized entertainment phenomenon for children ages six months to seven years who are accompanied by their parents, grandparents or caregivers.

Alex’s Lemonade Stand honors the young life and lasting legacy of Alexandra "Alex" Scott, a remarkable child who not only waged her own battle with cancer but helped countless other children before her death, through the contributions from her own lemonade stand, which sparked a fund-raising movement with adults and children across the country.

This year’s Lemonade Tour, sponsored by H. & M., a trendy international fashion retailer, has the remainder of the tour setting up the Baby Loves Disco dance scene at Le Poisson Rouge on three different dates in New York City, as well as a stop in Philadelphia; St. Louis, Missouri; Franklin and Memphis, Tennessee; Louisville, Kentucky; Chicago, Illinois; Tucson, Arizona; San Francisco, Hollywood, San Diego and Costa Mesa, California; Atlanta, Georgia and Miami, Florida.

Cost for the Baby Loves Disco fundraiser is $10 per “walking adult or child” (crawlers get in free) or a special $60 rate for a family of four.

For further information, visit the ticketing page link or view the video from PHOTUS31’s YouTube Channel.

It’s a proven fact that children learn best from those who care about them the most. It’s time to make a difference, and you and your family can, for the Baby Loves Disco Lemonade Tour 2010.

You’ll have a great time bonding, celebrating the preciousness of a child’s life along with giving to an exceptionally worthwhile cause.

You and your children can make a difference.