Our Summer of Baseball

The song is "Pop Fly" by Justin Roberts

Headsong Friday: Willy Was A Whale

Today's headsong is inspired by one of our favorites, Justin Roberts. From the time Joe-Henry was an infant, whenever we ran errands, I'd put in a cd. Someone had suggested "Wee Sing", and I purchased it, then quickly realized that I wanted to tape cinnamon rolls to my ears so I wouldn't have to listen. When Joe-Henry was not even a year old, I picked up Justin's cd Great Big Sun, followed quickly by Yellow Bus. I'd put Joe-Henry in his highchair while I got dinner ready, and he'd rock out. One of his first words, after listening to "In The Car" was "AGAIN!", until he learned how to say "REPEAT!"
To add some icing to the whole deal is Justin and his band genuinely love meeting their little fans. We've been to several concerts and he always remembers Joe-Henry, even though it might have been a few years and many concerts for him. The thing that I love the most about his music is how rich it is. It's not simple little tunes - the orchestration is full and peppy, thanks in part to his collaborator Liam Davis and the amazing Not Ready For Naptime Players, and he doesn't "sing down" because his target audience is smaller than he is. His music is full of imagery, and it makes you want to hear it over and over. And it doesn't hurt that his voice sounds just a little bit like James Taylor.

I love this song in particular because I'm a huge fan of puns, and the visual pun of the Weno sign just makes me giggle. Give it a listen, then head over to his website to check out more of his music.

AGAIN!

something sweet

Normally, I like to post things about my own child's brilliance, because I'm just living through him due to my own failed career and now he's having to play Natalie Wood to my Rosalind Russell, albeit without stripping his clothes off. At least most of the time.

Today, though, I got an email in my inbox from the wonderful Justin Roberts. If you haven't heard of him, you definitely should. He's an amazing musician. The fact that most of the music he makes is primarily for children is beside the point. I dare you to listen and not get hooked. I myself have confiscated Joe-Henry's copy of Meltdown and play it when I'm cleaning the house because it takes my mind off the fact that, well, I'm cleaning the house. Anyway, he recently had a contest called "you sing the songs", where eager parents record their adorable moppets singing Justin's songs. I say that without a trace of cynicism. This stuff is so damn cute, and makes me so happy, I had to share it with you all. Check this out.