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• Do They Might Be Giants Have a Gig at Your Library?

  Normally, indie bands with thousands of die-hard fans don't play small local shows for your kid's amusement. But They Might Be Giants, as you well know, isn't just any band. Following the release of Here Come the 123s (a follow-up to the chart-topping Here Come the ABCs), the two Johns are performing two family-themed shows at New York City's town hall this weekend, followed by a handful of other kids' shows around the country. As John Linnell told us in the Babble interview, TMBG's "adult" shows are not kid-appropriate -- so if you live in New York, Missouri, New Jersey or North Carolina, catch these guys while you can! Tour dates after the jump.    Read More... Posted Apr 18 2008, 07:15 PM by editors with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: music, concerts, tmg, they might be giants

• Punk Rock for Preschoolers

  I so want to be a punk rock mama. When it comes down to it, though, I am just far more Ann Taylor than Vivienne Westwood. To feed that inner need to be hardcore and to give some hope for amplified hipness to my child, I think I'll be cranking up the Candy Band in the car. And soon. The Candy Band is comprised of four Detroit-area mamas who take nursery rhymes and classic kid songs and make them punk favorites for kids and their parents who cringe to hear the sing-songy version of "I've Been Working on the Railroad" for the four-hundreth time.  At the helm is electric guitarist Paula Messner who is 43, a mother and a musician with a substantial pre-parenthood history in the business and a desire to rock out with a new generation. While the band and their kidified punk shows that have been on many local stages, the Today show and Lollapalooza are very cool, what I love most is how they got started. Since all of Messner's musician friends were busy with gigs and day jobs, she simply recruited non-musician mommies she knew to form a group with a more raw sound. And like only a true punker could (sigh, jealous), she found those friends while working as an aerobic instructor at the Y. Dude, seriously, how killer are you if you can form the Candy Band in between grapevines one story above the lap pool? Punk up your own parenting by checking out the Candy Band's four CDs, available online. [photo credit: jeff matlock]   Posted Apr 27 2007, 04:04 PM by Jessica Ashley (Sassafrass) with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: music, concerts, CDs, punk rock, candy band

• Dan Zanes & Friends: A Fabulous Live Show

  If you happen to be a member of one of the unfortunate families who has not yet had a Dan Zanes & Friends experience, then you need to go to his website right now, and buy tickets for the next show anywhere near you.  Go now! Yesterday was my second time seeing Dan & co. and the beautiful, old Herbst Theater in San Francisco, and it was just as good as the first time, if not better.  Last time, Hazel was a little freaked out by the crowd of rambunctious kids, and rode the show out in her dad's lap, while 5-month-old Violet dozed in the sling.  But this time around, Hazel, Violet and their friends jumped, twisted, clapped, sang, and ring-around-the-rosy'd their way through the whole set, from start to finish.  It was a live music-loving parent's dream come true, and it was freaking adorable.  It helped that the show itself, from the set list to the setting, was awesome. Read More... Posted Jan 29 2007, 07:14 AM by Alisyn with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: entertainment, dan zanes, family dance party, kids music, concerts