Servings from the Cereal Bowl

by Dave Loftin

Sample the Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl Grab your kid and a cup of coffee and tune in to the “Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl,” hosted by Dave Loftin, Saturdays from 8 to 10 a.m. on the Web at WAWL.org. He posts his weekly playlists on SMCB.BlogSpot.com. And now you can take your Cereal Bowl with you—in podcast form! Go to SaturdayCerealBowl.podbean.com, or simply search the iTunes store. Don’t worry, parents, it’s free.

Milkshake

Great Day

© 2009 Milkshake Music, LLC

Milkshake has made quite a name for themselves in the world of family music, most notably on “Jack’s Big Music Show” on Nick Jr. But being on TV isn’t the main reason so many people know and love their music. Milkshake was started by Mikel Gehl and Lisa Matthews (originally of the ’90s alt band Love Riot), who, like many kids’ acts, decided to expand into the genre after becoming parents. On their fourth album, Great Day, the band once again proves they have the musical chops to stand above most of their peers in kids’ music. The album opens with the tune “Shake It Up,” guaranteed to get the tots hopping. “You Did It!” is a great tune encouraging kids who’ve accomplished something they’d thought was impossible. Gehl, Matthews and the rest of Milkshake have a talent not just for writing and making great music, but for knowing how to talk to their listeners, no matter their age.

Hullabaloo

High Roller

© 2009 Hullabaloo Music

“Hullabaloo is farm-fresh, free-range, organic kid-folk in a genre filled with musical Twinkies and Ding-Dongs.” That quote from Hullabaloo’s website may sound harsh, but any parent who’s searched high and low for good music for their kids knows the latter part of that sentence is true. On their fifth album, High Roller, Hullabaloo (Steve Denyes and Brendan Kremer) continue their classic folk-country sound. The title track starts off the album, taking you to a time when country was king. When I hear “Ants in My Pants,” I can picture a kid jumping around as red ants crawl up his jeans to retrieve the chocolate bar he left in his pocket. To those of you who don’t like country music: Set that thought aside. Hullabaloo produces, first and foremost, quality music for the whole family to enjoy.