Servings from the Cereal Bowl

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.

The Boogers

Let’s Go!

© 2010 Paul Crowe (BMI)

For you parents grossed out easily or thinking you can keep immature words from your kids, get over it and let’s look past the name of this band because there is substance here.  The Boogers are a rare band for kids.  They perform punk rock for kids and do it very well.  You’ll notice the heavy influence from Ramones but, I believe, there’s also a tinge of the SoCal punkers Voodoo Glow Skulls in there.  Let’s Go! is the band’s sophomore release and they continue to supply straight-up, three chord power so your kids can pogo around the house all day long.  The first notable song here is “Otto’s Orange Day”, which is all about a cat that only likes orange.  Also check out the most rocking version of “The Big Rock Candy Mountain” you’ve ever heard.  I particularly like the reworking of Ramones’ “Beat on the Brat” with the song “Baseball Bat”.  Just like the “grown-up” music scene, family music offers many different styles to please many different kids.  The Boogers’ Let’s Go! will satisfy their urge to rock hard!

Frances England

Mind of My Own

© 2010 paper Bird Records

Frances England’s career in kindie rock started on a whim when she recorded her debut CD as a fundraiser for her son’s preschool.  Four years and three albums later, England has become a heavy hitter in the world of family music.  Her third album, Mind of My Own, is another shining example of the sheer talent she possesses.  She starts us off with the title track by painting a picture of a child running around letting everyone she can make her own decisions.  One of the best songs on Mind of My Own has to “Place in Your Heart”.  First, it sounds like it could have easily been in constant rotation on MTV’s 120 Minutes back in the day (that’s a good thing), but it’s simply a beautiful song from a toy to a child and the special bond they share no matter how old the child gets.  On Mind of My Own, Frances England has managed to blend indie rock and hints of bluegrass beautifully.  This album her previous two need to be in your house.