As we drive around town I usually pick two or three CDs to play in the car. The three we’ve got on rotation right now seem to compliment each other so well that I thought it might be nice to do a giveaway for all three!

Bari Koral’s Rock & Roll Garden came out earlier this year and was an instant hit with everyone in our family. Bari strikes that perfect balance between rock (strong tunes with electric guitar) and sweet (songs about duckies and dancing). Her lyrics tend to be simple, which make the songs easy to sing along to even the first time you hear them. But she also throws in a couple of songs with some really deep messages, like Uh Oh (my favorite song on the album), about all the possibilities that lay ahead for any kid (or grown up for that matter). Where will we end up? Will we remain friends through it all?

Bari’s voice is light and fun and we just love listening to this CD over and over. We’re also very excited to announce that Bari is planning a Massachusetts tour in August and will be playing four shows in our area! On August 5th she’ll be playing at the Lowell Summer Music Series, on August 7th she’ll be at the Hingham Launch Shipyard, and on August 10th she’ll be playing at the Watertown Library! You’ll want to get your hands on this CD so you can prepare for these three upcoming shows!

We’ve also been listening to Lisa Monet’s newest album, My Best Friend. This CD came out last year and is a nice combination of traditional and original songs. Songs like Buffalo Gals and Candy Man are always fun, but I love the new silly songs like Goin’ to a Restaurant (where mom and dad learn that it’s actually easier to just stay in and make dinner at home) and the dancing tune Shake it Up! (Ivan’s favorite on the CD).

Throughout the CD Lisa keeps returning to the themes of friendship and play, both great messages for kids. If you think about it, that’s what childhood is all about! This album is definitely worth checking out.

The last album in our rotation is the newest kids’ CD from Meredith LeVande, What are the Odds. This is the first time I’ve heard Meredith’s music and I’ve become an instant fan. Her vocals are so playful and endearing and you can really tell that she loves singing songs for kids. Meredith says that she thinks “every song should originate from a wonderful connection with a child” and that really shines through in her work.

Plus her songs are just so much fun to sing! The title song, What are the Odds, is a silly tune about odd numbers and it ends in this fast repeating verse that goes through the odd numbers one through nine over and over. It’s so much fun I dare you not to sing along!

Meredith’s new CD won’t be released until August 31st, but if you enter this contest you can get your hands on an early copy!

Now here’s your chance to win one copy of each of these CDs! Just comment on the post below or send me an email. It’s that easy!

One entry per person. CDs will be mailed to the winner. We can only ship in the US at this time.

Would you like to earn an extra entry? You can…

• Subscribe to my email or RSS updates;
• Let your friends know about the contest on Twitter, Facebook, or MySpace;
• Post about this contest on your own Blog or website;
• Add Boston Children’s Music to your Blog Roll;
• or email five of your friends and tell them about this contest.

Be sure to send me an email or comment on this post to let me know what you did for your extra entry.

This contest will end Sunday, July 31st at midnight!

Good Luck!

Yep, you read that title right—Justin Roberts is coming to Cambridge!

Justin is probably one of the biggest acts in the kids indie music scene (kindie, as they call it), and he’s a number one player on our iTunes playlist. Almost all of his songs have become classics in our house, from Great Big Sun to Our Imaginary Rhino. (What’s his name? How should I know? He’s our imaginary rhino!)

His new album, Jungle Gym, is destined for the same adoring love from fans that all his CDs receive. And here’s your chance to win a free copy of the new CD and two tickets to see Justin live at the Regattabar in Cambridge! Just comment on this post or contact me and let me know which is your favorite Justin Roberts song.

The show will be on Sunday, July 25th at 4:30pm.

One entry per person. Tickets to be picked up at the box office on day of the concert; CD will be mailed to the winner. We can only ship in the US at this time.

Would you like to earn an extra entry? You can…

• Subscribe to my email or RSS updates;
• Let your friends know about the contest on Twitter, Facebook, or MySpace;
• Post about this contest on your own Blog or website;
• Add Boston Children’s Music to your Blog Roll;
• or email five of your friends and tell them about this contest.

Be sure to send me an email or comment on this post to let me know what you did for your extra entry.

This contest will end Sunday, July 18th at midnight!

Good Luck!

Our friends at Hilltown Families are running a contest to giveaway two copies of the new Putumayo Kids compilation, Rock & Roll Playground.

They’re asking their readers to chime in and tell them what their favorite rock & roll song is. What was your favorite rock song as a kid? Was it the Stones’ Satisfaction, Moonshadow by Cat Stevens, or maybe Def Leppard’s Pour Some Sugar on Me?

These are some of the suggestions so far. Got a better one? Head on over to Hilltown Families and let them know!

…And the groovy dudes!

Yep, Judy Pancoast is going to be playing her first New England show with her new band, the Groovy Dudes, on June 29th at the Nextdoor Theater in Winchester. Judy’s shows are always so much fun and so full of energy—just imagine how awesome it’ll be with a full back up band!

Her newest CD, Weird Things are Everywhere!, came out earlier this year and it’s a blast. Judy has such a unique way of looking at the world. She sees the silliness and creativity that the rest of us might miss. It’s always nice to be reminded that the world can be both inspirational and ridiculous at the same time!

The other thing I love about Judy’s music is that it’s just plain fun to listen to and to sing along to. She describes herself as “bubblegum pop for sweet kids” and I think she’s right! She’s got the pop, the dance, and the energy that make kids jump up and down. Her shows are fun for everyone!

I know you want to see Judy and her band play at Nextdoor Theater. Here’s your chance to win a Family 4-Pack of tickets to her show! As a bonus, Judy is throwing in a copy of Weird Things are Everywhere!. How exciting!

All you have to do is comment on this post below or contact me and let me know which of Judy’s songs is your favorite. If you haven’t heard her music, you can listen to samples here. That’s it!

One entry per person. CD is to be picked up in person at the show.

Would you like to earn an extra entry? You can…

• Subscribe to my email or RSS updates;
• Let your friends know about the contest on Twitter, Facebook, or MySpace;
• Post about this contest on your own Blog or website;
• Add Boston Children’s Music to your Blog Roll;
• or email five of your friends and tell them about this contest.

Be sure to send me an email or comment on this post to let me know what you did for your extra entry.

This contest will end Friday, June 25th at midnight!

Good Luck!

We listen to a lot of CDs in this family and I must admit that sometimes it takes a little while for a new artist to grow on us. But when we first heard Charlie Hope’s I’m Me! last year we all knew immediately that the CD was phenomenal. I love it, my son loves it, and even my husband loves it!

Charlie Hope has an amazing voice that just grabs hold of you and won’t let go. Her songs are sweet, her voice rich, and her original songs are instant classics.

We began listening to World of Dreams a few months later and it quickly became our number one lullaby CD. If Ivan needs to calm down for a nap or wind down after a long day in the evening, this is our go-to music. That richness of Charlie’s voice lends itself so well to the mellow and quiet melodies on this lullaby CD. She really is outstanding.

Of course we can’t wait to see her perform live at Club Passim in a couple weeks! She’ll be there on July 3rd at 10:30am.

So, do you want to see Charlie Hope play live, too? Well, here’s your chance to win a Family 4-Pack of tickets to her show at Club Passim in Harvard Square! As a bonus, Charlie is throwing in two signed CDs, one copy of I’m Me! and one copy of World of Dreams. How exciting!

All you have to do is comment on this post below or contact me and let me know which of Charlie’s songs is your favorite. That’s it!

One entry per person. CDs to be picked up in person at the show.

Would you like to earn an extra entry? You can…

• Subscribe to my email or RSS updates;
• Let your friends know about the contest on Twitter, Facebook, or MySpace;
• Post about this contest on your own Blog or website;
• Add Boston Children’s Music to your Blog Roll;
• or email five of your friends and tell them about this contest.

Be sure to send me an email or comment on this post to let me know what you did for your extra entry.

This contest will end Wednesday, June 30th at midnight!

Good Luck!

You must have heard of Gustafer Yellowgold by now—he’s only the coolest yellow guy from the sun to ever visit Earth!

Morgan Taylor and his band will be at Club Passim on June 12th to sing songs about Gustafer and his crew while simultaneously projecting Gustafer animations on a large screen—that’s right, it’s a concert with music and cartoons! Does it get any better?

If you’ve never been to a Gustafer concert, you’re really missing out. It’s an amazing multi-sensory experience that delights both kids and their parents. Gustafer songs are mellow and enchanting, the animation is superbly drawn and intricate. Even if you have been to a Gustafer concert, it’s well worth going again to see all the things you missed the first time around!

And before the show on the 12th you’ll want to catch up on all of Gustafer’s new adventures in the most recent CD/DVD set, Mellow Fever, right? Well, by simply leaving a comment below or contacting us, you could win your very own signed copy for free! How exciting!

You can either pick up the CD/DVD at the show in person (highly recommended since then you also get to see the show!) or we can mail it to you. We can only ship CDs in the US at this time.

Would you like to earn an extra entry? You can…

• Subscribe to my email or RSS updates;
• Let your friends know about the contest on Twitter, Facebook, or MySpace;
• Post about this contest on your own Blog or website;
• Add Boston Children’s Music to your Blog Roll;
• or email five of your friends and tell them about this contest.

Be sure to send me an email or comment on this post to let me know what you did for your extra entry.

This contest will end Wednesday June 9th at midnight!

Good Luck!

Lots of artists and local parenting sites give away cool gift bags, CDs, or even gift certificates. Here are a few good ones going on right now:

• Have you ever noticed that there is a little spider in every Debbie & Friends cartoon? Find the spider and win prizes! Find out how here. Contest ends June 14th.
• Leeny will be playing at the grand opening for a new toy store in downtown Gloucester on Saturday. The toy store, Toodeloos!, is giving away a $100 gift certificate and the drawing will be held during the festivities. Find out more info here and be sure to check out Leeny’s performance at 10:30am.
• Hilltown Families is running a giveaway for a free Randy Kaplan CD. All you have to do is leave a comment on the post. You can see it here. Giveaway ends June 2nd 2010.

I’m always keeping my eyes out for free music downloads. Many artists offer free songs on their websites so you can get a feel for their music, especially when they are promoting a new album.

Here are some pretty cool songs you can download for free right now…

My Name is No from StarFish Rocks	Sleepoverland from Justin Roberts
First Explorer from SteveSongs	So So Happy from Debbie & Friends

Ben Rudnick & Friends are running a contest for a free copy of A Frog Named Sam. All you have to do is listen to the song Race Car (probably Ivan’s favorite song on the CD) and tell them who “the race will soon be won by.”

You can listen to the full song on YouTube:

For more details, check out their Facebook page.

Contest ends May 19th.

You’ve probably heard the rumors… everyone in town is talking about it… and yes, it’s true! They Might Be Giants are coming to the Regent Theatre in Arlington next month for two benefit family shows: May 23rd at 12pm and 3pm.

TMBG, as you probably very well know, have released three children’s albums in the past few years, Here Come the ABCs, Here Come the 123’s, and their newest Here Comes Science.

All were introduced to much buzz and acclaim in the children’s music world. Here Comes Science was even voted the best kids and family album of 2009 by the Fids & Kamily Awards.

So what got TMBG’s John Flansburgh and John Linnell interested in kids’ music? I got to ask John F. that question and his response was that, well, it just kind of happened: “We had been going for twenty years and it seemed safe to do it as a one off, and then it became so successful we ended up doing more kids projects essentially by popular demand. Like everything else in our careers, it was an accident.” And a happy accident at that.

TMBG have a way of moving between the adult and child genres that most bands can’t quite pull off. Their kids’ music isn’t sappy or dull. They delve into serious topics in their science CD, like evolution or photosynthesis, without sounding preachy. Though you may think TMBG are trying to teach lessons with their songs, that’s not really the point at all. Mostly, they’re just singing about things that interest them.

“I don’t think we feel it’s that important that kids learn so much from our music,” says John F., “I think we enjoy the ideas that are introduced in the songs, but we’re not educators and it kind of makes us uncomfortable having to be that responsible. But we enjoy the topics we write about, and I think that comes through.”

TMBG and Boston By Foot