Dan Zanes on the CBS Early Show

Dan Zanes was on the June 17 CBS Early Show. After the commercials, you can see a little interview and listen to the band perform "Colas" here. For some reason, I can't link the actual concert, so you'll have to type "Dan Zanes" into the site's search function to bring it up. The beginning lyrics for "Colas" translate thus:

When I had money, they all called me "Mr. Nicolas"
Now that I don't have it they just call me "Colas."

Colas, Colas, Colas and Nicolas
I give you so much love and get so little back
If you want, if you can, if not you will see
How beautiful dances the girlfriend of Nicolas!

Love is a tune you hum-de-hum-hum

A couple of weeks ago, Bede took Lucia to the park to throw boomerangs. Bede's first (and favorite) boomerang immediately got gobbled up by one of the park trees. Despite that initial disappointment, Bede and Lucia had a good time with the boomerangs in the park, and "boomerang" replaced "barnacle" as her favorite word of the moment. I decided to look for songs about boomerangs.

As you could have probably guessed, love is like a boomerang.

Some songs, like T-Bone Burnett's Boomerang, were catchy but not appropriate for young ears (i.e. "He broke into the bedroom/ They put him on the spot/He took off his pistol/ They never heard the shots/ They were headed for a crash/ And it even hurt to laugh/ Cause it ended with a bang/ When it all came back like a boomerang"). I finally settled on one of ABBA's silly but delightful ditties, "Bang-a-Boomerang":

Like a bang, a boom-a-boomerang
Dum-be-dum-dum be-dum-be-dum-dum
Oh bang, a boom-a-boomerang
Love is a tune you hum-de-hum-hum
So give it away, I think you'll learn
You'll get love in return
So bang, a boom-a-boomerang is love
A boom-a-boomerang is love

You can see the original video here.

And you can see and hear my daughter's rendition (complete with arm motions copied by Agnetha and Ani-Frid from "Mamma Mia") here:

Swamp Songs and Summer Stories

For all of you who asked if Lucia ever came with me to help out with storytimes, the answer is, "Yes, she has come to many a storytime performance, and has been an enthusiastic audience member, but she may (temporarily) be barred from performances in the near future." Tonight, Lucia consistently pulled the rabbits out of the hats before I had even showed the hats to the audience, so to speak. She's heard my stories and songs so many times that she can spring the plot twists and reveal the surprises to the rest of the audience.

There was a good turnout for tonight's Pajama Storytime, and the appreciative audience was a boon. I presented the string story of "The Mosquito" and prior to that, showed off my few string tricks. The co-owner of Island Books came over and showed me Cat's Cradle. (I was so proud of myself because I did not drop the cradle.) Then I told Phyllis Gershator's Zzzng! Zzzng! Zzzng!, The Sun Sisters from Margaret Read MacDonald's Three-Minute Tales, Thacher Hurd's Mama Don't Allow, and Nancy Stewart's "Nocturnal Animals."

I performed "Jenny Jenkins" as usual, and Bede caught some of the song on video. I've edited it down, so you don't hear all of the audience interaction between colors:



Tomorrow I have a preschool storytime gig at Third Place Books. Also, when I came home, I received a message about a potential future gig that, should it come to fruition, will be one I've wanted for a good while. Stay tuned....

Song of the Week: Yes Indeedy

When Yellow Submarine was the Song of the Week, the Goddess of Clarity wrote in that the song was one that a nun taught her to play on the guitar. She added, "Another favorite was 'Yes Indeedy Pumpkin Seedy,' which I sadly can't find a reference to online."

Six weeks later, a commenter named Ldyvic posted that Joe Wise sings a children's song called "Yes Indeedy," and pointed me to iTunes. (I found it on Amazon, too, as a MP3 file.) Giamusic distributes Joe Wise's music, and you can find this song and others on The Best of Joe Wise Music for Kids Vol. II. I wrote to Joe Wise to ask him if he was the author of the song (since he covered other people's songs on his albums), and he replied, "Yes indeedy, pumpkin seedy Yes I am the author, though if any kid sings it all across the country in the car on the family vacation I'll deny authorship in any court."

Here are the lyrics to the song as I've transcribed them:

Yes Indeedy
By Joe Wise

Yes indeedy, pumpkin seedy
No siree bob, hey diddle corn cob
Yeah but no but wait a minute, could be so
Maybe baby, chicken and gravy
Don’t be silly saspirilly
Hardly yardly, bailing up barley, pick a little, I don’t know!

My Uncle Fred had a problem in his head
So I hear tell from my old Auntie Kay
He could make up his bed but not up his mind
In answer to most any question, this is what he said:

Chorus

My Uncle Zeke had some funny thinking streaks
He would sit for days just wandering in his head
After weeks of sitting a’whittling and a’spitting
You asked him if he wanted supper, this is what he said:

Chorus

Uncle Fred and Zeke were driving on a peak
When the car went to the edge, Zeke yelled out, “Brakes!
Should we put them on, old Fred?” was the last thing that they said
And you could hear them singing standing at the Pearly Gates:

Chorus

Feelin' Kind of Groovy With a Pizza and a Movie New Recess Monkey Album

I was planning on reviewing Recess Monkey's new album, "Tabby Road," (due out in stores around July 15), but I think I'll just let Warren Truitt do the talking for me. The House of Glee helped Recess Monkey record the album during one of the two featured sessions: you can hear our voices and handclaps blended with everyone else's on "Birthday Bite," "Green Monster," and "Under My Bed."


I can't remember whether or not we helped out on "S-L-Double-E-P Over" (or just listened to it live) but the chorus will definitely worm its way into your ears:

S-L-Double-E-P over, S-L Double-E-P over with you,
Feelin' kind of groovy with a pizza and a movie,
S-L Double-E-P over with you.

There's a bit at the end of "Green Monster" where Recess Monkey sings, "V-E-G-E-T-A" and we finish "B-L-E!" If you listen closely, you'll hear the lag time where a child calls out "B-L-E!" right after we've finished. That was totally unrehearsed, and one of those pleasant serendipitious moments for which Recess Monkey was thankful.

Rob Hampton, my guitar teacher, is a guest musician on "Robin (the Sugar Goblin)." I had to laugh when I heard the opening chords because those particular opening "wah wah wahs" on the electric guitar have his fingerprints all over them. Rumor had it that Brad the Gorilla was supposed to be the guest musician for that song, but since that is a rumor started by Brad himself, I wouldn't give it too much credit.

Here is the album cover:


Here is the original proposed album cover.

As with all Recess Monkey albums (except for "Welcome to Monkey Town"), there is a shout-out to John Vanderslice. Listen for it.

Pierce County Library Programs

I think it's safe to say that it's official: this October and November, I will be presenting eight musical storytime programs for the Pierce County Library System. I'll have the dates and times listed on my homepage (Farida Dowler Storyteller) once the specifics are finalized. I've also got some daycare center gigs lined up, with the distinct possibility of one becoming a monthly affair. I don't have any more birthday party gigs planned, but those requests often come short-notice. However, the last birthday party gig I had, the mother had booked me eight weeks ahead of time, and we had a chance to trade emails and bounce off various ideas.

Coming up soon: Pajama Storytime at Island Books on Thursday, June 26, Preschool Storytime at Third Place Books (Lake Forest Park) on Friday, June 27, and Arts in the Afternoon at the Children's Museum on Thursday, July 3. My website lists times and links.

My garden, in brief

Here is a link to some photos I took for the Sunday Garden Stroll:

Borage, nasturtium, and plenty more

Lucia has started eating more fresh green leaves and herbs as a result of our gardening efforts. She is a particular fan of borage flowers and nasturtium leaves, but will also gladly eat lettuce, mint and lemon balm.

You may see the roundup at A Wrung Sponge.

Dan Zanes Interview on PlumTV

This is a pretty good interview with Dan Zanes on PlumTV, intersperced with recent concert footage:




You'll note the part in the Dan Zanes interview where DZ recommends you don't invite a stranger into your house to perform for your kids' birthdays, but have friends work on three songs and perform them at the party as a birthday present. In general, that's good advice. Specifically, though, that might put me out of a job, so please, take his words with a grain of salt (or a savory spice). In other words, "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain on the tv!"

We've seen a real revival in children's music, and music that appeals to children. While there is still a lot of drek out there for children and grownups, the time has come to stop qualifying our children's music lists as "songs adults won't hate" or "music that won't make grownups sick." These days, you don't have to look hard for good children's music beyond Pete Seeger, Ella Jenkins, and Woody Guthrie. Cool Tunes for Kids, Children's Music That Rocks, and Zooglobble are three reputable children's music resources on the internet. Want more? Check out their blogrolls.

The Annotated Frog Prince

Julie Danielson, a.k.a. Jules of the fabulous Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast duo, created a lovely annotated Frog Prince/Frog King webpage when she was in library school. These kinds of projects illustrate how useful hypertext links can be in reading material. The "Quiz" feature is no longer active (and I'm really curious now to find out what it originally entailed) but just about everything else should be in place for you to find out the intricacies of this story that often begins Grimms' fairy tale collections.

I once wrote a poem about the Frog Prince. Reading it gave my friends the feeling of claustrophobia, which was a accurate assessment of how I felt about the story. There's lots to study with layers of meaning (different layers, depending upon who's interpreting the story), but everyone except the Frog Prince's servant, Iron Henry, is pretty irritating to the point of being stifling. The princess is spoiled, the frog is pushy, and the king tells the princess that she has to keep her promise when the reader gets the feeling the princess is too young to be involved in a binding contract. Also, who started the rumor that the princess kissed the frog? At the climax of the story, what frees the frog from his enchantment is not an act of love but one of violence. This is no Beauty and the Beast.

In Which TadMack and I Meet For Coffee at the Airport

TadMack and Alkelda, photographed by DaviMack

This afternoon, I was working on my first attempt to make spanakopita, a heavenly concoction of spinach, feta cheese and phyllo dough (and plenty of butter for the phyllo, oy gevalt) when I got this email from TadMack of Finding Wonderland:

Hey Kids, My plane lands for three hours tonight – 6:20 – 9:15 at SeaTac. I’ll have my American cell, if anyone is around and wants coffee. If you know anyone else in our ‘sphere who might care, I’m going to be in Miami Monday night through Thursday morning. xoxox T

I quelled my inner cowardice about having to (1) drive to the airport (2) drive on I-5 during rush hour and called TadMack to say, "Yes, count me in!" I brought some spanakopita with me for TadMack and her husband, DaviMack. (I mention this only because it's referenced in the following video.)

After figuring out where we could actually meet, we found a corporate coffee shop outside of the security lines. Big hugs! We had never met before, so we had to start talking fast, because there was only a little time before TadMack and DaviMack had to catch their connecting flight. TadMack brought me a couple of copies of her new book, A La Carte (one for me, one to give away at the 2nd Annual Kidlitosphere Conference). She signed a book plate, too, for the book I had ordered through my favorite bookstore. Amid much giddiness, we filmed a little booktalk for your benefit:

Nancy Stewart: Two Videos

Today I'm sharing with you two videos taken from Nancy Stewart's concert at the Crossroads Shopping Center last night. The first one is Bee-Boppin' Bugs:



The second one is Sadie the Slimy Slug:

Sam Phillips in concert

Last night, Phil and I met some friends at the Borders Books and Music store in Redmond, Washington for the Sam Phillips concert. I filmed some concert footage for the benefit of Jules and her Phillips Phanatics (oh, I don't know what they're really called), plus stood in line to chat with Sam and get a card signed for Jules. It took as long to stand in line as it did for the actual concert, as Sam took time with each fan. I was impressed by how warm and personable she was. When I told her that I was working on Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us and struggling with the B minor chord, she laughed, and said, "Keep working on it! If I can do it, you can do it."


Phil took the photo

If you are able to catch one of Sam's shows, do go out of your way to do so. Phillips is a gifted songwriter, and if you go to one of the Borders concerts, you'll be able to see and hear a stroh violin up-close, played by Eric Gorfain.

Song of the Week: Sidewalks of New York

Every time I hear or sing Sidewalks of New York, I wish Seattle had its own song that was just as good. I've created my own lyrics for the Seattle version of Woody Guthrie's So Long, It's Been Good to Know Yuh, but satire isn't the same thing as homage. I only spent two and a half years in New York, but I still miss it.

Here are my chords for the song:

Click on the image to enlarge it

As a bonus, I have filmed Lucia and me singing and playing "Sidewalks of New York." Lucia was in a particularly silly mood during the filming. She's thrilled with her new bob cut and has been swishing her hair around her face all afternoon . Ever since the visit to Santa Paula, California, she's wanted her hair short like two of her cousins.

I'm posting this clip with Blogger's relatively new video feature instead of with YouTube:


P.S. I told Bede that I've filmed myself playing some songs and telling stories, but that they're not the same without Lucia. Bede said, "Lucia is your Gloria!"

Art, work and compensation: an Aesop's fable revisited

I'm pointing the way to Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast again so you may read Jules' book review of The Grasshopper's Song: An Aesop's Fable Revisited, by Nikki Giovanni, illustrated by Chris Raschka. The crux of the review: "What is the worth of art? How does art improve our lives? How should artists be compensated?"

Congratulations to everyone who made it through the Third Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge. I didn't even attempt it this year, due to my previously booked weekend schedule. MotherReader plans to announce the winners tonight.

Seven Kicks for a Sunday in June

Every Sunday, Jules and Eisha of Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast host 7Imp's 7 Kicks, and invite all readers to do the same. It's a way to take stock of the week and recognize one's blessings. Thinking up seven positive things that happened each week is good for me, because I tend to be a grumbling camel. Fortunately, I can always finesse the list by listing "the first cup of coffee" if I get really stumped for blessings.

Here are my seven kicks for the week:

1) I had a lovely outdoor birthday party gig yesterday. It was chilly and grey, but it didn't rain, and that was a boon to the event. There were 30 children in attendance, so it was more of a "storytelling concert" that I'd do for general admittance audience. Afterward, I let the children come up for a little open-mike session. One little girl told a story, three children sang, "Twinkle Twinkle" and a few just wished the two birthday girls Happy Birthday. I'd had good communication with the mother over the past couple of months, too, so we both had a good idea of what the program would entail. She was a gracious and generous host who ended up inviting my husband and daughter to partake of the festivities (they had been exploring the park while I performed). I told "The Three Dolls" (a story from India that you can find in David Holt's Ready to Tell Tales), Joan Chase Bowden's Why the Tides Ebb and Flow, "Two Goats on a Bridge" from Margaret Read MacDonald's Three Minute Tales, plus a couple of string stories from Anne Pellowski's The Story Vine and a few of my standard songs. Toward the end of "Jenny Jenkins," the dresses began to blow off of the flannel board, and the children helped rescue them. (I had anticipated that the "wind fairies" might be mischievious that day, and therefore presented only one flannel-board song.) Oh, and I can't believe I almost forgot this: one of the girls in the audience played air-guitar during "Jenny Jenkins."

2) Jules of 7Imp just sent me four mix cds. I'm thrilled to be able to listen to so much new music. Contrary to the theory that mix cds cut into the music industries' profits, I end up spending more money after listening to mix cds because I find new musicians to like. Q.E.D.

3) We got a copy of Recess Monkey's new cd, "Tabby Road" a month ahead of schedule because we helped to record it. I'm working on a review, but will wait to post it until closer to the release date. I've got to say, it's their best yet, with a number of songs that are earworms. I've been singing, "S-L-Double E-P Over, it's Double-E-P Over with you/ feelin' kind of groovy with a pizza and a movie, it's a Double-E-P Over with You!"

4) Sam Phillips' new album, Don't Do Anything,came out last week, and I've been listening to it quite a bit. My Sam appreciation is credited to Jules again, who jumped for joy when I told her that "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us" was my favorite song on the Alison Krauss/Robert Plant Raising Sand album. The song, penned by Phillips, is on "Don't Do Anything," and it's even better when sung by the original song-writer.

5) Speaking of Sam Phillips, Philip the Pun and I are planning to attend her Borders Books and Music concert on Wednesday evening. Join us if you're so inclined!

6) I just got a note that Dan Zanes' new album, “¡Nueva York!” is on its way. Huzzah! (I have a confession to make: jamming with Dan Zanes and his band is up there on my wish list. I'm not saying that I'd be any good, but I figure that Colin Brooks' drums, John Foti's accordion and Elena Moon Park's violin would cover my short-comings, and besides, in we'd be in someone's living room, not in Carnegie Hall.)

7) That first cup of coffee is quite nice. Thank you, Bede, for making it.

Poetry Friday: You and Me, May Be

In college, I was good friends with Erika of the vibrant red hair and chocolate brown eyes. When Erika started to date Mark, my fellow English major, we all were pleased. They were great together, and they didn't make their single friends feel awkward with all of their smoochiness. We knew they were bound to get married, but they wanted the engagement to be an event of sorts. Mark took his time. Sometimes, Erika would yell to Mark across campus, "Slow!" Mark told Erika that when he proposed, the whole campus would know.

Mark and I were both on the board of a poetry publication called Broadside. Normally, the submissions we'd get would be anonymous (unless they were by Seamus Heany, Denise Levertov, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, or Gwendolyn Brooks, and yes, I'm showing off now). However, Mark submitted the following poem signed with his name:



Mark was open to some suggestions for tweaking the poem, but not to others. "Rhyme and rhythm stays," he said. I noted privately that it was intriguing as to why Mark had chosen to justify the margins of the poem, but foolish mortal that I was, didn't pursue the matter.

We published the poem as we did all the Broadside poems: on a single piece of heavy paper, with the poet signing each one for a byline. Everyone on campus who subscribed to Broadside received the poem. Soon after, I got an excited phone call from Erika. "Mark proposed! Mark proposed!" she said. She told me that he read the poem aloud to her and then told her to read the first and last letters down each side of the poem: They spelled, "WILL YOU marry me."

Some of the grownup subscribers in the community complained that they thought the poem was misogynistic, but when one of the English professors pointed out the double acrostic, they said, "Oh, okay then." It was usually fun when a Broadside poem raised any sort of fuss, because it was evidence that the poetry did matter.

Mark and Erika got married at the college church. It was a lovely service, the maids of honor wore green velvet dresses, and Erika played violin at the reception. Many professors were invited, too, and the same English professor who came to Mark's defense of the poem originally said to me, "Just so you know, we professors love going to our students' weddings. That is a hint!" (Unfortunately, none of them were able to make it out to my Seattle wedding, but so it goes.)

Epilogue: Mark is an associate History professor at Eastern Mennonite University. Erika teaches nursing at James Madison University and is completing her Ph.D in Nursing at the University of Virginia. They are raising two children. Mark just got a Fulbright scholarship and is heading to Croatia, and his family will join him later in the year. As far as I know, they are all living happily ever after.

Sarah Reinhard of Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering is doing the Poetry Friday Roundup in the Kidlitosphere. Speaking of the Kidlitosphere, have you thought anymore about going to the Second Annual Kidlitosphere Conference in Portland, Oregon? If it is at all feasible for you to go, I'd love to see you there.

Minh Le, Look Away From This Post Right Now

Highlight this text to read the post:

Minh Le of Bottom Shelf Books is getting married to Aimee, his finance, on August 16. You may recall his engagement story which involved a diagram in order to make it a surprise. I am not that clever, but I have some ideas for a Surprise Project. Please email me if you're interested in being part of it.

Elizabeth I Portrait Discovered

I am Tudor-fixated in the way that many of my friends are Jane Austen fans. Sure, I love Jane Austen and have read all of her books (with the exception of Mansfield Park, which I've started a number of books) and seen many of the adaptations, but despite my difficulty with keeping exact dates in my head, I gravitate toward anything to do with the history of Tudor England. I believe that Catherine of Aragon got the short end of the stick and Mary Tudor would not have earned such a ruthless reputation as "Bloody Mary" had she not been forcibly separated from her mother and made to endure a number of emotional humiliations under her father's reign. In terms of bloodlines, Mary Stuart was indeed the rightful successor to Mary I. Yet, despite her flaws, Elizabeth I is my favorite queen of all time. I have read a number of historical novels, seen the adaptations and cheerfully shook my fist as I called out, "It didn't happen that way, you fools!" It's a small detail, but I'm a little disgruntled that in both The Tudors and The Other Boleyn Girl (which I have not seen), Henry VIII doesn't have red hair. Red hair is important. Whenever Henry VIII wonders if Elizabeth I is really his daughter, it's supposed to be laughably apparent that she resembles him so closely, especially with the hair.

Recently, a portrait of the young Elizabeth I with her family was discovered. You may read the article here: Rare Elizabeth I portrait uncovered. Here's the painting:



What I like best about this portrait, which is a copy of an original thought to date back to the early 1550's, is that Will Somers [also spelled "Sommers"], Henry VIII's fool (i.e. court jester), is in the portrait with the family. Fool would have been the occupation for me, perhaps. As Ringo Starr sang on the "Help" album, "All I've got to do is act naturally."

May 2008 Carnival of Children's Literature

Here's the May 2008 Carnival of Children's Literature, hosted by Melissa Wiley of Here in the Bonny Glen. There are lots of ripe, juicy children's book-related posts to read, so bookmark the site and take your time to enjoy the array of what the Kidlitosphere has to offer for the month of May.