By Lauren Valencia
Shake It Up, Shake It Off, which showcases the award-winning, nationally recognized talents of Seattle kindiependent music artists The Not-Its!, Recess Monkey, Caspar Babypants, The Harmonica Pocket, Johnny Bregar, and The Board of Education, is a romping-fun compilation brimming with talent and humor.
This sampler of rocking tunes provided a perfect soundtrack for a recent impromptu afternoon dance party at my preschool. The album-opening Caspar Babypants track “Googly Eyes” antes up silly lyrics and a catchy melody, easily getting the party started. I wasn’t too surprised when a savvy 5-year-old announced, “I have this song in my car!” Caspar Babypants reaped the most shout-outs and sparked a conversation about the band's live shows, which apparently feature an invisible dog. Track four, “8 Is a Number,” was my introduction to the band The Board of Education and is a hilarious, stream-of-consciousness meditation on the significance of the number eight. How can you not laugh out loud at lyrics like “When 8 takes a nap, that’s infinity”?
Combining kid-friendly themes, clever lyrics, and danceable music, all the tracks on the compilation offer the best of Seattle’s beloved kindie music scene. We’re so lucky to have a wealth of music that is meaningful to kids and also entertains their parents. These bands will be out at concerts and festivals this summer (see our outdoor summer entertainment guide for more details), and we hope your family can make it!
More about Shake It Up, Shake It Off
Parents everywhere, it's time to boogie down! ParentMap is thrilled to announce the release of its first-ever family music compilation, Shake It Up, Shake It Off — Tunes to build a happy head and healthy heart (produced and distributed by ParentMap, SRP: $12.95, runtime: 27:20). Shake It Up, Shake It Off features the celebrated talents of Seattle kindiependent music artists Caspar Babypants, The Not-Its!, Recess Monkey, Johnny Bregar, The Harmonica Pocket, and The Board of Education.
Within the national family music landscape, Seattle has become a hotbed for incredible kindie music artists. Kindiependent is a one-of-a-kind collective of like-minded people who are passionate about cultivating a vibrant kids’ and family music scene in the Pacific Northwest. Luckily for the rest of the country, their music is widely accessible and many of these groups tour throughout the country, some throughout the world. Recess Monkey’s music was dubbed “Beatlesesque” by Time magazine, and People magazine gave their last record four stars. USA Today described the music of Caspar Babypants as "sweet, simple and incredibly smart minimalistic music for your mini-me," and The Not-Its! music was called “energetic pop-punk” by TODAYMoms. These Seattle-based music groups have made a gigantic positive impact on the arts and culture our country’s youngest experience today, and ParentMap is thrilled to be doing good for the community, while at the same time sharing this great music more broadly.
“For years it has been a dream of mine to showcase the immense musical talent of the Pacific Northwest in a family music compilation,” ParentMap publisher/editor Alayne Sulkin commented. “The kindie music artists in Seattle are nationally recognized — some internationally — and there is simply no better time to collect some of our favorite tunes and share them with parents. We couldn’t be more excited about this project.”
Shake It Up, Shake It Off can be purchased at parentmap.com/shakeitup.
