It’s that time of the year. School is letting out. Pools are open. Kids aren’t complaining of boredom. Yet.

But I know it’s coming soon.

My kids have a half-day left of school, and I will be spending those last precious hours trying to book camps and outings  to keep us occupied. Because lazy days of summer are fun for the first month, and then, we slowly start to implode as a family.

The past few years, we’ve crafted a Summer Bucket List, full of activities to do, places to visit, and things to see when we’ve exhausted the neighborhood pool and playground. We’ve started working on this year’s list already, and I’ve got one more thing to add to it:

Listen to awesome new music!

June is busting with all kinds of fabulous family music, and I am so excited to share some of it with you.

Eric Herman released Party Animal this past week, an album that delivers songs full of whimsy and quirkiness in a delightful package.

The album boasts a hearty range of musical genres such as blues, country, rock and pop, and also features members of Recess Monkey, Chris Ballew (who you might know as either family musician Caspar Babypants, or the lead from The Presidents of the United States of America) and DidiPop.

Starting the album with “Up All Night”, Herman illustrates how adept he is at crawling in to a young mind and expressing those thoughts, hopes and thrills. “Up All Night” is a song about that all too familiar goal to stay awake until midnight for New Year’s Eve, though, probably even more familiar, not being able to make it.

Herman’s ability to create songs from a child’s point of view also shows in upbeat songs like “Party at My House,” “The Bicycle Song” and the energetic “November 1^st.”

Funky tracks like “The Best Parts” and “A Million Ways” play nicely with quirky tunes like “Can We Buy a New Car (So I Can Have a Balloon)?” and “The Strange and Mysterious Fate of Mister Teddy Bear”

Rounding out the album is the track “Alive,” a charming life-affirming celebration of Herman’s deceased wife, who passed away in 2013.

Eric Herman’s Up All Night is available on his  website, Amazon, and iTunes.

 

GRAMMY nominated musician Brady Rymer creates songs filled with humor, optimism and love. If Brady Rymer could call me every morning and sing to me as my alarm clock, I guarantee I’d have an awesome day.

He’s back with The Little Band That Could for his seventh album Just Say Hi! A wonderful mix of musical genres, his latest album is the perfect summer soundtrack.

The title song “Just Say Hi!” sets the tone for the album, offering encouragement to listeners to meet new people and introduce yourself.

“Get This Party Started,” “Dance Till I Drop,” and “Gettin’ My YaYa’s Out”” are tunes that will easily jumpstart those morning pajama dance jams. Rymer showcases his range and mastery of different genres with the catchy ragtime jazz tune “Red Piano Rag,” as well as the zydeco sounds of “My Home.”

Mellower songs like the velvety “I Spin” and “Ice Cream Girl” beg you to relent to the lazy ways of summer and relax. Rymer displays his playful side with songs like “Pet Song,” a tribute to all those pet care takers that starts by sounding like Barry White but takes a Prince detour somewhere along the way.

“Tomorrow’s People” features a star-studded list of guests including Laurie Berkner, Elizabeth Mitchell and Recess Monkey, and could easily be the “We Are the World” equivalent for the kindie music circuit.  Hearing all of those beautiful voices singing hopes for a bright future makes me all warm inside. And yes, Brady, I feel that better days are coming, too. 

Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could releases Just Say Hi! June 17^th.

 

And to help me not make the same educational struggles with my kids that I did last summer, Mister G will release his literary themed album The Bossy E just in time to get your summer brain back in gear.

Mister G (a.k.a. Ben Gundersheimer) sounds cut from the same cloth as my son – a lover of books and reading – and it shows in this album with his use of literary references and devices.  With his love of books in songs like “Love to Read,” “More Books for Me” and “Everything’s Free at the Library,” Mister B’s album could be the theme song for summer reading clubs.

The title track, “The Bossy E” educates listeners on how adding an “e” to the end of a word can change the sound to create a new word.  It’s a fun surf rock tune with guitars, saxophone, organ, and of course, lots of reverb.

And Mister G has released a new video for this tune, TODAY! Check it out:

“Aisle 3” (sounding similar to Matthew Sweet to me), about a kid stuck at a store with his parents and imagining what he could be doing instead, demonstrates Mister G’s songwriting chops with its sophisticated and catchy hook.

Other standouts on the album include the bossa nova grooviness of “Video Games, and “Standing on Top of My Head”, which is musically my favorite song on the album with its rolling melody and quirky lyrics.

Mister G’s The Bossy E will be available from his website (www.mistergsongs.com), Amazon and iTunes on June 24^th.

And there you have it folks, just some of what we’re planning on listening to this month. The only thing left to cover as I close the books on another school year is this last pop quiz. What are YOU planning on listening to this summer?