Category Archives: Featured

A Conversation with Alison Faith Levy

After five solid years of recording and touring with the Sippy Cups, Alison Faith Levy needed a break, so she took a musical detour and created McCabe & Mrs. Miller, an Americana band. But she couldn’t fully kick the kids’ music habit — she started playing shows at a local bookstore, and the rest is history.

*lame joke alert* After seeing Toby Keith have success with “Red Solo Cup,” Alison figured she would have success on her own being a solo, sippy cup. *lame joke alert over*

Briefly intruding on her busy schedule, we talked to Alison about her new solo album, World of Wonder.

Walk us through how you got to this point in your career. The Sippy Cups, then adult Americana music, and now back to kids’ music as a solo Sippy Cup.

The Sippy Cups kind of casually disbanded and parted ways. We were taking a break. We were touring a lot, it was very intense and we just need a break. Then I started this Americana band that I put out a record with. Then I started playing music for kids in the local bookstore, just very casually. I just started writing songs. I would wake up at 6 AM on the days I’d go to the bookstore and bam, I’d have a new song in my head that I’d want to write.

Soon enough, I had enough songs for an album and then I started to get bookings for shows at libraries and festivals. Then people were asking me to put out a CD so they could buy the songs. It just naturally evolved in to a full-fledged project. So I just called up my friend Allen (producer/Orange Peel Allen Clapp) to come in to the studio — let’s make a real record and have fun with it. Then of course, I went bananas on it and just went for it. It just wound up being such much more than I originally planned it to be — and I’m so happy with how it turned out.

Lots of kids’ music has a very simplistic feel to it. Yet on your record, it has very full, Phil Spector vibe to it.

The Sippy Cups were always about that big, full sound. We always wanted to write songs that kids could relate to, but make a record we wanted to hear. I think I did that on this record too. I don’t want to hold back just because it’s kids’ music. If I hear something musically that I think serves the song, I want to go for it. I’m willing to take some chances with the production. But I think kids can enjoy it; I think parents can enjoy it. It’s important for me to have the song sound the way I hear it in my head, which is a very full sound. And with Alan, I barely had a piano, vocals and guitar on the demos. He just got it and we were able to run with it.

Was it difficult recording without other band members in the studio?

It was just the opposite — it was so easy. I love to collaborate, but I also love to see an idea through from start to finish. I do love the group discussion and being in a band is all part of that. Having six people in the room makes things move a little bit slower. The product can be amazing, but this was just a different process. It was kind of fun; there was never a debate. I could just have a good time with it.

Does the writing process between adult and kids’ music ever bleed across genres?

I’m always writing, but I tend to write on a project basis. Right now I’m completely immersed in the kids’ music. I’ve been around kids a lot lately, and they’ve inspired me. Although a couple weeks ago I did a gig with my Americana band and it was weird being up on stage as this bluesy momma. I kind of forget about that part of me.

Talk about the different joys between an adult show in a dive bar compared to a kids’ show at a library.

Don’t make me choose! I honestly love them both so much. They’re both completely different, but I enjoy each for different things. I get such a joy from connecting with the audience. Whether I’m belting out the blues with this super loud, kick ass roadhouse band or if I’m jumping up and down with a bunch of three-year-olds, I get the same joy. Even though it’s completely different music, I get the same adrenaline rush when I’m performing. When the crowd responds, it just puts a smile on my face.

Since it’s a solo record, did you feel you had less expectations on this album?

A little bit, but I always worry that I might be pushing too far with the record. You know with the lyrics, it’s always intended for kids, but there are some pretty sophisticated moments where I worry that I might have gone too far. Ultimately, I have to go with my heart and what I feel and how I should convey the song. You know there is a simple song like “Baby Anteater” and then there’s “Eye Of The Tornado,” which is about emotions and chaos and about finding a peaceful place amongst the chaos. I was hoping that it would give a nice message to kids, but it’s a sophisticated idea. There would be times I would look at Allen as ask “Am I going too far?” and he would tell me “No, just do what feels right. You’re communicating.”

How do some of your Americana musical peers perceive your kids music?

I think they don’t quite get it. They think it’s cool that I do it, but it’s every alien to them. They’re super supportive. Some have heard the record and love it, but they don’t quite understand it. I try and get them to come to shows so they can see what it is all about.

It’s very difficult to make financial headway in the kids’ music scene. So why do it?

I’ve never made an album thinking about whether I could make a profit on it. What’s good about kids’ music is there are lots of opportunities to perform that actually pay pretty decently. That’s a nice alternative to playing adult music in a smoky bar with a tiny guarantee. With kids’ music there is at least a level of performance income that you can earn. Having a CD out also helps my profile. Obviously, I would hope to at least be able to break even on the record. Ultimately, I made it because I wanted to make a record. I hope people enjoy it — and that’s the most important thing to me.

Alison Faith Levy’s World of Wonder is out now. Buy your copy here.

Desert Island Discs with Lucky Diaz

The Beatles, Revolver

Let’s be honest, there’s no way to encapsulate the entire complexity of the Beatles in one album. But if one had to, I believe it would be this one. My daughter sings to “Yellow Submarine” the way I sang to “Good Day Sunshine” in the back seat of our family car. It’s been said “Here, There, Everywhere” is Paul’s favorite song he ever wrote. It’s certainly mine.

Miles Davis, Kind of Blue

Before I ever visited New York City, it came to me via this album. I was a sophomore in high school when my band teacher (a trumpet player) lent me this album to take home. I never returned it. I finally understood the concept of an instrumentalist “singing” through their instrument. I felt New York. I felt Miles. Kind of Blue makes sadness beautiful.

The B-52’s, Cosmic Thing

Admittedly, I came to the B-52’s via my brother, who blasted “Rock Lobster” from his bedroom. He was obsessed with Fred Schneider and Kate Pierson. I believe we were 12 or so when Cosmic Thing was released. I had never heard a party before. Not only that, they looked like they came from mid-century outer space! “Love Shack” is still one of my all time favorite songs. I mean, you CAN’T help but move when you listen to it. Tin Roof Rusted!!!

Nirvana, Nirvana Unplugged

I suppose it’s my age, but Nirvana was my coming of age band. They heralded the Seattle sound that shaped my first bands, my first written songs, and my voice. We all wanted to be Kurt Cobain or Eddie Vedder. Here was a guy that couldn’t really sing or play a guitar that well — and he sounded amazing. I didn’t really know Bob Dylan yet, so Kurt was my first experience with a message and emotion really delivering a song. But not until this album did I really see how beautiful Kurt’s songs are. I believe this is the best Nirvana record ever recorded. “Dumb” WITH a string section! Brilliant.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced

People are often surprised to discover I’m a pretty serious guitar player. I spent a great deal of my youth cutting heads in blues jams where I grew up. Our records don’t have a lot of guitars on them. I always think the song comes first and rarely, if ever, do my songs ask for some epic guitar solo. I can honestly say when I first heard this album I couldn’t believe it was real. To this day, I’m mesmerized by Jimi. He’s what Miles is to the trumpet. I hear his voice in his playing. I want to play like Jimi. I want to perform like Jimi. Beautiful madness captured on tape played backwards.

Not a bad list of influences, right? See how they all came together to form A Potluck — coming May 8 to a store near you — in the album teaser clip below. And don’t forget to preview the whole record at this link. Enjoy!

Why Kindie? Why Not?

Leave a reply

Every family entertainment writer has to write a post examining the state of the kindie music scene. Here’s mine.

People look at me all the time like I have three eyes when I talk about my love for kids’ music. But I always give them the same answer: I wouldn’t let my three-year-old watch Die Hard or Basic Instinct, so why would I have her listen to Radiohead or Kanye West? (poor analogy, maybe, but the point remains.)

The kindie music scene has given me many so many special parenting moments. Singing in the car to the Pop Ups, Justin Roberts, Ozokidz, or Lucky Diaz. It’s something that Kidz Bop, Fun., Hot Chip, or Adele would never be able to provide. Why? Because my daughter can connect to the words in “Subway Train” more than she’d ever be able to relate to “Over and Over.” Seeing her connect, understand, relate to and be educated by the lyrics are the moments I’m glad I stumbled upon the kindie scene.

Listen, I understand there’s plenty of adult music to play for kids. I weave plenty of adult music into my daughter’s mixes: Mat Kearney, the Head & the Heart, the Police, Bad Manners, etc. But she doesn’t respond nearly as much to those songs as she does to those intended for her.

I sent an email to a friend who had a daughter a year after our first child telling him about all the wonderful kids’ music out there available to him and his daughter. Here’s his response:

I have little need for kids’ music, preferring to go the the big kids’ stuff. I don’t need Jack Johnson to tame a White Stripes song that is already kid friendly just so it can make it into my mom’s radio rotation.

While he’s correct about Jack Johnson, he’s wrong about having little need for kids music. That’s the wrong mindset. It isn’t about him, it’s about his daughter. He may not have a need for it, but his daughters do — and he’s missing a great opportunity.

Desperate to get him to like something, I suggested Secret Agent 23 Skidoo. For those unfamiliar, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo makes brilliant, catchy hip-hop for kids. He challenges them to keep up; if they do, they are rewarded. But if you asked 10 dads about hip-hop for kids, you’d get 10 looks of bewilderment. So I was pleasantly surprised when my friend responded with this:

I dig me the Secret Agent 23 Skidoo. Nothing mind-blowing there, but the dude is making well-produced hip-hop about things that matter to someone under the age of ten. I have not heard other hip-hop for kids that isn’t insulting and worthy of being peed upon. Well done to the secret agent man.

That’s progress, right? So how do you change this type of mindset? That’s the million dollar question. The same way you change any person’s opinion on politics, sports, and the like: Education, education, and more education. Kids’ music suffers from decades and decades of a terrible stigma that won’t change overnight.

Share your favorite songs and artists with your friends. Make another parent a mixtape of kids music. I do it all the time. Parents might not like every track, but if they find four or five songs that they can tolerate with their kids, I consider that a success.

So, in that spirit, Jeff and I have created a “starting point” Spotify playlist with kindie music for you to share with others — via e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter. Every little bit counts. And frankly, if this doesn’t change people’s opinions, it’s time to find some new friends. (I can’t believe Walsh put 311 in here. He really has a problem. –Ed.)

Dadnabbit

Dads writing about kids' culture