It’s National Physical Fitness and Sports Month.
Naturally, it’s now that I crumble in my effort to get healthy and exercise regularly. I’m trying to climb back onto the wagon. I am. I swear. Just one more Mr. Softee milkshake and I’m totally there.
I applaud Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign. I applaud any and all efforts to better school lunch programs and their offerings, and to remove all soda from the premises. And I applaud kid’s bands that make it a point to generate action, encourage dancing and some kind of motion during their live sets and also on their recordings.
Now, unless we’re talking new age or sleepytime, music is by nature movement inducing. That is, unless you are a boring, souless, empty-hearted stiff – and there are some of you attending kindie rock shows. I’ve seen you and you know who you are. All that said, there are some discs better suited – or even designed specifically to – get you and your kids up and at ’em.
Here’s a diverse set of five new/newish albums in the kindie space (in no particular order) that you might want to check out for family exercise hour (okay, does anyone do that?):
- Rhythm Child – Norman Jones, his son, and crew just rocked The White House lawn during the annual Easter Egg roll. Let him rock your household with an innovative mix of drumming and evocative singing. Tune in to: “Bowl of Cherries”.
- Miss Amy and Her Big Kids Band – Miss Amy is an official ambassador for the President’s Active Lifestyle Challenge. Her music could score a line of all-ages exercise DVDs which is both a good and bad thing. “Fitness Rock-n-Roll”, the group’s latest CD, isn’t something you’re going to ever want to slip into the car during a road trip, but you have to appreciate anyone who dedicates their life to the idea that kids need to not be so obese and lazy. As far as music to instruct, teach and get your youngsters up off the couch and working out, this peppy disc is just about perfect (even if the album art is a bit garish). Tune in to: “Imagination Island”.
- Mr. Leebot – doing the robot counts as exercise, right? If so, grab your goofiest pair of glasses and slip in to your family CD player “Erratic Schematic”, Mr. Leebot’s latest electro-prog-pop effort. Tune in to: “Electricity”.
- Daddy A Go-Go – If classic rock-n-roll is the thing that’ll get you and your kids running hard around the backyard or apartment this summer, “Grandkid Rock” – an upbeat, (beach) balls to the wall collection of remastered tunes from this kid’s music vet – is the perfect album for your gang. Tune in to: “For Those About To Walk, We Salute You”.
- Candy Band – The queens of kiddie punk rock are from modern-day Detroit but could easily pass for late-70’s New York City. If the Candy Band’s 2010 release “High Five” doesn’t kick you in the ass, then there’s something wrong with you. GET UP AND MOVE! Tune in to: “Ice Cream”.
*OWTK received all of the above albums for review consideration. The opinions expressed within this post are unbiased and honest. So is my statement that kids need to eat less and move more…and so do I.
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