It might be hard to believe, what with all the new music that arrives ’round these parts every day, but we’ve been in a serious fresh-music rut lately. And by lately I mean the last 1/3 of a year or so. Aside from Randy Kaplan’s new one and Todd McHatton’s Marvy Monstone puppet extravaganza, we’ve been looking backward more than is customary, giving classic Justin Roberts’ extra spins, along with Elska (which, technically is a new September release but we’ve had it since early May), old Secret Agent 23 Skidoo albums, a bit from the little Bears Upstairs 5-song EP, and the masterpiece from The Okee Dokee Brothers that is Can You Canoe?.
The discs that have been showing up and piling up haven’t been hitting our sweet spot. Many have missed the mark by a mile, others just barely. Some just look like they’re gonna suck so they don’t even get unwrapped (yes, packaging matters, at least to this fella.) It could be a me problem, this lack of new tunes a-playin’, because I will go through phases exactly like this where I cannot stand the idea of listening to ANYTHING I already have in my library. I scroll through those titles and feel nothing. And the idea of investing time into something I’ve never heard before, from people I don’t already know, seems unbelievably tedious. I can’t listen casually, to anything, so there is effort required and I haven’t been willing to give it. There’s been drives recently where no sound is coming from the speakers. Silence. And that’s been okay by everyone.
Even our gang’s favorite adult bands — Jukebox the Ghost, Langhorne Slim, Brandi Carlile, and Dawes, even they do not inspire me to connect that aux cable in the car. I’ve been spinning the new Holy Ghost Tent Revival album I chipped in for during their crowdsourcing campaign, but that is mostly in my ears during workouts at the gym. While I write this I am just digging into Goodnight, Texas, who play in Philly tonight. If I can figure out a way to stay up past midnight (that hasn’t happened in a while), I may go check ’em out.
This unintentional new kid’s music embargo, it is slowly being lifted. Shiny, hot-off-the-presses family music is once again audible in the house of OWTK. I’m getting into new albums from Kepi Ghoulie, Play Date, Ozomatli, Alphabet Rockers, Astrograss, David Tobocman, and Big Bang Boom, and I’m beginning to share some of these tunes with the kids when they come home from school.
All this will lead to one bitchin’ October OWTK Kid’s Music Monthly Podcast! It’s going to be overflowing with brand new tunes. Gonna be a good one, I promise. Subscribe now for free and have it delivered straight to your iTunes library bright and early on 10/1.
