Tuesday, June 27, 2006

NPR Update

Well, if you went looking for the NPR podcast Friday that I told you about in my last post, you are probably wondering why it wasn't there. I got an update from the Open Mic Podcast today - for some technical reason my song didn't get posted, but it is now scheduled to go up next Monday, July 3.

The Open Mic Podcast website is located here: Open Mic.

Happy listening!

Friday, June 23, 2006

XM Kids and NPR

Last weekend Kenny Curtis played "I Go Bananas" from my Paws Claws Scales & Tales CD during the 13 Under 13 Countdown. Often the new songs he introduces on the top 13 show go on to climb the charts themselves. If you are an XM Kids listener, please ask for "I Go Bananas!"

Make your request here: XM Kids Request

Also this afternoon (Friday 6/23) the song "I Took My Dragon For a Walk," also from the new CD, will be the featured song on National Public Radio's Open Mic podcast. (It should show up there at 4:15 PM EST)

You can download it here: Open Mic

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Acousticadia, Dino Daze, and other upcoming shows

The summer tour has begun!

My first show was in Moore, last Tuesday. It went very well - Lisa says it was my best opening show in all the summers I've been doing library programs (this is the 16th!). I performed five songs from the new CD, plus two from "Great Green." Evalyn joined me on stage for "Hummingbird Hum" and she did a great job, stealing the show as always. The audience was fantastic - lots of fans in Moore; I felt right at home.

Evalyn had her own performance season this week - three dance recitals. This was her first year to take ballet, and her beginner class of 4s and 5s were mighty cute in their anderoid outfits with bobbing antennae on their heads. They were the stars of the show, and I'm not just saying that cause I'm her dad; her mom thinks so too! We were very impressed with the whole operation. It was a lot of work but well worth it. Evalyn absolutely loved it, and so did we!

Coming up (these locations are in Oklahoma):

Monday June 5, the Tahlequah library, 10:00 and 1:00
Wednesday June 7, the Seminole library, 10:30
Thursday June 8, the Ada library, 10:30

Friday and Saturday, June 9/10, Acousticadia in Edmond
This is a big outdoor music festival. It promises to be a lot of fun for everyone. For more information I will refer you to this article from the Edmond Sun: Acousticadia makes child's play full of musical fun, and to the Acousticadia website.

Sunday, June 11, Dino Daze at the Sam Noble Museum in Norman
Many things are going on at the museum June 10 and 11. For more information I'll refer you the museum website.

I hope I'll see you at one of these shows!

"Paws Claws Scales and Tales" on XM Kids!

XM Kids has added "Paws Claws Sclaes and Tales, Reprise" from my new CD to their rotation!

To me this is a very big deal. We listen to XM Kids all the time around here and we love it! We think of it as the national headquarters for children's music. The playlist is heavily influenced by listener requests from all over the country and they do a weekly countdown of the 13 most requested songs. Way cool!

As I understand it, my song will by played infrequently for about two weeks, and if it doesn't generate any requests they'll drop it. If it generates requests they'll play it more often.

Once it gets bumped up in the rotation, it's more likely to generate requests, since people have a better chance of hearing it to begin with.

So during these crucial first days, your request can make a big difference!

If you are an XM Kids listener, please call in to request my song! (If you can, call before 6/14/06!).

If you don't have XM Kids (you should get it), please pass on this info to someone who does! XM radio is built in to many new vehicles, and it's part of the satellite TV service, DirecTV. So you might know somebody who has it, even if you didn't know you knew it!

XM Kids is channel 116.

You can make a request online, by going here: XM Kids.

Better yet, call in and you can hear yourself on the air! The DJs are very friendly and are great at talking with kids. Evalyn has been on the air several times, usually requesting "Baby Kangaroo" by Joe McDermott. She's even told a few jokes! Her first call was at age three.

Here are some tips for calling in to request "Paws Claws Scales and Tales" (or any song you want to hear!):

- The number is 866 328 2345
- Call anytime a live DJ is on the air.
- If you get the answering machine, hang up and try again. Keep dialing until you get through.
- Be prepared to tell your name, where you live, and the song you want to request
- In our experience, D. Dynamite is the easiest to get through to (evenings), then Kenny Curtis (mornings), then Absolutely Mindy (afternoons)
- You won't go on the air live. You'll hear yourself five or ten minutes after you hang up the phone.
- Relax, stay calm, and just talk. The DJs are patient and they will only use the best bits of your conversation on the air.
- It's ok for mom or dad to make the request, or to speak first and introduce the child

Have fun!