PCS&T CD Update - Eleanor Gerbil

Happy Friday, everyone,

It's been tough to find time for working on the CD over the holidays, what with family and friends visiting, and Evalyn out of school.

Our friend Geoff Garvoille was here from California, and he gave me a CD by "The Fab Four" (a Beatles tribute group) of Christmas songs done in the style of the Beatles. So for example you hear the harmonica introduction to "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and the group starts singing "Joy to the World" in Liverpudlian accents. It's hilarious because they are so spot-on with the arrangements.

This immediately brought to mind one of my songs, which was already part of the plan, but this CD got me in the mood to take a swing at it. So I've been spending every available moment working on "Eleanor Gerbil."

My song was originally inspired by a song by the Magpies (a now defunct Canadian children's group) called "Norwegian Hamster." Of course both songs are Beatle sound-alikes. But neither is a parody; that is, they have their own melodies. They each do call to mind their respective Beatles inspirations. Think "Ruttles," if that means anything to you.

To record "Eleanor Gerbil," I started by importing the "Eleanor Rigby" backing track (just the string instruments) from the Beatles Anthology CD into my recording software. Since my song matches "Eleanor Rigby" measure for measure, rhythmically and lyrically, I created a click track to match "Eleanor Rigby."

I used that to record a reference vocal and guitar chords for my song along side "Eleanor Rigby." They sound horrible together, since mine is in a major key and the chords don't match, but going back and forth between the two, I painstakingly deconstructed George Martin's string arrangement from the original and reconstructed it phrase by phrase to fit my own song.

Of course the MIDI instruments I'm working with sound flat and lifeless compared with the vibrant and energetic performance captured on the Beatles recording. So the next step is to record them as digital audio and get to work trying to add some dynamics to make it sound as much like a real string octet as possible. It's tedious, but it's a lot of fun to slowly hear my arrangement come together, sounding more and more Beatlish as I go.

In between working on the arrangement I've been trying to get the lyrics nailed down - there's one line that just doesn't want to settle, but I think I've got it. I'll be ready to record the vocal soon, and then mixing, and then it'll be done. Yee haw!!

Stay tuned, and I might even let you have a listen...

PCS&T CD Update

I promised regular updates... I was planning to do it on Fridays, but I missed last Friday. I've been down with a cold and not getting a whole lot done.

Besides that, I've been having some software trouble. (You may want to skip this paragraph if you're not a home recording geek!) I spent one afternoon on the phone with a support tech at MOTU trying to figure out why my Digital Performer software wouldn't recognize my MBox interface. The guy was very helpful and patient with me but we never really tracked down the problem. It turns out the trouble lies with the Mbox software. If anyone out there has the same trouble, here's what I found out from Digidesign: you can't let your computer go to sleep while the MBox is connected or DM will lose track of it. If DM does loose track of it, shut the computer down, disconnect the MBox, start up and re-connect the MBox (or something like that.)

Anyway, I have made some progress. I've been working on lyrics to "Dog Books" and "A Pet Like That." I finally tracked down the Dr. Seuss book I wanted to reference in "A Pet Like That"! I've been through every Dr. Seuss in the library trying to find it! I KNEW there was a Seuss with weird pets in it. I had specific images and words in my head, but I couldn't find them in any of the Seuss books I looked at. I've been searching for months! Then we were at Paw Paw and Grandma's house the other day culling out books from Evalyn's stash, and out pops One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, and I knew immediately. Sure enough that was the one. Turns out the library puts the easy reader Seuss books on a different shelf, so I had been overlooking it.

I also finished a complete draft of "Dog Books." Lisa thinks it's the weakest song on my list so far! I like it though. I'm anxious to sing it for some kids and find out what they think.

On the recording end, I've been working on Villa Villakula Hula. I put together an "island drums" section using the toms from my drum kit. This was just as I was deciding to sell the kit, so I set up one last recording session, and the moment it was done, the drums went out the door and into the car. I used gating, compression, and EQ to try and make the toms sound more like island-type hand drums, and I'm still trying to decide if I'll use them. The kit, meanwhile is at Daddy O's if anyone wants some drums. They were taking up too much space in the living room to justify keeping it given the rarity with which I actually used them. You can see a photo of the kit on the back of the Great Green Squishy Mean Concert CD. I'll miss having it to bang around on but I'll be able to buy an electric guitar with the proceeds.

Do you have a talking bird? If so, let me know! I've been collecting bird recordings for a planned piece tentatively titled "Bird Brains." It will be a sound collage of birds speaking - parrots, parakeets, cockatoos, etc., set to a danceable beat. I won't really know what it'll sound like until I have the bird recordings to work with. I've posted to many bird groups at Yahoo! and I've received clips of five or six birds so far. Some of them are really amazing. Did you know African Grey parrots are considered to be as intelligent as dolphins or chimps? They can be taught to actually communicate with speech. They can ask for what they want and answer questions like "What's different about this?" (the color, size, shape, etc.) The stuff I learn writing songs for kids! That's one of the things I love about this job.

Merry Christmas AND Happy Holidays!

Santa's Laugh

My December podcast includes two Santa songs, one for kids, and one for adults, plus a sneak peek at two songs I'm working on for the upcoming CD. Enjoy!

Plus, here's your chance to win a complete set of Monty Harper CDs! My podcasts are getting hundreds of downloads each month, but I have no idea who's listening or what they want to hear. I've posted a survey online to try to find out more about my audience. Fill out the survey for your chance to win a complete set of 5 CDs, worth $70. The drawing will be held January 14, 2006.

Take the survey here: http://www.montyharper.com/survey.html

Go here to listen or download: http://www.montyharper.com/Songcast/051213MontyHarper.mp3
Go here to subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/MontyHarperSongcast
Or subscribe through iTunes here: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id= 266293007

Family Groove

Hey, space cadets,

I wanted to let you know about Will Hale's internet radio program, Family Groove - this month he's featuring, well, me! There are four Monty Harper songs in the half hour show, and the rest of the song selections were inspired by my song topics. It's really fun. Of course the Family Groove show is always really fun, but this month, it's really really fun, at least from my point of view! Check it out: http://www.kfai.org/programs/famgrv.htm

Update on the new CD

Howdy friends and fans,

I've been negligent at keeping you updated on progress with the new CD. I will endeavor to post more often!

I've been trying out songs with classrooms at Richmond Elementary here in Stillwater, which is where Evalyn goes to Pre-K. I've visited some 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grade classrooms. The songs they've heard include "The Cat Came Back," "I Took My Dragon For a Walk," "It's Hard to Love a Reptile," "A Pet Like That," and "Humming Bird Hum." I use a four step process with the kids to make sure that I get helpful feedback from them, and all the songs are stronger due to their input. (If you've listened to my latest podcast, you know how they saved me from inadvertently singing about children with no pants on!)

I've also finished complete drafts of "Villa Villakula Hula," and "Fred's Frog, Flippy." Other songs that are close include "Super Flea," "Paws Claws Scales and Tales," "Dog Books," and "Pet Parade." There are a couple of other ideas floating around as well, but you can almost guess at the final line-up for the CD based on the titles I've already mentioned.

As far as recording goes, I've been working on "Villa Villakula Hula" this week, recording Ukulele and guitar parts and a vocal. If you're familiar with Pippi Longstocking, then you probably guessed it's about her(and her pet horse and monkey) - she lives in a house called Villa Villakula. I've also made a good start at recording "Humming Bird Hum," which is a song I wrote with my daughter Evalyn's help. And of course "The Cat Came Back" and "I Took My Dragon For a Walk" were recorded in Chicago in October - you can read all about that in a previous post.

I plan to have a website up soon where I will post samples of the songs as I finish them, so watch for that. And now, I must go see if I can't get some recording done today! I'm going to start putting together a rhythmic bed for "Paws Claws Scales and Tales" using my Korg Electribe dance music machine - the same hardware I used to put together tracks for "I Go Bananas."

See you next week!

I Took My Dragon For a Walk

Here's my November podcast, featuring "I Took My Dragon For a Walk," the first song recorded for my new CD!

You'll hear early concepts for the song, an anecdote about naked tushes, and an early mix of the recording made at Woodside Avenue Music studio in Chicago last month, featuring Jim Cox on standup bass, Don Stiernberg on guitar, and Steve Rashid on harmonica and percussion.

Enjoy!

And please, post a comment to let me know what you think. Thanks!

Go here to listen or download: http://www.montyharper.com/Songcast/051117MontyHarper.mp3
Go here to subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/MontyHarperSongcast
Or subscribe through iTunes here: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=266293007

"Trick or Treat" is on XMKids!

Now you can hear my song "Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet" on XM Kids!

XM Kids, for those who may not know, is the children's music channel on XM Satellite Radio: channel 116. It's very cool because it's the only national outlet for children's music that we know of with live DJs playing requests.

We listen all the time around here, and Evalyn has even called in and gotten on the air with her requests and jokes. You can check it out online by signing up for a free three day trial. Just go to www.xmradio.com.

Anyhow, I sent XM Kids my new CD a while back and have been anxious to hear them play something from it. So I was excited to find out that they played "Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet" several times leading up to Halloween, and once on Halloween night.

Since Halloween has come and gone, I don't know if it'll still get played, but once a song is in the system, it can be requested!

So if you are an XM Kids listener, please ask for "Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet!"

Here are some tips on making an XM Kids request:

You can send an email to xmkids@xmradio.com. Include your name, age, where you're from, what song you want, and say hi to your favorite DJ. (That way they'll know who should play it.)

It's a lot of fun to hear yourself on the radio. So when the DJs are taking calls, here's how to get through. First program the number into your phone. It's 1-866-328-2345. Dial and let it ring five or six times, or about thirty seconds. If nobody answers, hang up and try again. Keep trying until you get through.

Kenny, Mindy, or D. Dynamite might put your conversation on the air, but you'll hear it five or ten minutes after you've talked to them. D. Dynamite is the newest DJ and is still the easiest to get through to. All of them are really friendly and great at talking with kids. If you want, Mom or Dad can place the call and pass the phone off after making initial contact.

Have fun!

Post a comment to let me know how it goes!

More Awards!

The Great Green Squishy Mean Concert CD is an "Instant Classic"!

The Children's Music Web Awards for 2005 have been announced. Congratulations to all the winners! You can view them yourself at childrensmusic.org.

The Great Green Squishy Mean Concert CD racked up three awards...

The song "You're a Dinosaur" won a Best Song for Preschoolers and the song "Loose Tooth" won a Best Song for Younger Children.

And the CD itself won in the Classic Recordings for Younger Children category! (Due to some weird timing, the classic category was the only place I could enter it if I wanted it in this year's awards program.)

I guess that makes it an instant classic!

Peters Elementary

I had a fun visit to Peters Elementary in Broken Arrow on Friday, where I ran my new songwriting critique program with the fifth grade language arts classes.

I was there for Red Ribbon Week, and I performed "Fifty Ways to Say No to Drugs" as well as "This Red Ribbon" as part of my morning assembly. I gave mini-programs for the special needs class and the afternoon Pre-K and Kindergarten classes.

And I did four half hour critique sessions with the fifth graders. Although I've taken my songs to classrooms for critique many times, this was the first time I did it as a formal program. Each session began with a conversation about the writing process, in particular why we write and how and why to solicit and use good feedback. Then I performed one of the songs I'm currently working on and we did a four step critique process on the song.

I really enjoyed these sessions. We ended up talking about all sorts of songwriting issues. I got some great feedback on my songs and I felt like there were plenty of teaching moments where I was able to get a new idea across. Hopefully the kids will be inspired to apply some of these concepts to their own writing.

Watch for a new podcast soon, featuring one of the songs I recorded in Chicago last week!

New CD Underway: First Two Songs

Howdy, Dear Readers,

I've been promising information about the new CD I'm working on, and I'm finally ready to kick it off with a bang.

I'm writing tonight from Chicago, after the first recording session. I was in Steve Rashid's studio all day with Fred Koch co-producing and two fantastically talented players, Jim Cox on upright bass, and Don Stiernberg on guitar and mandolin. Steve also added blues harp, vibes, and percussion, and we tracked vocals for two songs.

First up was "The Cat Came Back." This is an old folk song in the public domain, and there are dozens of versions of it out there. I basically wrote my own version from scratch with a surprise ending. The recording features a spectacular performance by Don, who is world renowned for his talent on the mandolin.

Next we tackled "I Took My Dragon For a Walk." A few of you may have heard this one last summer in early June. I performed it at a couple of library programs, but I dropped it from the show, feeling it wasn't quite ready for prime time. It took me a couple of re-writes to get it right (not unusual) - I was still making revisions last night!

Anyhow, the two recordings sound amazing! They still need to be mixed, and there may be a bit of editing to do. I also may add some parts to the dragon song. But all that will be done at home. I plan to share rough mixes with you soon in my next podcast, so please stay tuned!

The plan is to have the CD ready for this summer, with ten to twelve songs revolving around a "reading and pets" theme. This will make it ideal for librarians all over the country who are planning a summer program based on pets: "Paws, Claws, Scales and Tales." In fact this is also the working title of the new CD.

These first two tracks have set a challenging standard for the rest of the CD! I'll be doing most of the work at home, and I have several more songs ready or nearly ready for recording, so hopefully I'll have lots more to tell you about soon.

Lisa and Evalyn are with me. They spent the day at the big aquarium here in Chicago. Fred and I met them for dinner and Evalyn took to Fred right away. She told us about giant crabs and dolphins and sharks, and her new buddy Lucy, the baby harp seal. No they didn't have baby harp seals at the aquarium but Lucy was Evalyn's choice of souvenir.

Tomorrow we're heading on up to Delavan, WI for the Children's Music Network national conference, and looking forward to meeting and mingling with old and new friends who also do this crazy children's music thing for a living.

I'll keep you posted with progress on the new CD, at least once a week. Talk to you soon!

Podcast #3, "Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet"

Howdy folks,

Here is my October podcast, with two fun songs for Halloween. Both of these originated on my Halloween Madness cassette, which is no longer available (although some of the songs are now bonus songs on the Take Me to Your Library CD.)

First is the instrumental "Skeleton Dance." You'll hear a cleaned-up version (with sound effects added back in) which I recorded last year for "Nina in No Limits," an animated film by Ken Streeter and Skye Sweeney, which they made for a 2004 Lego robot competition. You can see the film here: http://fll-freak.home.comcast.net/2004/2004_movie.htm

Then we track the development of one of my most popular songs, "Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet." You'll hear a couple of work tapes from 1991 and 1992, when I wrote the song, then you'll hear the entire song, edited together from five different recordings, including the original cassette, two rehearsals, a live show, and the final version from my new CD, The Great Green Squishy Mean Concert CD.

Enjoy!

And please, post a comment to let me know what you think about the podcast. Thanks!

Click here to listen or download: http://www.montyharper.com/Songcast/051011MontyHarper.mp3
Click here to subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/MontyHarper

I Go Bananas - tracking the creation of a new song

The Monty Harper Podcast Part II

Here is the second installment of the Monty Harper Podcast!! (Three weeks late, but oh, well - computer was in the shop.)

This month I am celebrating the coming release of "Shake It Up! with fruits & veggies" for public consumption. My song, "I Go Bananas," is included on this award winning compilation CD. The producer, Beth Larsen, has finally worked her way through the mountains of red tape required to make this government-funded recording available. You'll be able to order a copy for just $4. No better bargain exists in children's music! Well, one does actually - you'll also be able to download many if not all of the songs for free!!

Go to www.fruitandveggiefun.com right now and sign up to receive an email when the CD becomes available.

After you do that, click the title above to download my second podcast. Then click the subscribe button on this page to subscribe to it.

Gee, I'm getting bossy in my old age.

OK, while you wait for the download I'll let you know a bit more about what's in store. In this month's episode you will track the creation of a new song. Yes, I'm letting you listen in on my personal work tapes as I mold and shape and prod this song into existance. Then you will thrill and groove even more to the final recording as you ponder its humble beginnings. Perhaps the whole experience will inspire you to be creative too.

Enjoy!!!

Here's the link for downloading this month's episode: http://www.montyharper.com/Songcast/050926MontyHarper.mp3

Oh, and do please post your comments here or send me an email to let me know how you liked it and what you'd like to hear next time. Thanks!

Netherlands 86 Top Songs in Children's Music

Well here's something interesting I just stumbled onto. I have two songs, "Tropeo the Pirate" and "Diving in the Deep Blue Sea", listed in the "Netherlands 86 Top Songs in Children's Music." Click the title of this post to see for yourself - I'm there at numbers 26 and 64.

I can't find any clear information on who put the list together or why, but there you go. Lisa says this makes me an international children's music star. I'm not so sure about that, but it's kind of fun to browse the list and see who all is there. Have fun!

CMW Award Finalists Announced

The first round of judging is over in the Children's Music Web Awards and the finalists have been announced!

My latest, The Great Green Squishy Mean Concert CD, has done well with three songs, plus the CD itself going on to the final round in several categories. "Big Red Fire Truck" and "You're a Dinosaur" are finalists in the Best Song for Toddlers category. "Loose Tooth" is a finalist in the Best Song for Young Children (5-8) category. The CD is a finalist in the Best Recording for Young Kids Classic category. (My release date was too late to enter it in the new music category, so I entered in classic.)

To view a list of all the finalists go here: CMW Awards 2005 Finalists.

The CMW Awards is the only awards program for children's music that's guided by adults but judged by kids.

Launching a PodCast!

Well, I've gone and done it - I've put together a podcast!

In case you don't know what that is, it's like a radio show that you can subscribe to so that your computer automatically downloads new episodes for you to hear.

My PodCast is for fans both young and young at heart. It's 10 minutes long and it contains music and commentary. I intend to include only music that you won't hear anywhere else!

For example, in the first installment, you'll hear a rehearsal version of one of the songs from my new CD, and the instrumental version of one of the songs from my first CD with commentary about cool sounds to listen for.

In future installments I may include songs or recordings in progress, and commentary on the writing process. I hope to keep it fun and informative for my fans, and maybe attract some new fans in the process.

A new episode will be available each month, assuming I manage to keep up with it! That's where you can help - the more feedback I get, the more people I'll know are listening, and the more likely I'll be to keep making them!

And of course, what I include in future podcasts will be largely up to you - what would you like to hear?

Anyhow, to download the first episode, you can click here: Monty's first podcast

To subscribe - well, I'm working on that - still learning how to do it. I hope to have it available on iTunes soon. I'll get back to you!

iParenting Media Award

Howdy, Friends and Fans,

It's been way too long! I won't list my excuses, but I'll get right to the good news that inspired me to post a blog today...

The Great Green Squishy Mean Concert CD has won an award! The iParenting Media Award. Follow this link to read all about it: http://iparentingmediaawards.com/winners/8/Audio.php

Here is part of the email notification they sent to me, which explains a bit about what the award is:

"The iParenting Media Awards program is dedicated to recognizing the very best products in the marketplace and making parents aware of them. We kept that responsibility in mind as we determined the Outstanding Products of 2005," says Alvin All, Chief Executive Officer of iParenting Media. "Products that earned the iParenting Media Award exceeded the high evaluation standards we set. The next step is to share them with our audience throughout our publications and connect them directly with consumers via our retailer network online directory."


Needless to say, well I won't say it if it's needless. Yes I will - I'm excited!! Yeah!!

Release Party

ReleaseParty11
Originally uploaded by Monty42.

Yesterday we held the Great Green Squishy Mean Concert CD Neighborhood Backyard Release Party Concert and Hotdog Feast right here in our back yard!

We had about forty people spread out on the lawn under the shade tents on blankets and lawn chairs for the concert. I started off with a few songs from the new CD accompanied by John Howk, as shown in the photo, on electric guitar. I took requests after that and sang quite a range of songs from all four of my CDs.

John grabbed his electric again and we brought a few kids up front for "You're a Dinosaur" - that was a real highlight. The kids were adorable! If you click on the photo here, you'll be able to see more photos from the party including a couple of me and John and the kids doing the Triceratops Bop.

After an hour we turned the show into an open mic for kids. We got to hear several young performers singing selections such as the ABCs and "Old McDonald."

Cody and Bob (the drummer and the bass player on the cd) showed up late, but we were glad they made it! Several fans got to have their CDs signed by the whole band! Since the band was formed just to make this one CD, it's unlikely we'll ever be together in the same spot again, so that was a rare opportunity.

After the party we took care of some much needed business - getting a group photo of the band! Somehow we missed ever making a photo together during the whole time we were rehearsing and performing to make the CD. (Well, we did take one photo, which you can see inside the CD cover, but it was low-res and the lighting was awful so we don't really count it.) We had fun with it. John was a great sport, volunteering to pose inside the turtle-shaped sandbox.

Lisa was the camera person for this event. She does a great job! I posted thirteen photos to flickr and you can see the rest of them by clicking on the photo above. Enjoy!

First Show of Summer - Ada Library

I haven't posted anything in a while - not much to tell. I've been getting ready for summer shows and for the CD release party, which you've heard about if you're on the mailing list!

The reading program theme this summer is "Dragons Dreams and Daring Deeds." I wrote a new song with that title, and another one called "The Day I Took My Dragon For a Walk."

I sang both for the first time this morning at the Ada Library program. They seemed to go over pretty well. I'll be making refinements to both songs as I learn how to perform them - all part of the process!

I also sang "The Princess and the Farmer's Son," "The Great Green Squishy Mean Bibliovore," "You're a Dinosaur," "Hanging Out With Heroes at the Library," "Frog Song," and "Imagine That."

The Ada audience is always a very receptive one, and this morning was no exception. It was fun to do a library program after many months of other sorts of things, and Ada was a great place to do it! ! I've already got them penciled in on the calendar for next year!

After the show we nearly sold out of the new CD! (I think most of the folks there already had the others.)

It's going to be a fun summer. Looking forward to Yukon, Jones, Lawton, Altus, Hollis, and Paul's Valley next week!

They're Here!

Well, the CDs just arrived! There's a big pile of boxes on the front room floor! I'll be spending the rest of today and tomorrow filling orders - that'll put a big dent in one box - then we've just got to figure out how to get rid of the rest!

Listen!

Now you can listen to samples from each of the songs on my new CD. They're listed right on the front page of my website at www.montyharper.com!