Get a Clue on iTunes

My Get a Clue CD is now available on iTunes! You can download individual songs or the whole CD. Just click the album art above and if you have iTunes it will open to Get a Clue. Please write a review!

Not a whole lot going on today. I slept in and prepared a bank deposit (which is no small task when one's income consists of many small checks from many diverse sources).

Lisa and I went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It was OK, but we were expecting much better. We thought it did a poor job of interpreting arguably the best Harry Potter book of the series so far.

It's easy to criticize any of the movies for feeling rushed, or leaving too much out. We understand that the movies must necessarily be put together differently. But the other movies stood their own pretty well, and stayed true to the spirit of the books.

This one fell short on both counts. I imagine anyone who hasn't read the book will feel puzzled in several spots watching this movie. We were also dismayed at various omissions and/or changes that seemed to stray from the spirit of the story. For example, Harry got awfully wise awfully quick with a little speech about Voldemort and love; in the book he struggles with these concepts, which is way more interesting and realistic. All the moral complexity and character development from the book seems missing. Perhaps a dementor sucked the soul out of the script.

But my biggest disappointment was that I didn't get to see the tapestry of trolls in tutus across from the Room of Requirement! Come on, how hard is it to put up a tapestry?! It's not like it would've made the movie any longer!

Well, we'd be interested to hear from you - especially if you see the movie and haven't read the book - did you feel like you were missing something? Post a comment!

Our recommendation, though - READ THE BOOKS whether you see the movies or not. Those who've only seen the movies must be wondering what's the big deal? If you just watch the movies you're missing out on 90% of the story! And if you haven't done either you're missing out on the greatest children's series since... ever!

Hesston and El Dorado, KS

Our two shows in Kansas went very well today, especially the evening show in El Dorado. We had a pretty small crowd, but the parents were into it and that always helps in a big way!! The kids were cute (as you can see in the photo!) and very sweet. They were really fun during the dinosaur song.

These were my first two "Get a Clue" programs. At Hesston I did Take Me to Your Library, Get a Clue, Silly Song, You're a Dinosaur, Oklahoma Annie (with Evalyn), Frog Song, Hanging Out With Heroes, and Trick or Treat Smell My Feet. At El Dorado I started with The Howdy Song, and ended with Heroes and the show seemed to flow a bit better that way.

This was the first time for me to perform the song "Get a Clue." I still need to figure out how to instruct the audience so they can sing with me on the chorus and come in at the right times! We had fun with it anyway.

Tomorrow is Glenpool, and then we get a four day weekend before heading back out. Only ten days until Harry Potter book seven!!

See you at the library!

Children's Music Web Awards

Lisa took on the job of collecting entries and corralling judges for this year's CMW awards. Packages have been showing up on our doorstep all summer and our living room has been taken over!! Now she is sorting through the CDs and preparing to send them out to judges. It's a big job! Go Lisa!

We've enjoyed sampling some of the music and stories ourselves. There's a lot of great new stuff out this year. For more info on the CMW Awards, check out the Children's Music Web.

I also thought I would post a link to this review from Little Rock Family in which "Get a Clue" gets a mention: Bill Childs' Column. Bill is co-host (with his daughter, Ella) of the wildly popular "Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child" radio show and podcast, which I will be guest-hosting in August. His column is also printed in Minnesota Parent, Valley Kids, and Albemarle Family.

See you at the library!

Monty & Friends Get a Clue on XMKids!

Here's a photo from the Wetumka library on June 7. Evalyn reads Ariel under the table.

And speaking of libraries and reading, and songs about such things, all this time...

I've been checking the XM database under "Monty Harper" to find out if my songs "Get a Clue" and "Can You Guess" have played yet on XMKids. The result kept coming up negative.

Today Lisa thought to search by the title instead. And... apparently they both have been played! The last time was on June 23.

The trick is, they are each listed under the artist "Monty Harper wit." That must be short for "Monty Harper with Scribblemonster" and "Monty Harper with Mr. Billy." (Why searching for "Monty Harper" doesn't also turn up "Monty Harper wit" I'll never know.)

Anyhow, all you XMKids fans out there, please call in to request "Can You Guess" and "Get a Clue" (there's another "Get a Clue" they also play, so be sure to specify the Monty Harper "Get a Clue" with the ScribbleMonster band)!

XMKids is on XM Satellite Radio, channel 116, and also on DirecTV channel 868.

You can call in your request whenever there's a live DJ, at 866 328 2345. The DJs are very friendly and good at talking to kids on the phone.

OR, you can email your request to xmkids@xmradio.com. You can even ask them to play it on a date and time you know you're going to be in the car listening.

See you at the library!

First Library Program!

I performed at the library in Wilburton, OK today. It was my first summer reading program of the year! We had a fairly small group, but an enthusiastic one. I was grateful to the parents for their participation along with the kids! I had everyone standing up to become a wind farm - it was pretty cool.

Evalyn and Lisa weren't with me today because of Evalyn's dance recital dress rehearsal but they will be joining me in my itinerary next week. Being in the car together should give us plenty of time to finish Harry Potter books numbers five and six together in preparation for the release of the final book in July! (After seven hours on the road there and back today, I made the comment that my job isn't singing, it's driving! Whew!)

My lineup today was: "Howdy Song," "Oklahoma Land Rush, 1889," "My Oklahoma Home (It Blowed Away)," "Boom Town," "The Wind Energy Song," "Oklahoma Heroes at the Library," "Silly Song," and "Oklahoma Kids: A Kaleidoscope." That list will probably vary some over the summer depending on my audience, but it's pretty close to what you can expect if you come to one of my programs. Of course when Evalyn is with me we'll also do "Oklahoma Annie!"

Are you an XMKids fan? I spoke to Absolutely Mindy on the phone today. XMKids has my new CD, and they are planning on playing "Can You Guess" during their ShortWaves programming. Please call in and request it! I'm also hoping they'll play "Get a Clue" but they haven't added that one to the play list yet. I'll keep you posted.

Review Get a Clue on CDBaby!

My new CD, Get a Clue, is now available on CDBaby!

If you have already received your copy, and are enjoying it, please help me out - drop by CDBaby and write a review. You will earn my eternal gratefulness! Not only that, I'll send you an extra copy free to share with a friend! This offer expires in one week (6/6/07), so hurry!

To write a review go here: Get a Clue on CDBaby, then scroll to the bottom of the page and click "write a review".

Thanks!

Thanks, Kids!!

Most Thursdays this school year I've been visiting classrooms at Richmond Elementary, where Evalyn attends Kindergarten, with my guitar and binder in hand.

My purpose has been to try out new songs in front of actual kids, and get their feedback. (I've been doing this as part of my writing process for many years.) The songs on my new "Get a Clue" CD were each improved by the reactions and suggestions I collected from Richmond students this year. So thanks, everyone for your help, if you're reading this!!

This morning I visited all of the nine classrooms I worked with and delivered a shiny new copy of "Get a Clue" to each. (And when I say shiny I mean SHIIINEEEEY! - the cardboard sleeves have a brilliant protective coating that makes them invincible, and unfriendly to signing pens!)

It was fun to see everybody one last time and hopefully at this moment the kids are listening, enjoying, and picking out which bits I put in or changed based on their feedback!

Michael Orwick

I thought I would share the cover art for my new CD with you since I haven't posted it here yet. The drawing was done by Michael Orwick. He has perfectly captured the essence of my "Get a Clue" song, showing the objects of the boy's investigations gathering behind him as he reads.

I found Michael online when I was searching for an illustration to use in the Paws Claws Scales and Tales CD booklet for the song "I Took My Dragon For a Walk." His painting, "Clean Up After Your Pet" just happened to fit perfectly. It shows a kid at the park with a huge dragon on a leash. The kid is holding a sandbox shovel, and seems to be "sizing up" his chances of escaping the pooper scooper fine, prominently posted on a sign in front of him.

All of Michael's illustrations show great imagination and humor. Each one seems to tell its own story. My favorites include a penguin getting ready to test out a pair of mechanical wings, gossiping giraffes, and a bear dancing with moths in the moonlight. You can check them all out online at MichaelOrwick.com.

Get a Clue

My new CD will arrive sometime next week. You can pre-order copies now at ReadingSongs.com! If you order by June 1, you get an introductory price, an option to buy additional copies at half price, AND a free bonus CD. Check it out.

So what is the new CD all about? Well, it's a long story...

"Get a Clue" is the Collaborative Summer Library Program theme this year, so many states will be doing mysteries. Back in September or so I began recording a set of five mystery songs.

That work got interrupted early on, though, when I decided I'd better write some songs about Oklahoma. That's because the summer theme here in Oklahoma will be the upcoming Centennial. I ended up booking some school shows in the Spring before I actually wrote the songs. That's a new one for me. No pressure.

So, after mounds of research and writing and memorizing and performing, I turned back to the recording. I really wanted to provide some mystery songs for the Get a Clue folks, plus put some of my new Oklahoma songs out there, so...

The CD ended up to be more of a double EP - five clue songs and five Oklahoma songs. The Oklahoma songs I consider a work in progress. The recordings are very simple, and there are more songs than I had time to record. Someday maybe I'll put out a full-length CD with fully produced tracks. (Anyone know of any grants for Oklahoma history curriculum?) But for now this will allow my fans to take something of the show home with them.

Anyhow, I worked hard to put as much as I could into the CD in the time I had. I'm pretty pleased with the results.

Here's a track by track tour. You might like to open a new window at ReadingSongs.com and listen to samples while you read about each song...

1. If you've ever wondered what it would sound like for me to front the ScribbleMonster band - and really who hasn't? - the opening track will answer that question for you. The arrangement and instruments for "Get a Clue" were done by ScribbleMonster. Very cool!

2. Similarly, the arrangement and instruments for "Can You Guess?" were done by Mr. Billy. You can hear his kids' voices and my daughter's voice on this one as well. Both these opening tracks truly ROCK!!

3. "Hanging Out With Heroes at the Library, Detectives Version" is an old song which I gave a facelift with new drum tracks and some new verses.

4. "Junior Detectives Club" is an old song I dusted off from the last time Oklahoma had a mystery theme. The recording is simple but charming - picture a meeting of the Junior Detectives Club, opening with a theme song. The piano and voices were done by Stillwater's own Rana McCoy and her young voice students.

5. "There's Something Going On at the Library" is another old track with a face lift. I never was happy with the vocal from the original version. Now I am. The instruments are shinier, too.

6. "Boom Town" is an energetic (in more ways than one) kick-off for the Oklahoma half of the CD. This song captures the excitement of the oil boom in 1930s Oklahoma.

7. "Oklahoma Land Rush, 1889" is a fun song to do live. This is a simple vocal/guitar rendition.

8. "Oklahoma Heroes at the Library" - Yep, two versions of the same song on one CD. This is a "live" version with verses about real life Oklahoma heroes.

9. I wrote and recorded "Oklahoma Annie" with my six year old daughter, Evalyn. This was a true collaboration between the two of us, and it's one of my favorites on the CD. It tells the story of a super hero pony named Annie!

10. "Oklahoma Kids, a Kaleidoscope" is my dad's favorite track. I challenged myself to write a song with that title, since it is the theme for Oklahoma's reading program. My friend Mr. Billy calls the style "Monty Dylan."