For all of you who are reading this from your iPhones, entertain me. I just found Pandora, and it is like unearthing buried treasure. I have written about music before, and though some of you have thoughtfully suggested music for me– we’re all from the same generation! I am all set on the eighties and nineties. It is only in the past seven years (coincidently coinciding with the birth of child #1) that I have fallen off the back of the new and groovy music pick-up truck. Not that I still don’t love Prince and The Cure, but where and how can I find new music that I’ll like?
Enter Pandora Internet Music. You can stream it from your computer or fancy hand held device, and you can buy music from them as well (that you can then put into your other fancy digital something or other). Here is the true beauty of Pandora: you build you own radio station with music you like and then THEY match your music with similar grooves, thereby introducing you to the wide world of music other than Raffi! The first band I entered into my “Get your groove on” radio station was Ozomatli (a Latin/funk band). They played a song from Ozomatli, and then played another song from a band I had never heard of but LOVED! So then, you get to give each suggested artist/band a thumbs up or thumbs down, and all these little people on Pandora’s Planet, customize your station according to your ratings.
Check it out. And if you hear and artist that you just love, please share with us! Here’s a first suggestion if you like soul/r&b/bluesy music: Alice Smith: Woodstock.
P.S. You can add some variety to your children’s music library by creating a children’s radio station, adding a few of your faves, and see who they suggest. (We love Pete Seeger and Jack Johnson)
I’m a Pandora fan too.
For kids’ music, you can also get some good ideas from our radio show, “Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child,” on 93.9 The River and Valley Free Radio on Saturday mornings from 7 to 9, or you can listen on-demand any time on our site at http://www.wrsi.com. Our playlists are up at http://www.sparetherock.com, and we also have a calendar and list-serv for kids’ music events in the area on the website.
And this Sunday, we’ll have Secret Agent 23 Skidoo performing a family hip hop show at Lyman Hall at First Churches, downtown Northampton. (Enter across from the Iron Horse.) Doors are at 1:00, with music starting at 1:30. It’ll be $7.
SA23 performs “positive hip-hop for kids with a sound that’s all grown up.” Fronted by 23 (a/k/a Cactus from grownup band Granola Funk Express), SA23’s debut CD Easy is the first great hip-hop CD for the whole family, and the live show is a great high-energy party for the whole family. 23 did a fantastic show last fall, and this will be a great pre-Superbowl time for everyone.