Playlist and Videos: Feliz Cinco de Mayo 2015

cinco_de_mayo_icon_55483Photo credit Tshirt Superstar – Guitar.

843cdb741d98870e8ecde50f1d1abd34

This week is full of reasons to celebrate! I’ll be posting things throughout the week in honor of these days, but for today we’ll start with Cinco de Mayo.

Since My daughter started Kindergarten, I have met many families who are working on incorporating more bilingual music and entertainment into their children’s lives. The most common statement I hear is that there is very little selection out there. It’s during these times that I think about how lucky I am to know so many wonderful children’s artists who are making rich, educational and entertaining music for this reason. It would be remiss of me NOT to share some knowledge with them.

As I was listening back to today’s playlist, I kept thinking about how I could listen to these songs any day of the year. There is so much joy, beauty and thought put into these songs. They rock! Every single artist on this list has a unique way of presenting their work, and whether you speak the language or not, you will want to sing along. Though most of the titles below are in Spanish, many the songs themselves contain English and Spanish lyrics, blended seamlessly so that the English translation either immediately precedes or follows the Spanish translation.

As a bonus, I’ve included a new single by Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band, an awesome video by Nathalia and a sweet, whimsical video by ¡Uno, Dos, Tres con Andrés!.

It’s a whole musical fiesta up in here today and I encourage you to check everyone out. Clicking on the song names will take you to iTunes where you can sample and download them.

Piñata Attack – Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band [Single]
Nuestra Fiesta – ¡Uno, Dos, Tres con Andrés! [en Español y en inglés]
What Time Is It? – Moona Luna [Vamos, Let’s Go!]
Veo VeoMariana Iranzi [Hola Hello]
Una Concha En La MesaFuture Hits [Today is Forever / Hoy es para siempre]
RatonesMister G [ABC Fiesta]
El Cucuy (feat. Ruben Ramos)Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band [Aquí, Allá]
Arte Perdido – Future Hits [Today is Forever / Hoy es para siempre]
Kidz Rock (feat. Mista Cookie Jar) Twinkle Time [Single]
El Tren – Mariana Iranzi [Hola Hello]
La Pequeña Araña – Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band [Aquí, Allá]
Magical Nathalia [Dream A Little / Sueña un Poquito]
Frota Tu Panza – Mister G [ABC Fiesta]
Ave De Nylon – Future Hits [Today is Forever / Hoy es para siempre]
Tú Eres Mi Amor – Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band [Aquí, Allá]


For more bilingual children’s programming check out the following links:

Mariana Iranzi – Video: Los Pollitos
¡Uno, Dos, Tres con Andrés! – Videos: If I Was A Mariachi and La Clave + La Clave Tutorial
Mister G – Video: Everything’s Free at the Library and Bossy “E”
Twinkle Time – Video: Kidz Rock (fest. Mista Cookie Jar)
Lucky Diaz – ¡Fantastico! Album Review

Happy Valentine’s Day! Playlist + videos + free downloads = Love

Happy Valentine’s Day! And like any other holiday, or really any day, your ears deserve musical treats. So, below you will find a Spotify playlist containing some tracks we are spinning. Since not all of the songs are on Spotify, you can find additional tracks below the playlist in the form of videos, links, and FREE DOWNLOADS!

There’s a whole lotta love here so get ready to turn it up!

Dog On Fleas – “I must be a genius” from Buy One Get One Flea

Dean Jones, check. Trombone, check. Adorable furry friend, check! I’m sold!
Bonus: The good people of Dog On Fleas would like to share their love with fans of all ages by offering a flea, er, free download. If you download this track in February, and send Dog On Fleas a message with your email address, they will send you a bonus track!! As in… buy one, get one flea. Or you can go to their Facebook page and message them (and like them while you are there). 

Laura Doherty – “In a Heartbeat” 
I love the disco break in the middle of this song. The beats are good, Laura’s voice is gorgeous and the photos breathe love.

Alex Mitnick of Alex & The Kaleidescope Band has been a dad for almost a year now. In awe of his son, Miles, Alex was inspired to write the song “Feelin’ Fine” to celebrate Miles’ first Valentine’s Day. It’s also a sneak peek into Alex’s upcoming album entitled Love Songs For My Baby. As a special gift for Valentine’s Day, Alex is also offering a free download of this song.

Mariana Iranzi – “Valentine’s Day Song”
A bi-lingual valentine’s song with bold color, fun puppets and a beautiful translation.
Lyrics translation:
“I have a heart so big like the sun
beats like a drum
I have a heart without sorrow nor resentment
sing like the nightingale
I have a heart open like a flower
dance with emotion
I have a heart full of hope
I want to give you all my love”

Poochamungas – Valentine’s Day
I unfortunately can’t embed the player here but I can tell you that the song is a fun one and the tone accurately expresses the experience of spending time making cards on Valentine’s Day. http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_19910031

View This: “Los Pollitos” – Mariana Iranzi

HolaHellocoverA sweet little reggae song by New York based, Mariana Iranzi. Iranzi’s golden voice happily bounces along in this simple and interactive video for “Los Politos,” a song from her second album, Hola Hello. This is great for all families, especially those who are bi-lingual or are working on Spanish as a second language with their children (I’ve had a few families ask for recommendations).

You can sample songs from Hola Hello through Iranzi’s site as well as CD Baby.

Summer Songs

It’s heating up here on the West Coast and we’ve been spending alot of time in the car searching for cooler places.  As such, we have been racking up a list of some summer songs that take our minds to a better place and off the scorching introduction to summer.

Below is a Spotify playlist of just some of our favorites.  It includes old and new tunes we hope you’ll enjoy.

KidQuake! – The Not-Its! from KidQuake!
The Ground – Underbirds from Underbirds
The Seven Cs – Recess Monkey from Deep Sea Diver
Sailing – Ratboy Jr. from Champions of the Universe
A Bailar – Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band from ¡fantastico!
Go! – Alphabet Rockers from Go!
Bikeride (Bonus Track) – Vered from Good Morning My Love
Lazy Raisins – Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke from Pleased To Meet You
Big Wheel – The Pop Ups from Outside Voices
Bully Bully – Shine and the Moonbeams from Shine Your Shine
Sunshine Through My Window – Play Date from Imagination
We Just Wanna Have Fun – Milkshake from Got a Minute?
The Way It Goes – Grenadilla from Can’t Wait
Yes, We Have Rhythm – Lunch Money from Silly Reflection
Little Cloud (feat. Rachel Loshak) – Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights from Bandwagon
I Go – Mariana Iranzi from Hola Hello
Beautiful Mess – Kindiependent from The Happy Birthday EP
Turn Around – Cat Doorman from Songbook
Rain – Paul Spring from Home of Song