Welcome to the first “Fresh Press” edition here on Kids Can Groove. It’s a brave new world for Chidren’s Music and I want to capture related and exciting news, in addition to my regular features, reviews, videos and interviews.

To kick off the first Fresh Press post, let’s start with the Billboard feature by Judy Cantor-Navas, Billboard Correspondent and Billboard en Español Managing Editor, who published a great article titled 5 Latin Children’s Music Artists You Should Know which highlights Jose-Luis Orozco, 123 Andrès, Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band, Sonia de Los Santos and Chino y Nacho.

This Billboard feature was published during a particularly celebratory time for Latin Children’s musicians. In addition to it being Hispanic Heritage Month, 123 Andrès was recently awarded his first Latin Grammy Award nomination for ¡Uno, Dos, Tres, Andrés! en Español y en Inglés and Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band celebrate their second Latin Grammy Award nomination for Adelante! (they won their first Latin Grammy Award for Aqui, Alla). 

Additional musicians covered are José-Luis Orozco and Sonia de Los Santos. Orozco, a prominent figure in this style of music has had a prolific career as a bilingual musician, composer and educator. Not only is he releasing bis sixteenth album, ¡Come Bien! Eat Right!, but it’s also his first release through Smithsonian Folkways! Joining Orozco on the list is Sonia de Los Santos, a singer-songwriter who has been an integral part of the Grammy Award winning group Dan Zanes and Friends. Sonia is working on her first solo family music album.

NOTE: Videos by Billboard’s featured artists can be found within the article. Below is Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band’s latest video for “Piñata Attack” (a live version can be found within the Billboard article as well).

Loog Guitars launches Loog Academy featuring guitar lessons with Tim Kubart of the Sprout Channel’s Sunny Side Side Up Show!

The new Loog website launched an all new Loog Academy featuring Tim Kubart of Sprout’s Sunny Side Up Show giving some expert lessons to get beginner players started. There is also a ‘parents’ page addressing the benefits of kids with children and for families playing music together. Check out Lesson 1: The Loog method overview with Tim here.

Also, Loog released a new Loog Electric Guitar series which features a Lucite model for hip young rockstars. Additional electric guitars come in a variety colors including pink, blue, yellow, white, green, red, black, and natural. Loog’s beautifully designed 3-string guitars make it easier for kids to make music and still allows them play chords in any song. It’s a less intimidating and quicker approach to the fun of making music. The Loog Guitar comes unassembled as a kit for children and parents to build together, creating an instant emotional bond between musician and their instrument- also a great fit for the current DIY/maker trend. The finished result is a fully functional, beautiful looking and sounding guitar. The holidays are just around the corner (already!) and giving the gift of music, with long-lasting, quality equipment is priceless. Especially when little rockers want to smash their guitar after an awesome living room performance.

Loog pricing

ElectricLoog $199
ElectricLoog in Lucite $299
Special Edition Jack White/ Little Third Man Electric Guitar $200
AcousticLoog $159

Various accessories including Loog custom fit backpacks for guitar transport are also available at loogguitars.com/collections/products.

Also, check out Tim and the Space Cadet’s new video for “Breakfast Club (feat. Carly Ciarocchi) from Kubart’s recently released album for families, Home.

The Pop Ups release their third album, Great Pretenders Club, exclusively online through Amazon Music with Lisa Loeb to follow. The release of The Pop Ups’ third album marks a major milestone as this is the first kids’ album Amazon’s Editors chose to exclusively release to Amazon Prime members. Anyone visiting Amazon can purchase the album, but Prime members get the extra special privilege of downloading the album for free. The Pop Ups will be releasing videos for each song on the album through Amazon Music’s YouTube channel so make sure to subscribe. You can also catch up with The Pop Ups through to their newsletter, follow along in Twitter and/or Facebook to stay up to date on releases.
In the meantime, enjoy the first video from Great Pretenders Clu, “Bird and Rhino.”

Rhapsody launches Rhapsody KIDS a new streaming service  (as part of their main app) specifically targeting younger listeners and their families.

The main Rhapsody app is a subscription-based model which means access to music is available for a set monthly price. Rhapsody is offering a special subscription rate bundle with Rhapsody KIDS for $1/month for 3 months and then the pricing goes up to $9.99/month.

Below are some of the highlights that Rhapsody KIDS offers.

• Create-your-own: Parents can select songs from the main Rhapsody app and add them to a playlist in the KIDS section.
• Featured editor curated songs and playlists.
• Offline Access – Save your data plan! Anything that’s bookmarked for kids automatically downloads for offline listening.
• Repetition is key – Songs and playlists in Rhapsody KIDS automatically loop so you’re kids can hear their favorites til the cows come home.
• Keep it separate – The KIDS section is designed to fool the young’uns from getting back into the main Rhapsody catalog and revamping your playlists or cranking out some jams to a song you wouldn’t even want to play in public. Rhapsody requires users who want to return to the main app to swipe the screen in a specific direction.

For more info on the artists mentioned in this edition of “Fresh Press” click on the accompanying links in this post.

Stay tuned here for more “Fresh Press!” I’ll be back with updates next week.