Summer Music from Portland & Beyond
Ah, summer! It’s almost upon us, and as the world reopens, many families are thinking about hitting the road. One fun way to while away the hours and keep kids entertained without screens (which could cause car sickness anyway) is by cueing up a catchy playlist of fresh tunes. Perhaps it will inspire you to curate your own favorite spins.
Click over here to spin a Summer 2021 Road Trip Playlist:
The playlist features all-new and original songs by artists like the Story Pirates, Elliott Park, SaulPaul, Little Miss Ann, Tracy Bonham and Rabbit! the band. There’s also an amazingly sweet new cover song by the harmonious duo Renee and Jeremy. It should give road-weary parents at least 50 minutes of peace. Plug in the headphones and roll.
Portland artist Aaron Nigel Smith (known for his work with Rox in Sox Festival, Building Bridges Festival and the One World Chorus) is working with Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong International to release an amazing collection of family music songs by Black artists. Aaron and two other artists formed the 1Tribe Collective and gathered a group of 24 artists from around the country to produce a joyful album called All One Tribe album. It will be released for Juneteenth (June 19th). Another Portland based family artist is featured on this exceptional collection of tunes:
Robbi Kumalo: https://www.robbikumalo.com/ And, DC-based artist Devin Walker (aka Uncle Devin) is one of the featured artists.Devin recently syndicated his WEE Nation children’s radio show to KBOO Radio! It airs on Thursday afternoons.
Also fresh off the turntable are two super fun albums from top family music stars:
Turn on summer: Koo Koo Kanga Roo have performed their special brand of dance comedy shows at Portland clubs and theaters in normal years (and they will be back!. Teachers know them from their “brain breaks” on GoNoodle and YouTube. Their newly released album Slow Clap includes songs like “Ice Cold Lemonade” (featuring Murs) and “Backyard Swimsuit” (featuring Sims). It won’t be long before you and the entire family are up and bopping around with Bryan and Neil. Start your own family dance party with the “Ice Cold Lemonade” Dance A Long music video HERE, and visit the band at KooKooKangaRoo.com.
Lucky Diaz and The Family Jam Band, led by Diaz and Alisha Gaddis have performed at festivals and libraries in the Portland metro area several times. The bilingual family band celebrates diversity and inclusion with their songs, blending cultures seamlessly through lyrics and melody. They have won Emmy Awards for their kids’ variety show, “Lishy Lou and Lucky Too” and Latin GRAMMYs for two of their family music albums: ¡Fantastico! (2013) and ¡Buenos Diaz! (2019). On June 1st, Lucky will release his first children’s book, Paletero Man (Harper Collins, illustrated by Micah Player), which is inspired by the vibrancy of street life in Los Angeles, where he and Alisha are raising two daughters. Then on June 25th, Lucky and the band will deliver a sunny new collection of bilingual sonic treats called Crayon Kids.
Check local bookstores and Amazon to find the book, and preorder the album from a favorite music source by going to this link.