Something for the children

I don’t mention my private life here very often, but I thought that it would bear mentioning that I’m a dad. And with kids, your musical choices start to have a little spin to them. It’s not like I can listen to Tenacious D with a six year-old playing cars ten feet away. And blasting NWA with an eleven year-old in the back seat of your car tends to go over negatively with their mom.

However, you can have fun with music and your kids without resorting to the usual pablum that exists. No Kidz Bop compilations, no Raffi, and (despite her seemingly ubiquitous love in the blogosphere) no Kelly Clarkson. Just because some asshat with a marketing degree decided that people should think kids singing is cute doesn’t mean you have to. There are plenty of musical alternatives.

Case in point- last night, my six year-old, Dominic, was sitting in my lap telling me about his day while we both grooved to the Sonics‘ “Psycho”. He’s also danced to the Aquabats and considers Flogging Molly the “cowboy music people.”

Seriously, how can a kid not like the Aquabats? They’re a band of guys in costumes who play happy music and sing about fighgting aliens and evil. Your “average ordinary, superhero, punishers of evil rock and roll band.” And the upbeat Flogging Molly stuff is totally something to dance to. Any music your kids can totally spazz to is completely fine. Avoid shitty hip-hop and low IQ dance, and you’ll be able to listen to stuff you like, while at the same time enriching your children’s lives. Isn’t that super?

And, failing any of that working… Ted Leo does a cover of “Since U Been Gone” that makes a great stop-gap measure.

the Aquabats – “Idiot Box
the Aquabats – “CD Repo Man
the Aquabats – “Fashion Zombies

Flogging Molly – “What’s Left of the Flag
Flogging Molly – “Seven Deadly Sins
Flogging Molly – “Every Dog Has Its Day