Enough with bats and rabies! Here is some light Friday reading. In honor of Father’s Dayhere are two interviews with some whimsical, musical dads.

I remember the first time I heard “They Might Be Giants” in the 80’s. I was watching 120 Minutes on MTV (remember that show or am I really dating myself?) and there was their video for “Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head.” I recall thinking - well, that’s a wierd kid’s song. For the next 20 + years they’ve been putting out playful music that appeals to kids and grownups.  Here is an interview with one of the John’s of TMBG from Parenting.com

The Barenaked Ladies, also known for their silly songs, have come out with a kids CD  “Snacktime” too. Here is an interview with them.

Don’t forget - there’s still time to upload your favorite daddy pix - or video.  The gallery is getting bigger! Check it out and thanks to those who’ve already shared! Father’s Day gallery.

Judging from the crowds at the Current’s  popular “Rock the Cradle” event last month at the MIA there are a LOT of Twin Cities parents listening to 89.3.

I think every last one of you was there, cause I certainly couldn’t navigate a baby and a toddler through the masses. I kept bumping (literally) into friends and having truncated conversations - “Oops - toddler running towards fragile exhibit see ya!” Or just plain gesticulative (is that a word?)  conversations. They went something like this… “acknowledging wave hi from the stairs, shake head, point - don’t go in that room too crowded, ok got it! thumb and pinky to ears call me bye”

Well now the station is catering to the parents and kids niche by creating this HD station Wonderground Radio which you can also stream on your computer. A nice alternative for when you are Wiggled out.

Check out the playlists a great mix of old and current songs that appeal to all generations. You might discover some new groups to add to your collection.

Baby #2 is going to his/her first concert in utero next week. As the date draws nearer I’m getting more and more excited. July 3 has been circled in red on my calendar for months and months. The Police concert at the Xcel Energy Center! I wanted to go so bad to their show at Comiskey Park in Chicago back in ‘83. I was too young, no friends who could drive. My older brother went and I was so jealous. The summer of 1983 WAS “Synchronicity summer.” Their singles were ubiquitous, although - I loved their earlier albums even more. Alas, that was the fair-haired trio’s last big tour. Until now…..nearly a quarter of a century later.  Who knows maybe some of our readers actually went to one of their concerts in utero. (?)

This unborn child is going to get exposed to my affinity for 80’s music early on. The next show we’re going to is yet another reunion show - Crowded House at the Orpheum. (they are so much more than just “Hey now, Hey now, Don’t Dream it’s Over…)

OK Cribsheeters -tell us - what concerts did you take your fetus to?  Or what concerts did your parents take you to while still rockin in the womb?

Zoe’s a big fan of Ralph’s World and we had a great time at his show last summer at Cedar Cultural Center. For the uninitiated, Chicago rocker Ralph Covert plays music that both kids and parents can enjoy (or at least not be driven batty by). There’s also the sly humor parents can identify with in lines like “M-O-M-M-Y needs C-O-F-F-E-E….” and the sublime chant “Why are we marching? We are Ants!” 

So when we heard he was coming again, this time to Wayzata Middle School, we snapped up a couple of tickets ($15 each). Sunday afternoon, Zoe and I headed out, me clutching my Mapquest printout. I got lost (as I always do, being directionally challenged, but also because Mapquest is a conspiracy against womankind, but that’s a different story…) but we finally made it there, and on time.

The darkened auditorium was already a sea of swaying kids and their parents and grandparents, beach balls bopping overhead. The guy who was the opening act kept asking the audience to scream for “Ralph!” but when they obliged, he’d sing yet another song.

Finally, Ralph came on. It was exactly like the last concert. And maybe that was the problem. I don’t know, I expected a little more, new songs or something. Maybe Zoe was tired. She whispered “Mom, I’m so excited to see Ralph” before the show, but after a few minutes of jumping and dancing, curled up in my lap and started sucking her fingers, almost falling asleep. Maybe Ralph was tired. He’d played another show before ours, during which the power went out, causing all sorts of drama. Whatever the case, he bantered less than I remembered and while the music was good, it was not much different than listening to our CDs back home. Maybe I was tired, after getting lost on the road.

Or maybe I was already irritated by the guy who introduced Ralph, who told us that in the last year, Ralph had signed on with Disney and been a Grammy nominee and so weren’t we lucky that he had “made time” in his busy schedule to be with us today…..I mean, great for him, but isn’t this what it’s all about? Playing live for his littlest fans?

I don’t know….any Ralph fans out there? Did you catch the show? What did you think?

I was stuck in traffic on 35W last week so I started scanning around the radio dial. I stopped when I heard the familiar strains of my mantra song: M-O-M-M-Y needs C-O-F-F-E-E by Ralph’s World. (A CD on heavy rotation at our house). Not a typical song you’d hear on the airwaves but Ralph Covert was being interviewed by Michele Norris on NPR. He discussed writing songs for children. Hearing the very clever and talented Mr. Covert made my commute a lot more pleasant. Read and listen here.