Is Glam Kindie the next evolution of the family music movement? Perhaps, as Canada’s ROCK ‘N” RAINBOW prepare to unleash their brand of “extravagant glam rock for families,” staking out a March 17, 2015 release date for their debut album, LET’S BOOGIE. Had they been from the 70s, they totally would’ve been on THE GREAT SPACE COASTER. Check out their counting song, “5 Senses” and the full details on the new record below…
From the Official Album Announcement:
Masterfully produced by GRAMMY® nominated veteran children’s producer Tor Hyams, Let’s Boogie! is a dazzling “call to action” — a family dance party of high energy tunes with catchy lyrics and funk-rock rhythms that celebrate Rock’n’Rainbow’s favorite forms of exercise: biking, heading out on scooters, and boogying-on-down with glam kindie style.
Says Mike Whitla, “We’ve all seen technology overtaking our day-to-day lives, and, as a longtime music educator and a dad, I felt a need to respond to this. Let’s Boogie! is designed to encourage healthy habits, active lifestyles, and lots of personal interaction within our family groups, while also having a barrel of fun. From the energetic rhythms of the album’s title track to the exuberantly adventurous ‘I Like To Ride My Bike’ to our updates on activities like the classic tag game ‘The Freeze’ and ‘The Hokey Pokey,’ we want to suggest that everyone put down their phones and dance together!”
Recorded at Toronto’s legendary Canterbury Music Company, utilizing an array of the studio’s classic vintage mics and state of the art equipment, and engineered by Jeremy Darby, who has worked with the likes of David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed, Mick Jagger, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, and many other notables, Let’s Boogie! shines with outstanding sonic quality, first-rate musicianship, and wonderfully imaginative layers of detail.
A ding-a-ling from the handlebars kicks off Let’s Boogie! with “Bicycle,” a solid rock up-tempo number that puts a little punk in a nod to Queen. An homage to Deep Purple follows on “Faster Scooter Cat,” in which the band knocks out some great riffs with clockwork precision. If there is such a thing as funk-gospel dance music for little kids, “The Freeze” is it. Influenced by Sly and the Family Stone, the album’s title track, “Let’s Boogie,” is a full-on disco tribute that issues yet another call to get up off the couch and shake it on the dance floor. The funky counting song, “Five Senses,” offers a tip of the hat to the Sesame Street “Pinball Number Count” song. (Pre-release video singles of “The Freeze” and “Five Senses” have already racked up tens of thousands of views on YouTube.) Another bright spot is “Hokey Funky,” a refreshing take-off on the classic Hokey Pokey song that lets listeners know that FUNK is what it’s all about. It’s “Las Vegas or bust” with “Blue Elvis Blues,” while “Elephants Have Wrinkles” gives kids a terrific minor mode tune dressed up in an appropriately pachydermic style puncutated at the end with a great kid joke.
Rock’n’Rainbow visionary Mike Whitla has been promoting the benefits of learning through music for over fifteen years. His company, Rainbow Songs, provides interactive classes for thousands of young Toronto area children, parents, and caregivers. Mike’s six Rainbow Songs albums(featuring Rock’n’Rainbow musicians) have won numerous awards, including five recognitions by Parents Choice® and two NAPPA Awards. Mike received a 2006 Independent Music Award for “Favorite Children’s Artist” and was nominated as “Best Children’s Entertainer” at the Sirius/XM Indie Awards in 2012. His Rainbow Songs video,Dinostory — The Ultimate Dinosaur Rock Opera, has received more than 10 million views on YouTube. With his wife, Lisa Haberman,Mike Whitla is co-founder of Rainbow Songs Foundation, a charity providing music programs to family shelters throughout Toronto.
Building on the success of Rainbow Songs CDs and videos, the Rock’n’Rainbow band was created as an extension of the Rainbow Songs family. Jessica Blake (“Lady Red”) and Josh Engel (“Blue Elvis”) are veteran Rainbow Songs teachers and experienced solo musicians. Longtime friend John Kanakis (“Dr. John Orange”) is a seasoned professional bassist, having recorded and toured with the likes of Christina Aguilera, jackSOUL and The Philosopher Kings. Tony Nesbitt-Larking (“Mellow Yellow”) is a Juno-nominated drummer, guitarist and composer. Together with Mike Whitla (as “Purple Stardust”) on lead guitar, they transport listeners to another dimension where rainbows are plentiful and always sonically charged.
Curious to learn more? Check out https://www.facebook.com/RocknRainbow
