Lend a Hand through “Many Hands”
Piglets rolling in the snow, beetles dancing in a line, a castle by a waterfall, a pretty penguin day, and a bird building its nest, little by little. These are just a handful of the many upbeat and whimsical images you’ll discover in “Many Hands: Family Music for Haiti,” a Spare the Rock Records Release that will benefit the ongoing rebuilding effort following the January 12, 2010 earthquake.
Musician Caspar Babypants and the talented artists of Recess Monkey are among the Seattle kindie music collaborators in Many Hands. “Check It Out is a silly song of wonderment and things in nature that can and can’t happen,” Caspar Babypants says of his contribution to the song collection. “I wrote it to remind me and other parents to play with their minds in funny ways.”
The musicians of Recess Monkey add, “Our contribution, Fiddlehead Fern, tells the story of a girl who takes a magical trip through the woods to discover the secrets of the plants and animals that she meets along the way.” Teachers as well as musicians, Recess Monkey draws plenty of musical inspiration straight from kids.
Many Hands is a CD featuring a variety of kindie music vocal stylings and instrumentation that parents will bop to along with the young ones. The majority of the tracks are previously unreleased, and the talented gathering of artists (Dan Zanes, They Might Be Giants, and more) featured on the CD drastically discounted or donated their services to help make it all happen. San Francisco artist Frances England’s song, “What Friends Are For,” is about lending an ear and a hand to a friend, which sums up much of what the CD is all about. With 22 awesome tracks on the CD, it’s worth every penny and more, and families in Haiti will thank you!
Many Hands will be released nationally on August 10 and you can pre-order it now.
PS: CD release concerts are planned on both coasts. For those in the Bay Area, a CD release show is planned for Friday, August 20, starring Hudson Valley artist Elizabeth Mitchell & Family and Frances England at the Mill Valley Library. Portland, OR has a celebration concert on Sept 11 at the Multnomah Arts Center.
-Renee Rutledge
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