Recess Monkey

Inspired by the breathtaking creativity and inventiveness of today’s DIY kids, kindie music icon Recess Monkey celebrates “maker” culture with the band’s eleventh studio recording, Wired. (Recess Monkey, $14.99, for ages 3 – 9, run time 43 minutes.)

Wired, a collection of super-eclectic “gadget rock” songs about inventions, machines, and electricity, also highlights the richness of life beyond batteries:  Grandpa’s wisdom, board games, singing with others, storytelling, and the fine art of duct tape.

Wired was produced at John Vanderslice’s famed Tiny Telephone Recording in San Francisco, where everything was recorded on tape with analog equipment.  Recess Monkey found working with John Vanderslice to be like observing the machinations of a mythic alchemist practicing his craft.   Vanderslice and engineer Jamie Riotto created incredible effects “on the spot” during live takes, twisting knobs with one hand while altering the speed of the tape with another, bringing to Recess Monkey the realization that Vanderslice and Riotto weren’t simply producer and engineer, but truly members of the band.

Notes Jack Forman, “It cannot be overstated what huge fans we are of John Vanderslice, and the experience of gettting to make music with him at the helm was downright life-changing.  Removing computers from the recording equation forced us to rely on our ears, as in the days before digital.  This was the perfect approach for an album inspired by ‘outside the box’ creativity!”

Recess Monkey’s trademark over-the-top, loaded-with-humor lyrics are again delivered with the band’s amazing mastery of diverse musical styles.  Wired rolls out of the gate with “Take Your Kid To Work Day.” a track that combines a driving, 8 to the bar rhythm with a super-energized, lyrical bass guitar line and a Mick Jagger-like vocal intensity.  This explosion of energy continues unabated with the next track, “Wired,” anode d’amour to a sugar high with the real treat at the end.  For really serious time travel, check out “Grandpa is a Time Machine” and soak up some old time, ukulele driven, up-tempo two-beat along with Grandpa’s iced tea and endless supply of stories. “Wishing Well” is a score for Beatlemaniacs, enhanced by a guitar solo that pays homage to the great George Harrison.  Other highlights include “Brick by Brick,” where Recess Monkey “puts together” an anthem to Legos, the original “maker” toy, and the hilarious ballad, “Duct Tape World,” in which one boy, one girl, and one million and two rolls of duct tape leads to a front yard business called “On A Roll With You!”

In addition to rocking out with Recess Monkey, Jack Forman is an on-air personality on SiriusXM’s Kids Place Live, where his daily call-in show, Live From the Monkey House, is a hysterical cornucopia of game show segments, kid callers, special musical guests, and the best kids’ and family music out there!

Recess Monkey released their debut CD, Welcome to Recess Monkey Town, in 2005, followed by another popular hit, Aminal House, in 2006.  The band made history with their 2007 release, Wonderstuff, the first double CD children’s album.  As with all their albums, including 2008’s Tabby Road, 2009’s Field Trip, 2010’s The Final Funktier, 2011’s In Tents, and 2013’s Deep Sea Diver and Desert Island Disc, Wired is grounded in real life children’s experiences.

Ten Recess Monkey songs have reached #1 on SiriusXM’s Kids Place Live chart.  Kids Place Live Program Director Mindy Thomas declared, “In this never-ending nationwide talent show of kid and family music, they are most definitely at the top.”  Explained kids’ music authority Stefan Shepherd (Zooglobble.com), “Recess Monkey just keeps turning out album after album with pop nuggets, as if we’d just discovered The Beatles had recorded a ton of kids’ music 40+ years ago.”

My son and I are fans of Recess Monkey and really enjoy this new album! The music is simply fun! My son really enjoys the lyrics and we both give the album a thumbs up!

Wired is available at recessmonkey.com, amazon.com,cdbaby.com, theAVCafe.com, bigkids.com, iTunes, bandcamp.com, Silver Platters, Sonic Book Records, and Barnes & Noble.

Self Disclosure: I received the CD free to facilitate this feature.