CHARLIE FAYE AND THE FANIMALS

Being from Detroit, I have a fondness for the Motown sound; so Charlie Faye & The Fanimals caught my ear with the ‘60s-tinged soul/pop sounds of their self-titled debut album which is set for release July 21, 2023. Their kindie music provides a nice introduction for children to the tones and musical vibes that classic Motown Records performers like Martha and the Vandellas, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and The Supremes made popular. Charlie Faye & The Fanimals provide a modern take by kindie rocking these throwback sounds.

“The thing that’s cool about this project is that it has a throwback sound, but the themes of the songs are very modern,” Charlie Faye remarked to ageekdaddy.com. “You wouldn’t have a Motown song in the ’60s about a little boy who wears a tutu. But on this album, you do.”

The album features nine tracks that are not just entertaining but provide life lessons to the kids listening to thes tunes. “7 Days of Fun” bounces through the days of the week with a classic ‘60s Motown groove. “Me & My Family” feels more like something from the early ‘70s but showcases a modern exploration of how different kinds of families might look from a kid's perspective. “Snack Time” sounds like a classic Stax number – if Stax were to put out a song about snacks. “Milo Wears a Tutu” tells the story of one kid bucking convention and wearing what he wants to, set to a playful backbeat reminiscent of a Temptations record.

Faye is a collaborator by nature, so she brought in many of her musical friends to take part in this kindie album. She co-wrote songs with Sara Hickman, Joe McDermott, Suzanna Choffel, Bill Demain, and others. Pete Thomas (of Elvis Costello fame) not only played drums on the whole record, but also co-wrote “Cookie Tree,” the one song on the album with a distinct reggae influence. Other musicians on the record include Adrian Quesada (Black Pumas), Scott Davis, Trevor Nealon, and Jim Brunberg (Wonderly), who took a co-production role on “7 Days of Fun” and a few other tracks. Faye also brought in her former girl group bandmates BettySoo and Akina Adderley to add some classic ‘60s background vocals to the mix.

Charlie Faye & The Fanimals will be available on all major platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Bandcamp. The album has a runtime of 22 minutes and a price tag of $9.99 for its digital edition. Faye though has generously provided me with some download codes so a few lucky people can sample her album for FREE! 

For a chance to be one of the randomly selected winners of this Charlie Faye & The Fanimals giveaway, just complete the Rafflecopter entries below before 11:59 pm ET on July 31, 2023. Must be a United States resident over 18 years old to participate. Faye's publicist is responsible for delivery of the download codes to the selected recipients. Good luck!

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SPRING INTO SINGING MUSIC GIVEAWAY

Three great children's music performers, Lindsay Munroe, the Okee Dokee Brothers, and Sara Lovell, are helping ageekdaddy.com usher in Spring with a wonderful giveaway. They've each provided their brand new albums to be included in a prize pack that 2 lucky winners will receive. These tunes are sure to get families wanting to spring into singing along to these kindie rock songs.

Here are the albums included within this SPRING INTO SINGING prize pack that will be provided to our randomly selected winners via digital downloads:

Okee Dokee Brothers - Songs for Singin' - www.okeedokee.org 

At a time when families are quarantined at home, The Okee Dokee Brothers draw from the age-old tradition of singing to heal the soul during difficult times. This slew of catchy and inclusive songs allow fans to join in and belt out. In the spirit of American folk legends Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, Songs for Singin’ presents timeless messages of hope and unity. The album, produced by Dean Jones, includes an illustrated 32-page book with the lyrics and chords to every song to inspire living room sing-alongs. The album is available to purchase through their website.



Sara Lovell: Night Life - www.saralovell.com

Sara's new songs celebrate the hours that lead up to bedtime and the magical worlds we enter when we finally succumb to sleep. As with her last two critically acclaimed albums, the new release moves beautifully between diverse musical genres – at moments riotous and full of unrestrained joy and hilarity, at other moments tender, introspective and melodic. Themes of home life, nature, and the cosmos infuse the album. Available on Amazon

Lindsay Munroe (with Raffi): I Am Kind - www.lindsaymunroemusic.com 

Raffi’s label, Troubadour Music, just released this new album of sing-along songs by an exciting new artist: Lindsay Munroe. Imbued with joy and a deep respect for children, these 16 songs offer encouragement with sparkling simplicity. Raffi’s voice adds to the charm of this all-ages inclusive album. Click HERE to buy it.



To toss your name into the hat for a chance to be one or this dad blogger's 2 randomly selected winners of this kindie rock music prize pack, complete the entries in the rafflecopter form below before 11:59 pm E.T. on May 17, 2020. Must be a United States resident over 18 years old to participate. The prize pack has a retail value of more than $30 and will be emailed to winners in in the form of digital download codes from the artists' publicist.  Good luck!

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BUENOS DIAZ

You are probably aware of the husband and wife musical duo of Lucky Diaz and Alisha Gaddis even if their names don't strike a cord from the couple's song "Falling." It is featured in a Coca-Cola commercial that has been widely seen in the USA. The brand featured it as the "summer anthem of 2013" playing it in television commercials and on movie theater screens. These bilingual performers though have accomplished a lot more than just producing an advertising jingle though.

LUCKY DIAZ AND THE FAMILY JAM BAND

Their band Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band has developed a reputation for being one of the best kindie rock groups in the children's music scene. Kindie rock is indie pop style music for kids. Music meant for children, kindie rock meshes the individualized styles, personalities, and talents of adult performers with themes aimed at children under 10. This is a great style of music for parents with young children to enjoy together with their kids as a family.

Lucky and Alisha are the first Americans to ever win a Latin GRAMMY in the children’s album category. Their popularity though transcends just playing to Hispanic audiences. The band's kindie rock album, A Potluck, was named the #1 new children’s album of the year in 2012 by People magazine. Since the success of the Coca-Cola "Falling" commercial and their A Potluck kindie rock album, the couple have been touring the world performing and making television appearances. They've also produced a PBS television show, Lishy Lou and Lucky Too, which has received 6 EMMY nominations.

SPANISH HOMEWORK

My kids have been watching the couple's video for their new single Pan Dulce on YouTube as homework for their Spanish class at elementary school. The fun song about baking Mexican Sweet Bread has a catchy beat to it and is sung in Spanish. The video though has subtitles in English to translate the song. Singing along to the song has been helping them practice understanding the language beyond just repeating lines from a text book in school. They've been watching Pan Dulce to improve their conversational Spanish abilities while also having a good time.

NEW NAME / NEW ALBUM

Lucky and Alisha's band has a new name, "The Lucky Band", and they are releasing a new album on April 5 featuring Pan Dulce titled BUENOS DIAZ.  Some other food inspired songs on this new album in addition to Pan Dulce include Taco Tuesday and Nacho Song. This album is going to be a musical feast for kids to listen to.

ALBUM GIVEAWAY

ageekdaddy.com has a digital download of BUENOS DIAZ to giveaway. Just complete the entries in the rafflecopter form below before 11:59 pm ET on April 5, 2019 for a chance to win it. One lucky winner will be randomly selected from all eligible entries. Must be a United States resident over 18 years old to participate in this giveaway. Good luck to all our entrants!

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For more information about this band, go to luckydiazmusic.com

ANIMAL FARM CD GIVEAWAY

Lots of times the music of kid-centric style bands is full of lullaby style lyrics and motivational messages that are inspiring and delightful to children but really aren't that entertaining for parents that are listening.  I discovered the kindie musical group ANIMAL FARM the other day and have to say I was impressed! This band's tunes have the vibe of performances that you might expect to hear at concerts by groups like the Dave Matthews Band or Zac Brown Band sure to appeal to adults yet have a tone that make their songs appealing and relevant to Animal Farm's primary audience of children.

Utilizing a variety of instruments ranging from a cello to violin along with drums and guitars the energetic original songs of this band of Chicago area teachers show these educators are also accomplished musicians in their own right. Blending music, comedy and interactive storytelling with themes about community, self-expression and growing up, Animal Farm provides edutainment that the whole family can enjoy and learn from together.  Families with children under 10 years old at home will absolutely appreciate the kindie rock style of Animal Farm.



Animal Farm is releasing a new album titled WE ARE ONE and to share my family's enjoyment of the band, A Geek Daddy has the CD to giveaway to one lucky winner.  Just complete the rafflecopter entries below before 11:59 pm ET on August 24, 2018 to be eligible for the prize.  Must be a United States resident over 18 years old to participate in the giveaway.

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We Are One by Animal Farm is being released on August 24, 2018.  It and their first album, Run Free, can be enjoyed via compact disc, digital download, streaming and live performance. Find out more about listening to the music of Animal Farm at animalfarmband.com.

JUMP IN THE PUDDLES

You have to admit there are few things as fun as jumping in the puddles as a kid. So I have to say that is a great theme for the newest album from the award-winning children's edutainment band, Steve Elci & Friends. Their album Jump in the Puddles conveys the joyful enthusiasm of playing in the rain.  Steve Elci & Friends will definitely be making a big splash when it comes to continuing to entertaining families with their kidcentric style of American Roots music when Jump in the Puddles is released on July 13, 2013.

Reinforcing ideas of the simple pleasures of life, Jump in the Puddles weaves a musical fabric that includes varicolored threads spun from a fine sampling of Americana -- '60s music, 12-bar blues, country, and more -- in performances of exceptionally high quality by singers and players who display a thorough understanding of the medium and a total mastery of their art, produced by a team that knows how to deliver a great sound.

This is an album sure to bring kids and parents together for a bit of singing, dancing, clapping, and, of course, jumping! Jump in the Puddles kicks off with the album's title track, making splendid use of the 12-bar blues, complete with all the earmarks of this original American musical form. Next up is "Teddy Bear," a track that revels in the sound and spirit of early rock 'n' roll. This is real American roots music enhanced by an expanded palette of instrumental color and solid choral back-up, almost a musical glossary of treasured sounds from the '60s. "Supersonic" could be described as an American roots tip-of-the-hat to Cole Porter's "You're the Top," redolently filled with an unabashed sense of pure joy.

Because of all the wonderful memories I have as a dad of my kids enjoying themselves playing in puddles this album really hit home with me and I appreciate the Roots vibe of its performances. In addition to giving Steve Elci & Friends' Jump in the Puddles a plug, A Geek Daddy also has a CD to giveaway.  For a chance to win just follow my Twitter account (@Geekdad248) and retweet the embedded tweet below by Fathers Day, Sunday, June 17, 2018 at 11:59 pm ET.  I'll randomly select one lucky winner from all eligible entries.

Follow @Geekdad248 + retweet before June 18, 2018 for a chance to win the newest CD ("Jump in the Puddles") from award-winning children's edutainment band @SteveElci & Friends pic.twitter.com/ILFaEEUZG3

— A Geek Daddy (@GeekDad248) June 5, 2018

Jump in the Puddles will be available at iTunes, CDBaby, and at Steve Elci & Friends' live shows. For more information about the band visit steveelciandfriends.com

RULES & DISCLAIMER:  Must be a U.S. resident over 18 years old, follow @Geekdad248 on Twitter and retweet the original giveaway message posted on Twitter to be eligible for this giveaway promotion.  The selected winner must reply back providing contact information for mailing the prize within 48 hours of being notified of their selection or the prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner selected.  A Geek Daddy has not been compensated for its endorsement of the musical artist and hosting the contest. This giveaway is being sponsored by A Geek Daddy as a fan of Steve Elci & Friends and as a special benefit to my website readers. Elci's publicist will be responsible for delivery of the prize. By participating in this giveaway, participants waive any liability to the publisher of this website for hosting the contest.