OK Playlist

"Let's Go Eat" OK Video Playlist

2010-07-22T05:00:00.000-05:00

Memphis Soul Stew - King Curtis
Coconut - Harry Nilsson
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner- Kermit Ruffin
Everybody Eats When They Come To My House - John Lithgow
Green Onions - Booker T and the MG's
Pass the Peas - The JB's
Goober Peas - Burl Ives
Cheeseburger in Paradise - Jimmy Buffett
Hey Good Lookin' - Buckwheat Zydeco
Church - Lyle Lovett
Homegrown Tomatoes - Guy Clark
Homegrown - Neil Young

Keith Urban To Record With The Wiggles

2010-07-20T11:01:00.000-05:00

From Daily News - LA

Country music artist Keith Urban is humming "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."
He says it's a favorite song of Sunday Rose, his 2-year-old daughter with wife Nicole Kidman.
As the doting dad puts it, "She hits those intervals just right every time. I think that's a good sign that she's got a good ear."
Like father, like daughter.
From an early age, Urban quickly took to playing guitar and set his sights on one day making records in Nashville. Today the 42-year-old is one of the country music capital's superstars with nearly 15 million records sold, a string of hits and a mantel of trophies.
"Music has been and is such an incredible adventure for me," says the Australian transplant, who on Friday headlines the Starry Night benefit concert at the L.A. Tennis Center at UCLA with the Avett Brothers opening.
The concert is a joint fundraiser for the Southern California Tennis Association Foundation and the Grammy Foundation's Grammy in the Schools music education programs like Grammy Camp, for which the three-time Grammy winner is this year's honorary chair. And he's been sharing that "adventure" with the next generation of artists and music industry professionals during a the 10-day camp, which wraps up on Monday.
Other programs such as the Grammy Jazz Ensemble have already given rise to professional artists, including Carlos Henriquez, who plays bass with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Wynton...MORE

"Let's Go Eat" - OK Playlist

2010-07-20T05:00:00.017-05:00

Amazon.com Widgets

"We Go Nite, Nite" - Week 4 Playlist

2010-07-13T05:00:00.005-05:00

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - Jewel
Sundown on the Farm - Farmer Jason
Stardust - Willie Nelson
Mr. Sandman - Emmylou Harris & Dolly Parton
Sleep Walk - Joe Satriani
Sleep - Shelby Lynne
Sleep - Phish
Sleep - Imogen Heap
Sleep - Donovan
Goodnight Moon - Matthew Sweet
Goodnight Moon - Will Kimbrough
The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight - R.E.M.

Sneek Peek at Week 4 - "We Go Nite Nite"

2010-07-09T05:00:00.056-05:00

If you want to hear Pomplamoose you're going to have to go to their You Tube channel. They don't do many live shows. But we can tell you their videos are entertaining enough with no cover charge!

Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn make wonderful music, together and separately, from originals to covers of classics like Mr. Sandman. Originally recorded by the Chordettes we feel no one can top the performance by Pomplamoose!

"We Go Vrroom, Vrroom" - Week 3 Video Playlist

2010-07-08T05:00:00.003-05:00

Ridin' In My Car - NRBQ
Supersonic Rocket Ship - The Kinks
Drive My Car - Bobby McFerrin
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - from the soundtrack
Little Deuce Coupe - Beach Boys
Cars - Gary Numan
Airplane - WSP
Mercury Blues - David Lindley
Me and My Arrow - Harry Nilsson
Riding in my car - Woody Guthrie
18 Wheels on the Big Rig - Trout Fishing in America
Freeway of Love - Aretha Franklin
Low Rider - War

OK Playlist on iTunes

New CD Release - Disney Reggae Club

2010-07-07T12:53:00.006-05:00

Uncle Disney does it again. This time its Reggae music. Disney has compiled a collection of Classic Disney songs performed by new and classic Reggae artists titled The Disney Reggae Club. Hit the link above or at the bottom of the post to listen to some samples.

Circle of Life - Performed by Matisyahu

Can You Feel the Love Tonight - Performed by Cedella Marley

The Bare Necessities - Performed by Steel Pulse

The Lion Sleeps Tonight - Performed by Morgan Heritage

What a Wonderful World - Performed by Ziggy Marley

True to Your Heart - Performed by The Wailing Souls

You've Got a Friend in Me - Performed by Sly & Robbie

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah - Performed by Toots

I Wan'na Be Like You - Performed by UB40

Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat - Performed by Michael G & the Easy Star All-Stars

Kiss The Girl - Performed by Burning Spear

Under The Sea - Performed by Gregory Isaacs

Find Yourself - Performed by Yellowman

"We Go Vrroom, Vrroom" Week 3 Playlist

2010-07-06T05:00:00.021-05:00

OK Playlist on iTunes

Sneak Peek at Week 3 - "We Go Vrroom, Vrroom!"

2010-07-02T05:00:00.011-05:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, may I re-introduce to you Mr. Bobby McFerrin. This song is amazing, this video will blow your mind! ok...GO, ENJOY!

Bobby McFerrin - Drive My Car

Putomayo Kids Air Guitar Contest - Video

2010-07-01T10:25:00.000-05:00

Putomayo has a great contest going for your little Rocker! The Air Guitar contest.
Check out the video and enter to win great prizes from Putomayo.

Putumayo Kids Air Guitar Video Contest! from Putumayo World Music on Vimeo.

"Yankee Doodle Went To Town" - Week 2 Video Playlist

2010-07-01T05:00:00.005-05:00

Pledge of Allegiance - Red Skelton
Living in America - James Brown
Celebration - Kool and The Gang
US Blues - Grateful Dead
America - Neil Diamond
This Land is Your Land - Bruce Springsteen
R-O-C-K in the USA - John Mellencamp
America - Waylon Jennings
My Country Tis of Thee - Aretha Franklin
Yankee Doodle - The Carter Family
Freedom - The Isley Brothers
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy - The Andrews Sisters
America the Beautiful - Ray Charles
The National Anthem - Mark O'Conner

"Yankee Doodle Went To Town" - Week 2 Playlist

2010-06-29T05:00:00.047-05:00

Playlist Notes from OK Eric

Pledge of Allegiance - Red Skelton
Red Skelton was one of the great comedians of the 20th century. A true American. I grew up watching him on TV. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K0fFeHX474&feature=related
Living in America - James Brown
Not much else to be said about “the hardest working man in show business”. This groove sets the stage for a funkified 4th of July celebration! And James says, “got to have a celebration”!! Which brings me to:
Celebration - Kool & The Gang
What’s that you say, “this doesn’t have anything to do with the 4th of July”. Well, “it’s time for us to come together” my friend. Celebrate the good times of freedom!
US Blues - Grateful Dead
This one opens with “Red and White..blue suede shoes...”. I had a pair of those sometime around 1972. Jeannie Snyder punched me in the nose on the school bus one afternoon and when it was all said and done, they were all red! I loved those shoes because they made me think of the 4th and shooting fireworks off.
America - Neil Diamond
This song almost (I said almost) makes me wanna join the armed forces! Majestic. Dramatic. Rock-n-Roll baby! We should all at the very least choreograph our fireworks to this song!
This Land is Your Land - Woody Guthrie
Don’t be afraid of folk music. And don’t write off Woody before you give his collection of brilliant folk songs a listen. My kids love Woody! And this song will help us all share in the responsibility of taking care of this great land we live in. I really wonder just how many times this song has been performed. In front of crowds. Around campfires, fireplaces, dinner tables, playgrounds...millions I’m sure.
R-O-C-K in the USA - John Mellencamp
This one is here to start a riot on the dance floor. From the opening guitar/bass/drum swirl any attempts to avoid the bobbing the head, stomping the foot or playing air guitar are futile! Drummer Kenny Aronoff’s snare provides the firecracker you’re looking for on the 4th.
America - Waylon Jennings
Written by Sammy Johns of Chevy Van fame! (kids-disregard mention of Chevy Van...uh...it’s a bad song....uh....horrible...go clean your room!) Waylon performed this song for the re-opening of the Statue of Liberty in 1985. Ol’ Hoss’ voice embodied American grit to me. I’m sure we’ll find more opportunities to place more than one of his classic on a list or 5 here at okplaylist.
My Country Tis of Thee - Aretha Franklin
From the Obama inauguration. A rendition that makes one proud to be an American.
Yankee Doodle - The Carter Family
The first family of Country Music. Now kids, don’t shy away here. Sing-a-long and sing loud! We here at okplaylist don’t expect you to like everything but just like at home, we expect you to at least take a bite and taste it.
Freedom - The Isley Brothers
A great track that OK Russ introduced me to. Tellin’ it like it is when it comes to the subject of Freedom!
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy - The Andrews Sisters
Great production! Great performance! Keep this era alive!
America the Beautiful - Ray Charles
Classic! Brother Ray at his best! Stop and listen!
The National Anthem - Mark O'Conner
Outstanding musician! Our anthem performed to perfection.

Playlist Notes from OK Russ

Russ will return next week with more fun comments...

Sneak Peek at Week 2 - "Yankee Doodle"

2010-06-25T07:00:00.008-05:00

Here is a sampler from next week's theme celebrating the 4th of July and the good ole' US of A. The red, white and blue. The Stars and Stripes. Look for the OK Playlist to post on Tuesday next week followed by the video playlist on Thursday.

America - Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass

Til then, like Wet Willie says "Keep on Smilin' "
Russ

"Everything is OK!" - Week 1 Video Playlist

2010-06-24T05:00:00.001-05:00

Upside Down - Jack Johnson
Pride (In The Name Of Love) - Dierks Bentley (Feat. Del McCoury)
Walking in Your Footsteps - The Police
It's Hard To Listen - Coal Train Railroad
Listen to the Music - The Doobie Bros.
Walking the Dog - Hans Theessink
Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes - Paul Simon
Heavenly Day - Patty Griffith
Dress Me Up, Dress Me Down - Robinella & The CC String Band
Iko Iko - Dr. John
Itchy Twitchy Spot - Run C&W
Over the Rainbow - Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole

"Everything is OK!" - Week 1 Playlist

2010-06-22T05:00:00.006-05:00

Notes from Eric

Upside Down - Honestly, I didn't really care for Jack Johnson until I heard this one. Now everything before this makes sense!

Pride (In the Name of Love) - If we do anything here at OK Playlist I hope we always do it In The Name Of Love!

Listen to the Music - My brother had the first Doobie Brothers.I was 13. I was changed. Suddenly, I wanted to be a rhythm guitar player. Oh, I didn't know what that was then. But looking back now...the music of the Doobies helped me "hear" where I wanted to be as a guitar player.

Walking the Dog - Classic song without a doubt. Russ introduced me to this version. I love it! Treat yourself to Run C&W's version soon! Into the Twangy-First Century/Row vs. Wade

Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes - Aside from all the early Simon and Garfunkel stuff, this is the best work Paul Simon ever accomplished. I remember when Graceland came out. It was unlike anything we'd heard up to that point. We all stopped...and listened.

Heavenly Day - A friend and former bandmate of mine plays with Patty. I knew nothing about Patty until he started playing with her. This song is wonderful.

Dress Me Up, Dress Me Down - It's artists like Robinella that make the craziness and scariness of popular music fall silent.

Iko Iko - I love watching my kids' butts wiggle to this one...they LOVE it!

Itchy Twitchy Spot - We love Run CandW here at OK Playlist. You may recognize the lead singers voice...that's Russell Smith of Amazing Rhythm Aces fame. And that banjo pickin'? None other than Bernie Leadon. Formerly of the Eagles! The other 2 "Burns Brothers" ain't too shabby either. Jim Photoglo and Vince Melmed, hit songwriters.

Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World - 2 of the greatest popular songs of the 20th century performed magically

Notes from Russ

Upside Down - This is from Curious George The Movie. It is a staple around my house. Dr. John did the theme for the PBS television show. I am sure we will see that song on the OK Playlist soon.

Pride (In The Name Of Love) - HOLY COW this is awesome. Dierks new album came out a couple of weeks ago and there are a couple of bluegrass tracks that are great, but this one fit in nicely with the family theme.

Walking in Your Footsteps - A great history lesson about dinosaurs.

It's Hard To Listen - Coal Train Railroad is a local Nashville band made up of some All-Star Musicians. This is one of my favorite new kids bands. Pandora describes the music as "kid-friendly vibe, subtle use of vocal harmony, demanding instrumental part writing." Check them out at coaltrainrailroad.com

Listen to the Music - Just a pure classic. Plus its just fun to say Doobie (even if you don't know what it is).

Walking the Dog - This guy goes unnoticed. A Dutch Blues Guitarist. Not a common mix. I first heard this version on the closing credits of a Sopranos episode. It is really great. Other great versions include Rufus Thomas' original from 1963.

Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes - I can't rave enough about Paul Simon's Graceland Album. Almost every song is "OK" and most of them include the South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo as backing vocals. There will be many more songs from Graceland showing up on the OK Playlist in weeks to come.

Heavenly Day - My wife loves this song and I can't disagree. She has good taste in music. It is the most inspirational songs in this weeks OK Playlist and to come out in recent years. Patty comments in the YouTube video that she wrote her first love song...for her dog. You gotta love that!

Dress Me Up, Dress Me Down - Robinella is a Knoxville gal and this was a song from her most recognizable album's to date.

Iko Iko - I LOVE DR. JOHN. This guy can boogie woogie. This version from the album GUMBO features The Meters as the backing band and can be best described as greasy, sticky, slimmy funk. Pure awesomeness!

Itchy Twitchy Spot - Run C&W flew under the radar in the early 90's. OK Eric commented that these guys are All Star musicians that decided to have fun dressing up like rappers and covering soul tunes bluegrass style. This parody of Billy Ray Cyrus' Achey Breaky Heart is pure gold. Funny and masterful instrumentation, but that's the whole album Into the Twangy First Century.

Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World - This is just awesome. these 2 songs sang together by a Hawaiian man on the Ukulele

Victor Krauss is OK! - Live @ Dragon Park - Nashville

2010-06-14T06:37:00.002-05:00

Nashville is one of the few cities in the US where you can catch a great show any day of the week. This past Sunday was no exception as we met some friends at Dragon park to catch one of the FREE! 2010 Dragon Music Sunday Concerts put on by the Nashville Metro Parks. This week's artist was one of the best bass players around (IMO) Victor Krauss and his band.

Victor Krauss stands on his own as a musician and a bass player, besides being the brother of Alison Krauss (who was also in attendance along with their parents and her son). I first heard about Victor from my friend Tim "TIIIMMMMYY!" Shirley who introduced me to the album Far From Enough (2004). That album includes legendary jazz guitarist Bill Frisell and Jerry Douglas (among others), along with Victor's sister Alison Krauss appearing on a couple of tracks including a strong version of Robert Plant's Big Log.

The entire album is "OK" for kids to enjoy as most of it is instrumental, but my experience has shown that kids lack the patience for instrumental music. But for those that do like instrumental, ambient Jazz they will love it. If you have tweens or teens that are into jazz i would give it a spin and if nothing else add it to you personal collection. A five star album indeed.

Cheers!
Russ

Notes if you are attending the 2010 Dragon Park Concert Series:
It's hot. Really hot! Dress and plan accordingly.
The main act always starts around 4-4:20P so note the time when you are planning your day.
There was plenty of shade, not a lot of people and plenty of playground fun to be had by all.
Dragon Park is also Fannie Mae Dees Park directly across the street from Vanderbilt.

MAP

The Definitive Playground List

2010-06-07T20:47:00.000-05:00

I was scouring the web the other day in search of the definitive playground map for all of the playgrounds in my area. A site (maybe a google map overlay) that not only showed all of the playgrounds in Nashville, but in any given city. I was surprised to find that no one site had them all. I finally found one through Nashville Parks and Recreations, but it even lacked a few that I know of.
KaBOOM.org has a pretty extensive playground list in some of the major cities and even offers some photos and reviews.

A little tip: If you are ever curious of the "other" playgrounds out there...start your search at your local parks and recreation department and expand from there.

2010 Dragon Music Sundays - Nashville

2010-06-04T13:36:00.001-05:00

Free Kids Movies @ Regal Cinema's Nationwide

2010-06-04T11:55:00.001-05:00

June 8 - August 4

You and your kids can chill out from the summer heat during Regal Entertainment Group’s 2010 Family Film Festival running June 8 - Aug. 4. Take in a free G- or PG-rated flick every

Tuesday and Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Doors open at 9:30 a.m.

Participating Regal Cinema locations around Nashville are Green Hills in Nashville, Providence Stadium 14 in Mt. Juliet and Streets of Indian Lake 16 in Hendersonville. Seating is first come, first served and a special kid’s combo will be available at the concessions counter.

For a detailed list of movies at each Regal Theater in each state, visit: www.regmovies.com/nowshowing/familyfilmfestivalschedule.aspx

Click HERE for the Nashville area listings