Spare The Rock Records releases Let All The Children Boogie: A Tribute To David Bowie

An All-Ages Album Dedicated To The Music And Artistry Of David Bowie, Benefiting The It Gets Better Project

This title will be released on November 18, 2016.

Back in March, I did a post about the FREE family-friendly SXSW show that was put on by Spare the Rock’s Bill Childs as a tribute to the late David Bowie. This show must have inspired Bill to put out a long-awaited third album off his own label which makes me OH SO happy! Not only does this album feature exclusive tracks from amazing children’s artists like Rhett Miller, Antibalas, Erin McKeown, Walter Martin, and Elizabeth Mitchell (happy dance!); all the proceeds will go to benefit the It Gets Better Project. Go Austin and Go Bill!

About Bill Childs

If you are an Austinite with young kids, I have to tell you that you must listen to Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child on KUTX 98.9, every Sunday at 6:00 pm. The Austin Chronicle has called his family-friendly show, “A family radio phenomenon.” The brainchild behind the program is Bill Childs, and I have had the pleasure of meeting him after a Red Yarn show at the Scottish Rite Theater and have seen him at numerous musical shows geared towards families, many that he sponsors, all around Austin over the years. Even if you are not an Austinite, you can stream his radio program from his website for free, too. His love of family friendly music is real and he has amazing music guests, lots of fantastic music, and is responsible for putting together lots of free music concerts for our area, such as the Hush Hush Fest at the Domain. You too can become a music reviewer, if just in your own home, by listening to Bill’s show and learning more about what kindie music has to offer.

Let All The Children Boogie: A Tribute To David Bowie

This fall, Spare The Rock Records will release Let All The Children Boogie: A Tribute To David Bowie, which is an all-ages album dedicated to the music and artistry of the late and legendary David Bowie. The album features new interpretations of his work while retaining the integrity of Bowie’s work from a diverse group of artists. They completed the mission of sharing his legacy and messages with a new generation – the youngest generation that sometimes gets overlooked as a marketable age for ‘GOOD’ music. What impressed me before I even heard the album was that there were so many talented artists attached to it, so I’m just going to list off a few that had been posted about months in advance of me getting my hands on a copy:

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Jon Langford & Sally Timms (The Mekons, Wee Hairy Beasties)
Rhett Miller (Old 97’s)
Antibalas
Gina Chavez
Erin McKeown
Walter Martin (The Walkmen)
Tracy Bonham & Uncle Rock
Wunmi
Elizabeth Mitchell
Justin Roberts
The Pop Ups with Gustafer Yellowgold
Red Yarn
Colin Brooks (Dan Zanes and Friends)
Adam Levy & Chastity Brown
Nakia with the Barton Hills Choir
Molly Ledford & Dean Jones
Sonia De Los Santos & Elena Moon Park (Dan Zanes and Friends)

As you can see, that is quite a collection of awesome artists. I’m so happy to say that you can hear from the album and tribute itself how much David Bowie inspired so many of us, including Bill. As Bowie proved in his own life, musical and artistic approaches have no rules. You create your own freedom and destination. I’ve personally read and watched so many biographies and documentaries on Bowie’s life to know that his music transcends any race, gender or age. Whether starring in the Labyrinth, to writing relate-able songs, to being a huge role model to his own kids, Bowie brought children into his world and welcomed them with open arms and allowed them to be themselves.

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Perhaps as my own indication of feeling like an outsider while still trying to embrace life to my fullest potential, Bowie’s albums continue to be my go-to music on my iPhone that started years ago and his songs became my anthems on all my journeys throughout the years and the only music I will listen to when flying – a ritual I started back in 2008 when I was flying from Austin to D.C. a lot. Bowie was more than a musician to me, he was an artist that understood what I was thinking and feeling without even knowing I existed. Perhaps that was why he was so endearing to so many people and still greatly missed among artists and music fans alike. Look, I know as a huge Bowie fan that you can never replace a man like him, but Let All The Children Boogie is an amazing collection of his songs that actually does do justice to his legacy. That is not something I would write lightly. The first track ‘Oh! You Pretty Things’ sounds other-worldly yet hopeful and fun and the tracks continue in a very meaningful way. I find myself listening to ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ and ‘The Prettiest Star’ quite a lot with my family. My personal favorites on the album are the super amazing rendition of ‘Let’s Dance’ by Antibalas (which actually SOUNDS so much like Bowie it’s a little creepy!), ‘Life on Mars’ which is just beautiful, and the very powerful ‘Ziggy Stardust’. However, I would be amiss if I didn’t explain that I really love all the songs. It feels almost the same as when I listen to any of my Bowie songs with my earbuds in with my eyes closed. It’s as if I am on a journey – from beginning to end- but everyone is in on it with me. Isn’t that why I started playing and loving music in the first place? Yes, yes it is exactly why I connect to songs with my emotions and why I love having an album to share with my kiddos.

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I like to think that somewhere in another universe that David Robert Jones is busting a move and doing exactly what he wants to do.

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Note: Producers on the album include multi-Grammy nominee and winner Dean Jones, author and musician “Uncle Rock” Robert Burke Warren, Stephanie Mayers, publicist and marketing consultant of Mayers Consulting, and Bill Childs, owner of Spare The Rock Records and producer of nationally syndicated radio show Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child. Cover art was created by popular children’s book illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Lunch Lady, Punk Farm).

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Track Listing:

The Honeydogs and Chastity Brown – Oh! You Pretty Things
Walter Martin – Breaking Glass
Sonia de los Santos and Elena Moon Park – The Man Who Sold the World
Rachel Loshak with the New Standards – Starman
Lloyd H. Miller and Dean Jones – V-2 Schneider
Sally Timms and Jon Langford – The Prettiest Star
Molly Ledford – Sound and Vision
Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players – Kooks
Antibalas – Let’s Dance
Gustafer Yellowgold and the Pop Ups – Space Oddity
Ted Leo – Heroes
Wunmi – Fashion
Storey Littleton with Marco Benevento – Life on Mars?
Gina Chavez – Modern Love
Red Yarn – Magic Dance
Nakia and the Barton Hills Choir – Golden Years
Elizabeth Mitchell and You Are My Flower featuring Simi Stone – Changes
Uncle Rock and Tracy Bonham – Lady Stardust
Colin Brooks – I’ll Follow You
Rhett Miller – Ziggy Stardust

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About Spare the Rock Records: Spare The Rock Records has released three records so far that has raised over $115,000 total for non-profits, including the Haitian People’s Support Project and Girls Inc. Read more information about those releases at sparetherock.com. More information on this project can be found at LetAllTheChildrenBoogie.com.

It Gets Better Project: Proceeds from the record will benefit the It Gets Better Project and its mission to communicate to LGBTQ youth around the world that it gets better, and to create and inspire the changes needed to make it better for them. In short, It Gets Better works towards a world where all the children can boogie freely.

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Spare The Rock Records releases Let All The Children Boogie: A Tribute To David Bowie

LetAllTheChildrenBoogie.com

List Price: $ 13.99 (Also Available on iTunes and Amazon – and locally at Waterloo Records)