Win-A-Disc-Wednesday: We pick The Boogers!!

I grew up on bands with names like SNOT, and I've been known to sing my kids lyrics like "....it's nose picker and hands-in-the-pants." to embarrass them out of inappropriate public behaviors.    So we were excited, to say the least, to be invited to see The Boogers play at Reggie's Rock Club.

Zilla was snarky when we arrived, because I wouldn't let her bring in a sketch pad and Crazy Bones, so Reggie's doorway greeting "We're Not Happy Till You're Unhappy" amused me.    But she soon warmed to the punk atmosphere and had a blast identifying many of her favorite bands, like Sonic Youth, Mudhoney and Naked Raygun on the wall posters.  

I nostalgically regaled the kids with tales of The Cows shows, where they did freaky gymnastics and contortions, while still managing to grind out noise punk songs.   Before The Boogers even started, our kids were hepped up, just to be in a grown up club.

We saw toddlers sporting Metro t's and a little black shirt with cartoons of The Ramones and the line "Rock N Roll Preschool" that Sagezilla had and outgrew, a few years back.   We even saw a Dad and mini me in matching 80's style leather, biker jackets.   Psycho Baby owner, Marlo, generously printed free Lil Booger t-shirts for all the rocker spawn in attendance.  
So, everyone was stylin, when the trio of Boogers took the stage.

With Crusty Booger on vocals and guitar,

Sticky Booger on drums

and Greeny Booger on bass and vocals,

Reggie's was really rockin.
  
It was great to watch the next gen of mini moshers, developing their own dance styles.


The adults and bigger sibs had fun, too.   I caught more than a few drumming on the wood tables and playing air guitar.   Here's a tasty YouTube clip to give you a flavor of The Boogers.   It celebrates my son's favorite lunch staple.  


My personal fav was one of their last numbers, for practical and entertainment reasons.   The Boogers play a mean version of The Ramones classic, "Beat on the Brat".   However, they  have reinvented the lyrics into a benign celebration of t-ball instead of child abuse, and still kept the song fast and fun.  

My own kids cheerfully belted out "Beat on the brat with a baseball bat, oh yeah.   Oh yeah.  Ohoooh." at the most inopportune times, from toddler hood on.   Now a new generation of parents can still play their punk kin the rockin' tune without those inconvenient summons to the principal's office.   As parents of young children themselves, The Boogers "get it".   Here's the Ramones original since we couldn't find a video yet of The Boogers awesome remake.


The Boogers have a new disc, due out later this year, but until then, their 1998 release Road to Rock will have your kids skankin'.   Parents will chuckle at inside jokes  like "The nursery rhyme remains the same" and the kids will get all their squirrelies out to revved up, punk versions of a number of kids classics like "row yer boat", "the abc song" and "bah, bah blacksheep".

This is real rock and roll for the past and future black sheep in the family.   Kids are punks at heart.   They live in the moment, spot the insincere and call you on it, and man can they rock hard.    I've been known to wake up early on the weekend with 2 little monkeys thrashing around in MY bed, belting out "Blitzkrieg Bop" or "Ballroom Blitz" at full volume.   As my hard core, 80's punk, baby daddy once said of parenting, "I never really knew what anarchy was until it was jumping on my head."

Fireside Bowl, Sweet Alice's and Dreamers may be a thing of your past...............but for those about to rock, there's always The Boogers.

The Boogers generously kicked us 4 CDs--one to review and 3 to regift.   We have one this week for Win-A-Disc-Wednesday and then we're gonna make you wait for it..............wait for it.    The Boogers are off to play outta town, but they'll be back in full force for Logan Square's Metronome Fest this summer.  Check their website for tour dates, new CD release info and to purchase Road to Rock.   This disc's a keeper!  
  
"Road to Rock" was named a 2009 National

Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) GOLD
Winner (and a Family Friendly designation too)!

Enter below to win.    Winners picked May 19th.

I ♥ Faces--Flowers and Chocolate for Mother's Day!

ChiIL Mama hopes all the Mamas out there had a fabulous Mother's Day 2010, and all the rest of you were good to your Mamas.   

Over at I ♥ Faces, the contest this week celebrates Mothers.   Our entry is the timeless theme of--Flowers and Chocolate for Mother's Day!    The flower is my daughter, Sage, who was actually born on Mother's Day and is still the best Mom's Day present I've ever gotten.    The chocolate came from an awesome Mother's Day buffet, complete with white and dark chocolate fountains!

Look For ChiIL Mama This Weekend: Rockin' With The Boogers, Celebrating Train Day, Exploring Humanities Fest, & The Blackhawks

Saturday:   Our kids will finally be initiated into the wonders of one of our favorite venues for punk bands, Reggie's Rock Club.    Today at 3pm, we'll be checkin' out The Boogers.   They're the self described Anti-Barney and The Wiggles Worst Nightmare.  

It's also national train day.
 

Union Station in Chicago Visit Chicago's Union Station for the following events: • Video kick-off with the National Spokesperson - Taye Diggs • The Blues Journey and Connection to the Railroad Exhibit • Train Equipment Displays • Model Train Displays • AmtraKids Depot • Go-Green Express: Eco Exhibit • National Park Service Trails & Rails Exhibit • Snapshot Station • Trains Move our Economy Exhibit • Amtrak Display - Enjoy the journey® For more information about National Train Day events, promotions,and information, visit NationalTrainDay.com. Union Station 210 South Canal Street Chicago, IL 60606 11:00am-4:00pm

Sunday:
Happy Happy Mother's Day to all!
We'll be enjoying a fabulous brunch buffet at Chief O'Neil's (2 words--chocolate fondu) and may check out The Art Institute later in the day.  
  It's All about Mom
Treat your mom to a Mother's Day that she will remember. Start with a three-course Mother's Day brunch in Terzo Piano with spectacular city views and scrumptious local, sustainable cuisine. Then take her on a tour of the museum's maternal masterpieces with this month's special "Mother's Day" self-guide. 




Sunday night, the 2 hat trick in a row Blackhawks are back in town for another shot at Vancouver in the Stanley Cup semi finals.   Go Blackhawks!!

 **Don't forget to enter win-a-disc-Wednesdays.   Enter through Tuesday midnight to win Roger Day's Why Does Gray Matter.

I ♥ Faces--Then and Now

This week is an especially fun one over at
I ♥ Faces.   The basic idea is to take a baby or kid then photo of yourself and recreate it now with the same people.   We took advantage of a visit from my parents to recreate this shot of me and my Dad, from 1968.   I even squeezed into my son's youth 10-12 shirt for the retake!   Check out the other shots.   They're hilarious.
 

Win A Disc Wednesdays: Why Does Gray Matter--Roger Day

We're back with more great kids' music to give away.  

First, big congrats to our first ChiIL Mama Win A Disc Wednesday winner, Alicia Starr.   You have won a copy of Tiny Cool--Princess Katie & Racer Steve.   Please reply to zbluesun@gmail.com with your mailing address within the next 48 hours.

This week we're reviewing and giving away a copy of Why Does Gray Matter, the 4th album by award winning artist, Roger Day.  Enter below to win.   Contest will run 7 days, ending at midnight Tuesday, May 11th.  Winners will be announced Wednesday, May 12th.
 

Check out Roger Day's web site to sample some tunes, get more info about his YouTube channel, and order discs and silly t-shirts like mosquito burritos and it's a no no to kiss a rhino.

We were all amused by Why Does Grey Matter, and thoroughly enjoyed the rampant, goofy humor, that masks actual learning.    Roger Day introduces "Sara Bellum,  The Brainy Girl", and like our favorite roller derby players' names,  uses fun puns and plays on words.  

I remember when They Might Be Giants began teaching useful adult life skills to children, like how to recite the alphabet backwards and memorize the periodic table of the elements.   Roger Day continues in this noble tradition, while kids neural pathways are still fresh and receptive.   This brainy bunch of songs celebrates the cerebral and tickles the funny bone.

Adults and kids alike will groove on witty titles like "Inside My Cranium","Brain Freeze!","Get Your Brain In Gear", "Monkey Brains" and "It's a No Brainer".

My kids both love rocking out to "The Left Brain/Right Brain Song" which contrasts the functions of the different sides of the brain in a funky, memorable way.    They adore screaming out the lyrics, "My right brain wants to rock the house.  My right brain wants to go wild and create.   My right brain wants to rock the house.   My right brain wants to draw and illustrate."   This disc is recommended for kids 5-11, so it's ideal for those who have outgrown more traditional little kid tunes.   My 6 and 9 year old have been begging to hear it for weeks.   For once, instead of "accidentally" losing the disc under the driver's seat , I'm not trying to dissuade them.

Award-Winning Children’s CDs

Roger Day released ROCK ‘N’ ROLL RODEO in 1998 followed by READY TO FLY in 2001. Roger won a Parents’ Choice® Recommended Award. Word spread. In 2003 he filmed a family concert DVD ROGER DAY LIVE! He won another Parents’ Choice® Recommended award. And The Film Advisory Board Award for Outstanding Family Video. The following year he made his Public Television debut.

DREAM BIG! came next in 2007. Radio Disney played the title song. Another song, “I like Yaks,” went to number 1 on Sirius/XM’s Kids Place Live. He won a Parents’ Choice® Gold Award and started selling out shows from the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte to the Library Theatre in Birmingham.  By this point Roger’s music had spread far beyond the family’s Christmas tree.

Schoolhouse Rock for the 21^st Century

Roger’s fourth release Why Does Gray Matter? … And Other Brainy Songs for Kids features 14 tracks that make innovative use of “the brain” as a theme for every song.   “I’m pretty sure it’s the first recording session in Nashville to research Web MD for fact checks,” says Roger.  “One song is even co-written with a college friend who is a real-life neuropathologist. It’s the only kids’ song I know of that uses the terms ‘corpus callosum’ and ‘deep basal ganglia’ while referencing Ringo Starr.”  

The Schoolhouse Rock quality of his latest project is impossible to ignore and one of its best features. If you didn’t hear these songs on this CD first, you might think you knew them from watching cartoons on Saturday mornings years ago. For this reason, Day’s music counts adults as some of its biggest fans.  Roger acknowledges, “I’ve had more than one parent admit they listen to my CDs even when their kids aren’t around.”

Usually, the mp3 player flips to 80's punk when the kids' feet hit the playground pavement, but I will admit to letting Roger Day play.    His witty lyrics and memorable riffs make listing to this kids' disc a pleasure.   So "Shake Up Your Brain" and check out Why Does Gray Matter.

Look For ChiIL Mama This Weekend: Exploring Humanities Fest, Kites, Comics, Rock, Theatre, Roller Derby, & The Blackhawks

 Mayor Daley's Kids and Kites Fest 2009

It's finally warm and gorgeous outside and this weekend is popping with too many fun options to count.   We've pulled some of the best from the rest.

Also, don't forget to enter to win a free kids' CD on ChiIL Mama's Win-A-Disc Wednesdays.   Enter all week.   Winners will be announced on the following Wednesday.

FRIDAY:

 Chicago Humanities Fest runs from April 29th-May 16th, with loads of fantastic programming for the whole family.   This year they are exploring the body as a "coming of age" theme for their 21st year.   They're also featuring Stages, Sights and Sounds, a festival for the kid in all of us.  Check their site for details.

Chicago Humanities Festival This weekend don't miss David Gaines in "7 (x1) Samurai, An Epic Tale Told by an Idiot!" Tickets will be available at the door: $7 for kids, $13 for adults. Visit us online for more info or call the CHF Box Office at 312.494.9509.

  

PARENTS' NITE OUT:  Spice up your life with SALT, the newest release from The Locals.  Check out their site for info and come on out to The Elbo Room tonight for their CD release party.

   

SATURDAY:

Mayor Daley's Kids & Kites  is one of our favorite annual events.   Come on down to Montrose Harbor from 10-4 and go fly a kite.  To avoid the crowds, aim early.   

This weekend is your last chance to see THE BLUE SHADOW, a multicultural folktale musical by one of our favorite theatre troupes, Lifeline.   Check out their site for details.   Shows run Saturday at 1pm and Sunday at 11 and 1pm.

 To quote our friend, Alicia, "Yep. Free omicron book day is a yearly nationally recognized day. You can hit up multiple comic shops on FCBD and treat it like a Halloween just for nerds!"    Check out the web site to plan your own graphic trick or treat.

Here's one to get you started.  If you make it to Third Coast comics, say hi to Ben, who will be giving out sketches to kids and nerds, as a guest artist. Come check it out, and get your kid a free comic, no trick or strings!
 6234 North  Broadway
Chicago, IL 60660
(847) 863-7450

Look for ChiIL Mama cheering The Windy City Rollers in bout 5.  So sorry Blackhawks, we've got some other skaters to see first.

The Chicago Blackhawks take it to the next round against Vancouver, in their bid for The Stanley Cup.   Go Blackhawks.

SUNDAY:

 Are you still living in the 80's?  Get your punk on this weekend.   Parents' Night out:  PIL plays Saturday and Sunday night at House of Blues

Since returning in December 2009 for seven monumental concerts in the United Kingdom–their first shows in 17 years–PUBLIC IMAGE LTD (PiL) now continue into 2010 with a North American tour. The headlining U.S. trek marks their first stateside tour in 18 years. 

After fronting the Sex Pistols, John Lydon formed Public Image Ltd in 1978. With their experimental sound fusing Rock, Dance, Folk, Ballet, Pop and Dub, PiL are regarded as producing some of the most diverse music of the 70s and 80s. As a band, the music and vision constantly evolved like no other, culminating in an incredible live experience.

Cited as one of the most innovative and influential bands in music history, PiL return to a country where they enjoyed a special relationship throughout their career for what are set to be stunning shows. The North American dates will be followed by a series of high-profile summer European Festival appearances.


John Lydon (vocals), Lu Edmonds (guitar), Bruce Smith (drums) and Scott Firth  (bass) earned critical and public acclaim for their concerts in December 2009, with many British media outlets championing them as the shows of the year.


John Lydon: “I sound like a bag of kittens thrown down the staircase.”
2010 sees the 30th anniversary of the band’s first U.S. tour and also their U.S TV debut on “American Bandstand,” where singer John Lydon invited the audience onstage to dance with the band! Host Dick Clark famously introduced their appearance as "a memorable moment in rock n roll, something special and interesting.” 

With a wide and varied back catalogue spanning three decades, Public Image Ltd will be showcasing the unique sounds of tracks such as “Public Image,” “This Is Not A Love Song,” “Rise,” and “Disappointed,” with many further surprises in store. 

Saturday & Sunday, May 1 & 2 at House of Blues

329 North Dearborn Parkway
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 923-2007

Doors 7:30 Show 9:00 Tickets $37.99

17 and over

For further PiL information, see: www.pilofficial.com

MONDAY:  We'll be at the 2nd game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.   We back you Blackhawks.

Win A Disc Wednesdays Are Here: Tiny Cool by Princess Katie & Racer Steve

Princess Katie & Racer Steve

Welcome to our new ChiIL Mama Win A Disc Wednesdays

We'll be introducing you to some rockin' kids music including old 

favorites, hot off the presses, and soon to be released discs. 

Then to sweeten the deal, each week we'll be giving away a disc.

April 28-May 5th Win Tiny Cool, 

the soon to be released 3rd studio CD 

by Princess Katie & Racer Steve

If you're ready to rock out to some truly funny tunes and skits that will 

have adults laughing right along with their littles, you've gotta check 

out Tiny Cool. We particularly loved the multicultural flavor of 

"Clelia's Party", a Latin-style fiesta song. Princess Katie is invited to 

sing at her Hispanic friend's birthday party, and amid her excitement, 

she agonizes that the only Spanish she knows is off a menu. 

We also enjoyed the favorite things song, "Tube Socks", a fun pop 
number that gets its "pop" from pizzicato strings.  


"Kids Rock!" gets everyone up and dancing, while "Tiny Cool" is the 

kind of James Brown style funk tune, you don't really mind getting 
stuck in your head.  My son's favorite is the final cut on the disc, 

"Japanese Robot", a super synth ballad about a robot that runs 
on love, not batteries.  

We were all impressed with the variety in musical styles. 

Whether you like rock ballads, Motown or Dick Dale-esque surf songs,  

Tiny Cool has something for everyone. And, if the tunes aren't 
enough, there are 4 hilarious skits interspersed throughout the disc.

Husband and wife team, Katie O'Sullivan and Steve Borne have 

merged their collective backgrounds in music and sketch/ improv 

comedy experience into a humorous hybrid. Even my husband laughed 

during "The Disenchanted Forest" skit, when one of the characters 

proclaims "What a buzz kill!" upon discovering he's only a garden 
snake and not really a venomous rattle snake.

This fun, funky album even appealed to the decidedly 

Anti-Princessy Sagezilla. And despite the outward appearance of 

gender role cliches, the lyrics exude a respect for children and an 

empowering, be your own self message. Tiny Cool retails for $15.00 

and will be released May 4th. It's aimed at little rockers, ages 2-8, 

with a run time of 38 minutes.

Look for Princess Katie & Racer Steve, in person, as they're 

kicking off a nationwide "Kids Rock!" tour. Check out their web site for 

tour dates and to purchase discs.

Childhood's too short, and road trips too long, to listen to annoying, 

poorly produced kids' discs. So check in every Wednesday and 

ChiIL Mama will make your kiddy commutes much more enjoyable 

for the whole family.

Fill out the form below to enter to win TINY COOL. 

Please do not enter via the comments section. 

Contest will be open from noon 4/28 till midnight 5/4 Chicago time.  

Contact information will never be shared, sold or used for any purpose 

other than the give away. Winners will be chosen using random.org, 

random number generator. 

Winners will be announced every Wednesday.

I ♥ Faces Smiles

What's cuter than a 1st grader's gap-toothed grin?   A big, second place in City Wide, no-tooth victory smile! 

Sagezilla leveled up in tumbling this spring to Novice 6-7 year olds and placed 2nd in the North Region to qualify for the City Wide meet.   This weekend, she flip flopped and cartwheeled her way to a City Wide 2nd place medal on Saturday.   Go Super Sonic Sagie!