Wednesday, January 26, 2011

ABC Wednesday--B is for......



Broken ankle??!!   Fingers crossed this gymnastics injury is just a sprain.   Spent the morning at the pediatrician, mid day at Children's hospital getting x-rays, and now we're heading back to the doc to see if the photos have arrived yet, to be read.   At least we made it 7 months x-ray free.




Ahhhh.......the downside of high impact sports.


Click below for more ABC Wednesday fun from around the world.



Win A Disc Wednesday-The Exclamation Point! Series-Pink! By Rocknoceros

Our winner this week is Nicole F., who likes to rock out to They Might Be Giants with her 3 kids, Charlotte, Elijah and Caleb.   Pink! by Rocknoceros is a ton of fun.   We'll send that right out to you.   These guys are Rocknocerosin' Awesome.   Enjoy!



Check out ChiIL Mama every week for introductions to cool new bands, free CDs (enter nationwide) and Chicago area ticket give aways.   We have a photo filled blog with informative interviews, reviews, and live footage.

Enter our big Keller Williams give away this week.   We'll pick 3 lucky winners who will get copies of Keller's new CD, Kids, and one family who will get a 4 pack of tickets to his Chicago appearance at Park West.   Enter today through midnight Monday, 1/31/11.   Good luck!


chiIL Mama
because life doesn't end with birth.........

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Last Day To Enter Till Midnight-Pink! by Rocknoceros

 Enter through midnight tonight.  Throughout  January, we've given away some of our favorite CDs that all included an exclamation point in the title.   Two down, two to go in our Exclamation point series.



We first reviewed Pink! on August 18th.   Click HERE for our full blown prior coverage, including a slide show of ChiIL Mama originals of Rocknoceros playing Kidzapalooza 2010 and music videos from their site.

Here's an excerpt:

Rocknocerous is a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll, and with 5 discs out, you're sure to find something for everyone.   My favorite song they played at Kidzapalooza is Col. Purple Turtle.   It's not on Pink, but I've found it on YouTube, so you can check it out, too.   

The people who posted this clip likened them to The Grateful Dead, but when I heard them live I got all happy and instantly thought, woo hoo, Primus for kids!   There's something decidedly Les Claypool about their playful lyrics and accented spoken words.   I could almost see them breaking into Primus' Tommy the Cat and then easing back into Colonel Purple Turtle and his purple turtle journal.  


The latest Rocknoceros album, Pink, is refreshingly colored...black.   That works for us.   My 7 year old skate punk in training is the antithesis of a pink princess.   At the tender age of 2, she was asked her favorite color by her conservative Ohio Grammy.   From three rooms away I heard her scream, "MY FAVORITE COLOR IN THE WORLD IS BLAAAAACK."  

Five years later, she still loves black, despite the fact every other second grade girl in her class adores pink.   What else would you expect from the daughter of a skate punk Dad who had a pink trimmed board in the 80s, and a Mama who wears a lot of black?

In the case of Rocknoceros, though, she's made an exception.   Their Pink is pretty cool.  It's got 14 tracks to keep your littles learning and laughing on those long car trips. 

We're particular fans of The Train Song, Put A Hat On, Lucky Lindy, and Big Wheel, though honestly Sagezilla and Du-Jay went gonzo for the whole CD.   They did a raucous bunch of silly dancing and cracked up repeatedly through all fourteen tracks.   Maybe it's 'cause we reviewed it when they were all hepped up at bedtime...   Or maybe Rocknoceros silliness is just that contagious.

Check out their web site for CDs, tee shirts, and cool pod casts.   They also have a streaming player where you can have your own random Rocknoceros-a-thon or choose to hear specific favorites.   These guys make learning so silly and fun, that growing your brain is pretty painless.



We'll announce our winner of Pink! tomorrow.   Then our contest culminates with 3 Keller Williams' Kids CDs, and 4 No Kidding! tickets--a huge Keller Williams bonanza for 4 lucky winners who will be drawn February 1st & 2nd.   

Exclamation Point! Recap--Featured CDs of the week:
5th-This is Fun! by Caspar Babypants
12th-Let's Go! by The Boogers (click the links for ChiIL Mama's coverage)
19th-Pink! by Rocknoceros 
26th-Kids by Keller Williams 

**26th-No Kidding!  Keller Williams Kids' Show--Win 1 Family 4 Pack of tickets to Park West in Chicago, February 5th at 3:30pm. and Kids CDs for 3 lucky winners

Groundhog Day 4 for all--4 Free Tickets To 4 Great Events-ChiIL Mama's Free Ticket Tuesdays


Win a family 4 pack to Monster (truck) Jam 2/11, Keller Williams' Kids show-No Kidding! at Park West, and kids' shows at The Beat Kitchen & Schubas (all Saturday, 2/5)

Whether that little furry freak, Punxsutawney Philsees his shadow, dooming us to 6 more weeks of winter, or not, we have 4 family 4 packs to warm your heart.   Enter from now through midnight on Monday 1/31.    Winners will be announced the day before Groundhog Day.

ChiIL Mama's next Free Ticket Tuesday is a Monster Jam and a concert triple treat!   
  • First, we're giving away a family 4 pack to Monster Jam-Monster Truck Show at Allstate Arena for opening night Friday 2/11 AND it's a kindie music feast at Park West, Schubas and Beat Kitchen on Saturday 2/5!

  • Second, we're giving away a family 4 pack to see Keller Williams' Kids show entitled NO KIDDING! at Park West, Saturday, February 5th at 3:30pm.

  • Third, we have a family 4 pack to see Lindsay and The Shimmies at Beat Kitchen, Saturday, February 5th at noon as part of Beat Kitchen's Concerts for Kids series.

  • Fourth, we also have a family 4 pack to see Susan Salidor at Schubas (how's that for alliteration)


  • SATURDAY 02/05/2011 10:30 AM | ALL AGES | $7.00 (1 & UNDER FREE!)
Susan Salidor is an award-winning children's music composer, performer and teacher. Her five recordings for children and their families enjoy a national audience of young and old alike and have garnered a long list of prestigious awards.
Little Voices in My Head (1995) was Susan's first release of mostly original songs and was honored with an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award. The Chicago Tribune called Little Voices "a gem of a recording."
Susan Salidor: By Heart (1996), Susan's second release, was honored with a Parents' Choice Gold Award for Excellence and received unanimous praise in the Chicago Tribune, Nashville Parent, Parents Magazine, ALA Booklist, and Family Fun Magazine, which called By Heart "an album to savor.
Color Me Singing, Susan's third kids' recording, was released in December 1998 and was chosen as a selection in Book-of-the-Month Club's Sound Review Catalog, which reaches an estimated 1.6 million people monthly. Color Me Singing received a 1999 Parents' Choice Gold Award, an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Audio Award 2000, as well as a 'Listen Up' Award from Publishers Weekly.


I'll make it easy on ya with one form for all 4.   If you entered for Keller or Monster Jam on an earlier form, you're already in the system, but can also continue xtra entries here with every documented Tweet, FB forward or social media share.   Enter now through Tuesday 2/1 for your chance to win.   

Share and share a like.   Spread the word.   We like good sharers.   1 Xtra entry for each documented social media share.   1 xtra entry also for liking ChiIL Mama on Facebook.

Enter Here (it's easy)



1.   Follow ChiIL Mama on Twitter, Google Friends Connect, Networked Blogs, or RSS.   

2.   Fill out the form below, and you're in.

1 entry per person.   Entries counted until midnight the Monday before each drawing takes place.   All contact info remains confidential and will not be shared, sold, stored or written on bathroom walls.   Winners first name, last initial and city will be published.

**Bonus:   We think sharing is great, so we'll give you 1 xtra entry for every documented share on social media sites.   Twitter, FB and share away.   Include your link on additional entries or in the comments section.

We'll also give you 1 xtra entry if you "like" us on Facebook.   Good luck! 



Free Ticket Tuesdays--Winners for The Shams and Kids Winter Fest at Beat Kitchen

Congrats to this week's winners.   Barry Grant won a pair of tickets to see The Shams at Lincoln Hall this Thursday.   Click HERE for show details.   Your name (+1) will be on the guest list.   ID required.




Our Beat Kitchen Concerts For Kids Winter Fest Family 4 pack winner is Moe F., who likes to rock out to Justin Roberts with daughter, Lilly.   Your name (+3) will be on the guest list at Beat Kitchen.  Click HERE for show details.  Remember, ChiIL Mama has free family 4 packs to give away for every Concerts for Kids show.   Enter weekly for your chance to win.  Enjoy!



ChiIL Live Shows Update and Call For Musicians

Peter DiStefano (Porno for Pyros guitarist)-Kidzapalooza 2010

We've been busy turning our lens on live shows, and our archive is GROWING.   We'll continue to give you footage and stills from a number of Chicago shows, here on the ChiIL Mama blog first.  We also cover many local, under the radar events, quirky stuff to do, and loads of CD and ticket give aways that are time sensitive.


Sooooo...We want to make it easy to search for JUST coverage on your favorite festivals, bands and live theatre, so we're doing a spin off that will archive live shows/ interviews only.   Check it out as we build back in time and forward at ChiIL Live Shows over the coming months.


A Mix Of Interviews, Live Concert Footage, and Stills Coming to ChiIL Live Shows Soon:   
  • Lollapalooza/ Kidzapalooza (videos & stills)-every Chicago year
  • North Coast Fest 2010
  • Riot Fest 2010--including Circle Jerks & Bad Religion
  • Pitchfork Music Fest 2009
  • Summer Camp Music Festival 2009--including Les Claypool & Buckethead

  • Clutch
  • Children of Bodom
  • Black Label Society
  • Dropkick Murphys
  • Naked Raygun
  • Rubblebucket
  • How Far To Austin (interview)
  • Punk Parents in (THE WEBSTIRSTHE NOSES, THIS MAGAZINE IS HAUNTED, COTTON PONY) including playwright, Bret Neveu (interview)
  • The Shams
  • Prichard
Chris Cornell (Soundgarden)-backstage at Lollapalooza 2010


Kindie Music and Kids Punk Rock:
  • Keller Williams (interview, footage, stills)
  • Dan Zanes (footage, stills)
  • The Verve Pipe (interview, footage, stills)
  • Recess Monkey (interview, footage, stills)
  • Tim & The Space Cadets (interview, footage, stills)
  • Rocknocerous (footage, stills)
  • Candy Band (interview, footage, stills)
  • Boogers (interview, footage, stills)
  • Human Tim + Robot Tim (interview, footage, stills)
  • Mr. Singer & The Sharp Cookies (interview, footage, stills)
  • The Okee Dokee Brothers (footage, stills)
  • The Poochamungas (interview, footage, stills)
Future Shoots:
  • Little Miss Ann
  • Super Stolie
  • Laura Doherty
Bands With Musicians Under 18:
  • Purple Apple
  • The Blisters
  • When Flying Feels Like Falling
Theatre:
(We review loads of live theatre for adults and kids, but most provide their own press pixs.   Every once in a while, we get to take our own shots, and those photos will be archived here, too.)
  • Redmoon Theatre
  • Lookingglass Theatre
**We're also on the lookout for musicians who are parents (playing 21+ shows) who'd like to be interviewed and featured.   We're looking for kids punk, alternative, and indie (kindie) bands.   We also cover bands playing family friendly fests and dual audience tours (kid show by day/adult at night) that would like to be featured.    


We run weekly ticket and CD give aways, review CDs and shows, and can possibly shoot stills, video and interviews if you are playing in the Chicago area.   You can reach us at zbluesun@gmail.com.




chiIL Mama
because life doesn't end with birth.........


Perry Farrell and his kids with Sagezilla-Kidzapalooza 2010



Monday, January 24, 2011

Band Interviews Update

Human Tim + Robot Tim at Schubas
photo by ChiIL Mama, 2011

2011's off to a great start and ChiIL Mama's got some editing to do!   We have ELEVEN exclusive, never before seen, band interviews to start the year off right, and more lined up.   We'll be parceling them out for months to come, and pairing 'em up with free show tickets and CDs, disc reviews, and features.   Enjoy!


We've now interviewed 3 bands with both Mom and Dad in them, 3 bands full of just the kids 13-16 (oh yeah.......and a 25 year old babysitter).    And a number of kids punk and indie (kindie) bands.   It's been so much fun getting to know everyone better and hearing everyone's take on topics like music, life, the environment, how creatives parent, and how parents create.


Here's what you can look forward to:

We're All Punk Parents:   Interview with members of

THE WEBSTIRS 
WALLY DOGGER (Record Release!!)--You can check out their whole CD for FREE on their site--fun stuff!
THE NOSES
THIS MAGAZINE IS HAUNTED
COTTON PONY



We talked to a mix of parents who incestuously overlapped in many of the 5 bands above.   Our interview includes a couple dads and 1 kick ass punk mama, Ellen, who sings, plays a wicked bass, and can still spout a plume of Pabst Blue Ribbon on stage, with the best of 'em.   Hear them expound on how parenting littles has changed their writing tempo and their lives, what the kids think of The Sex Pistols, and Ellen's brilliantly snarky, kittencentric rant about parenting philosophy, full of chunks of wisdom like "we're all assholes and little Buddhas at the same time."   


One of the dads we interviewed from The Noses is award winning playwright, Brett Neveu, who has two world premiers in Chicago right now.   Odradek is playing at The House Theatre in Wicker Park and Do The Hustle is playing at Writers' Theatre in Glencoe.   Check out our past coverage on these guys HERE and HERE.


How Far To Austin:   Interview with Tate and Katie, band mates and life mates who walk together, rock together, and have a four year old daughter, Grace.   Check out their interview for insight on children as music critics.   If their daughter runs down the hall naked, humming the melody, they know they might have something there, and it's likely to make the cut.


These guys are talented and genuinely nice.   I was relieved to make it through the interview without calling' em Kate and Tatie or inverting the locations on their band name and new release--respectively How Far To Austin and Goodnight Madison.   We also had a fun, chat with their drummer, who is a proud father to 6 year old son and potential future drummer, Tyson.   We'll be featuring ticket give aways to all their upcoming shows and have 4 copies of Goodnight Madison for upcoming Win A Disc Wednesdays.


Kindie Rock Scene--Interviews With:
The Verve Pipe-playing dual tours for kids by day, adults by night
Candy Band
Mr. Singer and The Sharp Cookies
Human Tim & Robot Tim
The Poochamungas


**We have loads of CDs from many of these bands, for lucky weekly winners


Coming soon--Interviews With:



Keller Williams *(Enter NOW--free family 4 pack to his upcoming Park West Kids' Show at 3:30pm on Feb 5th--enter through midnight 1/31.   We're also giving away 3 copies of his new kids CD, aptly named Keller Williams KIDS).   Keller's also playing a dual tour--kids by day, adults at night.


Prichard-punk parents who still rock out for the 21+ set


Local Kindie Favs:
Little Miss Ann
Super Stolie


Kids Who Rock--Interviews With:

Purple Apple
The Blisters
When Flying Feels Like Falling

Check The Archives For Past Interviews With:

Danbert Nobacon, former lead singer for Chumbawamba, author of an anarchist fairy tale illustrated by Alex Cox (director of Sid and Nancy, Repo Man and other cult classics), and father to 10 year old twins.   We also have live concert footage.


Recess Monkey-Seattle's kindie rock kings, teachers and parents
Tim and The Space Cadets-up and coming kindie kids
Tor Hyams-Kidzapalooza/Lollapalooza Co-Producer and father of two

If you don't want to miss anything, follow us on Twitter, RSS, Google Friends Connect, or Networked Blogs and "like" our Facebook Page if you like.   Then check in like we vote in Chi, IL--early and often!


chiIL Mama
because life doesn't end with birth.........











Last Day To Enter-Free Tixs to The Shams at Lincoln Hall & Winter Fest for the Kids at Beat Kitchen

The Shams
photo credit ishootrockstars.com



Winter Fest extravaganza Saturday, January 29!
Little Miss Ann Band, Boogers, Mary Macaroni & more, 11:30am-5pm
Next Saturday, January 29th Concerts for Kids is throwing a HUGE party. With a rocking main stage, facepainting, punk rock hair styling, crafts and lots of fun.

Concerts for Kids Main Stage
noon: Boogers
1:00: Mary Macaroni Magic Show followed by Balloon Animals
2:30: AmeriKid Idol with Andy Moy*
3:30: Little Miss Ann Band
Special thanks to Beat Kitchen, Psychobaby, ChicagoKids.com, Unicoi Art Studio and Sitters Studio for making the fun possible.

*Note: If your child would like to perform in AmeriKid Idol, our open mic show, please email Julie Dickinson.
Buy tickets here. Beat Kitchen is located at 2100 W. Belmont.



To keep up to date with Concerts for Kids, become our Facebook friend at www.facebook.com/kidsshowschicago.



ChiIL Mama's been takin' names all month, but entries close tonight at midnight.   Once again we have 2 tickets for a parents' night out Thursday with The Shams (18+) at Lincoln Hall Thursday, January 27 2011 8:00 PM.
18+ $8.00.   Then we have a family 4 pack of tickets to Winter Fest at The Beat Kitchen Saturday at noon.


These shows are gonna be good ones.  Enter at the bottom of this post for your chance to win!   Finally, we are also still taking entries to win a family 4 pack to opening night of Monster Jam, Monster Truck Show at Allstate Arena on Friday, February 11th.   Concert ticket winners will be announced tomorrow during Free Tickets Tuesday.   You can enter to win Monster Truck tickets through Tuesday 2/1/11


We had a chance to check out The Shams at CBBF and can't wait to see 'em again.   And Saturday, Beat Kitchen features a whole afternoon of kindie rock and punk for the littles.   There will also be punk hair coloring and styling, crafts, and even a chance for your rock stars to strut their stuff on stage on Amerikid Idol.   A keyboard and mic will be in place, and you can bring an ipod or CD to accompany, or DIY.  


Here's what's up for Thursday:


Chicago Roots Collective & Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival Present: The CRC Showcase One Year Anniversary



Thursday, January 27 2011 8:00 PM
18+ $8.00   





After opening for Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros at the 2010 Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival, The Shams Band looks to develop their own nitche in the Chicago music scene. These young garage rockers bring energy, passion and captivating harmony to every live performance.
“The Shams Band scene was reminiscent of a southern dance hall upturned by bad-boy rockers. If it weren’t for their mid-western look, a body almost forgot she was in Chicago. With tinges of Wilco, Chuck Berry, and Sly and the Family Stone wrapped up in a rootsy twang package, the energy of The Shams Band is contagious.” -Erin Keane [Via Chicago]
Follow | @TheShamsBand | @DNelsonMusic 

Enter here for your chance to win:



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