A Rock Opera Just for Kids!!! (and maybe a few cool grownups) Rheostatics---The Story of Harmelodia

Once again my goddaughter is having a birthday, so I've decided to showcase another cool album for the wee ones. Unfortunately, the album in its deluxe form has been out of print for about 15 years and is kind of a collectors item. It seems to be available as a digital download.



Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl....

The album is The Story of Harmelodia by The Rheostatics, who many say may have been Canada's most Canadian Band. I'm pretty sure Canada's most American band was The Band. I couldn't tell you who America's most Canadian band is. But I guess what they mean is that they write songs that have resonance with their fellow countrymen. You know, they sing about Wendel Clark and Saskatoon, and didn't really believe that being in a rock band meant you had be or at least pretend to be from the U.S. or England. I respect this stick-to-itiveness and sense of national pride that they represent who they are and where they come from.

After all, I am an American who would never think of turning the Maple Leaf upside down...

In a nutshell, The Story of Harmelodia is basically Tommy for toddlers. It's a Rock Opera just for Kids, or for those who are still kids at heart. Everything about this release is pretty much over the top. A lot of time, effort, care, and love went into the making of this record.

First and foremost, it is a lot more than a CD. It is really a CD sized illustrated book with a CD tucked inside. As far as the format goes, Harmelodia is a pretty hefty item.

So first of all you have a story, narrated by Janet Morassutti, who is Dave Bidini's wife. He is one of the Rheostatics and these days does a lot of book writing, mostly about Hockey, Baseball, and Rock N' Roll.

Secondly, the Story is loaded with illustrations, beautifully drawn and painted by Martin Tielli, another member of the Rheostatics.

What's the Word? Monkeybird

We complete this winning trifecta with of course the CD, full of engaging songs that accompany the narrative.

The Band: David Bidini, Kevin Hearn, Don Kerr, Martin Tielli, Tim Vesely
Produced Mixed, Aided and Abetted by: Michael Philip Wojewoda.

Additionally many other musicians made contributions on this record including the likes of Gord Downie (wrote lyrics to  Father's Sad Song) , Ben Gunning, Sarah Harmer, and Kurt Swinghammer to name a few.

Spoiler alert: There will no spoiler alert because I'm not going to give the story away, except to say it is about Bug and Dot, a brother and sister who get lost and go on a magical adventure.



What I will divulge is that the music is very diverse, from sweet loving ballads to rock n roll to classically inspired music, folk music, marching band music, and just plain silly musical mayhem! I really think that behind the idea of selling swag to kids which is something all American's know and love this is a covert attempt to trick innocent kids to learn to love music at a very early age. You gotta get em' on board while they're young. Like the cigarette companies. I mean music is at least as addictive as nicotine, but actually great for your heart and soul and long term personal development.




Since the CD is such an elaborate creation I would definitely recommend the physical copy over the download, but usually the price for this is a little costly. I guess anyway you can get this would be a good thing. I don't know whether they only made a small number of these or its just that people don't want to part with them, because I also don't see many of these being sold.

But definitely The Story of Harmelodia is an album that will delight children, a great gift to give somebody you care about.

Wednesday is Best Friends Day!!! Kepi for Kids---ex-Groovie Ghoulie Zanes out Impressively

I didn't do a post on children's music last December for nieces birthday. She was just inducted in the National Honor Society and I'm proud of her achievement, so now is as good a time as any. So here is a fairly recent children's release from the former front man of the Groovie Ghoulies, Kepi. Of course adults are allowed to listen also.


If you thought was South Sudan is the newest nation, now we have Kepiland. Though it may not be the biggest country, and the World Bank and World Trade Organization might find the economics a bit unusual (the money is love, the money is hugs, you get paid in high-fives), it seems to be a fun place for Kids.

If you don't know who Kepi is, pick up some Groovie Ghoulies now. Halloween is almost upon us and they embodied Halloween  as well as about any rock group I know. You know, Ramones with monsters and UFOs. But this is his first venture in the world of childrens music. And I really like this as an album for kiddies.

I think that children's music is akin to kids movies. Kids want to see a movie that's interesting, but ultimately its parents that buy the tickets. So its a plus if Brad Pitt is the voice of the surfer penguin, or Britney Spears is the dyslexic wallaby. Kids could care less about this marketing tactic--the sad effect of this is probably never going to be another Mel Blanc. And its an easy paycheck for the actors. So anyway, on some level you want to take your kid to a movie, but you need a hook.

That can be evident in shopping for kids music. You want your kids to be exposed to music, and to develop an appreciation for the art form. There is a tendency to project your tastes onto your kids. But kids are kids, and you don't want them to grow up too fast.

I'm happy to say that Kepi successfully walks the tightrope between hipsterdom and honestly making a kids album. Because the emphasis of the music is that it really is for kids. Its a pretty sweet album that would be okay for toddlers even. If you are familiar with the Groovie Ghoulies, you know that he has a great ear for a hook. And the songs are goofy, touching, and have elements of wisdom, while hearkening back to his music for older folks. To put it succinctly, its a sweet little album, and not too long for the short attention spans of youngsters.

So you have tunes for kids like I Can Talk to the Animals, and the Country stomp of Thunder & Lightning. I can definitely see kids jumping up and down to the song Spazz Out! or Do the Kangaroo!

As far as adults go he does a reprise of the classic tune The Beast with 5 Hands, which is actually a bit of a love song to a girlfriend. He also sings the tune Dee Dee Taught Me How to Count which reference I'm sure needs no explanation. I picked up a Ramones for Kids record, which was okay, but I felt leaned a little to far toward adults rather than the actual target audience.

A Little Bit Weird is a nice song which preaches against conformity, that its okay to be yourself because everybody is different in their own ways. Thunder and Lightning is a song about not being afraid of bad weather. I really like the song Moonbeam--its basically lullaby in the style of Buddy Holly a great song.



In my estimation the hit single though is Days That End in Y, an extremely hook laden kiddie masterpiece. Basically a Friday I'm in Love for the little ones.

And of course there is the Kepi artwork which only adds to the quality of the release. This is a pretty good little kids records that I would definitely recommend.

Here's the Groovie Ghoulie version of The Beast with 5 Hands!