Do your kids keep busy with mind-expanding activity books? Mike Phirman feels their struggle and celebrates their experiences with his new five-song concept EP, Activity Books. The songs are all about, you guessed it, sundry large-format paperbacks that challenge kids’ brain processes—mazes, connect the dots, word searches, color by numbers, and what’s-wrong-with-this-picture activities.
The new children’s music label 8 Pound Gorilla Records is rolling out spring releases from its eclectic roster of performers. The SiriusXM Kids Place Live favorite, LA-based comedian/singer/songwriter/dishwasher/juggler Mike Phirman, fits their “sweet spot” of silly, sweet, and mildly educational (so parents can nod their heads and pat themselves on the back).
“Connect the Dots” opens the playlist with the reveal of a luggage dog (it gets explained if you don’t know what that is). “Color By Numbers” begins with a clangy, literal translation as a picture of a boxing ring is completed. “Word Search” features “Weird Al” Yankovic as “stuff that gets sucked up by a vacuum.” No, I’m not making that up. “What’s Wrong With This Picture” rolls along with a country music feel, as Mike sings “there’s a bell in the melon that I’m sellin’.” The EP closes with “Maze/Petting Zoo Bouncy House” with a GPS system that has a mind of its own on the way to the eponymous destination.
Activity Books is available from Mike Phirman’s website, Amazon, and Apple Music.
Here is the new video for the song “Color By Numbers/Bobbing and Weaving”:
Teenage pop singer Caroline has released a new tropical-inspired single called “Why Can’t You Be Mine?” If your preteen is starting to segue from Kidz Bop into bubblegum pop, she might be ready for Caroline, who just went through that awkward phase herself. Caroline fills her social media with daily livestreams and interactions with her youthful fan base. You can grab the song at Soundcloud, Spotify, and YouTube. Here is one of (many) videos for “Why Can’t You Be Mine?”:
