Parents’ Choice once called Suzi Shelton “the Beatles for the preschool set.” And what a great pivot that provides to “Magnolia Tree,” her brand new song and animated music video. If you’ve ever heard the phrase “a tree grows in Brooklyn,” then you know where Suzi found her inspiration – a beautiful, blooming tree that shades her stepdaughter Julia while she plays.
The weather outside is no longer frightful. Birds are flying back North. Grass is turning green. In-person schools are conducting outdoor learning in the open arms of Mother Nature. “Magnolia Tree” harkens back to 1970s “Magic Garden,” complete with whistling and a singalong chorus. And speaking of mothers, Suzi wrote “Magnolia Tree” with her son Sebastian and recorded the tune in his room (with virtual assistance from her bandmates guitarist Greg Mayo and drummer Dan Weiner):
Take my hand and come with me
Under my magnolia tree
We can jump and play and laugh all day
Just me and you
Your beauty blooms just once a year
The animated “Magnolia Tree” music video is a collaboration with Dallas-based artist Jackie Land and Venezuela-based illustrator and animator Alcides Urrutia (who previously collaborated with Latin Grammy winners 123 Andrés). You can watch the video for “Magnolia Tree” right here:
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Fun Fact: Ringo Starr was the first Beatle to release a solo album after the band’s breakup. He also segued from drummer to frontman with relative ease. The brainchild of a pair of drummers, Paper Bag Party is the Banana Splits for preteens. The cast of characters – Tibbs, MG, Grandpa, Darci, and Bagel – are all paper bags with different personalities. The episodes (available on Youtube) focus on taking selfies, online shopping, and lots of drum lessons, or at least as much as you can squeeze into one minute featuring a paper bag playing the drums. Here is a representative clip, where MG teaches “Drum Safety.” Stick around – it’s only one minute long! More videos can be found on Paper Bag Party’s YouTube page. Follow them on Instagram as well.
