Child Inside (From Singing Nursery Rhymes To Sing Alongs)
Over the years mainstream music has gotten watered down, but some has slipped it's way through the cracks especially the two huge punk and pop-punk explosions of the mid 90's and early 2000's. With the commercial & mainstream success of anything comes the price of our children to pay, good or bad.
WARNING
I try to stay away from songs that have profanity have a strong sexual overtone, promote a fuck ton of violence or at the very least is edited. (You'll be getting A LOT of calls from the daycare/school).
That doesn't mean: "Go buy the complete re-fucked for your kid's stupidity Kidz Bop or religious variation of a band's music", this just means, use some common fuck sense.
With all of that said, here are a few cool ways, to get your little bundles of pent up anarchy into listening to the "hard stuff."
1. Rockabye Baby!
I guess the best place to start would be from when your child is a newborn. Rockabye Baby is a band/ company that takes popular bands and turns their songs into orchestrated lullabies. Changing everything from the older era of The Beatles, The Smiths, and The Ramones, to Queen and Guns and Roses and Metallica. Also gaining rights to more modern music like Kanye West, Taylor Swift, blink-182, MCR and Green Day.
Welcome To Paradise- Green Day
2.) Sesame Street
Always packed throughout the years with guests is Sesame Street, or more popularly known as "The Muppets". Although I was never truly fond of Sesame Street, Rolf, not (rolling on the floor) but the character Rolf the piano playing dog was awesome.
From late greats to up and coming artists just cracking through their shell, Sesame Street has always had cool adaptations to songs, even Jason Mraz' song "I'm Yours" turned into a complete new Sesame Street friendly rendition of "Outdoors".
Now I know what I said at the beginning of this, but use some fucking common sense, Kidz Bop and religious groups ruining the artists work by rewriting the song is different than the actual artist doing it their self on live TV. (Artistic License)
Here's Weezer with Sesame Street.
Keep Fishin' Weezer
3.) Little Einsteins
My daughter currently LOVES this show. We know when we're late for daycare when this show is almost over. Disney gets it right sometimes, and they got it right with this show, it's super educational, and you will thank yourself if you are a musician or artist and wish for your kid to persue.
The show follows 4 children as they try to figure out a task and go somewhere while doing so there is always a piece of art by an actual artist in history, they always end up going to an actual city in the world, and they always end up having to use a piece of classical music by a famous composer throughout history in some way or another. It's not exactly punk rock but it's an amazing stepping stone for your child's intelligence, and musical chops.
4.) Pancake Mountain
Pancake Mountain is a cable access TV show based out of Washington DC that I found on YouTube created by Scott Stuckey. It's a sketch comedy puppet show following Rufus, the lamb. Many of Pancakes early skits were partially written by Fugazi frontman Ian MacKaye which integrated a lot of punk and pop-punk's musical talent such as Fat Mike (NOFX), Henry Rollins, Juliette Lewis, Kings of Leon, The White Stripes, The Melvins, Katy Perry, Bright Eyes, and even their theme song was done by Anti-Flag.
Anti-Flag (THEME SONG)
Katy Perry
5.) Kids Toys (Musicians Playing Them)
This one is awesome.Musicians playing metal/punk songs on kids intended toys...you'll see fuckers...
Zakk Wylde Hello Kitty
Twenty One Pilots Toy Piano
6.) Disney/Cartoon Covers
If you can find a punk version of your kid's favorite cartoon, you are fucking set. Especially if it's a song that is already stapled into your brain but would sound better with a breakdown, the bridges added a harmony guitar, and 4-5 words of the choruses screamed out. Anyway, here's some of my favorite picks.
Can You Feel The Love Tonight- The Spacepimps
Jimmy Neutron Theme (Bowling For Soup)
Scooby Doo Theme (MxPx Cover)
7.) Frozen Cover Songs
Let me be clear first off, Frozen songs are a completely different entity than Disney any other Disney or cartoon covers. With that said, if you have any butt-hurt-ness, or reply, refer to #6.
Kimmi Smiles
8.) Yo Gabba-Gabba
This show ran on Nickelodeon. And you say "wait, a mainstream show not another one of those fucking things!?" and yes, it's another puppet show. BUT WAIT!?...It's written and produced by the guys from the Aquabats. That's fucking right, the Aquabats. That band kiddies, Travis Barker's first mainstream success as a drummer, next to blink-182. After Scott left Blink, Travis took the throne and the rest is history. The Aquabats, however had an uphill battle from member changes to quarrels to fight their way back up to earn their spot. Ultimately ending in a primetime spot on cable TV. Bands like MGMT, Taking Back Sunday, The Aquabats, DeVo, and The Flaming Lips appearing on the show with colorful characters, but I won't take away from that, you be the judge...
Taking Back Sunday
The Aquabats
9.) Punk Goes....(Popular)
Insert your favorite popular song at the time and the Puke...sorry "Punk Goes" Series follows it. Sometimes they Really get it, like they did in the Classic Rock album, other times in almost all of the Punk goes Crunk, and Punk Goes Pop series', it's been a complete piece of fuck and back...please enjoy or cringe...
Mayday Parade- Somebody That I Used To Know
No Bragging Rights- Living on a Prayer- Bon Jovi
10.) Yourself
When it comes down to it, you are the one that knows what your kid is into, use it to your advantage. My daughter got into Panic! At The Disco all on her own and The Beatles all because of songs I play in the car or around the house. Don't force it on them, good music sticks, and it will hold it's weight in time over all the shitty stuff.
