Recently in Cd's Category
The new record Sundays at the Rocket Park has been out for about 3 weeks now and I wanted to share some of the fantastical reviews that have come out and thank some of the special sites and shows that have been featuring it.
First of all, here's a brief excerpt from the OWTK feature:
Todd McHatton isn't a name ever mentioned when discussing the best working songwriters for kids. I kinda think it should be. What the California native accomplishes with "Sundays at the Rocket Park" (and previously with his outstanding, free Christmas Songs EP) is rather remarkable; an entire full-length kiddie album easily capable of passing for a dense, moody, very hip indie rock CD - the kind of disc Stereogum or Pitchfork might gush over.
Please go here now and check out this awesome site and read the review in it's entirety.
Pied Piper Radio said:
Todd McHatton's most recent album, Sundays at the Rocket Park, is our pick of the week! Lightly psychedelic pop, sprinkled with well measured doses of glam rock and power pop, inspired by, and made for his family. Log in here to listen to the entire feature/interview.
Chris Ballew - the awesome force behind The Presidents of the United States of America and Caspar Babypants said this about the new album: "This new Todd McHatton album is trippy fantastical brilliant and expansive...like lost b-sides to a "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" single...this sounds like the inside of a child's fertile mind." And then he wrapped it up with... "Cheers and congratulations on a truly killer album!" Check out his awesome Caspar Babypants project here!
And thanks to our hometown internet radio show, Radio Ojai who called Sundays at the Rocket Park: "A wildly entertaining mix of pschedelic, family-friendly pop songs."
Please go over to these amazing radio shows and thank them for playing all the Todd McHatton tunes for me... and let them know you want to here more!
Spare the Rock Spoil the Child
The Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl
Ages 3 and Up
Thank you again and please, tell your friends to go get Sundays at the Rocket Park.
Get the download version here.
Get the shiny new disc here.
(and don't forget to leave some nice reviews on iTunes and Amazon for me too!)
First of all, here's a brief excerpt from the OWTK feature:
Todd McHatton isn't a name ever mentioned when discussing the best working songwriters for kids. I kinda think it should be. What the California native accomplishes with "Sundays at the Rocket Park" (and previously with his outstanding, free Christmas Songs EP) is rather remarkable; an entire full-length kiddie album easily capable of passing for a dense, moody, very hip indie rock CD - the kind of disc Stereogum or Pitchfork might gush over.
Please go here now and check out this awesome site and read the review in it's entirety.
Pied Piper Radio said:
Todd McHatton's most recent album, Sundays at the Rocket Park, is our pick of the week! Lightly psychedelic pop, sprinkled with well measured doses of glam rock and power pop, inspired by, and made for his family. Log in here to listen to the entire feature/interview.
Chris Ballew - the awesome force behind The Presidents of the United States of America and Caspar Babypants said this about the new album: "This new Todd McHatton album is trippy fantastical brilliant and expansive...like lost b-sides to a "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" single...this sounds like the inside of a child's fertile mind." And then he wrapped it up with... "Cheers and congratulations on a truly killer album!" Check out his awesome Caspar Babypants project here!
And thanks to our hometown internet radio show, Radio Ojai who called Sundays at the Rocket Park: "A wildly entertaining mix of pschedelic, family-friendly pop songs."
Please go over to these amazing radio shows and thank them for playing all the Todd McHatton tunes for me... and let them know you want to here more!
Spare the Rock Spoil the Child
The Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl
Ages 3 and Up
Thank you again and please, tell your friends to go get Sundays at the Rocket Park.
Get the download version here.
Get the shiny new disc here.
(and don't forget to leave some nice reviews on iTunes and Amazon for me too!)
Sundays at the Rocket Park (bonus track).mp3
It looks like we can finally start the countdown to the new album release. It takes so much time getting everything together but it looks like we're finally on our way. I let myself get a little distracted with the saz this morning and put this together as a possible "bonus track" and, as usual, if you're visiting here you know you're getting everything before the "official" version comes out (usually it's a little, sometimes a lot, rougher version- but hey, it's free!).
Stay tuned for the release date and more tracks from upcoming releases.
It looks like we can finally start the countdown to the new album release. It takes so much time getting everything together but it looks like we're finally on our way. I let myself get a little distracted with the saz this morning and put this together as a possible "bonus track" and, as usual, if you're visiting here you know you're getting everything before the "official" version comes out (usually it's a little, sometimes a lot, rougher version- but hey, it's free!).Stay tuned for the release date and more tracks from upcoming releases.
A Plate Of Cookies (Yes We Believe).mp3
Introducing my new holiday collection:
"Todd McHatton Christmas Songs"! (catchy title huh)
You can download the entire thing for free right here, right now (my gift to you), and start getting your Christmas rocking on. Or you can get started with the little tune right there above my head. There is a limited number of actual physical copies available. If you want one of those you'll have to drop me an email me using that little link up there in the right hand corner. I require nickels... Nickels, nickels, nickels! That beautiful sound of plinking nickels!" (approximately 100 of them) "All I want is what I have coming to me; All I want is my fair share." And if it wouldn't be too much, I'd like to get something for you Clark. Something really nice."
Happy Holidays to all of you and thank you for a fantastic year. I look forward to sharing my new full length cd "Sundays At The Rocket Park" with you in the new year as well as a new collection of comics and the epic concept album "The Green Thing."
Merry Christmas!
"Todd McHatton Christmas Songs"! (catchy title huh)
You can download the entire thing for free right here, right now (my gift to you), and start getting your Christmas rocking on. Or you can get started with the little tune right there above my head. There is a limited number of actual physical copies available. If you want one of those you'll have to drop me an email me using that little link up there in the right hand corner. I require nickels... Nickels, nickels, nickels! That beautiful sound of plinking nickels!" (approximately 100 of them) "All I want is what I have coming to me; All I want is my fair share." And if it wouldn't be too much, I'd like to get something for you Clark. Something really nice."
Happy Holidays to all of you and thank you for a fantastic year. I look forward to sharing my new full length cd "Sundays At The Rocket Park" with you in the new year as well as a new collection of comics and the epic concept album "The Green Thing."
Merry Christmas!
Who Needs Sleep.mp3
It's a brand new tune! And it will be featured on my upcoming new cd entitled "Sundays At The Rocket Park"...yay! It's also featured on Song Fight this week so give it a listen and, if you like it best, go over there and give it a vote for me!
Who Needs Sleep?
Had to be done - No way around it - Celia Sheep had to be counted - Who needs sleep? - Celia Sheep says I do - Getting paid in z's doesn't cover expenses - Spendin' her nights jumpin' over the fences - Who needs sleep? - Celia Sheep says I do - Uh eh oh - Uh eh oh - Chicka - Chicka - It shouldn't be so hard - Getting to sleep - While you're lying in a lump - They're lining up - To get you into a dream - It shouldn't be so hard - Getting to sleep - While you're lying in a lump - They're lining up - To get you into a dream - While these little white clouds are floatin' over the fence posts - You're lying in bed - Cozy on your pillows - Who needs sleep? - Celia Sheep says I do - Who needs sleep? - Celia Sheep says I do - Uh eh oh - Uh eh oh - Chicka - Chicka - It shouldn't be so hard - Getting to sleep - While you're lying in a lump - They're lining up - To get you into a dream - It shouldn't be so hard - Getting to sleep - While you're lying in a lump - They're lining up - To get you into a dream - Who a who a who who needs sleep - Ba ba ba - Had to be a way - And Celia found it - She dreamed up somethin' else for the people to count and - Now who gets to sleep? - Celia Sheep says - We do - We do - We do - We do
It's a brand new tune! And it will be featured on my upcoming new cd entitled "Sundays At The Rocket Park"...yay! It's also featured on Song Fight this week so give it a listen and, if you like it best, go over there and give it a vote for me!
Who Needs Sleep?
Had to be done - No way around it - Celia Sheep had to be counted - Who needs sleep? - Celia Sheep says I do - Getting paid in z's doesn't cover expenses - Spendin' her nights jumpin' over the fences - Who needs sleep? - Celia Sheep says I do - Uh eh oh - Uh eh oh - Chicka - Chicka - It shouldn't be so hard - Getting to sleep - While you're lying in a lump - They're lining up - To get you into a dream - It shouldn't be so hard - Getting to sleep - While you're lying in a lump - They're lining up - To get you into a dream - While these little white clouds are floatin' over the fence posts - You're lying in bed - Cozy on your pillows - Who needs sleep? - Celia Sheep says I do - Who needs sleep? - Celia Sheep says I do - Uh eh oh - Uh eh oh - Chicka - Chicka - It shouldn't be so hard - Getting to sleep - While you're lying in a lump - They're lining up - To get you into a dream - It shouldn't be so hard - Getting to sleep - While you're lying in a lump - They're lining up - To get you into a dream - Who a who a who who needs sleep - Ba ba ba - Had to be a way - And Celia found it - She dreamed up somethin' else for the people to count and - Now who gets to sleep? - Celia Sheep says - We do - We do - We do - We do
Cereal Guy.mp3
Cereal Guy
When I wake up in the
morning, I have only one goal, And that is to get to my cereal bowl. I start with the classics, The crunches and puffs, And when I have munched up All of that stuff, I move on to granolas, And then to oatmeals, Till my head starts to spinning, And I'm feeling surreal. I chew through the boxes,
Never stopping to rest,
Always in hope of completing my quest,
Hoping that someday, When the sun starts to rise,
I'll pour into my bowl A half decent prize.
So that's a brand new one from the upcoming "Grass Stained Twilight: Volume 2" CD, with more to follow in the coming months... final release date mid 2010.
We've also been hard at work on "The Green Thing" with five brand new songs in the mixing stages. Release date should be as advertised in early 2010. Would someone please tell Hayao Miyazaki that we'd like him and John Lasseter to produce and direct the film.
And, still to come this year... another CD of favorites from this site (and a few new ones) as well as a Christmas record!
Just a brief note about the passing of the amazing Les Paul...
I once had the extreme pleasure of sitting down to a conversation with Les Paul, the man who pioneered and invented everything from multi-track recording to the electric guitar. In the room with us that night were Jerry Cantrell from Alice In Chains, Billy Sheehan from David Lee Roth's band, and Rick Nielsen from Cheap Trick. Everyone sat completely glued to the man who had essentialy given them their reason for being. I was living on the beach in Oxnard at the time and he told me how he and Bing Crosby had been driving up the coast to an event many, many years ago. He pointed out how the drive took much longer in those days and how they had made it to Oxnard when Bing realized he had to use the restroom. There was nothing in Oxnard at the time so they drove up to a house in a residential area, knocked on the door, and the two living legends gave the occupants the surprise of their life. My re-telling of this story fails in communicating the warmth and humor that left everyone laughing and hanging on his every word. It's not just what you do, it's how you do it. Les continued to surprise all of us that evening with his amazing energy, his incredible joy for life, and his beautiful guitar playing. His legacy will continue to give all of us new joys and surprises for years and generations to come. I will use the tools he gave me with great joy and respect for the rest of my life.
Cereal GuyWhen I wake up in the
morning, I have only one goal, And that is to get to my cereal bowl. I start with the classics, The crunches and puffs, And when I have munched up All of that stuff, I move on to granolas, And then to oatmeals, Till my head starts to spinning, And I'm feeling surreal. I chew through the boxes,
Never stopping to rest,
Always in hope of completing my quest,
Hoping that someday, When the sun starts to rise,
I'll pour into my bowl A half decent prize.
So that's a brand new one from the upcoming "Grass Stained Twilight: Volume 2" CD, with more to follow in the coming months... final release date mid 2010.
We've also been hard at work on "The Green Thing" with five brand new songs in the mixing stages. Release date should be as advertised in early 2010. Would someone please tell Hayao Miyazaki that we'd like him and John Lasseter to produce and direct the film.
And, still to come this year... another CD of favorites from this site (and a few new ones) as well as a Christmas record!
Just a brief note about the passing of the amazing Les Paul...
I once had the extreme pleasure of sitting down to a conversation with Les Paul, the man who pioneered and invented everything from multi-track recording to the electric guitar. In the room with us that night were Jerry Cantrell from Alice In Chains, Billy Sheehan from David Lee Roth's band, and Rick Nielsen from Cheap Trick. Everyone sat completely glued to the man who had essentialy given them their reason for being. I was living on the beach in Oxnard at the time and he told me how he and Bing Crosby had been driving up the coast to an event many, many years ago. He pointed out how the drive took much longer in those days and how they had made it to Oxnard when Bing realized he had to use the restroom. There was nothing in Oxnard at the time so they drove up to a house in a residential area, knocked on the door, and the two living legends gave the occupants the surprise of their life. My re-telling of this story fails in communicating the warmth and humor that left everyone laughing and hanging on his every word. It's not just what you do, it's how you do it. Les continued to surprise all of us that evening with his amazing energy, his incredible joy for life, and his beautiful guitar playing. His legacy will continue to give all of us new joys and surprises for years and generations to come. I will use the tools he gave me with great joy and respect for the rest of my life.
They Meet.mp3
A Brand New Song of the Week! And it's live and unplugged!
Good news for all you folks in Ojai who haven't picked up your copy of "Grass Stained Twilight" yet... We've just added two more stores: Serendipity Toys, without a doubt one of the greatest toy stores ever -and- Bhavantu, Catherine Nations wonderful clothing store with shoes, books, jewelry, yoga, and more.
Thank You!
Good news for all you folks in Ojai who haven't picked up your copy of "Grass Stained Twilight" yet... We've just added two more stores: Serendipity Toys, without a doubt one of the greatest toy stores ever -and- Bhavantu, Catherine Nations wonderful clothing store with shoes, books, jewelry, yoga, and more.
Thank You!
Call Me They.mp3The "Call Me They" single from The Green Thing is available now! Get it here! The CD won't be available until 2010, but you can download select upcoming singles as they're released over the coming months.
Check out the new music page where you can listen to all the new songs from various upcoming projects in their entirety or, even better, make a donation, download them to our player, and take them with you wherever you go.
Hello everyone! I've finally finished my CD "Grass Stained Twilight"!As most of you know, over the course of the past couple of years I wrote and illustrated a book full of strange little poems, pictures, and songs - kind of in a Shel Silverstein meets the Beatles vein. Then, at the beginning of this year I started this little website on a dare from my brother in law Andy Baio over at Waxy.org, I started writing, recording, and posting a new "Song of the Week" every week (little did I know at the time that there was a long running tradition doing just that over at Song Fight that I would soon join) (Oh, and by the way, Hollywood Wax won Song Fight again last week! Thank You!). I ended up liking all the new stuff coming out of this experiment so much that I ended up going back to the book and adding these new songs and pictures to it. Then, I went back, cleaned-up, and re-did some of the songs. I've learned a lot more about mixing and mastering, however, I make no claims that it has a traditional "professional" quality. I prefer the "home-spun" vibe anyway.
So, "Grass Stained Twilight" the album contains a collection of songs from the book and my own "Song Of the Week" experiment conducted right here over the course of 2008. It's got the "sunshine pop" sound and is meant as an all ages affair. I hope all of you like it. Your input has been invaluable to me. I'm having a great time here and look forward to many more exciting things in the new year.
Order the CD here, it's $9.99. It comes with a booklet featuring some illustrations from the "Grass Stained Twilight" book and it's wrapped in a paper bag, an idea I got from Empty House Cooperative.
Thank You!
Grass Stained Twilight - coming soon
