Recently in News 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!)
You've Got Something Here.mp3
Okay, so I've been holding out... I've got a lot of new songs that I have not been posting here. They're all being saved up for "The Green Thing" record which probably won't be released until next year now. We've got a lot to do with the brand new album "Sundays at the Rocket Park" coming out in 3 days!!! There's videos to make and much fun to be had but I just did this tune this morning and really liked it so thought I'd share. It may not make a lot of sense out of context as it's part of a larger story but I hope you enjoy it.
I want to give a huge thanks to Pied Piper Radio for pulling me out of my shell and getting me to do an interview for "Sundays at the Rocket Park" - you should be able to get it here any day now. I also want to thank The Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl, OWTK, and Zooglobble for previewing the album (and my tribute to Harry)...Thank You!
I want to give a huge thanks to Pied Piper Radio for pulling me out of my shell and getting me to do an interview for "Sundays at the Rocket Park" - you should be able to get it here any day now. I also want to thank The Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl, OWTK, and Zooglobble for previewing the album (and my tribute to Harry)...Thank You!
Hello everyone! Just a quick note to say I haven't forgotten about you. I have been working hard to get the new album ready and have even put together a few new random tracks as well.(Let's not spread these around guys. They're just intended as a couple of little lo-fi "one-offs".)
This one is a Joanna Newsom cover for a little "Gift Of Music" project...
The Sprout and the Bean.mp3
And, this one was a quick little ditty for my son who wanted a hard rock song to animate his "Cuddle Monster" band to...
Let's Cuddle.mp3
I am absolutely overwhelmed with gratitude for all the kind words and reviews from everyone for the "Christmas Songs" EP.
You who frequent this place already know how much Harry Nilsson means to me. To be featured on this beautiful site and receive all those over the top comments... well, it was just too much. I actually cried. Thank you.
I've also got to thank:
"The Art of Irreverence" - she said:
This is THE indie pop album of the season. It's been compared to The Flaming Lips and The Shins. In what world would you not want to obtain this EP immediately? You'll thank me later.
(yes, I'm still thanking you... thank you!)
Zooglobble for picking it as one of their top 8 Holiday Albums of the year (and for recently featuring our video for "Super Friend Vacation" from a couple of years ago).
Warren Truitt over at Kids Music That Rocks and About.com who writes some of my favorite reviews and who also featured my "Happy Vegan Thanksgiving" tune.
Spare The Rock Spoil The Child for playing one of the Christmas songs on their Holiday Show and for playing "It's A Breeze", the opener from "Grass Stained Twilight", on their first show of 2010. These are fantastic radio shows featured on 93.9 The River in Northampton, MA and 101.5 in Battleboro, VT.
OWTK (Out With The Kids) for featuring the Christmas EP and for the awesome tweets.
Nugget Island for the tweeting.
Almost There Radio for the play on their Chrismas Eve show.
My hometown radio station, Radio Ojai, for featuring the Christmas Record.
And one more thing,
One little dream I've had since I started posting here was to someday be part of a Scott Simon/Daniel Pinkwater conversation on NPR. I think I got something better though when Daniel Pinkwater played "A Pudgy Pig and a Fuzzy Peach" (again, from "Grass Stained Twilight") on his amazing Pinkwater Podcast. Thank You!
So, two more little dreams to go...
Looking forward to playing that musical guest set on Saturday Night Live with Paul McCartney and doing that soundtrack for the next Pixar film!
Thank you again everyone!
We've got a nice animated video and new song coming up shortly... stay tuned.
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
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!
Hit Record.mp3
Yeah, weird, right...
Yes, well it's back to business. Working on "The Green Thing" epic again and having a blast. But first!... it's off to New York we go for some fun & adventure! And then, it's back to business. But seriously, the coolest series of events unfolded with that project recently. First; ever since I started this little station over here on the internet I've wanted to be featured on Kids Music That Rocks - and guess what? It turns out that last week I was featured and didn't even know it! It was for the first song I've released from this little "The Green Thing" project. He gave it the title: "If The Flaming Lips Made a Kids Album"... Isn't that the coolest thing?! Now if that weren't enough, the #2 pick for his favorite album of 2008 emails me and tells me how much she digs "Call Me They". Her name is Nancy Falkow and her newest record is a collaboration with Fran King. It's called Sunflow (awesome video/song here). You've got to listen to this record. It's absolutely beautiful. If you like my music you're going to love this. They site Harry Nilsson and Paul McCartney as influences (which most of you know are my very favorites). She's toured with Daniel Lanois as a vocalist and he's worked with George Martin and opened for Tears For Fears.
This "Hit Record" song was my final contribution to the Nur Ein project/contest. The only specifications were that "Song must include at least one distinct change in musical genre." The overall consensus I think was that I changed genre's a lot but that it was from one Todd McHatton song to another Todd McHatton song, and so on. Needless to say, my ride ended at the final four. However, a most deserving artist took top honors. His name is Frankie Big Face and he too has some outstanding music.
And, one more thing, Grass Stained Twilight is now up on Bandcamp in it's entirety with pictures from the cd and everything... check it out.
Thank you all for the comments and emails. I really do enjoy the feedback.
Yeah, weird, right...Yes, well it's back to business. Working on "The Green Thing" epic again and having a blast. But first!... it's off to New York we go for some fun & adventure! And then, it's back to business. But seriously, the coolest series of events unfolded with that project recently. First; ever since I started this little station over here on the internet I've wanted to be featured on Kids Music That Rocks - and guess what? It turns out that last week I was featured and didn't even know it! It was for the first song I've released from this little "The Green Thing" project. He gave it the title: "If The Flaming Lips Made a Kids Album"... Isn't that the coolest thing?! Now if that weren't enough, the #2 pick for his favorite album of 2008 emails me and tells me how much she digs "Call Me They". Her name is Nancy Falkow and her newest record is a collaboration with Fran King. It's called Sunflow (awesome video/song here). You've got to listen to this record. It's absolutely beautiful. If you like my music you're going to love this. They site Harry Nilsson and Paul McCartney as influences (which most of you know are my very favorites). She's toured with Daniel Lanois as a vocalist and he's worked with George Martin and opened for Tears For Fears.
This "Hit Record" song was my final contribution to the Nur Ein project/contest. The only specifications were that "Song must include at least one distinct change in musical genre." The overall consensus I think was that I changed genre's a lot but that it was from one Todd McHatton song to another Todd McHatton song, and so on. Needless to say, my ride ended at the final four. However, a most deserving artist took top honors. His name is Frankie Big Face and he too has some outstanding music.
And, one more thing, Grass Stained Twilight is now up on Bandcamp in it's entirety with pictures from the cd and everything... check it out.
Thank you all for the comments and emails. I really do enjoy the feedback.
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.
