There’s one lament that pretty much every parent shares: kids’ music bites the big one. It’s sappy; it’s musically condescending; it’s annoying. Now one set of parents is out to change that.
Chicago couple Joanna and Alessandro Quargnali-Linsley have invited musicians from various genres to record traditional children’s tunes for Toy Block Music. What separates these from “that one woman with a guitar” is the talented artists arranging them in their own style. The only requirement is that the songs were published before 1922, ensuring they’re in Public Domain and available without any copyright restrictions. This also allows for a glimpse into the past, since they’re researching the history of each song.
The musicians include two Grammy winners and artists from all over the country, and there are several from the Chicagoland area as well, including Anna Soltys, Monica DaSilva, David Kav, Stereo Sinai, and Jim Goodrich. Goodrich, who also runs the podcast With A Voice Like This, talked with Joanna about the genesis of the project and the benefiting charity that’s near and dear to her heart. Several of the musicians called in during the show and you can hear clips that will be on the upcoming EP. It’s set to release April 1, and after hearing the samples I can tell you, it doesn’t matter if you’ve got children or not, you’ll want to be among those who “Eats Paste”.
Click here to listen to the interview with Toy Block Music’s founder Joanna Quargnali-Linsley
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.