press/blog report - Trout Fishing in America

PRESS/BLOG REPORT
APRIL – AUGUST 2009
March 5, 2009
Staying In
Time Out New York Kids / Issue 41 : Mar 1–31, 2009
Trout Fishing in America interview and video
The Arkansas-based duo premiere their
new video and explain why they feel like
winners despite losing the Grammy.
By Raven Snook
Kindie rock may be a relatively new concept, but the two musicians behind Trout
Fishing in America have been playing for children—and adults—for more than
30 years. Down-home dads Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet boast eclectic musical
tastes and backgrounds (Grimwood played with the Houston Symphony
Orchestra and Idlet was a shaggy-haired rock & roller before they began
collaborating), and that comes through in their music, which is equal parts
country, folk, blues and rock. The band recently scored its fourth Grammy nod
for Best Musical Album for Children for 2008's Big Round World (they lost to
They Might Be Giants), and in April, they'll release their first CD–cum–picture
book, My Name Is Chicken Joe (Secret Mountain, $15; ages 4 to 8). The boys
were kind enough to invite Time Out Kids to premiere the video for the title
track (featuring Stéphane Jorisch's whimsical illustrations) and chat about their
three decades in the music biz.
You didn't start out playing for children.
How did you become known on the
kids' circuit?
Ezra: It was a slow evolution. We haven’t
totally stopped playing for adults, either.
People of all ages relate to our music. It's
just that when we play for adults, we rock
a little harder.
Keith: The first time we played for kids
was 1977 [two years before they officially
became a band]. A teacher we knew
wanted to show her students that music
came from real people, not boom boxes, so we went into the classroom and
played blues and folk and rock. We didn't play down to them or play one "kids'"
song. Early on we would separate our kids' and adults' shows, but as time
passed the lines began to blur. Now we've had as many as five generations of
the same family come out to see us together. The great-great-grandma was
actually our friend the teacher's grandmother-in-law.
What inspired you to release a picture book–CD?
Keith: We've wanted to do something like this for a long time. We even talked
about it back in the '80s! We could never quite figure out how to do it; it seemed
too complicated. Then our manager approached us last year with an offer.
Ezra: Reading has always been really important to us. We've read aloud to our
kids, and when we've been on tour driving long distances, we've read aloud to
each other.
Are the songs on My Name Is Chicken Joe taken from your previous
albums?
Keith: Yes. We've got so many songs that we knew would work [with
illustrations]. The cool thing is that all of the animals in the book are real.
Chicken Joe is one of my cats. We kept chickens for a bit, and we used to find
him sleeping in the chicken coop. That’s how he got his name.
Ezra: And Miss Kitty is Keith's mom’s dog.
Keith: I cracked up when she named her dog that. And King Kong is Ezra's son's
parakeet. So much of what we write is based on real life. That's one of the
reasons why people relate to our songs.
How old are your kids?
Keith: My son Kevin is 26. He provided a lot of artistic inspiration. I just walked
around behind him and took notes for 15 years.
Ezra: I have two children: My daughter’s 22 and just graduated from college
with an art degree, and my son is 19 and plays basketball at Tulsa University.
Just last month, you lost out on a Grammy for the fourth time. How much of
a bummer was that?
Ezra: There are lots of responses to that. But frankly, we had a great time out
there [in Los Angeles]. The concerts were wonderful! You know, we've been
nominated in the same category four times. That's no accident. There are
hundreds of people who throw their stuff into the hat. So our nominations are a
big deal. The party was hysterically fun. We met Brenda Lee, that was pretty
cool, and hung out with friends and had a great time.
Keith: My take on it: The Buffalo Bills went to four straight Super Bowls and lost
all of them, but hey, at least they got there.
My Name Is Chicken Joe comes out Apr 7. For tour dates, visit troutmusic.com.
Trout Fishing music duo pens children's book
May 22, 2009
SYNDICATED
By Chuck Bartels
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Trout Fishing in America, the
musical duo known for its family-oriented songs,
has found a new way to add color to the vivid
images in its songs: publishing a children's book.
"My Name is Chicken Joe" (36 pages, $16.95,
Secret Mountain) is an illustrated version of one of
the band's songs, an exploration of how names
don't always reveal what a child expects. Chicken
Joe happens to be a cat. Miss Kitty a dog, and King
Kong a parakeet.
"Interestingly, all the characters in the book are real animals," said
guitarist Ezra Idlet, who with bassist Keith Grimwood, constitutes Trout
Fishing in America, a four-time Grammy nominee.
"Miss Kitty is my mom's dog. Chicken Joe is actually Keith Grimwood's
cat, who was named Chicken Joe because he actually slept in the hen
house when it got cold, because it was warm."
The book, illustrated by Stephanie Jorisch, includes a music CD with 11
previously released songs and printed lyrics for the songs.
Idlet and Grimwood have been playing together for more than three
decades, pulling off the tricky feat of making their songs entertaining for
both adults and children. Part of this success is their expert
musicianship, but it's also the lyrics that can be enjoyed at two levels.
The song, "It's a Puzzle," also the title of a Trout album, is part of the
compilation. It includes the line, "Isn't it a puzzle that an is'll be a was?"
The wordplay is enough to keep a young child engaged, while the tune
and rhythm can keep adults interested.
While "It's a Puzzle," ponders the concept of time, not all Trout Fishing
songs are that ethereal. Idlet recalled a more earthy topic from a
songwriting workshop.
"A kid wanted to write a song about boogers," Idlet said.
After he spoke up, the boy was waiting to be told to watch his mouth, but
Idlet said they instead went with the idea. The result was the song
"There's an Alien in my Nose."
In a similar vein a song that's included with the book, "Why I Pack My
Lunch," centers on the horrors of the school cafeteria. "The lunch bell
tolls, we go bravely to chicken knuckles with toxic gravy, cream of tea
bags, wombat pelt, lizard lips, what's that, smelt?"
Grimwood's wife, Beth, has a hand in the writing, and Idlet says she
shares the perspective on how to address children.
"We're real people," Idlet said. "We were both real kids and we raised real
kids. It's just natural, not a contrived thing. We don't start out by saying,
'How empathetic we can be?'"
The workshops have become a key career element for Idlet and
Grimwood. To spend a healthy amount of time at home in Arkansas, the
duo usually tours by playing three gigs and then heading home, Idlet
said. Workshops tend to be booked to coincide with their concerts.
Their repertoire includes shows for adults, for families, and shows geared
for children.
The band performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival this
spring, and a typical year takes them to venues that include nightclubs,
festivals, theaters and churches. Coming gigs include, appropriately, the
Craighead County Library in Jonesboro, Ark., on June 5-6. That's followed
by an Alaskan cruise June 21-28 and a July 10 show at the Rio Grande Zoo
in Albuquerque, N.M.
On July 16, the duo plays Madison Square Park in New York.
The workshops are for children from third to sixth grade, though they've
included older children. Idlet said he and Grimwood ask the youngsters
for ideas for a song, develop some phrasing and blend the words with a
guitar melody. The sessions often don't result in a song that's recorded,
but the point is to engage the children in generating a song while
allowing them freedom with their ideas.
The band fell into playing for young audiences long ago when in lean
times he and Idlet agreed to play any gig they were offered. They were
invited to play at a school, which ultimately set them on a fresh path.
CD/Book Review: My Name Is Chicken Joe
April 13, 2009
By Brad Moon
When National Public Radio refers to you as "the Lennon and McCartney
of kids' music," you've got a lot to live up to. Four time Grammynominated duo Trout Fishing in America (Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet)
rise to the challenge as the featured performers on My Name is Chicken
Joe, the latest kids' book/CD combo release by Canadian publisher, The
Secret Mountain.
My Name is Chicken Joe tells the story of a cat named Chicken Joe,
through the lyrics of Trout Fishing in America and the illustrations of
Stéphane Jorisch. It's an entertaining story set to catchy music I'd
describe as a folk/pop/country hybrid. The
final third of the hardcover book contains
single-page illustrations with the lyrics to each
of the remaining 10 songs, featuring titles like
"My Best Day," "I Can Dance" and, offering the
obligatory reference to eating boogers that's
guaranteed to get kids rolling around and
laughing, "Boiled Okra and Spinach." The
target age for the storybook is definitely the
early reader, or a child being read to, but the
inclusion of lyrics to all the songs raises the
appeal for more advanced readers. Like the best kids' music, Trout
Fishing in America's songs manage to appeal lyrically to children without
being condescending, while offering enough variety and musical prowess
to maintain the interest of adults. The song are catchy and diverse
enough in style to keep parents' fingers away from the CD player's eject
button on a road trip for the 33 minute duration of the disc.
My Name Is Chicken Joe is the latest in a series of popular Book/CD
releases from The Secret Mountain. Previous titles included Down at the
Sea Hotel, which featured roots music artists such as John Gorka, Eliza
Gilkyson and Guy Davis performing songs by Neil Young, Don Henley,
Tom Waits and Billy Joel.
Singing duo now writers with Chicken book, CD
BY JACK W. HILL
Posted on Sunday, May 17, 2009
Chances are unlikely that anyone will ever catch a trout in the Arkansas River. But
you can find Trout Fishing in America down by the river during Riverfest, as the
Northwest Arkansas-based duo will perform two out of three days of the festival's
schedule.
Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet, the duo who compose TFIA, will perform at 9:15
p.m. Friday and at 2 p.m. Saturday on the KidZone Stage. And they will arrive as not
just singersongwriter-performers, but also, for the first time, as published authors.
My Name Is Chicken Joe, a children's book that also contains a CD of 11 previously
released songs, came out April 7, published by Canadian publishing house The Secret
Mountain.
The songs include "My Best Day," "I Can Dance," "Something Sweet," "It's a Puzzle,"
"Fill It Up," "Why I Pack My Lunch," "La La Land," "Boiled Okra and Spinach," "Hard
Ball," "Count on Me" and "Chicken Joe." That last song lends its name to the book,
which includes drawings of a cat, chickens, a dog, a parakeet and a mule.
"It's been a long time in the works," says Grimwood, bassist in the duo. "We have
talked about it for years and it finally came together from playing a lot of Canadian
festivals. Through doing those, we met Roland Stringer of the company, who is
intrigued with the idea of blending our music and a book. He put us into contact with
the illustrator, a French-Canadian artist named Stephane Jorisch.
"Our songs kind of lend themselves to a story, and when I was a kid, I liked books
and I still do. I read constantly. We worked with Stephane, who would send us stuff
based on our songs, and we'd go back and forth until we would feel like, 'He's really
got it now.'"
On May 2, Grimwood and Idlet played Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville. That
was the first show on their 2009 tour at which they had the books available for sale.
"It was so cool to watch this kid who got one and then he was following along,
singing the lyrics, which are part of the book," Grimwood says. "While we're on the
road, we're at work writing the music for a musical at the Houston Main Street
Theater in Texas.
"Things are happening, all on the heels of a Grammy nomination we had earlier this
year and putting out our latest album, Big Round World, late last year. We've been
doing a lot of library shows, which is a special treat now that we're published
authors. We'll be at Jonesboro June 5-6, so we're hoping that soon, libraries
everywhere will want us."
Oh how we love Trout Fishing In America. They've been in the fabric of
Kids Corner and XPN for many years now with an endless string of hits &
classics like "The Window," "What I Want Is A Proper Cup of Coffee," &
"Alien In My Nose." We all know that Ezra and Keith are incredibly talented
however to top it all off they've just published their first book/CD called
My Name Is Chicken Joe featuring songs written by Trout with
illustrations by Stephane Jorisch. The storybook/CD comes out today.
My Name Is Chicken Joe
The Secret Mountain
thesecretmountain.com
SEPTEMBER 2009
You have to hand it to this Montreal-based company. Their ability to
speak to children in new ways boggles the adult mind. This delightful
book/CD combo lets you read a beautifully illustrated book to your
child, then bring the whimsical story to life with a highly animated, 11track CD. Here, Chicken Joe comes to life in the capable hands of
Trout Fishing In America — a Grammy-ready, acoustic, folk-rock duo
whose kid-friendly fare has captured big and little hearts over the
course of more than 12 releases. Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet add
fiddles and banjo to their guitars and exceptional vocals as they skip
through songs that satisfy every age group. From “My Best Day”
(sounding not unlike an up-tempo Paul Simon piece) to the reggaeesque “Hard Ball,” the duo covers a lot of kid-friendly territory. A
rocking “I Can Dance” picks up the tempo while songs like “Fill It Up”
propose deep thoughts like living on Ice Cream Street — and all its
probabilities. The beautiful “Count On Me” provides a weepy highlight.
The 48-page hardcover book features highly quirky illustrations by
award-winning artist Stéphane Jorisch, downloadable illustrations and
complete song lyrics. The whole enchilada.
— Eric Thom
SMALL PRINT
Kids' book picks
Jul 05, 2009
DEIRDRE BAKER
Montreal storybook and music CD publisher The Secret Mountain brings forth
tuneful silliness with My Name is Chicken Joe (48 pages, $22.95, ages 4 to 8),
with music and words by the duo Trout Fishing in America (Ezra Idlet and Keith
Grimwood) and illustrations by Stéphane Jorisch.
The book begins with an extended treatment of the ditty "Chicken Joe," each
verse on a new page illustrated with Jorisch's wacky, surrealistic take on the
content.
"I got a cat named Chicken Joe. He sleeps with the chickens when the weather
gets cold," is followed by a range of similarly unsuitably named pets – Miss Kitty
the dog, King Kong the parrot and Mister the mule. Jorisch's stringy, stylized
characters, cockeyed angles and deep colours suit the lyrics' playfulness
admirably.
"Chicken Joe" is followed by words to the rest of the eleven songs on the CD.
"Why I Pack My Lunch" could become a rousing anthem for day and summer
campers: "The lunch bell tolls, we go bravely / To chicken knuckles with toxic
gravy / Cream of tea bags, wombat pelt / Lizard lips, what's that, smelt?" Yum.
CD/Book Review: Trout Fishing in America,
“My Name Is Chicken Joe”
March 15, 2009
By Jeff Giles
Trout Fishing in America celebrates its 30th anniversary this year — and
the fact that you most likely didn’t know that, but have never heard a lick
of the roots duo’s music, explains why they won’t be commemorating the
occasion with a lavish boxed set, sold-out arena tour, or all-star tribute
record. They will, however, be taking a fond look back at some of the
most popular songs from their multiple forays into kids’ music with My
Name Is Chicken Joe, a beautifully made ersatz best-of that sets their
song “Chicken Joe” alongside some eye-catching illustrations from artist
Stéphane Jorisch to create a handsome, albeit plot-free, book to go along
with the 11-track CD. And if that isn’t enough to make you whip out your
wallet, there’s also a DVD containing a “Chicken Joe” music video of sorts.
If you’re a member of the Dirty Linen crowd, you’re no doubt already very
familiar with Trout Fishing in America, but if you aren’t yet among the
enlightened, My Name Is Chicken Joe functions as a perfect gateway into
their children’s music. Though it cherry-picks old favorites from the
catalog, Joe feels as cohesive as a really well-made new album. The songs
are all as wonderful as you’d expect from a band that’s earned four
Grammy nominations, all grounded solidly in deceptively simple folk
arrangements and topped off with gentle, positive messages about
kindness, personal identity, friendship, and family. (There are a couple of
detours into mildly negative territory with “Why I Pack My Lunch” and
“Boiled Okra and Spinach,” but they’re about having to choke down the
food your parents pick for you, and who can’t sympathize with that?)
A lot of kids’ records claim to contain music that parents can enjoy even
when their children aren’t around, but My Name Is Chicken Joe really is
that kind of album. Songs like “My Best Day,” “Something Sweet,” and
“Count on Me” are worth having in your collection no matter how old you
are. If you’re any kind of fan of roots music — and I’m talking strippeddown bluegrass stuff as well as AAA favorites like John Hiatt — or you
know kids who might be, purchase this set without fear the next time a
birthday or other special occasion rolls around.
Trout Fishing In America Brings Children’s Book To
Life With Music My Name Is Chicken Joe StorybookMusic Cd Set
March 20, 2009
By Maria Talalay
Ages - 2 to 100
Cautions - None
The Secret Mountain - April 7, 2009
I put the Cd in the player and barely had the
first track playing when my daughter ran in
from another room, asking who was playing
that music about the chicken. Trout Fishing
in America has always been a staple of
children’s music with their great acoustic
guitar and distinct voices, but they’ve set a
new bar by joining with the Secret Mountain
to create a beautiful book and CD set. The
illustrations and fun and whimsical and
perfectly accompany the 11 titles which
have been previously released. If you’re new
to Trout Fishing in America, this is a great
book/CD combo to start your collection.
My favorite line of the last track of the CD (Count on Me) is “So count to
ten if you’re angry, but count on me if you’re sad.” Thanks for setting the
bar just a little bit higher for family-friendly music.
Publisher’s Description
Four-time Grammy-nominated duo Trout Fishing in America bring the
children’s story My Name is Chicken Joe to life beginning April 7 when
the storybook-music CD combo is released via Canadian publishing house
The Secret Mountain. Trout Fishing in America have earned widespread
critical praise from USA Today, Billboard and The Los Angeles Times,
which touted the band as “Some of the most lyrically creative, musically
sophisticated, vocally muscular music-makers in the family music
business.” The duo formed by Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet was also
recently included in Performing Songwriter’s Top 100 Most Influential
Independent Performers of the Last 15 Years list. Trout Fishing in
America will be touring throughout the first half of 2009, please see
reverse for dates.
My Name is Chicken Joe features an album of 11 previously released
Trout Fishing in America songs inserted in the back cover of the book
including the title track. The innovative packaging, combining a
hardcover book with a CD, is ideal for young children. Featuring vivid
illustrations by accomplished French-Canadian artist Stéphane Jorisch, My
Name is Chicken Joe tells the whimsical story of a cat named Chicken Joe
and other fun, nonsensical animals. Trout Fishing in America’s
lighthearted folk provides a fitting soundtrack to the story. For more
information, please visit http://www.thesecretmountain.com/
April 6, 2009
My Name Is Chicken Joe Book & CD Review
In an exciting new partnership with Canadian book publisher
The Secret Mountain, legendary children's recording artists
Trout Fishing in America are set to release (on April 21st) a
new "Best Of" CD, comprised of 11 previously released tunes,
in conjunction with a hardcover kid's book titled My Name is
Chicken Joe.
With words by TFIA and playfully sophisticated illustrations by Stephane Jorisch,
My Name Is Chicken Joe tells the tale of animals who defy their rather peculiar
names. The book asks the question "What's in a name?" by introducing readers
to a dog named Miss Kitty, a mule named Mister, King Kong the bird and
Chicken Joe the cat, of course. The bigger lesson goes far beyond our given
moniker, what does it mean to be a "Jeff" anyway?, but rather, Chicken Joe
reminds us and our kids to challenge perception and resist stereotypes. It's not
quite "A Boy Named Sue". Trout Fishing manage to convey their point without
fisticuffs.
It won't surprise Trout Fishing fans that the title song (the lyrics of which
comprise the words to the book) features warm acoustic tones and a catchy
sing-a-long chorus. Chicken Joe could easily be added, into heavy rotation, on
any Adult Album Alternative radio station. It's one of my favorite songs of the
year so far. The other 10 songs aren't on the Chicken Joe topic but are equally
witty lyrically and pleasant musically. The book's characters are, however, tied to
the remainder of the music as Joe and the rest of the cast appear on what
amounts to liner notes on subsequent pages at the end of the book. Any excuse
to showcase more of Stephane Jorisch's work is fine by me!
While the story of Chicken Joe and the rest of the tunes, especially "Something
Sweet", "Why I Pack My Lunch" and "My Best Day", with it's "snowing whip cream
and raining chocolate" hook, are terrific, it's Jorisch's drawings that make My
Name Is Chicken Joe an outstanding effort. I cannot recommend picking up the
My Name Is Chicken Joe book & audio CD enough. Your family will love the
story, cherish the pictures and dance to the over-30 minutes of original upbeat
folk music included here.
My Name is Chicken Joe: Songs by Trout Fishing in America
April 25, 2009
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 36 pages
Publisher: Secret Mountain; Har/Com edition (April 25, 2009)
What to expect: Animals, Music
My Name is Chicken Joe is not only a fun and
nicely illustrated book, it's a kids music CD with
11 audio recordings that parents will be happy to
play over-and-over again. Trout Fishing in America
has been nominated for three Grammy Awards,
along with many other awards like Parents Choice
Gold and American Library Awards -- it will only
take listening to one of their songs to understand
why. The duo that make up the band are Ezra
Idlet and Keith Grimwood, their sound is
lighthearted folk. NPR said -- "Grimwood and Idlet
are the Lennon and McCartney of kids' music." I
agree, but they could also be tagged as the Dave
Matthews Band of kids' music.
The book covers the story of the first track on the CD, which makes for a fun
read-a-long. Chicken Joe is not a chicken as you may believe from the title. He is
in fact a cat. The message of this lively tale (and the chorus of the song):
What's in a name? Call it what you will but it still won't change. Call it
anything you want but it's still the same. What's in a name?
At the end of the book the lyrics to the other 10 fabulous songs are included -one song to each double page spread, allowing for the illustrations to breath
extra life to the words. This is a great book to allow for an interactive
experience. Reading at least one book a day is so important for children,
combining a musical element just adds to the fun. The CD alone will certainly be
worth every penny you spend -- perfect for the playroom and car trips!
My Name Is Chicken Joe (Book/CD Set)
Madelyn turned 3 this weekend and her favorite gifts were
books. She loves books. One of her favorite books right
now is My Name is Chicken Joe. We read it every night.
The story is about a cat named Chicken Joe and other
animals whose names don't quite fit. Featuring whimsical
illustrations and an easy to remember 'chorus', it's nearly
impossible for me to not to start singing the story.
My Name is Chicken Joe is a book/cd set and is a fun book for beginning
readers and equally as fun for toddlers being read to. Both of my kids
love the 11-song CD which I consider to be a mashup of folk, rock, and
country style music. This CD will be one that we listen to on our road
trips this summer. Trout Fishing in America has been nominated for four
Grammy Awards, Parents Choice Gold, American Library Awards, and
others. Trout Fishing in America have earned widespread critical praise
from USA Today, Billboard and The Los Angeles Times.
My
Name
is
Chicken Joe CD and Book
July 27, 2009
By Pam Tripp
I don't know how it is with your children, but my two –– boy and girl, currently 7
and 9 –– have reached the stage where Barney and the Wiggles are beginning to
fail as entertainment. They don't mind even Barney as background music, but
the songs aren't always catching their attention enough to stop them from
squabbling in the backseat (a point which is very important to me and my
sanity).
I've tried other music but it's either too old for them (Kidz Bop) or just not that
great. BUT THEN CAME My Name is Chicken Joe. Oh my gosh, something for the
whole family... real music! The instrumentals are tight and professional, and
whichever of the guys is singing, he/they has a marvelous voice. Best of all, the
songs are catchy and fun and as a result EVERYONE, including dad, likes this
album.
The My Name is Chicken Joe CD comes with a sturdy book. Or perhaps it's the
sturdy book that comes with the CD. In any case, it's a hard cover with thick
shiny pages filled with sunny artwork by Stephane Jorisch.
The first song/story is fully illustrated and tells the tales of critters that can't be
judged by their names. Chicken Joe, for example, is a cat; and King Kong is a
parakeet. Subsequent lyrics have an illustration but are mainly there so that kids
can read along and sing along with TFiA– which mine have certainly done. (TFiA
= Trout Fishing in America.)
I mentioned before that the melodies were catchy. Certainly something that's a
must-have for kids. The other thing that the songs have are clever lyrics, themes
that children can relate to, such as "Why I Pack My Lunch" (“The lunch bell tolls,
we go bravely, To chicken knuckles with toxic gravy, Cream of tea bags, wombat
pelt...”) and “Fill It Up” (about filling up an ice cream cone 'all the way to the
bottom').
Wrap-Up:::
Good music for adults and kids. Children younger than 5 will most likely like the
melodies, but might not get all the school references.
This CD and Book combination shut down all arguments and struggles in our
backseat and so gets my rave review. Dad and I like the word-play and the fact
that there are lessons tucked into the verses. We will definitely be checking out
other CD's by Trout Fishing in America. They are awesome.
My Name is Chicken Joe appealing to all ages
MUSIC
By DAVID REED
TROUT FISHING IN AMERICA -MY NAME IS CHICKEN JOE (Secret Mountain
Publishing, 2009)
Now here's something truly exciting. Family music that appeals to parents as
well as children. Raffiis considered by many to be the godfather of children's
music.
Canadian icons, the Rheostatics released a landmark children's album entitled
The Story of Harmelodia (1999) completed with a CD-sized storybook and lush
illustrations by guitarist Martin Tielli.
Trout Fishing In America has been carrying the torch for a few years now in the
world of family music.
With four Grammy nominations under its belt, the duo has just released My
Name is Chicken Joe. The innovative packaging includes a 48-page hardcover
book with lyrics for all 11 songs on the accompanying CD. The vivid illustrations
are provided by Governor-General Award winning artist Stephane Jorisch.
Trout Fishing in America is comprised of Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet, who
have often been referred to as "the Lennon and McCartney of kids music." The
music is sophisticated and the vocals have a warm troubadour feel of the classic
Raffi albums.
The title track takes up 24 pages of the book, telling the tale of a cat named
Chicken Joe, a dog named Miss Kitty, a parakeet named King Kong and a mule
named Mister. All four characters ponder the chorus of "what's in a name? Call it
what you want but it still won't change."
This sense of identity is both humourous and thought-provoking.
Boiled Okra and Spinach laments some of the foods that children don't like,
including the hilarious line "I'd rather eat boogers than black-eyed peas. I'll trade
it all for a hamburger or a pizza with double cheese."
Other highlights include Hard Ball, Fill It Up, Something Sweet, and I Can Dance.
Trout Fishing in America,
My Name is Chicken Joe
by Mike Ayers
Our Review
For families who have never heard the kids' music group Trout Fishing in America,
its newest album, My Name Is Chicken Joe, provides a great introduction to the
troupe's whismically folky, surprisingly sophisticated sound. And you’ll dig it too.
This collection rounds up 11 songs about terrible foods, bathing bugs, and junk
food — issues that are usually on little ones' minds. The hardback book that’s
packaged with the CD is a wonderfully illustrated depiction of the first track's
story, where Chicken Joe, a curiously named cat, prefers to sleep in a chicken
coop. The book probably appeals to a younger set — it’s a quick, haphazard tale
— but the songs shine with a refreshing classiness that won’t drive you bonkers
with repeated listening.