Caspar Babypants

posted by Jeff | Saturday, February 5, 2011, 11:07 PM | comments: 0

We took Simon to what I would call his first rock concert. Some local parenting group or something inconsequential to the story held some kind of thing with vendors and stuff, and Caspar Babypants was part of the free entertainment.

I think we first heard of him via Joe when investigating kids music before Simon was born, and eventually we bought all of his albums. Caspar Babypants is Chris Ballew, who most people know as the front man to the Presidents of the United States of America. You can Google the stories and press, but basically he decided at some point that he wanted to make kids music. And that's a good thing, because most kids music sucks. It's really terrible stuff. But his songs, many of which are about bugs and animals, are fun, clever, catchy and frankly even entertaining for grownups.

He has a band, and the three of them do an amazing job working the "baby mosh pit," as I like to call it. When we got there, about 30 minutes before the show, we crashed off to the side to feed Simon, and as it turns out he was signing autographs and talking to kids right behind us. He's so good with the kids. I don't know what his life was like with the Presidents, touring and what not, but I can only imagine that what he does now has to be satisfying in a completely different way.

I have to admit that I'm a little jealous. I don't think very many people get to do what they really like and be as thoroughly satisfied as he does. You can see it in his face when he performs. Like other artists that I have a deep respect for (Schuyler Fisk comes to mind), he hangs out at his shows, meets the fans (with his daughter) and sells his own CD's. I love that it's possible still to connect with people like that.

If you have young kids, definitely check him out. I think most of the albums are available via Amazon MP3. Support Caspar Babypants!


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