June 22, 2009 By

The Jellydots

I have a confession to make. I enjoy a pretty wide swath of musical genres. With few exceptions, I enjoy pretty much anything, and my music library is reflective of that fact. That’s why I was shocked at my overwhelming desire to drive into a bridge abutment when I heard “The Wheels On The Bus” one too many times. It was clear that I had to find kid-friendly music that even a Gen-Xer would love.

While music surfing, I came across the Austin, Texas-based band, The Jellydots. The Jellydots have released two albums “Hey You Kids” (2006) and “Changing Skies” (2007) with a third “Jelly Jukebox” to be released in 2009. The Jellydots material is a range of power pop to standard rock, with a helping of lilting lullaby for good measure.

Their rendition of “Three is a Magic Number” the ditty made famous as part of the Schoolhouse Rock Franchise is their only cover tune. With the incorporation of a strong electric guitar, The Jellydots make it their own. Their lead singer, Doug Snyder plows through the song and it is truly, a fun and blissfully happy tune. It is a special one for me, as I downloaded it prior to going to China to adopt Spicy Girl, and it became a bit of a theme song for the moment.

Vocally, Snyder has a lovely voice and, as a band, the Jellydots have a great range for creativity, especially as it pertains to lyrics. Depending on what mood they are going for, their lyrics can be either playful or touching. In the tune, “My Blanket” a classical guitar with lovely string and fretwork compliments the airy lyrics, “I wish you could be my blanket and follow me to sleep.” For something a bit more poppy, “Bicycle” is a monster of fast-paced pop pleasure, “When I was 9 years old, I had my bicycle; now that I’m 31, I think it’s just as fun.”

From the “Changing Skies” album, the song “Beautiful as You” is an outpouring of love for a new child. It is touching but not schmaltzy—mostly due to the combination of from- the-heart-lyrics with solid “musicianship”. Musicianship, not a word you hear to describe many of our American Idol finalists, but just right for the Jellydots—musicians who make great music for kids and parents alike.

Both of their CD’s are filled with songs that you won’t mind playing again, and again, and again. Like only a kid can demand.

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About Laura

If you had told Laura that she would become a first time mom at 41, say back in her "spirited 20s", she would have said "That sounds about right.  I've got too much to do until then."  Well, she didn't really, and it wasn't exactly by choice. Seven years of fertility treatments later, it all seemed to make sense.  And with the words, "let's adopt," the adventure really began.  When her daughter ("Spicy Girl" b.2007) was placed in her arms at 11 months old, in a city half-way around the world, the idea of motherhood became the reality of "what the hell am I doing?"  All at once, life at home became a constant sociological experiment of nature vs. nurture.  "Honestly, honey, I didn't teach her how to do a forward roll at 20 months ... I couldn't do one when I was 20 years old.  It must be her hard-wiring." In her daytime away from mom-hood, she works as a higher education administrator where she does her best not to parent 18 to 22 year-olds.
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