Under the Big Umbrella performed by Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could
“Different is beautiful, just like a rainbow, just like the colors that shine. Different is beautiful, just let your colors show. Yours go perfect with mine.”
– “Different is Beautiful” from Under the Big Umbrella
Brady Rymer’s 10th studio album with The Little Band That Could is filled with important messages for every listener that are inspired by those striving to create cultures of kindness in their families, schools, and communities. The opening, title track, “Under the Big Umbrella” was written for Lincoln Center’s inaugural Big Umbrella Festival, a celebration for children with autism and their families. The perfect way to kick-off the album, this song invites everyone to sing and dance however they want under the accepting protection of the big umbrella.
The upbeat, positive messages continue throughout the album in a collection of original and cover songs that encourage listeners to be kind to themselves and one another as well as to do good out in the world. In a departure from his kindie rock style, Rymer is joined by Sonia De Los Santos on a country-tinged bilingual version of the Woody Guthrie tune, “Don’t You Push Me Down,” while on his groovy take on “I’m Coming Out,” Rymer fills breaks in the song with children’s answers to the question, “What do you want the world to know?” Additional covers include Jimmy Cliff’s “You Can Get It If You Really Want,” and the Beatles “With a Little Help From My Friends.”
Children will enjoy the original songs just as much as the covers. From “You Do You” to “Thank You for Being You” the importance of being happy and confident in yourself is emphasized without ever becoming overly didactic or touchy-feely in sentiment. My personal favorite is “The Smile Shop.” I love the concept of a store that has aisles and aisles of smiles for every occasion – the school picture smile, the shy smile, the playing in the park smile. Backed by a rhythm that demands listeners clap along, this tune would be a perfect introduction to activities where children talk about, write about or draw those things in life that make them smile.
Rain or shine, families will find themselves right at home Under the Big Umbrella.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve reached my limit for the negativity and self-righteous snarkiness that I encounter online. So, this past weekend, I took a break from the internet. I decided no social media, no email, no surfing the web. I was going to dedicate myself to the beautiful weather and those people around me. And you know what? The weekend was lovely, peaceful and restorative. Just what I needed.
Moving now from the Motor City to southeastern Minnesota, here to entertain you is Louis and Dan & the Invisible Band. This duo of dads (who also happen to be professors) come to us from Northfield, MN. Their self-titled album crosses a variety of genres covering everything from rock n roll to country western. Topics vary from the clever imagining of what princesses do when they grow up to the very silly idea of underwear spaghetti. Grade school aged children will really enjoy the lyrical word play. Check Louis and Dan out at 
Heading back to the eastern Midwest, we come to Columbus, OH, the home of Jordan Lynch & Friends. Their debut album is a collection of fourteen covers that range from the traditional (“Skip to My Lou,” “She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain”) to the pop of “Rainbow Connection” to the less familiar, “The Wild Mountain Thyme.” The album features a wealth of rich accompaniment that employs nearly two dozen different instruments. The songs are often comprised of an Americana feel that will appeal to fans of Red Yarn and The Okee Dokee Brothers. Created for a great cause, get more information at 
And finally we stop by the studio to meet Sir Dapp & the Paw Prints. This fictional animated band includes Sir Dapp ( a silver-haired Schnauzer), his cousin Dollie, his nephew Duffie and their friend Grumpy Gertrude the goose. This album of catchy tunes about kindness and respect never veers into didactic territory thanks to the engaging lyrics that are brought to life by human artists Eli Jacobson and Rachel Potter. Each song is well produced and makes the album feel like it’s the cast recording of a stage show. Really enjoyable. Meet Sir Dapp & the Paw Prints at 
For years we’ve enjoyed music from the Latin GRAMMY and Emmy Award-winning duo of Lucky Diaz and Alisha Gaddis. Now, after a decade of performing as Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band, they are reintroducing themselves to audiences as The Lucky Band. While their first album under this new moniker, Buenos Diaz, isn’t set to be released until April 5, The Lucky Band is giving fans a preview of their new bilingual music with the debut of videos for some of the tracks off the album.
KB Whirly’s fourth studio album for families is a collection of lullabies and love songs celebrating the concept of home and the ones who live within it. Written as a love letter to his daughter as she grows up, the nine songs in this collection take a look at the little, daily moments of life through the eyes of the parents and child.
Welcome to the first post of 2019! What better way is there to start the year than with Tim Kubart’s joy-filled album, Building Blocks? Released in fall 2018, this GRAMMY-nominated album is packed with Kubart’s signature upbeat pop sound. Many of the tracks speak to milestones in a child’s life – the first time jumping in the deep end, riding a bike without training wheels, and getting a pet – but with lyrics that stretch beyond that experience. A great example of this is the boppy “Jump Right In” which details a child mentally gearing up to leap into the pool while his whole family looks on and includes the lyric, “nothing to be scared of, when you’re surrounded by love.”