Kindie Artists Miss Amy, Ralph Covert and Me at Kindiefest 2012

Say hey! It’s May, and I just returned from this years “Kindiefest”, the national kids music conference for independent kids music artists (hence the term “kindie”).
So many talented artists from all over the country converge at Littlefield in Brooklyn NY for workshops, panels that cover
everything from PR and marketing to how to pitch your kids TV show.

Believe it or not, the big players: Dan Zanes, Ralph Covert (Ralph’s World, formally of Disney), etc. are all “kindie” artists as well. It was particularly cool to meet Ralph for the first time, because his music influenced me when I started doing kids music ten years ago. In fact, he was the first one whose kids music I actually WANTED to listen to!

I was very happy that the SF Bay Area was well represented this year. Fellow kindie artists The Hipwaders, Kaitlin McGaw (Alphabet Rockers) and Rudy Trubitt (of Sippy Cups fame), all made the trip to NY.

But the real magic of this event is the positive energy that exudes from these hundreds of wonderful people who entertain and inspire kids and families everywhere. They put the “kind” in “kindie”, and I mean that most sincerely.

We’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment below. Thanks!

Read, like and share!! Also feel free to leave a comment below. We’d love to hear from you!

The latest batch of Andy Z custom tie-dye Tees made by me and fan Mom Jasee are here! And there are two new additions as well-
Timmy Train and Bizzabelle!

They are available at shows and coming soon to Z Store at andyz.com!

]]> http://andyz.com/zblog/?feed=rss2&p=1385 0 http://andyz.com/zblog/?p=1341 http://andyz.com/zblog/?p=1341#comments Sat, 14 Apr 2012 02:15:27 +0000 andyz http://andyz.com/zblog/?p=1341 It’s April, spring is in full swing, and I’m wearing a bee hat…what’s up with that? Well, besides the fact that it’s an “Andyland” thang, honey bees are having a tough time lately, which is not good news for planet Earth and us!

In fact, American beekeepers report loss of up to 90% of their hives this year, and the suspected culprit is the widely used nicotine-based pesticide clothianidin.

When exposed to the chemical, bees get lost: they are literally unable to find their way home back to the hive and drop dead from exhaustion.

Not only is this terrible for them, is bad for us too, as one-third of the US food supply relies on honey bees!

Clothiandanidin also effects other pollinators. Some species of bumblebees have already gone extinct! The good news is that when France and Germany recently banned use of this pesticide, the bee populations rose again!

Let’s do something for planet Earth, and save the bees that make it all work! Spread the word! Sign a petition! Web search “save the bees” and find out how! Here are a few sites and articles I’ve found:
buzzaboutbees.net
savehoneybees.org
honeydrop.com/savethebees
Article: Save The Bees, Urges U.N.

My “Galaxy Song” is included on La Bella Stella, the fifth release in the critically-acclaimed Celebrate Earth series from Recess Music.
It features many contrasting styles, and teaches kids about the wonders of the universe! I’m very happy to share that two other songs on the CD are by fellow Northern California artists Charity and the JAMBand (San Francisco), and Banana Slug String Band (Santa Cruz).

Just recently, the album got a “stellar” review from the very popular website, Technorati. In fact, the blog post features a video clip of the Andyland Band performing “Galaxy Song“. Read & View here!

The CD is available for purchase at Amazon.com

In fact, the first 26 kids in the door at our Feb 26th band show at Ashkenaz in Berkeley will get an Andyland placemat! Any child after #26 will get an “official” map, so no one will be left out!

So come to a show (you can visit my shows page for dates & info) and see what all the buzz is about! And may the force be with you… I mean luck of the Irish…sorry, had a brief
Star Wars moment there…

It is the new year, but I would be remiss if I left 2011 behind without revisiting the incredible things that happened in Andyland!
I got to be part of the event “Stars In The Park” and work with voice of Bart Simpson, Nancy Cartwright. I got to guest DJ on the National Kids Radio Show “Spare The Rock, Spoil The Child.”
The first Andy Z iPad app, “Ready To Sing, Scarecrow” was released, as well digital singles of my song “Ooga Booga” and a CD release of the holiday classic “Frosty The Snowman”

Please check out some really cool show/event images from the past year taken by photographer Justin Miel and others on the andyz.com Gallery page

Now it’s time to look at 2012, and believe me, there’s a LOT to look forward to!

Walmart to carry Andy Z CD’s & DVD’s
Thanks to super fan dad Manny, we followed a lead that led us to this opportunity.
And now, Walmart.com will be carrying my CD’s and DVD’s on-line! They will be offered at wholesale prices,
so make sure you choose to buy from Walmart.com. This will ensure that they will continue to carry my music,
including my upcoming Halloween CD “The Grand Scream Of Things!” I will announce when I’m officially up on the site.

New Andy Z Tee’s to “dye” for
Well one thing hasn’t changed in 2012, I’m still using plays on words whether they work well or not!
But these new Tee’s custom-tie-dyed by super fan mom Jasee and me definitely work.
In fact, they’ve already sold out once in less than a month! All 3 types will be available again at live shows and
coming soon to andyz.com. Make life more colorful with Made In Andyland tie-dye!

More News & Shows soon. Ciao for now!
Andy Z

The Sports Basement dude called me “the human pumpkin”

True story. I had to by a canopy for my assistant at this past Sunday’s Munchkin Masquerade show in the Sports Basement lot, so I went in once and talked to the sales rep. Went in again to buy it, but the rep wasn’t there. So his buddy called him in the breakroom, and said “there’s someone here to see you who was looking at the easy-ups.” It didn’t register to him. He continued, “He’s the human pumpkin”, to which the rep replied immediately, “I’ll be right there.” Now I’m thinking I should wear this shirt EVERY time I go shopping!

Andy Z Guest DJ Spot on National Kids Radio Show This Saturday!
I just recorded two guest DJ segments for the national kids radio program “Spare The Rock, Spoil The Child” that will air this Saturday between 6 and 7 am (9 to 10 on the east coast) on WRSI.com. There’s an on-demand stream where it’ll be available for a few weeks as well, also on WRSI.com (under shows). They wanted me to feature music that influenced me as a musician. I think you and the whole family will enjoy listening. I had a blast doing it!