songbookhighway.com

The Hickman/LeRoy Songbook has a jazzy new address! Here's what it's all about:

The Songbook Highway is a community site for music and ideas. Started by music collaborators Chris LeRoy and Johnny Hickman as a myspace page in 2006, the site and community has expanded from fans of Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven, and The Dangers to an eclectic group of listeners and thinkers.

So each week The Songbook Highway features a new jukebox of music by LeRoy, Hickman, and of course David Lowery. But that’s not all!!!

Look around the site for great interviews, lyrics, podcasts, book and video posts and reviews from Morst “The Archive King,” bigDave “The King Crumb of Video”, Rebecca “Forever 40″ Hickman, Robert “Grown Diaries” Daeley, and Paul “Listening Theme” Adams. We all urge you to post your ideas. Talk to us. This is your music and idea community.

Get On The Songbook Highway

The road is wide open…

—Chris and Johnny

Another masterpiece by Michael Wertz

This year's Campout festival poster is my favorite yet. It's by the wonderfully talented illustrator Michael Wertz.

wertzateria.com

Check out this year's line-up:


There is even going to be a Hickman/LeRoy Songbook stage where The Dangers are going to unveil their latest album!


Visit crackersoul.com to read more about the Campout and Cracker's summer tour.

Johnny Hickman's kindergarten gig

I can't think of anything to write about today, so I'm just going to share an entry from the Hickman/LeRoy Songbook:

Here is a note from Johnny's son's Kindergarten teacher reporting his recent class book reading and music performance!





....On another note…Oh My Goodness! We had the best time today! You may not know it, but I have a kindergarten parent who is a professional musician. Johnny Hickman has made some really amazing albums. He came to read and play for us today. He read the book, Dooby, Dooby, Moo by Doreen Cronin. I wanted to share a couple of photos. Mr. Hickman was incredible and the kids had a great time with a really great book! I can tell you that there was a stirring rendition of Born to be Wild! Who knew ducks could sing that song!






















I must say that Johnny has excellent taste in literature. Check out his Father's Day book review.



Cronin, Doreen, and Betsy Lewin. Dooby Dooby Moo. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2006.

Rockin' Picture Books

Here are three great children's books about rock concerts:

James, Simon. Baby Brains Superstar.
Cambridge, Mass: Candlewick Press, 2005

Krosoczka, Jarrett. Punk Farm on Tour.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007.

Holm, Jennifer L. and Matthew Holm. Babymouse Rock Star.
New York: Random House, 2006.

And speaking of rock concerts . . .

The 4th Annual Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven Campout Music Festival is taking place right now in Pioneertown, California. (I wish Marc and I could have gone, but it's too hard to take time off in September.) Mark Petix of The Sun wrote this excellent article about the festival.


ps. Isn't this a cool a concert poster? I wish I knew the artist's name.

Hickman/LeRoy Songbook

My very favorite Myspace site is the Hickman/LeRoy Songbook. Chris LeRoy and Johnny Hickman have been making music together since they were little kids. You know Johnny from the band, Cracker, and Chris from Death of Me.

The Songbook features new and old songs by the duo. I think it is really interesting to see how a song becomes a song--how a song can take on a life of its own and continue to grow and change.







The Songbook is truly an interactive site. Fans' reviews, artwork, and video picks are showcased every week. For instance, I write a book review for the Songbook called The Book I Read. The title is a reference to one of my favorite Talking Heads songs:





And speaking of the Talking Heads . . .

Here's a story about the day I met Chris Frantz.