Original Music for Kids of All Ages

I've said it before--when you can find kids' music that both you and your kids can enjoy, it's a good day! Well, the day I received the latest CD from The Dreamtree Shakers was a great day! 

Big Top Tent takes you through a day at the circus telling stories that give the CD a soundtrack feel. Starting with a welcome to the big top, you then meet the animals (we especially like Oregano the Ostrich!), take a trip to the concession stand, ride the carousel and wave goodbye to the circus train. I really loved how the first few songs were more upbeat and then as the CD progressed the songs got a little more mellow. Kind of like spending a day at the circus with your kids. You start out excited and high energy, but as the day goes on everyone gets a little tired, a little quiet. The CD really captures a fun day at the circus from start to finish. 

This is our first Dreamtree Shakers CD but I know it won't be our last. With their catchy, folk-rock sound we have found music the whole family can enjoy! 

Chicago, IL

The Dream Tree Shakers put on an amazing show today at the Beat Kitchen.  The music is mostly based in poppy rock and roll and they include a few unique sounds with the flute, saxophone, and lap steel guitar.  They are easy to enjoy and dance to.  The band leader was pretty funny and had a very positive attitude.  They were missing their drummer but they sounded fantastic anyway.

The music definitely stands on it’s own but the “creative movement” and puppetry performers really created an amazing show experience.  They performed all kinds of puppetry (shadow puppets, full-head masks, rod puppets, and painted scenes on scrolls they moved).  The creative movement and dancing was pretty cool too.  The kids danced a bit with the performers when they had the full-head masks on but most of the time the kids sat and watched the puppetry.

The band leader orchestrated the crowd and kids to cheer for an encore song which was pretty fun and funny.  Their show is very unique and we are very lucky to have them around. 

Chicago, IL

"

Her Sound is Sunshine" - The Dreamtree Shakers Falling somewhere between the groovy pop of The Cowsills and the lo-fi indie rock of Lou Barlow, "Her Sound is Sunshine" evokes the laid-back feel of summertime. Chicago's Dreamtree Shakers recorded this tune, from their Dream and You Will See album, about a mole who likes to cook. Sure, why not!

Top 10 Summer Kids Songs

On the sophomore release from The Dreamtree Shakers, the band jumps right out of the gate with a very fun, poppy college radio indie sound. The hip folksy sound of Going on a Picnic is full of playful tunes that will keep the kids moving and shaking. They start us off with “Picnic in the Park” which sounds as though they’ve captured musically the image of walking across a sun-lit field to have a bite to eat in the great outdoors. Your senses come into play with all that you can see, hear and touch on “Take Your Two Eyes”. Going on a Picnic is loaded with ten tracks of what feels like simply happy music. Pop this CD in and watch the smiles continue from the first song to the last.

Chatanooga, TN

This Windy City ensemble's debut kids' album, Dream and You Will See, is actually a soundtrack of sorts of their live puppetry and movement show, featuring characters and landscapes of the forest.

Call it poppy folk, folky pop, or indie alt country americana, Jeremy Babcock and gang lay down some righteous, jangly tunes, the kind of airy, loping rock and roll that America and Neil Young were so good at. Babcock is the go-to guy in The Dreamtree Shakers, and he and fellow Shakers Shawn Schlag and Michael Doty play in the similar-sounding grownup band, The Upper Peninsula.

With song titles like "Her Sound is Sunshine," "Dream and You Will See," and "Watching the Leaves Fall," you can see at first glance where The Dreamtree Shakers are coming from. Very cool indie pop for kids, awesome kindie rock for adults, great CD for the whole family. But first and foremost, check out The Dreamtree Shakers' live show ... then you'll see what they're all about.