Kembrew McLeod sez, "For Kids and By Kids: Songs From Iowa Rock City is a new (and free!) children's album I put together with my wife Lynne Nugent, an editor at The Iowa Review. Her team created a beautiful gatefold CD package with a 24-page lyric and liner notes booklet."
We are giving away 2,000 physical copies to the local community, and it's being offered to the rest of the world as a free download through the Iowa City Public Library's website (it's also up on Spotify and other streaming services). It features roughly one half adults and one half kids aged 3-14 years old doing their own weird/heartfelt/funny/goofy take on the "kid's music."
The whole community has gotten behind it, and Iowa City's mayor just signed a proclamation — actually, a rocklamation — that will rename our town Iowa Rock City for a day on Saturday, March 28, the day of a free CD release party concert at the Englert Theatre. The official "City of Iowa City Rocklamation" states, in part, "WHEREAS, the City of Iowa City's official name contains redundancies and is not sufficiently rocking enough" and "WHEREAS, we believe that children are the future, the kids are alright, and we built this City on rock and roll."
My alter ego RoboProfessor was on hand to accept the rocklamation after Mayor Hayek signed and read it aloud at the recent city council meeting. That's right, activist-prankster RoboProf is now a children's entertainer! On March 28 at 3pm, I will dress like a robot and host the free CD release party concert that features a mixture of adult and youth musicians, including bands that formed at last year's Girls Rock! Iowa City camp. Good times.
