Album Features New Songs By
Ozomatli, The Weepies and They Might Be Giants
PBS KIDS
today announced the release of “PBS
KIDS ROCKS!” – its first music album featuring 15 new songs from Grammy
Award winners Ozomatli and They Might Be Giants, The Weepies and Parent’s Choice Gold Award-winning music sensation SteveSongs,
known as Mr. Steve,
cohost of the PBS KIDS preschool destination. Each of the songs is
designed to help kids learn about a variety of topics to bolster their
reading and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills.
Song themes range from pronouns to camouflage to
opposable thumbs.
“Music
has been proven to be a highly effective tool to foster learning and
deepen children’s understanding and comprehension,” said
Lesli Rotenberg, Senior Vice President, Children’s Media, PBS. “‘PBS
KIDS ROCKS!’ provides a fun mix of entertaining and original songs that
kids will recognize from watching PBS and that families can enjoy
together at home or on-the-go.”
Tunes
from the album, set to relevant clips from THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A
LOT ABOUT THAT!, CURIOUS GEORGE, DINOSAUR TRAIN, and SUPER
WHY and original animation from KARPTOONS, a boutique design
and animation studio, also air during the preschool programming block weekdays on PBS KIDS.
Opposable Thumbs,
Pronouns,
Navigation,
Nocturnal, Diurnal and
Gravity Always Brings Me Down are also available on PBSKIDS.org
and the PBS YouTube channel.
Available on Amazon.com and iTunes, the proceeds from “PBS KIDS ROCKS!” will support PBS KIDS educational programming.
“PBS
KIDS ROCKS!” is part of PBS KIDS’ ongoing commitment to providing
educational content for kids wherever they live, learn and play - on TV, online, on mobile devices, in the classroom, and through a new line of educational toys and music.
Music artists on “PBS KIDS ROCKS!” album:
Ozomatli
In their fifteen years together as a band, celebrated
Los Angeles culture-mashers Ozomatli have
gone from being hometown heroes to being named U.S. State Department
Cultural Ambassadors. Ozomatli has always juggled two key identities.
They are the
voice of their city and they are citizens of the world. Their music — a
notorious urban-Latino-and-beyond collision of hip hop and salsa,
dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East LA
R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican ragga and
Indian raga— has long followed a key mantra: it will take you around
the world by taking you around L.A. Ozomatli has won four Grammy Awards.
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is a band from
New York City founded by John Flansburgh and
John Linnell. TMBG writes, records and tours continuously, has been
involved in numerous television and film projects, and has an on-going
podcast.
They have won two Grammy Awards. They Might Be Giants recently released
a brand new album entitled “Join Us” and the rarities collection “Album
Raises
New and Troubling Questions.”
The Weepies
Indie
duo The Weepies have sold more than a million singles and half a
million albums; their simple, direct songwriting has sent them to the
top of the folk charts
in a dozen countries. Deb Talan and Steve Tannen began writing together
the night they first met and soon formed The Weepies.
SteveSongs
Steve Roslonek
of SteveSongs has been writing
and performing his award-winning music for kids and families for the
past twelve years. Steve blends participatory songs, clever stories and
great melodies to create what the Boston Globe called "not just a
musical journey but an entertaining, interactive
and educational one." He’s won numerous prestigious awards, including 2 Parents’ Choice Gold Awards, a
Nappa Honor,
2 iParenting Media Awards, and
2 Children’s Music Web Awards.
PBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for kids, offers all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online and community-based programs. For more information on specific PBS KIDS programs supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit PBS.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on Twitter and Facebook.
