A Great Deal for Music Lovers

As some of you may have heard, Satchel really, really likes music. So any chance we get, we hit up concerts. And while his heart lies with classic rock, he also does enjoy kids music. We're lucky in Seattle that we have a pretty awesome kids rock scene with some bands that play music geared towards kids that won't make parents want to rip their ears off.

I came upon this great deal the other day for the Kindiependent Kids Rock series at the Mount Baker Community Center in Seattle. For the last half of their 2012-13 season - five shows - they're offering four tickets for each show for $40 each. So basically $2 per ticket, per show, for five rockin' kids bands. It's a pretty great deal if your kids are into music.

All shows start at 10:30 a.m. and are on Saturdays. The lineup:

Feb. 23, The Board of Education: This is the only group in this series we haven't seen, but I've heard good things about them. Their songs are pretty silly but with educational-type themes. I've heard some of their songs and they're pretty funny, and rock pretty well.

March 9, The Not-Its!: Loooove the Not-Its! We've seen them a lot, and they always rock and put on a good show. They're a five-piece band, play really up-beat music, kids love to dance to them. Super friendly, sometimes they bring the kids up on stage to be part of the show. They just released a new CD which is great (my favorite of the new songs is Participation Trophy) and had a quick tour of the East Coast last weekend, taping a segment for Nick Jr. Can't recommend them enough.

March 30, Recess Monkey: From a kids rock band standpoint, doesn't get too much better than Recess Monkey. They're three Seattle teachers (they just got a new drummer who rocks big time) who play really catchy, fun songs. I've gone to shows where it's been insane, kids go nuts for them and I have enjoyed every show I've seen them in. Last week, they had a recording party where the audience got to sing on their two new CDs, due this summer (Satch was close to a microphone so who knows, maybe we'll even hear him on them). If you haven't seen them, you should, they're great.

April 13, Harmonica Pocket: These guys are a little different than the other bands, not quite as rocking and more jazzy, with a stand-up bass, saxophone and acoustic guitar. They're more mellow than the other bands and their songs are a little longer, telling more of a story. Also pretty interactive and improvisational so even though they don't rock as hard, the kids get into it because they get to be a part of the story. Kind of cool from a musical standpoint to see a jazzy type of kids band.

April 27, Caspar Babypants: Caspar Babypants is the alter ego of Presidents of the United States of America lead singer Chris Ballew. He puts on a fun show, a little more geared to younger kids than Recess Monkey or the Not-Its, a little more poppy than rocky. His lyrics are fun and funny, kind of a kids version of  Presidents songs, but he connects really well with the kids and his songs tell some pretty funny stories. Kids go nuts for him too.

The thing that ties these bands together is they play really good music that parents will like as much as the kids. Musically they're really good, fun to hear, fun to dance to and they talk about things that are important for kids to hear (cooperation, friendship, etc.) without being tedious or preachy or boring. If you and your kid are into music, this deal is great (you can get tickets through the Kindiependent website or the Mt. Baker website) or you can always check these guys out on their own, they play around town all the time (I'll let you know when I see their shows coming up).

As a matter of fact, Caspar Babypants is playing two shows Friday at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, another show at Top Pot Donuts in Renton, Recess Monkey is playing two shows Saturday at the Flower and Garden Show and the Not-Its are playing a free show Saturday at Sonic Boom Records in Ballard. Check out their websites for more details.