Boston is the U.S. city that feels most like home to me. I grew up north of the city, in Lynnfield. Some of my family still live in the Boston area, though most are spread out around the globe. Indeed, I haven’t lived in Massachusetts in nearly three decades. But it’s still where I’m from.
Here are the best covers of 2012! Â Well, they might be. Â I haven’t kept up with music as well as I’d like to this year, and so I’m sure I’ve missed some good ones. Â (I’m sure I can trust you to tell what I’ve missed, in the comments below.) Â Though I recognize that there is
Happy holidays!  A couple of years ago, I posted a mix of “Essential Holiday Tunes.” Here is the sequel to that mix – and, yes, of course these selections are also idiosyncratic. Unlike the previous mix, I’ve ventured a little further afield here: that is, I’ve deliberately veered towards some lesser-known songs. Like the previous
Here is a mix to celebrate the publication of my new biography, Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children’s Literature (2012). Its official publication date is today (Sept. 1st), though it’s actually been available for a few weeks now. Given my own interest in music, it’s
Yes.  Spring is here, which means flowers blooming and (for academics, at least) the rapidly accelerating roller-coster that is the second half of the semester.  It is thus time for some jaunty music.  Enjoy! 1)   You Meet the Nicest People in Your Dreams    Fats Waller and His Rhythm (1939)   2:51
I’d hoped to post some new (well, new to you) mixes for the holidays, and I may yet manage to do so. Â It’s been the busiest semester of my professional career and, indeed, of my life. Â And, where I’m currently staying, there’s no wi-fi… well, unless I poach some from another apartment. Â (I’m writing this
Inspired by NPR’s 5 Great Cover Songs from 2011, here are my top 12 covers from 2011 – starting with two of the hardest-rocking, and ending with the quietest ones. 1)   Like a Prayer  Grace Potter & The Nocturnals     6:23 This cover of Madonna’s 1989 hit comes from Grace Potter & The Nocturnals‘ iTunes Session
Last year, Nine Kinds of Pie presented seven Halloween mixes. Â This year, it’ll be just one new Halloween mix. Â (Feel free to check out the old ones, though. Â They’re still up on the blog!) Â The theme this year is all instrumental. Â Henry Mancini, Combustible Edison, Big Lazy, and others present some (mostly) spooky tunes without
As R.E.M. has called it a day this week, I’m paying tribute by highlighting a facet of their career that is not being talked about that much – or, at least, not in the articles I’ve seen.  And that is… R.E.M., the cover band!  One of their hits was a cover of the Clique’s “Superman.”  Rather
Today, the first of three Labor-Day-themed posts. Here’s a mix of songs about work. And, yes, I’m aware that many other songs that could be included here – I came up with enough additional songs to fill a second CD, and then some. Since much of this blog is devoted to children’s literature, I should also