Seattle's The Not-its! are totally it when it comes to children's music

 

At first listen, many parents might do a double-take. "This is children's music?"   But keep listening and soon it becomes apparent that The Not-Its! are indeed children's musicians with a sound that, while it surprises you, eventually draws you and your children in and gets you dancing. The Seattle-based band has recently released their first album, 'We Are The Not-Its!,' and it rocks - literally.

The Not-Its! have a mission: To be your child's first rock-n-roll experience. They begin with the title track and simply don't stop. You won't find lullabies to accompany your child off to dreamland at night, but you will find an incredible assortment of songs that are fast-paced with catchy lyrics. The Not-Its! may like to rock, but they respect their audience enough to not dumb down the lyrics or the pace. They show they can connect with kids easily. Songs like 'When I'm 5' help kids explore kindergarten fears while 'The Great Compromise' shows that working together can actually be kind of cool. The Not-Its! don't record just any old song; they need to like the songs themselves. They also have an easy way to test out new tunes, as nearly all of the members have young children. The music is fun, it's loud, and it's utterly original, which can be hard to achieve when you record music for kids.

Listening to the Not-Its! is great, but seeing them live is even better. Danny Adamson, one of five Not-Its!, admits that they have a hard time finding the right venue to play because of their tendency to get loud. Small indoor spaces might be too much for their fans, and the group has occasionally been asked by moms in attendance to turn it down! It's not just the music that entertains, but also their outfits. Sarah Shannon and Nori Hoeft, two other band members, don bright pink petticoats with black and white striped tank tops. Adamson, Mike Bayer, and Tom Baisden sport black pants and shirts with those classic 1980's skinny ties in hot pink. They look like an awesome 1980's band with a very current sound.

One of the best things about the Not-Its! is that it's not just the boys having fun.  Between lead vocalist, Sarah Shannon and bass player Nori Hoeft, the Not-Its! make sure girls get some awesome musical role models, just like the boys.  It's something that hasn't gone unnoticed by Shannon. Once part of Velocity Girl, a band on the Sup Pop label, Shannon hopes that the little girls at their shows view her and Hoeft as strong female role models. She loves it when she looks over the sea of little faces and sees girls imitating her movements and singing along while sometimes wearing their own little petticoats (the group has some cute merchandise available. The petticoats come fromPetticoat Junction in Lynnwood and are for sale at their shows).

The Not-Its! have recently launched their new, interactive website that is a must for any fan, old or new. Does your child like to color? Print out the coloring pages and they can color their favorite band member or album art. See how well your kiddo (or you) know the songs on the album by playing with the karaoke feature. You can watch videos from live performances, check out some of their fun merchandise, and listen to their music. What may start off as a quick tour on the web will end up as a daily destination for fun.

Parents and kids in the Seattle area have plenty of chances to catch the Not-Its! at a live show. You can see them this Saturday at the 'Healthy Parks, Healthy You' fair at seward Park Ampitheater (a free event!). The group is also scheduled to play Bumpershoot Labor Day Weekend as part of Youngershoot on September 5 at 1:30pm. For more information, just head to their website.

The next time your kids ask for some music to listen to, try playing 'We Are the Not-Its!' and be prepared to rock. Petticoats and skinny ties, however, are entirely optional.

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Justin Roberts: An interview with the indie rocker that kids and parents love