Kimya Dawson sings for the kids
By Ed Condran
Special to amNewYork
• Kimya Dawson is at Bowery Ballroom Friday, 8 p.m., tickets: $13, $15 day of
Since Kimya Dawson started her music career as a member of the Moldy Peaches, the eccentric singer-songwriter has crafted songs with a lot of appeal to children. Her tracks, both with the Peaches and solo, are generally filled with simple lyrics and fantastic stories, and she includes offbeat samples and effects.
She doesn’t mind the younger fanbase, though some of her music is clearly aimed at adults.
“I’ve got quite a few fans that are just kids and I don’t think that it’s hard to figure out why,” Dawson says. “A lot of my songs connect with children as well as young people, but there are some songs I’ve written, which kids shouldn’t listen to.”
Indeed. Some of Dawson’s tunes are laced with obscenities and inappropriate themes. However, foul language is absent from Dawson’s recent release, “Alphabutt,” which was written specifically with kids in mind.
“It’s kind of loose and fun,” Dawson says. “There’s nothing on it to offend parents. It’s just the kind of thing that kids love.”
Dawson, 36, can be so sure about this because she has a test audience. Her two-year old daughter Panda gives her feedback.
“It’s good to have someone that you can bounce songs off of,” Dawson says. “She loves it when I play for her. Music is great for kids.”
In addition to writing specifically for children on “Alphabutt,” Dawson also employed kids in the production. They sing, play and even wrote tracks for the album.
“I thought it would be fun to have kids on it,” Dawson says. “So I have a seven-year old, who sings plays drums and he even wrote this cute song about a loose tooth called ‘Wiggle My Tooth.’ ”
Babies talk, pre-pubescents belt out songs and teenagers showcase their instrumental skills on “Alphabutt.”
“It’s a different approach but I’ve never had a problem with being different,” Dawson says.
The tracks Dawson cut for kiddies can certainly be filed under alternative. Dawson makes music, which is the sonic equivalent of those ancient Sid and Marty Krofft productions (“The Bugaloos,” “Sigmund the Sea Monster”). There’s nothing cookie cutter about her.
“I don’t understand why a songwriter has to follow a particular format,” Dawson says. “Where is the creativity in that? I think it’s good just to be me when I write a song.”
The formerly prolific Dawson has found that child-rearing has slowed down her rate of production, but she soon hopes to start writing and recording at a quicker pace.
“That would be nice if that can happen,” Dawson says. “But the most important thing for me is expressing myself. That’s one thing you can count on me doing.”
Comments (1)
the bowery show is all ages, but not a "kid show". f bombs will be dropped.