Need a proper cup of coffee....

Watch this then! Love that Trout Fishing In America. The video's a hoot,too. This song ALWAYS makes me laugh. (Just so you know, Funky Mama doesn't share ALL the political views shown in the video montage and doesn't endorse any particular political, spiritual, emotional, or other view that could get me in trouble or hurt someone else's feelings or American sensibilities. There, I'm covered.)

KC JIGGLE JAM!!

KC JIGGLE JAM!

(In the above middle pic left to right: Jim Cosgrove, Monty Harper of Kids Music Planet, Dino O'Dell, Ezra Idlet of Trout Fishing In America, Krista "Funky Mama" Eyler)

What a joyful event I have been lucky enough to be a part of this weekend!
The 1st Kansas City Jiggle Jam was a huge success with thousands and thousands of folks from 5 states coming in to enjoy the following acts:
Trout Fishing In America
Justin Roberts and the Not Ready For Naptime Players
Tom Chapin
John McCutcheon
They Might Be Giants
Jim "Mr. Stinkyfeet" Cosgrove and the Hiccups
Funky Mama (Me)
Dino O' Dell
and so many other fine local acts and workshop musicians.

Now...backstage skinny and stage pics....
The morning of DAY ONE---the skies opened up and we thought we were doomed! (The Crown Center Pavilion serves also as an ice rink with NO DRAINAGE system in the middle, so it becomes a swamp. Thanks to all those squeegie-ing the stage and walkways!)

But, Dino O'Dell warmed up the folks coming in and the fun was rolling.

Justin Roberts brought in an expectedly huge crowd and gave a great show...but I had to catch his 2nd set because I played at the same time! (Here's his set list---fun fun!) I have to say, though, Justin's crowd was not nearly as large as that of Jim "Mr. Stinkyfeet" Cosgrove. It was packed! He is a superstar in Kansas City and he felt the love. It was very cool to watch and sing with him on his last song. (Jim is out in front . Hard to get a good shot from this side of the stage.)

Trout Fishing In America---well, I fell in love with their music and stage charisma immediately and am now a life-long fan. They have the smoothest act and are excellent musicians. It's no wonder they've been nominated for a Grammy 4 times and have been playing together 32 years! They are also COOL guys. Ezra Idlet and Keith Grimwood are class acts. Ezra and I talked about songwriting and how he's going to help me on some new tunes. Keith and I talked about diminished chords and key changes (by the way, Ezra HATES modulations). Great guys and both of them took time to take my Moo Juice CDs and listen to them. They stuck around all weekend to talk with everyone. I so appreciated that.
They have a new CD coming out in September "Big, Round World" so watch for it!

I didn't really get a chance to talk with They Might Be Giants (beyond a "Hey, nice set" in the greenroom as they gnoshed on Chipotle and their guitarist nursed a bad knee due to recent surgery), but did discover their broom prop that became our greenroom mascot. He manned the food table and VIP area.

Now...Funky Mama!

I had great turnouts for both shows and I want to thank all the moms and dads who stayed through rain and CRAZY KCMO heat in May! It was a wonderful experience and I loved seeing all the kids jam out to my tunes.

The above shot is of Trout Fishing with Tom Chapin backstage working out an impromtu set. Tom Chapin and I had a couple nice chats about family and traveling and the like. His guitar is sweet! Made just for him with a headstock inlay of his girls. Chapin and Trout played with Tom McCutcheon (below left/Chapin on right), as well. I don't think all 4 of them have ever played together at the same time. It was amazing! All of those guys being gracious performers, they invited Jim Cosgrove and myself to sing Iko, Iko with them. So much fun, I can't even tell you, to be in the company of such talent. The song rocked, too.
Next year....watch out! Acts are already lined up...BIG...I'm talking BIG!

READING REPTILE AUCTION! HELP THE COOLEST STORE EVER GET OUT OF DEBT!

Ok, Kansas City Moms...

How many of us have gone to The Reading Reptile for a break in Brookside?
Me, too.
Now, here's a link to an auction that's going on to help the store take care of some debt.

THE READING REPTILE AUCTION

They have cool, original book illustrations and even autographed Ralph's World items.
Take a look!

Kids rockin' to Grandma's House and other announcements!

I love it when folks alert me to videos like this. THIS is why I am Funky Mama....


So cute!
If your kids are rockin' out at my concerts, please, please, POST IT!

The KC JIGGLE JAM kicks off this weekend! Saturday I play at 12:45 in the Jam Tent and Sunday, I play at 11am on the Jam Stage.
Come out and jam with me and so many other musical friends. Lots to do, remember the sunscreen and a change of clothes for the kiddos. NO outside snacks or drinks are allowed, so come with some moolah for munchies. Bring the camera and snap lots of shots so I can post them here.

One more thing...
My friend Jim "Mr. Stinkyfeet" Cosgrove is allowing downloads of his new album "Upside Down" for 2 weeks on his website. You can get it for free or pay what you like! Only for 2 weeks, though.
I sing on two tracks and, overall, I think it's his best work to date. Lots of fun!

From the mouths of babes...

Check out a Mom review of "Moo Juice" at Blueberry's site. (Scroll down a little after you get there.)
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it! Take that video and post it! That would be so funny...

Here it is below, too:
Here is bean singing. she is "playing" rock band with daddy. she isn't singing the song that he is playing on drums though. she is singing one of her new favorites, funky mama!

last week the lovely maggie had a contest. the winner got funky mama's new cd, moo juice. and, holy cow, we won! bean was SO excited when she found out she would be getting a package in the mail. she couldn't wait. when the package arrived on saturday, she wanted her prize now! (i don't even think she understood what it was at that point, she just knew that it came in the mail and it was hers!)
so, we listened to it in the car sunday. she was hooked. every time we get in the car she asks for "potty train" or "sippy" or "freeze dance". (we get the most requests for potty train. it is so funny to hear her say "mommy, i want potty train!") it is a truly great cd. i highly recommend it to anyone looking for music to entertain their children! and yes, you adults will find it fun too. :)

so, anyways, here she is singing "can you hear me? yes, funky mama!" into the microphone. too darn cute for words! (i so wish i had taken video!)

2008 AIDS WALK FUNDRAISER

Hi all!
I'm playing a fundraiser for the 2008 AIDS WALK here in Kansas City.
It's going to be a really cool block party in one of the hippest neighborhoods in town! Great homes, great food, great music.
Here's the skinny....

Party with a Purpose

A Fund-Raising Benefit for AIDS Walk Kansas City

Holmes Street residents in Central Hyde Park are planning the fourth annual PARTY with a PURPOSE.

They are combining a fund raiser for AIDS Walk Kansas City, a thank-you event for major donors, team captains, and organizers of AIDS Walk 2008, and a STREET PARTY, TOO!

Holmes Street will be closed off from the north side of Gleed to the south side of 36^th St from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Saturday, June 7^th. A BBQ sandwich dinner will be served and there will also be hot dogs and veggie-burgers. They will have soda, water, and adult beverages to drink. This year four Holmes street homeowners will open up there first floors for a mini-tour from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. A live band will play throughout the evening and the ebullient musician Funky Mama will play a set for the kids (and adults) at 6:15 pm. There will be kid’s entertainment, face-painting, snow cones, and popcorn. And there will also be a silent auction with many exciting items.

All this for just a $25 dollar minimum donation per adult (children are free) to AIDS Walk Kansas City. Everyone is welcome.

All proceeds will benefit the over 5,000 men, women and children in the Kansas City area living with HIV/AIDS and provide funds for educating our young people.

HOPE YOU CAN ALL MAKE IT!!

SNEAK PEEK AT KC PARENT--JUNE COVER!

Ok...
Here I am (in cartoon form in the righthand corner) with Dino (on left), Jim (middle) and the Doo-Dads (back) on the June cover of KC Parent.
I had to giggle at the cartoon cleavage, so go right ahead. :)

Seriously though, it's great of KC Parent to devote an issue to our music and thanks to John Hayes for the artwork. We all appreciate it, so pick up one of the 50,000 copies around town.

Patsy Cline lives again!....Sort of...

(Hi all. I don't know why I haven't posted about this before. Probably because MY WORLD is Funky Mama right now!)

In October, I'm portraying Patsy Cline in "Always, Patsy Cline" at the Chestnut Fine Arts Center in Olathe, KS and taking a break from Funky Mama for a bit. My friend Stasha, who is the funniest person I've ever met in my life and one of THE most talented, is also leading the charge in this musical as Louise---Patsy's buddy. This will be our 4th run of this show in the last 3 years and every single performance has sold out.
So, basically if you want tickets, CALL NOW---913-764-2121.
Everyone who reads this needs a date night, so go!
I sing 23 Patsy songs (all the favorites and some rock n' roll tunes that might surprise you). I used to do theatre a lot and I guess the bug is still in me. :)

Now...back to Funky Mama....

DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE KC JIGGLE JAM!!! TICKETS GO ON SALE THIS WEEK! You can even get them at Hy-Vee.
Some of the Jiggle Jam musicians met for a photo shoot for the KC Star this week. We all were goofing around with our instruments near the Crown Center fountains while a photog took some shots while we were "doing our thing." (Mr. Stinkyfeet and I serenaded Dino O' Dell with a very weird version of Dino's "Peanut Butter Pond" tune.) I think the shot and accompanying story comes out on May 15th in the Preview section? Not sure. If you see it first, let me know!

The Numbers Game...and more Funky Mama news...

Hi all.

Thanks to those moms (and dad) who came to my gig this morning at the Lenexa Community Center. I appreciate it a bunch!
Thanks to Pam for sharing some pics from the morning. Check out the jump from Ms. Lyda!

Anyhoo...
If you happen to pick up a copy of 435 South Magazine, there I am--smack dab in the middle of the cover! It's got some great articles about area moms, so try and pick one up.
ALSO, next month, KC Parent is running features on Funky Mama, Mr. Stinkyfeet Jim Cosgrove, Dino O' Dell, and The Doo-Dads. We all are featured on the cover in CARTOON form! Should be cool! Also, in the June issue, you can enter to win one of my new MOO JUICE CDs. Lots of fun things a'comin'...

Now a mommy note~ My 4-year-old has been struggling with recognizing his numbers, so I came up with a game. Really simple stuff. I got a deck of Uno cards and mixed them up. I get 2 of each number (1 follows a 1, a 2 follows a 2, etc.) so he'd get some repetitions.
3's and 7's, for some reason, trip him up, so I came up with a little phrase for each. Maybe it can help your kids, too.
For 7, I trace it and say, "You walk across the top and you SLIDE DOWN number 7!" Now, HE GETS IT!
For 3, I trace each level of the number and say, "I have 3 fingers, 1-2-3." That worked, too!
Now for 6 and 9, remember 9 has a "big head" and 6 has a "big belly." We practice before nap and bedtime. Hope it helps!