With the last days of summer licking at our shores, scores of parents are getting ready to send the kids back to school; packing away the summer clothes and camping gear, and wondering to themselves what they are going to do to keep the little ones entertained as the days get shorter, and conditions for outdoor activities become less favourable.
Just when you thought hope was lost, along comes Gordie MacKeeman and his Rhythm Boys; fingers flying and legs flailing with the answer to your parental prayers.
“Folk for Little Folk” is a clever little record. It hides a staggering level of musicianship and virtuosity inside the packaging of a children’s album. It slips under the radar far from the eyes and ears of critics who may be quick to judge any and all music by any number of criteria. This, after all, is a kid’s album. It’s funny, uplifting and energetic. Musically speaking, it doesn’t have to check off too many boxes, right? Wrong. The boxes have been checked, my friends.
When you put this record on be sure to clear some room for dancing, and not just for the little ones. Grown-ups will want to be on their feet too. It’s not like you set out to—you were just looking for a way to entertain the kids, remember? But lo and behold your foot started tapping and your legs started moving. Right from “All Around the Kitchen”, the album’s opener, it’s clear that this record has all the ingredients to make you feel good.
There’s something inherently light and humorous in old-time music; something that makes a person grin and makes the body move. Gordie MacKeeman and his Rhythm Boys know this, and they bring us into the fold immediately. Joined by his multi-instrumentalist bandmates Peter Cann, Thomas Webb, and Jason Burbine, MacKeeman dips and dances, jukes, jives, and waltzes his way into your living room with all the assuredness of a man who has been a master of his instrument for decades.
By the time MacKeeman launches into the next track, his take on the classic “Big Rock Candy Mountain”, the whole family is on their feet; the cell phones and iPads have taken a back seat; the Xboxes sit lonely. This is a record that brings the young and the old together in a moment of pure joy. The spin that he and his band put on the Sesame Street staple “Ladybugs Picnic” will put a smile on your face that will be hard to remove. (Who doesn’t love a good kazoo solo?)
For all its tongue-in-cheek goofiness, the style of music that MacKeeman and his band frame this album in is remarkably complex. Precision playing and a heightened skill set underly every track on the album. Surrounded by lightning-fast runs, jazz-inspired chords, and a rock-solid rhythm section, the question MacKeeman asks “What part of boogie don’t you understand?” Is an apt one.
Through the album, MacKeeman gives us multiple examples of his ability to pack words together without ever muddying up their delivery, and the sprightly “Snaccident” is a great example of this; the word count is off the charts while still remaining legible and, as always, the driving rhythm ensures that your feet are moving as quickly as the lyrics.
“Dancing in the Bathtub”, while not a terribly responsible piece of advice, is a quick and funny little song akin to something that any parent might make up off the top of their head while trying to get an unwilling toddler freshened up. Complete with splashing noises it is sure to bring a smile to your face—even as you mop up water from the bathroom floor.
“Folk for Little Folk” is an upbeat, unapologetic, good time, and much like a Simpson’s episode, offers up something for kids and adults alike. It has a perfect mix of classic songs, (Old MacDonald, Mama Don’t Allow, The Log Driver’s Waltz, The Hokey Pokey), and new favourites, and its musicality will appease the adults in the room, while the children will love its fast-paced silliness.
MacKeeman and his Rhythm Boys have thrilled audiences the world over with their playing and their high energy stage show which features the dancing that earned MacKeeman the ‘Crazy Legs’ moniker that has tailgated him for most of his career. The fellas are darn good, and they’re busy; hopping from venue to venue; town to town; city to city. It is refreshing to see them stop and smell the roses on a record like this. It’s a reminder that they value the simple things, and don’t take themselves too seriously. Rooted in wholesome values and the importance of family, this is a record you should own if you have small children, or if you were secretly looking for something to stick into the ‘guilty pleasures’ file.