Randy Kaplan

Artist Information

Biography

Randy's fourth not-JUST-for-kids CD, Mr. Diddie Wah Diddie (myKaZoo/Universal), is a collection of Randyized country-blues & ragtime gems from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s.

"What's old is new again with Mr. Diddie Wah Diddie. This is offbeat, smart and funny, funny, funny!"
-Mindy Thomas, Sirius-XM Radio

Randy's third not-JUST-for-kids CD, The Kids Are All Id, won top honors from NAPPA, their Gold Award, was voted a Top Five CD in the NICKELODEON Parents' Picks Awards, and appeared on the Top Ten CDs of 2010 lists of FIDS & KAMILIES, TIME OUT NEW YORK KIDS, ZOOGLOBBLE, OWTK, and FAMILY MAN ONLINE (where it was awarded the #1 slot)!

Randy's second not-JUST-for-kids CD, Loquat Rooftop, appeared on numerous national Top Ten lists in 2008, notably NPR’s. The single “No Nothing” became a SIRIUS-XM RADIO hit and was nominated for Best Children’s Song of the year by JUST PLAIN FOLKS. MINDSMACK TV created an animated video for the CD’s second single, “The Ladybug Without Spots,” which can be viewed on Randy’s YouTube channel (YouTube.com/RandyKaplanMusic).

“Randy Kaplan is one of those happy-they-exist people you can't quite tell is playing kids' music. And yet he is… He'll introduce kids to authentic-sounding originals as well as Tin Pan Alley numbers, Broadway showstoppers, and Delta blues.” (NEW YORK MAGAZINE).

Randy's first Family CD, Five Cent Piece, was called a "masterwork" by THE BROOKLYN PAPER and "as vital a part of your child’s proper development as milk, sunshine and challenging established orthodoxies."

Randy has also released eight not-REALLY-for-kids CDs, toured nationally, had his poetry published by Ugly Duckling Presse, and received several ASCAP awards for his work. He collaborated on CLEAVE, a new musical comedy, with Brian and Erin Schey which was performed to much acclaim at the Boulder International Fringe Festival in the summer of '08.

Randy is from Long Island, New York but has lived in Los Angeles and Lawrence, Kansas. He helped shape the LA Coffee House scene of the early 90s performing on bills with the likes of Dan Bern, Eleni Mandell, Danny Peck, and Chuck E. Weiss and later with his band “i” at venues such as The Roxy, The Whiskey, and The Troubadour.

These days his gigs are mostly for the 3-8-year-old set and their families. Randy performs at venues such as Symphony Space and 92Y Tribeca in New York and The Getty Museum and McCabe's Guitar Shop in Los Angeles.

Instrumentation

Randy Kaplan - Guitar, voice, harmonica

Discography

Mr. Diddie Wah Diddie (children's record) - 2012
Don't Fill Up On Chips / Nagasaki (children's mp3s) - 2011
Songs For Old Lovers - 2011
The Kids Are All Id (children's record) - 2010
Durango (with Brian Schey) - 2008
Loquat Rooftop (children's record) - 2008
Ancient Ruins - 2008
Five Cent Piece (children's record) - 2006
Perfect Gentleman - 2004
Miraculous Dissolving Cures - 2001
Lake Champions - 1999
Reborn As Bees - 1999
Boyish Hips - 1997

Official Website

http://www.randykaplan.com

Links

• Facebook
• MySpace
• YouTube
• myKaZooTV

Audio

• Diddie Wah Diddie
  Listen  
• That Will Never Happen No More
  Listen  
• The Kids Is All Id
  Listen  
• Is She a Girl or Is She a Monkey
  Listen  
• I Like Cacti
  Listen  
• No Nothing
  Listen  
• Clothes Dryer
  Listen  
• The Ladybug Without Spots
  Listen  
• Grape Juice Hesitation Blues
  Listen  
• Shampoo Me
  Listen  

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• First Cousin to Paul Simon [+ Show ]
  

  "(Kaplan's) lyrics don't underestimate their listener's intelligence, being literate and occasionall..."(Kaplan's) lyrics don't underestimate their listener's intelligence, being literate and occasionally not a little highbrow… (He) is a craftsman in the tradition of Paul Simon.”
  

• Time Out - Randy's Covers [+ Show ]
  

  "Randy Kaplan does amazing James Taylor–meets-banjo covers of Nirvana… and Grandmaster Flash… Nuff s..."Randy Kaplan does amazing James Taylor–meets-banjo covers of Nirvana… and Grandmaster Flash… Nuff said; go check this guy out."
  
  

• Compadres [+ Show ]
  

  "Kaplan sings of modern romance, male neuroses, and quirky character studies with the off-kilter vie..."Kaplan sings of modern romance, male neuroses, and quirky character studies with the off-kilter viewpoint of a man who appreciates the blurred edges as much as the finer points… Like Leonard Cohen before him or his friend and musical compadre Dan Bern, Randy's self-effacingself-effacing lyrics make you laugh, cry and blush at their honest simplicity."

• Long Island Anthems [+ Show ]
  

  "Kaplan makes us smile as he points out hypocrisy… (He crafts) exceptionally tender songs (and) pens..."Kaplan makes us smile as he points out hypocrisy… (He crafts) exceptionally tender songs (and) pens understated tunes that, the more we hear them, eventually evolve into anthems."

• Tragicomedy Wisdom [+ Show ]
  

  "Recurrent in (Kaplan's) songs is his flashing sense of humor, a humor which is skillfully married t..."Recurrent in (Kaplan's) songs is his flashing sense of humor, a humor which is skillfully married to a bitter sense of reality... Of course it is comical. But it is also far more: it is tragic and at the same time, comes from a wisdom, a knowledge of the falsity at the heart of many human endeavors."
  
  

• Across the Atlantic [+ Show ]
  

  "Kaplan mixes… social commentary with more personal observation… bloody good music, pure and simple…..."Kaplan mixes… social commentary with more personal observation… bloody good music, pure and simple… the real deal!”
  

• Never Predictable [+ Show ]
  

  (Kaplan's) songs are sweetly personal and wonderfully void of pretentious overtones … The stories he...(Kaplan's) songs are sweetly personal and wonderfully void of pretentious overtones … The stories he sings wind and twist away from the ordinary and toward refreshing new ideas often humorous and bizarre … never predictable.
  
  

• Kids' Music
  

  “One of the most exciting newcomers to kids’ music since Dan Zanes.”

• No Dumbing Down [+ Show ]
  

  “He doesn’t dumb it down for the kids… He just expects them to come along for the ride. And they do....“He doesn’t dumb it down for the kids… He just expects them to come along for the ride. And they do.”
  

• Lovin' It
  

  "Randy Kaplan hits the mark with his first release for kids… We love (it)."

Setlist

Randy's sets range from forty-five minutes to two hours long, depending on the circumstances. He performs original songs and covers ranging from traditional, country, & Delta blues to rock & pop to Broadway & jazz. He usually plays solo but is sometimes joined by guest musicians.

Basic Requirements

Calendar