Papa Crow
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Papa Crow

Marquette, Michigan, United States | SELF

Marquette, Michigan, United States | SELF
Band Folk Children's Music

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"CD Review: Papa Crow, "Things That Roar""

With a name like Papa Crow, and a title like Things That Roar, you might be expecting some sort of gloomy, harvest-themed death metal record, but the truth is that this record doesn’t do much roaring at all — and what little you do hear is of the decidedly adorable variety.
What we have here is 14 tracks of bucolic, sun-kissed kindie folk, gathered together in a sprightly 32-minute album that rolls along with relaxed, gentle energy. It’s full of acoustic guitars, ukulele, and warm, honeyed vocals, plus the odd kazoo, toddler duet, or baby’s laugh — just the sort of thing you want playing during a driving singalong or impromptu kitchen waltz. It’s as beautifully, elegantly simple as this video: (Papa Crow, Welcome to the World, youtube)

This isn’t a pushy album. Papa Crow’s music isn’t bright and flashy, and Things That Roar doesn’t come with any sort of multimedia edutainment hook. But if you’re looking for a record that feels like a contented sigh between the bursts of frantic activity that fill our family lives, this will do the trick quite nicely. More, please. - Dadnabbit


"Papa Crow-"Things That Roar" CD Review"

You may already know the tale of Bon Iver’s debut album “For Emma, Long Ago”. As the story goes, the bearded singer/songwriter Justin Vernon holed himself up in a northern Wisconsin cabin during a harsh winter to reflect and record what would eventually become one of the more legendary indie rock records of the past decade. It’s a brooding, mysterious, and lovely work.
The lightly-bearded Papa Crow has one up on Vernon; he already resides in the rural Midwest, in Michigan along the south shore of Lake Superior. And he too has made a brooding and lovely work, albeit a sunnier one.

Sometimes when I wake up early on a Saturday morning, at a time when the kids are still snuggled beneath their blankets and before the sun has decided it’s time to begin drying up the dew on the leaf covered grass, I make a 15 minute drive to the gym rubbing my burning, itchy eyes all the way. During these pre-dawn jaunts I’m barely awake – hell I’m barely alive. The last thing I want to hear is a shredding guitar or a pounding drum. So it’s Sleepy Hollow on WXPN for me.
Papa Crow’s debut kindie CD “Things That Roar” is, essentially, that program. On disc. For families. The music is mellow enough to keep you comfortably numb in bed; a soft hand on your shoulder, sweet warm breath on the back of your neck. Yet the music is also fortified with enough spice and gusto to coax you awake, to ease you into your weekend morning with songs about young children and all that they love: wild animals, peek-a-boo, growing up, and all that they do; fear, dream, cry (the Barry Manillow-via-Latin America “If I Cry” is the album’s standout track).
The vocals are, as you’d expect, hushed, and the guitars picked and plucked acoustic for the most part. There’s not a lot of trickery and zero slight of hand on “Things That Roar”. This is a tranquil album of darling soft rock crafted to gracefully dance with the steam rising from your mug of English Breakfast tea, bowl of homemade oatmeal, and slice of fresh, still-toasty apple crumb cake.
If you value that image, you’ll cherish Papa Crow. Oh yeah, your kids will love it too. - Out With The Kids


"New Music: Things That Roar"

As I've mentioned before, it's always especially thrilling to get a great new children's CD from an artist I don't already know. Don't get me wrong: Our family eagerly looks forward to every new release from our favorite established artists, of course. But there's something special about happening on a gem without those prior expectations.

So I'm happy to report that the debut CD from Papa Crow (the recording moniker of Michigan-based singer-songwriter Jeff Krebs) belongs right up there with the latest Dan Zanes release. Things That Roar is quality indie folk-rock for kids, largely acoustic guitar (with some mandolin, ukelele, and steel guitar thrown in) in the vein of Zanes as well as James Taylor, Nick Drake, and the softer sides of Neil Young and R.E.M. (There's even a nod to Leonard Cohen, appropriately enough in the childhood fear–themed "I'm Not Afraid Anymore.") The 14 well-crafted songs cover basic kid themes (animals, balloons, growing families) in remarkably unsappy, satisfying ways; Krebs has the knack of letting a simple theme express itself without excess embellishment.

Papa Crow also capitalizes on simplicity's advantages in the music itself: His proficient but unflashy playing, and his and Kerry Yost's warm vocals, have had a soothing effect on parents and kids alike in our home. (This is all the more impressive when you read in the liner notes how the album was recorded: "at home late at night downstairs while the wee ones slept"—astounding, given how good these tracks sound. Technology, you continue to amaze me.)

Things That Roar feels like the ideal album to listen to with a toddler or infant—though my six-year-old loves it, too!—on a sleepy, snowy winter afternoon. It's nothing fancy, just (quietly) one of the year's best kids' CDs. I'm really glad I've had the chance to hear it. - You Know, For Kids


Discography

Things That Roar (2011)

Photos

Bio

I'm Papa Crow and I hail from the beautiful south shore Lake Superior and I craft thoughtful and fun homemade music for kids and families. After starting a family a few years ago, I dove headfirst into children's music and studied its many angles. Before long I decided I'd like to make my own album for my family and the families around me. Two years later, "Things That Roar" has been released and I'm very proud of the way it turned out. I enlisted the help of 16 musical friends and family members to help me along, including my two young sons and my brother-in-law, niece and nephew. We recorded mostly late at night while the little ones were asleep and had the best time in the process, and during that time I started testing my original family music on kids at schools, daycares, churches and libraries. Turns out the kids were having a blast as well. Now, I'm excited to share this music with your family. Hope you enjoy!
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