Richard Popovic

When Richard Popovic first became an uncle back in 2001, he quickly discovered that much of the ‘kid’s music’ widely available was tied into commercial merchandise and characters from popular TV shows. He decided something needed to be done, and began writing songs.
Finally, three nieces and a couple of nephews later, he completed Huckleberry Party, an album recorded entirely in his home studio in rural New Hampshire. Richard states, “My goal was to challenge kids instead of pandering to them, and to create something with enough musical integrity that it would not drive parents crazy. Plus, I think it is important for kids to hear music being played acoustically by a real person, with all of the squeaks, clicks and ambient sounds that come along with it. So much of what is out there is over-produced and ‘slick’ sounding. This is a chance to expose children at an early age to music being played in a traditional way.”
And traditional is a good way to describe the feel of Huckleberry Party. The songs are defined by the sounds of acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin, and a variety of hand percussion instruments such as cajon, egg shaker, tambourine, spoons and good old foot stomps. Add a couple of kazoos, a toy xylophone and some pots and pans from the kitchen and you get an organic musical experience that focuses on fun more than flashiness.
Lyrically the songs are interesting and engaging while still remaining suitable for kids of all ages. “I wanted to show that the songs could be clever without sacrificing the youthful feel,” Richard said. “A little wordplay, an introduction to things like alliteration, rhyme structure, simile and metaphor—these are strategies that make a song work on a few different levels. A two year old may like the quick beat of the song ‘M-M-M-Maple Syrup,’ his five year old sister gets into trying all of the different foods catalogued in it and their nine year old brother learns something about the maple sugaring process. When you can do all of that in three minutes, why not give it a shot? Why aim low?”
The CD is truly a homemade product—Popovic wrote twelve of the thirteen songs, played all of the instruments and recorded everything in the house he built in 2007. He even built the cajon (also known as a box-drum) off of some plans he found on the internet. Though it has a homemade feel, the sound and production is amazingly good and easily holds its own against anything else in its genre. Visually it is a winner as well. Artist Hannah Carpenter took Popovic’s concept and turned it into an eye-catching piece of artwork that perfectly complements the music inside. The package itself is made with Certified Green Components and a minimum of plastics, reinforcing the natural themes found in a number of the songs within.
Great vibes, traditional acoustic instrumentation and fine songwriting make Huckleberry Party an album not to be missed, and Richard Popovic an artist to keep an eye on.