Did your rock and roll days screech to a halt when you became a parent? I know, I know! We all used to be so much cooler! But, young kids and rock music can just feel so incompatible. True story – moments after smugly turning on The Ramones to give my kid an education in cool, she piped up from the back seat, “What is a brat? What does ‘beat up the brat with a baseball bat’ mean?”. She’s 5 years old, and is very ready to rock, but I am not ready for these conversations!
Enter Bunny Racket. Bunny Racket is the creative project of musician Andy Walker, whose alter ego “King Bunny” is “a guitar wielding, skateboard riding, nature loving rabbit with a passion for playing rock’n’roll… LOUD.” Bunny Racket came into our lives months ago when we happened upon the YouTube video for the hilarious “A Chicken is Not a Fruit.” You have to see it:
Bunny Mania kicked in when Miss 5 got to see them close out the Kinderling Radio House Party earlier this year, but up until this month, their tunes have only been available on vinyl, and as I’ve already told you, I am no longer that kind of cool. So, thank goodness, this month a seven song album, Bunny Rumble, became available on Spotify, iTunes, and streaming platforms.
“We Want More” kicks the collection off with a trip down memory lane, more for the parents, bringing you back to your days of discovering the things that got you excited (“dinosaurs, and pogo sticks, MTV, and the Jackson 5, heavy metal and Stayin’ Alive…” – just to name a few). Kids may not know many of these names, but the “go crazy in a candy store” chorus is universal, much like the feeling of finding “your” music.
Animal songs feature heavily in this collection, but nothing of the “Old MacDonald had a pig” variety. “A Chicken is Not a Fruit” is teamed up with “Jingle Jangle Jaguar,” with its very satisfying, plowing alliteration (“he’s the jingle jangle jaguar from the jingle jangle jungle, jungle”); the hypnotic head-pounder, “Cobra Rock;” and the final tune “Big Brown Dog,” about an awesome pet dog, which has become the favorite from the album for my animal lover.
“Boogaloo” is the happiest, danciest song with a punk vibe, about “a boogaloo” – “a guy who loves to dance” and “takes a holiday before the work is done.” Finally, parents will probably get a quiet kick out of “In My Bedroom,” maybe the only “bedroom” song you’ve ever heard where “come and play in my bedroom” is not a double entrendre for anything – he just has a super great bedroom!
This is not “gentle” rock music that’s been toned down for kids – it’s real rock ‘n’ roll that you can feel safe about playing for any age child. I like that will endure over a number of years, so a pre-schooler can have fun with it, but an 8 or 9 year old won’t find it “too babyish.” Bunny Racket’s rock star status is most welcome here – rock tunes with no awkward car conversations necessary!
Find out more about Bunny Racket and the Bunny Rumble mini-album on their website.
This review is self-funded and independent.
Read the rest of our Listening Ears reviews for more non-annoying children’s music!
Littlefolk by Angie Who
Little Steps, Big Adventures by Tiptoe Giants
Hey Hey, Let’s Play by Nay Nay
Helpful Songs for Little People by the Teeny Tiny Stevies
Beyond the Little Star by Benny Time
Season One by The Vegetable Plot
Here Comes Science! by They Might Be Giants
Storytime Singalong Volumes 1 and 2 by Emily Arrow