What music were you listening to as a kid? If you were a kid in the 80s like I was, your soundtrack was likely the usual suspects of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” “If You’re Happy and You Know It” and “B-I-N-G-O.” (Either that or you were absorbing AC/DC, or in my case, “Footloose,” by osmosis.) Those simple melodies may be fine for kiddos, but as we, their parents, are listening along with them, we crave some ear candy for ourselves too—without the adult content. It turns out, capturing the magic of childhood in song is anything but boring. Over the years, popular musicians such as Jack Johnson, Lisa Loeb and even Barenaked Ladies have detoured from their typical chart-topping occupations to record music especially for littles. And the Pacific Northwest in particular is a haven for talented, local artists who understand childhood and are inspired to bring that special brand of innocence and magic to life through music. For example, Christopher Ballew, from the quirky 90s rock group, The Presidents of the United States of America (“Peaches,” anyone?), grew up in Seattle and released 19 children’s music albums between 2009 and 2021. I recently connected with a few of Ballew’s peers—fabulous, local “kindie” rockers, all—to learn why they’ve dedicated their talents to making music for children, how they find inspiration and where families can see them perform their catchy music live.

Red Yarn (AKA Andy Furgeson)

NK: When and how did you first take an interest in music?

RY: When I was in 3rd grade, I played Tiny Tim in a citywide production of “The Christmas Carol” in Austin. The actor who played Scrooge was a Renaissance man named Robert Rudié, and he would play fiddle for the kids during rehearsals. I decided that I wanted to play violin, which led me to guitar and other stringed instruments. 

NK: Did your family of origin influence your love of music?

RY: For sure. My parents were music lovers with a big record collection, and my mom dabbled in piano and guitar. We sang a lot at church and at family gatherings. Plus, just being in Austin [where I grew up] was a huge inspiration. There was music everywhere. I started going to shows at clubs when I was like 12. Some friends and I started a band our freshman year of high school and I’ve been performing ever since. 

NK: How did you choose your stage name, Red Yarn?

RY: It came from a brainstorm I did way back in 2010, I think. I was looking for an easy-to-remember stage name that worked on a few levels. I was playing with a whole bunch of interrelated words . . . red, barn, bard, yard, barnyard. Then I stumbled on Red Yarn! I like that yarn can mean an old story, like the folktales that originally inspired me, or a puppet-building material. Also Red Yarn is a loose anagram for Andy/Andrew. When I first started performing, I actually wore a beard made of red yarn, on top of my real beard! But that was too sweaty, and scared half of the kids, so now I just wear a red yarn hat band. 

NK: How has your own family influenced your music?

RY: My wife Jessie and I have a 10- and 8-year-old, and they’re all part of the band! I first started performing for kids right when Jessie and I started dating, and we created a kids duo called Jelly Jar. Jessie is a wonderful singer. She also grew up singing in church, in a youth choir and as a summer camp counselor. When she started a masters program to become a teacher, I created Red Yarn, but she’s always been part of it, singing in our full band, recording vocals for all my albums, and appearing in many of our videos. Now our kids are into it too! They perform with me fairly often, and sing some lead vocals on our most recent album. 

NK: What inspired you to dedicate your talents to children’s music?

RY: I was working in an after-school program and playing in a “grown-up” band, and several friends and colleagues suggested that I try performing for kids. Meanwhile I was doing a deep dive into old folksongs and dabbling in puppetry, so all of those interests converged when I started performing for kids. I met a few full-time performers and teaching artists and realized that I might be able to make a living doing this. So, after building up Red Yarn on the side for a couple years, I left my after-school job in 2012 and went full time with Red Yarn! I’ve been at it ever since!

NK: Where have you performed most recently?

RY: All over Oregon, Washington and Idaho, plus shows in California, Nevada, Texas and up and down the east coast. 

NK: What are some of the most memorable experiences from performing?

RY: We got to perform at the Austin City Limits Festival the same year that Paul McCartney was headlining! Of course, we were on a small stage in the kids’ zone, but you could almost say that we opened for Paul McCartney! Locally, some highlights include playing at Pickathon [Experiential Music Festival] for several years in a row, and our huge album release show at the Crystal Ballroom last fall with more than 800 kids and parents singing and dancing with us. A few summers ago, I organized a big free show at Peninsula Park for Smith and Yarn, my collaboration with Aaron Nigel Smith, and the World Naked Bike ride ended up meeting at the park at the same time. So, by the end of the show, we were completely surrounded by naked people. It was hilarious!

NK: When did you release your latest album, “The Get-Together,” and what was the process like making that album and collaborating with so many guest artists?

RY: We released “The Get-Together” in September of 2023. I wanted to make it sound like a big, inclusive, roots-rock dance party, so inviting a diverse group of collaborators was part of the vision from the beginning. It was amazing getting to collaborate with so many guest artists, but also a lot of work! I recorded the foundations of the album with my producer Dean Jones in upstate New York in January of 2023, then we spent several months coordinating with guest vocalists and instrumentalists. A lot of it was done remotely, but all the parts cohered beautifully in the end.

NK: What projects do you have planned in the coming year?

RY: I’m beginning to work on a musical, have some ideas for next albums, and am supporting my friend Aaron Nigel Smith on a folk opera that he is composing. I’ll be at Kiggins Theatre in Vancouver for Columbia Play Project’s Wiggles & Giggles series on Saturday, January 25 and hope to schedule more shows in Southwest Washington in the spring and summer. 

Ants Ants Ants (AKA Johnny Clay, Dave Gulick and Nat Johnson)

NK: How did you meet and begin your musical partnership?

JC: I met Nat and Dave years ago in our other bands. I’m in a band called The Dimes and Nat and Dave are in a band called Derby. We’ve played many, many shows together over the years and always enjoyed it. Ants Ants Ants finally gave us the opportunity to play in a group together.

NK: How did you choose your band name, Ants Ants Ants?

JC: I think my daughters must have been watching “A Bug’s Life” or maybe “Beat Bugs,” so I had bugs on the brain. I think I suggested Ants Ants and when Dave brought Nat in we changed it to Ants Ants Ants for the 3 of us.

DG:  I pushed Pants Pants Pants but it didn’t stick.

NK: Did your family of origin influence your love of music?

JC: There was always a lot of music in the house growing up. My dad played in bands when he was younger, but I actually didn’t start playing in bands until college. Been playing music ever since!

NK: What inspired you to start writing and performing children’s music?

JC:  For me it was definitely having kids and then having friends encouraging me to make a kindie record. We didn’t know it was going to turn into several records! It’s just such a positive experience and so much fun. We’ve loved putting this music out into the world and playing for kids and  families all over the country.

DG:  It’s so much fun to make creative, weird kid-centric music. Our hope is to always write music that the whole family can enjoy. I remember loving the Muppets and Sesame Street as a kid. That music was both weird/creative but also catchy and accessible. I think that’s where we hope to be with Ants Ants Ants. I would also say there are so many wonderful family/kid musicians here in our area too. It’s a hotbed for awesome kids’ musicians and performers.

NK: What are some of the most memorable experiences you’ve had performing?

JC:  I’ve personally always loved the touring experience. I had the chance to play in Japan with The Dimes and that was definitely one of the most memorable experiences. Our trip to Washington, D.C. with Ants Ants Ants to play at Wolf Trap and at SiriusXM was also one of my favorite experiences I’ve had.

NK: When did you release your latest album, “The Campfire” EP, and what was the process like making that album?

JC:  We released “The Campfire” EPearlier this year (2024). The experience making those songs was such a joy. I must give the majority of the credit to Dave for seeing that through; the song “Mr. Grey” was one of the first songs we wrote for Ants, and it just hadn’t found its way out into the world yet. Dave would bring that song up every few months and kept insisting that we finish it. He had so much confidence in that song and its ability to connect with people. It wound up being one of the songs played on the radio by Kids Place Live on SiriusXM. So—Dave was right.

NK: What projects do you have planned in the coming year?

JC:  We’re working on several new projects so look for a lot of new music from us in 2025. We’ve also got a brand-new holiday single out this month called “Christmas Time Again.”  And we’ll be playing two shows (a morning show and an afternoon show) at Kiggins Theatre in Downtown Vancouver on February 8, 2025.

The Alphabeticians (AKA Jeff Inlay [AKA Mr. Hoo], Eric Levine [AKA Mr. E], Matt Lynch and Dan Elliott)

NK: How did you meet and begin a musical partnership with your bandmates?

JI: Eric and I were roommates at Pomona College in Southern California in the mid 80s. We’ve been playing music together ever since.

NK: How did you choose your band name, The Alphabeticians, and your individual stage names, Mr. Hoo and Mr. E?

JI: The original idea for the band was that we were going to do a lot of alternate alphabet songs, so The Alphabeticians seemed like an obvious name, plus we liked the way it sounds like musician or magician. Mr. Hoo is a shortened version of a nickname I’ve had since college. Mr. E just seemed like an obvious name for Eric (especially because it sounds like “mystery”).

NK: Do you have a family of your own? If so, how have they influenced your music?

JI: I have 4 kids (all adults now). When they were little, my kids were the source of many songs. One of our most popular songs, “Evil Doctor Ladybug,” came directly from my youngest son getting out of bed late one night and telling me that he’d named his ladybug Pillow Pet “Evil Doctor Ladybug.” He went back to bed and I wrote the song.

NK: When and why did you first take an interest in music?

JI: I’ve loved music for as long as I can remember. I was a huge Elton John fan as a little kid (still am), started taking piano lessons because I wanted to be him.

NK: What instruments do you play, and when and how did you learn to play each one?

JI: I mainly play guitar, bass and ukulele (and sing). I started learning how to play guitar informally my freshman year in college from the guy across the hall from me in my dorm. I picked up bits and pieces from many other guitar playing friends over the years, but never took any lessons. I taught myself ukulele and bass.

NK: What kinds of groups and styles of music have you played with and performed in the past?

JI: I played with a pretty successful alternative rock band in the 90s called Hummingfish. I’ve played in lots of other bands over the years.

NK: What are some of the most memorable experiences you’ve had performing?

JI: By far the most memorable experience was watching a child take their very first steps while I was performing. Every time I play a show, I’m very aware that there might be someone in the audience who is experiencing live music for the first time. That makes every show memorable!

NK: What projects do you have planned in the coming year?

JI: I perform regularly as Mr. Hoo all over the Portland area, and the last Saturday of every month at Junebug Play and Learning Space in Ridgefield. Our bass player, Matt Lynch, does shows by himself as Tallulah’s Daddy/Make Music with Matt. Our drummer, Dan Elliott, has an awesome kindie band called Pointed Man Band.

Read the full December 2024 issue here:

Ants Ants Ants and Red Yarn will both perform in Columbia Play Project’s Wiggles & Giggles Family Entertainment Series at Kiggins Theater, happening in January-February 2025. Go here to get your tickets!

Check out videos from all three kindie rockers below, including Ants Ants Ants’ new Christmas single, “Christmas Time Again”!