No Ordinary Lullabies

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This post originally appeared on my music column ‘The Crossroads’ over at Dad-Blogs.com on July 25, 2009.

Today at ‘The Crossroads’ we are continuing the theme of cool children’s music. Early on when my little man had trouble sleeping through the night we would play music in his room to provide some background noise.

Rather than a noise machine or the traditional lullabies, we turned to the Rockabye Baby series to get us through those long sleepless nights. Not only did they help soothe our son back to sleep, but they also provided some interesting games for me as I paced his room in an effort to get him back down for the night.

Thanks to their publicist, Elaine Schock, I had an opportunity to ask Lisa Roth at CMH Records some questions about the Rockabye Baby series.

As a new dad I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for my sanity. I received two discs in your series as gift before my son was born and purchased another two almost immediately. What inspired you to create the ‘Rockabye Baby’ series?

Dads like you were the inspiration for creating the series! It’s for parents who want to listen to lullabies they can relate to, something familiar and enjoyable, yet gentle enough to share with their little ones. Having shopped for many a baby shower gifts, I was quite dismayed by the lack of parent friendly music choices out there. Out of frustration, I wanted to create a lullaby series for the parent/music fan that was hip, high quality, with a little sense of humor. I guess because I don’t have kids, it never occurred to me that you can’t turn a Metallica or Led Zeppelin song into a lullaby! And I’m super happy that dads like the series. That’s the ultimate seal of approval!

Of the four discs in our collection my clear favorite is the Metallica CD. Which was your favorite artist’s music to work with?

We just finished lullaby renditions of Aerosmith, which will be available in September, and I loved working on that one, because I love their music. And Steven Tyler wrote the liner notes for us! Queen is another one that came out darn near perfect. Leo Flynn, the producer, took the sound of our lullabies to another level on that disc. But I can’t say we have a favorite. Turning this music into lullabies presents many challenges (understatement!) for one reason or another, but it’s the artistic challenge that is fulfilling and fun. I have to say, kind of like kids, each disc has its challenges, but we love them all equally!

What is your process for selecting artists and songs, and how long does it take you to rearrange and record a new Rockabye Baby?

Rockabye Baby has a specific feel to it. It’s kind of the anti-lullaby, lullaby series! So ultimately, the artists we choose have to reflect that vibe. As far as picking the artists, we first and foremost keep our audience in mind. Also, we are all music fans at Rockabye Baby, with very broad tastes, so we vote on our own personal favorites. And we have a rotating poll on our web site where the general public votes, and we use that as well. Unfortunately, time and time again, we forget to consider whether a chosen artist will lend itself to the lullaby pallet, thus the production challenges that ensue! Believe me, it’s not easy turning Tool or Nine Inch Nails into a lullaby!

Creating a new lullaby CD can take anywhere from three months to a year and a half. We have several producers who deconstruct the originals and put them back together using our Rockabye Baby pallet. Then the listening team (myself and my co-workers Aretha and Leo) sit and listen to each and every note of every song over and over, making copious notes for the producer. The producer then takes another pass at the songs. Each song goes back and forth between us and the producers an average of three to eight times before we approve them. It can be quite a grueling process for all. The quality of our recordings means a great deal us.

As you mentioned, the most recent addition to the Rockabye Baby line up was the ‘Lullabye Renditions of Queen’ that came out in May. What artist can we expect to be featured next in the series?

We are currently working on Guns & Roses and Kanye, which I‘m really excited for everyone to hear. I’m proud that the sound and quality of our series is still evolving. We continue to learn how to add more magic and whimsy to each recording, without losing the intention and sentiment of the original.

You’ve clearly covered the classics (Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, AC/DC and The Beatles) and a considerable amount of alternative rock (Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails, Tool and Queens of the Stone Age). You also have created the Hushabye Baby series, Rockabye’s country cousin. How have you chosen the genres you rearrange and are there any other genres you plan on expanding into?

As I mentioned before, Rockabye Baby was born out of frustration and the need for something cool in the baby music genre. Hushabye Baby, www.hushabyebabymusic.com, which is lullaby versions of Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Rascal Flatts and many more, came about because our parent label, CMH Records, started as classic country and bluegrass label over 35 years ago. So it felt very natural to return to our roots.

Our most recent project is our Rockabye Baby download card gift package, available in September. The download card, good for one Rockabye Baby album of your choice, comes housed in an eco-friendly package the size of a CD package. It contains the download card, a healthy baby food recipe, activities and more surprises. So, if you want to buy a Rockabye Baby CD and don’t know which to choose, our download card package lets the recipient download the album of their choice.

Of course, we have lots of other ideas in the works, but I don’t like to spill the beans too early in the process. Stay tuned! And thanks a million for your enthusiasm for our music, it’s very fulfilling to know you like it!

Thanks to Lisa for taking the time out of her schedule to answer my questions and to Elaine Schock with Shock Ink for arranging the interview. If you’ve never heard Rockabye Baby before, check out their site or look for them on iTunes and Amazon.

If you are more into country music they do have their Hushabye Baby series, which would can check out on this site as well. They have also put together a very helpful blog on the topic of children’s music on their site, which has become a must read for me as I work to expand our catalog of kid friendly music.

Do you know someone I should interview for Center Stage? Leave a comment or drop me an email at pj@realmendriveminivans.com so I can work on it for a future article. Also, if you’re new here, consider joining Dad-Blogs and grabbing the RSS feed so you can get this and all of the other awesome columns delivered fresh directly to you. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed the ride!