Alex Volz joins us to talk about his new album of kids' music, The Little Merman.
Volz is known for creating sophisticated pop, rock, blues and punk songs that go beyond the usual kiddie fare.
Reviewing his first album Awesome Songs for Cool Kids, Time Out Los Angeles said, "Yes, it's for small fries. But it's also hilarious. And clever and catchy and soulful, with tracks spanning blues, funk and rock with some Irish brogue and talking tacos thrown in for good measure. Volz's music doesn't pander to kids—it doesn't assume they're idiots, it assumes they're curious and open-minded and ready to freakin' rock."
Awesome Songs was recorded in Los Angeles and released in 2014. The new album The Little Merman was recorded in Chattanooga and released in August of this year.
The Little Merman's title track is a re-imagining of the The Little Mermaid. In Volz's version, it's the prince who goes to live under the sea with Ariel, rather than Ariel transforming into a human and going to live on the land.
Other songs on the album include "Boogers," which is gross and hilarious; "The Ballad of Tim and Ben," which is one of several songs on the album concerning what defines love and family; and "Where Do Babies Come From?" which helps parents answer a potentially uncomfortable question children ask.
The entire Little Merman album is available as a free download fromVolz's Web site.
While Volz was here at WUTC, he performed "Where Do Babies Come From?":