“Rocknoceros – Colonel Purple Turtle” CD Review +{Rafflecopter Giveaway – Ends 11/1} (CLOSED)

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It’s no secret that kid’s music is big in our house. (Remind me some time, and I’ll take a picture of the CDs piled by my son’s bed.) When we come across a band called “Rocknoceros”, we have to give them a try. The Colonel Purple Turtle by Rocknoceros CD is a great mix of musical styles. It’s fun for children to dance and sing along to and the whole family can enjoy this CD together.


IT’S A PURPLE TURTLE, IT’S A COLONEL, IT’S …

‘COLONEL PURPLE TURTLE’
with ROCKNOCEROS
AWARD-WINNING BAND’S
FIRST KID-FRIENDLY CONCEPT ALBUM
WITH COMPANION BOOK
A TRIBUTE TO FRIENDSHIP! "An outstanding mix of folk and rock...literate songs...poppy approach...multi-generational appeal." - NPR, Best Music for Kids and Families
"Bubblegum Pop. The harmonies rival those of any killer alt-rock band (assuming they decided to sing about things little kids love)." - Parenting magazine
"Kudos to the great taste of the DC area. You already know what the rest of the country is starting to find out – that Rocknoceros is a gem of a band." – Stefan Shepherd, Zooglobble

VIENNA, VA (June 30, 2011)
– In tribute to their friendship of more than 20 years, Northern Virginia’s premiere power trio for children – Rocknoceros – celebrates friends everywhere with the September 13th release of its fourth studio CD and first-ever kid-friendly concept album, Colonel Purple Turtle.  Within the context of exceptionally beautiful music, the album offers lessons in science and lessons in life.  A 24-page book, Colonel Purple Turtle’s Purple Turtle Journal, will be available as a companion to the album.

As almost every family with youngsters in the Washington, DC area knows, Rocknoceros (pronounced like rhinoceros) is three guys: Coach Cotton, Williebob, and Boogie Woogie Bennie. The theme of Colonel Purple Turtle is one of friendship and working together, a subject close to the hearts of the Rocknoceros bandmates, who have been best friends since they were children. Colonel Purple Turtle reflects their abiding trust in each other and their desire to share a message of camaraderie through song and story.

With an astounding variety of musical styles, sounds, and compositional devices, the world of a mythical reptilian Colonel and his friends in their make-believe home of Soggy Bog comes alive on Colonel Purple Turtle. This album offers energetic music that is never raucous, reflective music that is never boring, and interactive music that does not patronize children.  Above all, Colonel Purple Turtle exposes kids to a world of musical tone color that goes far beyond the industrial gray of electric guitars, synthesizer keyboard, and drums. On this recording, small ears are opened up to the colorful nuance of a violin-viola-cello string ensemble, the harmonic language of jazz, the velvety blend of a barbershop quartet, the rhythmic complexity and vitality of Latin music, the antique sound of a recorder ensemble, and the relaxed style of finger-picking acoustic guitar, in addition to the driving energy of rock and roll.  This great musical variety is not an end in itself, but, rather, is put to the task of relating allegorical tales that convey the message that knowing how to be a friend is an important part of life.  Beyond the theme of friendship, the album’s songs also delve into such scientific topics as echolocation, the power of the sun, and the life cycle of ladybugs.  Colonel Purple Turtle can be enjoyed and appreciated on many levels.  It is fun and silly, festooned with colorfully descriptive language, word play, and humor, yet, at the same time quite serious and truthful.  Taken individually, all the components of this album — the singing, the playing, the musical form of the pieces, the vivid contrasts — represent the highest production values, yet they never call attention to themselves, and neither the telling nor the message of the story is ever obscured.

The three Rocknoceros bandmates grew up in Northern Virginia.  Boogie and Coach, best friends since they were four years old, remember endlessly spinning Beatles records in Boogie's suburban bedroom while “waiting for Williebob,” who appeared on the scene in high school. The three have been making music informally ever since, although it wasn't until 20 years later, when Coach Cotton was raising young’uns of his own, that the inspiration for Rocknoceros finally crystallized.

Rocknoceros has dominated the Washington, DC children's music scene since its inception in 2005, winning a remarkable seven Washington Area Music Awards (with 2011 marking their fourth consecutive year taking home the “Best Children’s Music Artist” award), and landing an ongoing Video-on-Demand offering through COX Cable.  In addition to Colonel Purple Turtle, the band’s albums include Rocknoceros (2005), Dark Side of the Moon Bounce (2007), and the NAPPA award-winning PINK! (2009), about which Sirius/XM’s Kids Place Live program director Mindy Thomas enthused, “PINK! is whimsical and wondrous, and we wouldn’t want it any other way.”



My son and I enjoyed this DVD. It’s a lot of fun and great for kids of all ages. You can get the Colonel Purple Turtle CD by visiting the Rocknoceros website- http://rocknoceros.com and it's available on Amazon as well. And you can enter in the form below to try to win a copy too.


*Disclaimer: I received this CD to review. All opinions are my own.*