Red Ryder Entertainment :: Chicago Illinois

Ralph's World

Kids music superstar Ralph Covert of Ralph's World is one of those rare artists who seems to have a knack for doing things on his own terms and making a winning splash every time. From his start with critically-acclaimed indie-rock band The Bad Examples in the ‘90's, his works as an award-winning playwright of both adult dramas and original children's stage musicals (including the big Midwestern hits “The Hundred Dresses” and “A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas”), to the phenomenal success of children's rock'n'roll music sensation Ralph's World, Covert is on his way to fulfilling The New York Times' prediction that he will be family music's “Elvis Costello, if not it's Elvis Presley.”

This year's “All Around Ralph's World” release, Ralph's World's ninth in as many years, is the next stage in a journey that has included a Grammy nomination, the cover of Pollstar, the front of The New York Times' Arts section, the first-ever national kids tour of the House of Blues, NPR profiles, rave reviews from Time, Parade, and People (to name just a few), and countless sold-out shows and delighted fans of all ages. Having recently concluded a deal with Disney that made him the envy of many of his peers, where does Covert think he can turn to continue his run of hits? To the fans, of course!

“I chose Bar/None Records to release this CD because they embody the indie-label approach that is at the heart of the Ralph's World philosophy,” Covert explains. “Our success was built fan by fan, kid by kid, mom by mom. I always approached Ralph's World like an indie-rock band. Everything was grassroots, and there was a lot of fan ‘ownership' of Ralph's World. While it's tough to go wrong playing at Disney World and having your videos played in 55 million households, at the end of the day I was feeling there was becoming too much of a gap between me and the fans. It was something we worked hard to overcome, both at shows and on our website, but there's a feeling at indie-rock labels that you have to earn the loyalty of every fan with every record, and that's very exciting to me.”

Covert is hardly turning his back on his past. Concerts will still be the rip-roaring kiddie rock'n'roll fests they've always been! The new album's sixteen original songs musically run from Beatles- and Bolan-style rockers to compositions that may be a little bit country and a little bit showtune- or latin- or just too hard to classify simply. Lyrically listeners go on a giddy trip from the backyard to the stars, with sidetrips to meet the kind of assortment of endearing characters you'd expect from past Ralph's World albums, including a loyal caterpillar, a dog with a suntan and an agent, a robot who dreams of flying, along with the dire consequences of the funniest joke in the world. A few of the songs, such as “The Robot Looked At The Stars,” “Sally's Trip,” and “A Dog Named Bruce,” were originally composed as part of the curriculum of Disney's English language learning schools in China and Covert is proud to include revised versions of them. The rigorous teaching standards Covert had to work with while creating those songs means that not only are they fun and catchy, but they're designed to facilitate early language learning.

There's even a song on the album co-written with Covert's daughter Fiona, “Pickle Me Juice.” It was making music with his daughter at Chicago's esteemed Old Town School of Folk Music's Wiggleworms classes that started him down the path of family music. Fiona has subsequently appeared on all the albums, and co-written a number of songs through the years. Just as making music with her influenced the birth of Ralph's World music, becoming a parent this year for the second time has re-invigorated Covert's roots. “It's great – it's me coming full circle, making music for kids and now, again, having those same kid/parent experiences myself. It made the music on this record feel more essential.”

“The real truth to my approach to making music that kids enjoy is to appeal to both the parents and the kids - and me as well.” says Covert, who jokes he is “too fragile” to deal with boring half his audience, “When creating family music, the universe of your creativity can be as boundless as the universe of a child's imagination.”

If you haven't experienced the personal interaction of Ralph's World, check out a live show. For Covert's audience, this is their first “rock concert” experience. “We don't dumb it down,” he says. “No glitter on the face or anything – we have two guitars, bass and drums, with real musicians, interesting vocal/guitar arrangements, and songs that kids and parents dance and sing along to.” Be sure to stay ‘til the end, when Covert usually invites both the kids and the parents on stage to join the band. It's quite a visceral concert experience.

“Just call me The Flaming Lips for the under-set,” he says, laughing.

6.22	Rochester Hills, MI	Recess Music Festival
6.30	Rahway, NY	Union Country PAC
7.7	Highland, IN	Highland Fest
7.12	Highland Park, IL	Ravinia Festival
7.21	Chicago, IL	Benfest
7.28	Brookfield, IL	Brookfield Zoo
8.3	Chicago, IL	Lollapalooza
8.4	Chicago, IL	Lollapalooza
8.24	Palatine, IL	Palatine Street Fest
8.25	Chicago, IL	WTTW Kiss Fun and Run
9.28	Fairfax, VA	George Mason U.
9.29	Vienna, VA	Jammin' Java