Calling all Mista Cookie Jar & The Chocolate Chips fans...! We will be releasing our 10th official music video on March 12, 2014 for the Mista Cookie Jar theme song, "Call Me Mista Cookie Jar." The fam & I have been animating this stop motion video frame by frame for nearly a year now and its almost ready to be unveiled. 100% D.I.Y. from the ground up. We made paper from scratch, illustrated our own characters, cut out every piece of cardboard and photograph -- I even made my own Buster Keaton hat. I know its still a ways away, but stay tuned...we're hopeful you'll find it worth the wait!

Throw Me Something Mista!

It's Mardi Gras season...laissez les bons temps rouler! Here's the brand spanking new Jazzy Ash video, Throw Me Something Mista, featuring myself as the Mista. It was a BLAST working on this video/track over the past few months and excited to share it with you all. Mardi Gras was a big part of my childhood growing up in Mobile, AL--the first city in the US to annually celebrate Mardi Gras believe it or not. So as you can imagine, I'm thrilled to be part of this record! (Shout out to my Mobile peeps on FB!) 

Ash's new New Orleans themed album, Home, just drops today too. It's awesome and lush with musical styles. She's got SO much to offer the family music scene. Check it yall and enjoy 

They're young, they're Canadian, and they're ÜBERtalented. No, they're not Justin Bieber circa 2007...they're The Zing Zangs!! Seriously, the hardest working 13 year olds in the game. They've just released an album called, Blast Off!, featuring Todd McHatton, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, Groovy David, Sugar Free Allstars and a handful of other Kindie superstars. Here's their debut music video, Super Speed. This week, it premiered on TV'sCool Rockin' Daddy Video Show and, wouldn't ya know, it features some kooky Pilipino-American hippie hipster named,Mista Cookie Jar. Share with your youngins and enjoy 

Update: I interview here with the Zing Zangs on Kids Can Groove!

"My first spot as a guest blogger on Kids Can Groove and who better to interview than the 13-year old kindie entrepreneur, GooberKids Trevor of the Zing Zangs!" 

-MCJ on Facebook

MAD October Shows in LA!

Mad Mista Cookie Jar & The Chocolate Chips October shows in Los Angeles!

October 6 - Serial Time for Tiny Humans! (Storytelling show)- Books and Cookies - 11 am (Free)

"The LA Storytelling Festival's kidcentric event, Serial Time for Tiny Humans, features Heidi Swedberg, Jayne Entwistle, Donald Ian Black, Jackie Jones, Mista Cookie Jar and your hostess, Astrid Strudelman, the Unicorn Whisperer (whose likeness to The UkuLady is uncanny). Show starts at 11am at Santa Monica'sBooks and Cookies LA -- each storyteller has 10 -12 minutes! Don't miss it the magicmeep!"

Tickets and info: http://lastoryworks.org/la-storytelling-festival/

http://lastoryworks.org/serial-time-for-tiny-humans/

LINEUP:
Heidi Swedberg
Bunny Don Black
Astrid Strudelman
Jackie Jones
Jayne Entwistle
Mista Cookie Jar
October 12 - Mista Cookie Jar SHOW! - Books and Cookies - 10 am (Free)
October 20 - Castle Heights Fall Festival - Morning to Afternoon (Free)
October 26 - Halloween Spooktacular with Groovy David - Groovy Lounge - 10 am to 12 pm

Todd and Cookie

My good friend, Todd McHatton (the brilliant fella who wrote I Think I'm a Bunny), and I have just released our debut project, Todd and Cookie.

Here's our official writeup: 

Kindie Rock Superstars Todd McHatton and Mista Cookie Jar have joined forces to create The Great Adventures of Todd and Cookie; a mystical, magical, rock and roll cartoon adventure for the whole family! "A World of Rock" is the premiere episode of the series, Todd and Cookie's Catapult of Destiny. Their premiere mini album, "Epic 3 Song Starter Pack," is also available for purchase online. 

Following this initial release Todd and Cookie will issue a brand new mini album to coincide with the premiere of each new cartoon. An ongoing web comic will also be chronicling their adventures as they seek out The Catapult of Destiny.

Todd and Cookie is already being hailed as the kid friendly Cheech & Chong for the 21st century.

For more info go to 

http://ToddAndCookie.com

http://twitter.com/ToddAndCookie

http://facebook.com/ToddAndCookie

http://toddandcookie.bandcamp.com/

Tuesday Night Project 2013

This past Tuesday Ava Flava and I performed for the 4th year in a row at Tuesday Night Project in Little Tokyo. As a matter of fact, it was 4 years ago this month we had our first show ever as the Chocolate Chips! (Truth be told, we debuted as "Mista Cookie Jar and Tha Big Seeds"...that night we changed it to "Chocolate Chips"!!)

In the picture above, Ava had just turned 8! This was the show that kick started it all. One of our favorite shows EVER!  And 4 years later, this past show, we debuted an unreleased song, "My My My" (a nostalgic look back at the kids growing up), as well as the KPL mash up Dean Jones original, "Just Another Finger." As a performer, there's nothing like playing fresh material. Always mad love at the TNP!

My, my, my how we've grown!

Here's a pic of the whole fam on our way to Little Tokyo.

Chocolatey Chipness in July of 2013

What's on the horizon this 2013 July? Well, well, well....

Mistic & the Mista: Mista Cookie Jar @ Mystic Aquarium! 

Calling all Connecticut Chocolate Chips! July 17, Mista Cookie Jar & Ava Flava will be rocking out with Steve Elci & Friends as part of the Kidsploration Concert Series at Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut! We are the first in a stellar summer lineup including Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band, Miss-Amy Kids, and The Okee Dokee Brothers. And yes, there will be Sea Lions!!!!

Performances in the Foxwoods Marine Theatre start at 2:30pm and are FREE with your admission. Click here for Mystic Aquarium website and more details!

Also, peep this video to learn more about Kidsploration Concert Series at Mystic Aquarium:

Spotlight Mystic Aquarium from NBC Connecticut on Vimeo.

89.3 KPCC  Crawford Family Forum: 
Music for Kids (and Their Grown-Ups): Lisa Loeb, Aaron Nigel Smith, and Mista Cookie Jar
 


July 27 at 10:30 am, I will be part of a panel and on-air concert about family music on 89.3 KPCC. The panel will feature myself as well as these two extremely talented family music artists:  Lisa Loeb (yes, the Lisa Loeb who sings, "Stay") and Aaron Nigel Smith.  I am fans of both musicians -- they go above and beyond as artists and bridge builders in the community. Check out this fabulous TED Talk by Lisa Loeb and this video about Aaron Nigel Smith's One World Chorus, Jamaica. It will be hosted by "Take Two" host (and roller derby extraordinaire), Alex Cohen. It's an honor to be on the panel, indeed.

The event will be at the Crawford Family Forum in Pasadena, Ca.  10:00am - Doors Open, 10:30am - Program. Admission is FREE, but RSVPs are required. Click here for details. 

For those not in the area, there will be a live stream here! Video and audio will be archived at http://www.scpr.org/ as well!

For rest of the MCJ tour dates this summer, click here.