Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem, an acclaimed American string band, is proud to announce the national retail release of their first family music CD. Ranky Tanky is a sunny place where kids and adults alike may groove to one effortless riff, rhythm and soaring harmony after another. Ranky Tanky features 17 songs and will be available on March 15th from independent label Mayhem Music.
Kids who listen to Ranky Tanky sing along to the catchy melodies and funky beats. Grownups recognize the sounds of Cat Stevens and Tom Petty as well as Nat King Cole, zydeco, and Texas swing. Amid all the entertainment and fun, people of all ages find plenty of ways to discover this adventurous and nuanced journey through 100 years of American music.
As Rani Arbo explains, there was only one criteria for choosing songs for Ranky Tanky: "If they're good, they're in.”
The band creates original songs for their grown-up shows, but all of the tracks on Ranky Tanky are covers, many of them dusted off from other genres, times and traditions. The title track is a hip-shaking game from the Georgia Sea Islands, and Cat Stevens' “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out” (currently enjoying heavy rotation on Sirius-XM Satellite Radio’s Kids Place Live) gets a full band-with-horn-section workout.
Listeners of practically any musical taste can pick their favorites, from the raucous “Tennessee Wig Walk;” to the swingy “Kemo Kymo;” the Mardi Gras parade styled “They All Ask'd For You” or the rousing rendition of the classic “Purple People Eater.”
Amid all this booty-shaking fun is a ukulele ditty from 1901, a twangy jaw harp solo, a 21st century lullaby and traditional Bahamian children's song with an ethereal kalimba accompaniment.
Your official Ranky Tanky tour guide is sweet-singing fiddler Rani Arbo (who has logged several stints as Joan Baez’ backup singer). The rest of the band provides strong lead vocals too. Bassist Andrew Kinsey keeps the groove deep in his pocket, while Anand Nayak (whose work with SteveSongs is featured daily on PBS kids) growls, howls and soars on electric and acoustic guitars. Scott Kessel's percussion rig, the “Drumship Enterprise,” anchors the proceedings.
Cobbled together from cardboard and wooden boxes, tin cans, plastic jugs, and an old naugahyde suitcase, it is - like the band - unpretentious, soulful, a little bit silly and always musical.
After ten years on the road, Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem are a bona fide family themselves, with the chops to prove it. Now, after a cropof three highly-praised grownup CDs – and a bundle of their own kids – Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem are a group of musicians stretching toward a new audience.
For a band with a reputation for dispensing joy (the Boston Globe describes their shows as “playful and profound”), family music making is a natural step. They plan to continue creating solid roots music for families: uplifting, joyfully spontaneous, danceable, occasionally wistful and never sarcastic.
For more information about Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem and Ranky Tanky, visit www.raniarbo.com/rankytanky.com
RANKY TANKY
Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem
Label: Mayhem Music
Release: March 15, 2010
SRP: $15 Distributor: Signature Sounds.
Available from CDBaby and various retailers.
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