Album Notes

"There is definitely a void of festive, drinking songs for kids," says James Dague. Dague should know; he performs for kids throughout the year as "ScribbleJim" at schools, festivals and other family events. "So I wrote a 'wave your glass in the air, put your arm around your buddy' kind of song with all the fun that comes with a sing-a-long chorus, but without the drunkenness."

Dague and his band, ScribbleMonster & His Pals, unveiled their new song, "Chocolate Milk," at Schubas Tavern, arguably the best place to see live music in Chicago. "A tavern seemed like the most logical place to debut the song," Dague explained. "This way kids could tell their friends and neighbors, 'My parents took me to a bar this weekend and we marched around and sang drinking songs.' As a parent, it's so cool to be able to share the experience of a live concert with your kids at the same venue where you've seen some of your favorite shows."

"Chocolate Milk," like the band's 2002 debut, "Best of Friends," is designed to stimulate creative expression and encourage a child's participation. Kids are encouraged to sing, dance, imagine and play along with ScribbleMonster & His Pals and even help write the lyrics on the songs "The World's Greatest" and "I'm A...(Anything I Like)." Healthy eating is also a popular theme on the album which was produced by The ScribbleBooks Company, publishers of the ScribbleMonster book series.

But the music isn't just for the kids. A bit edgier than most children's offerings that "even a parent can love," the group's unique brand of children's music was once described as "Sesame Street on steroids." Dague describes their live shows as a blending of traditional children's music, improvisational comedy and power-pop. "It's a fun little rock show that the whole family can enjoy."

ScribbleMonster & His Pals is comprised of five veteran Chicago-area performers, clocking in with a total of 15 children of their own, more than 40 combined years of parenting and over 100 years of creating, teaching and performing music, comedy and theater. Dague, who plays guitar and sings, is joined by Brett Goral on drums and Brian Hufnagl on bass guitar with additional tag-team vocals provided by Jayne Saniat and Joyce Stuart.