So, I´m not sure if your summer goes like mine, but throughout the spring, I tend to look at my crazy To Do list and plan to catch up on all the paperwork, phone calls, website updates, calls to old friends, books I´ve been meaning to read, and windows that need cleaned in July, WHEN I´LL HAVE SO MUCH FREE TIME!! OK, I admit, I don´t really think about cleaning the windows much, but... regardless July arrives and I´m at the pool, the beach, the park, a festival… getting nothing on my list done.

So I wind up more behind than ever… But it´s worth it, because it´s July and we have to be wet and wild and swimming and splashing and singing our hearts out and celebrating the Independence of this great country...

After all, isn´t that the beauty of independence. We get to do whatever we want, whenever we want. And when it comes to catching up on paperwork and phone calls, I´m sure there will be plenty of time for all that… in August!!

I look forward to seeing you all again, and hope it´s soon!! Enjoy the summer! Stay wet and cool and if you find some good books, let me know about it…

Your friend,

Thaddeus Rex

Hear it!

Solo version...

Sorry for the delay getting this song posted up. My hotel this weekend didn't have a working internet connection, talk about major withdrawal!!

But I'm back in Chicago now, up and running. Here's a song written by a group of super kids in Sinking Spring, PA which is just outside Reading, PA.

These guys were wildly creative and fun to work with. I was there on school spirit week and the kids were all dressed up for crazy day!!!

Can't wait to come back guys. Rock on!!

Thaddeus Rex

Pokemon & Webkins Play Football

Solo Version

by 3rd graders of Mahanoy City Elementary


The 3rd graders of Mahanoy City, PA came up with a new and unique idea. They wrote a song about Pokemon and Webkins, playing each other in a match of football no less!!

Now this was a very tough song for me, because it's been a long time since I've played Pokemon, several years at least, and I've never owned a Webkin, but the kids pulled this one together on their own and had some funny ideas for prizes to this crazy game.

Hope you enjoy!

Thaddeus Rex

My Awesome Mom by Thaddeus Rex
Listen Now


Moms,

This one's just for you! Thanks for everything. We love you very much!!


With love,
Your Kid

Click Here to Hear it

Click here to hear it solo


These kids were outta control!!! Had a great time yesterday in Paducah, KY. If you've not been there, it's a really cool old river town. It reminded me of a miniature Memphis, and the Performing Arts Center there is awesome!!

So back to these kids, they were throwing ideas faster than a monkey can sling bananas, and we were sloppin' ideas up on the board quick as lighting. They came up with cool rhymes, silly ideas and went totally outta control... Just like that. But the song says it all!

Thaddeus

by 3rd graders of Southside Elementary
Kendallville, IN

Click to Hear it!


You guys were all really fun to work with. I had a blast and look forward to next time! If we're lucky, we'll all be there with no rules!!

Keep writing!

It was cool to think about life with no rules, and the teachers were excited about the 10 year vacation!


Your friend,

Thaddeus Rex

by 3rd, 4th & 5th grades at Little Turtle Elem
in Columbia City, IN

Click to hear it!

I'm a humongous Simpson's fan! So imagine my surprise when I learned the idea for Spider Pigs came from the show. I'm a bit dissappointed I missed that episode...

But after deciding to write a song about Spider Pigs, the kids decided the song should not be about Homer's pig, but about an actual spider pig. This is one weird creature, shooting bacon out its nose in order to spin a web just so Homer can eat it!

Hope you enjoy... the song, not the bacon...

Thaddeus

by 4th graders
Norther Heights Elementary
Columbia City, IN

Click to hear it!

Solo version


Wow! What a crazy day. I started getting a little cold a couple days ago and almost thought my voice was going to fall out during the show today. I think I butchered the high notes pretty bad. It felt like someone had taken my voice box out and replaced it with a rubber chicken!

Writing and performing doesn't always come easy. Sometimes you have to really work at it. But don't ever give up. If it's what you really love, keep doing it!

The writing session was a blast! This song is not only full of rhymes, but there are some really crazy and wild ideas here! There's some great material here that could definitely make a great song!

I look forward to seeing you all again soon!


Write Like a Rock Star!!

Thaddeus Rex

by 3rd grade of Jefferson Elementary
Winona Lake, IN

Click to hear it!

Solo version


You guys did a great job creating a fun and clever song. I had a blast at your school!! One of my all time favorites for sure!!!

Can't wait to see the poems and stories you create for the contest!

your friend,

Thaddeus Rex

by 5th Grade
Akron Elementary, Akron, IN

Hear It!

Solo Version


You guys were a blast to work with. Thanks for it all! Dramatic Prairie Dogs is a cool idea. I'm thinking we should add a bridge section at some point that adds some drama!!

Keep writing. Can't wait to see more ideas...

Thaddeus Rex

Bark at the Moon (& Lady with a Stick)
by 3rd grade of Kramer Elem in Oxford, OH

Bark at the Moon - Hear it!

Lady with a Stick - hear it!


I had an awesome time yesterday down in Oxford OH. This little town packs a powerful punch!! I did a workshop with the 3rd graders, then 2 concert assemblies, then an evening public concert to a packed house and the kids danced like MANIACS!!!!!!! Even some of the grown ups danced a bit crazy!!

Afterwards, I was so tired, I felt a bit like a slug who was hungry and lazy and couldn't even find the energy to leave a trail of slime.........

I love this song! The class disagreed, so we wrote two choruses. You tell us which you prefer...

Thanks,
Thaddeus Rex

The Sky at Night
lyrics by Jenna, music by Thaddeus Rex
click to hear it

Jenna was at my songwriting workshop in Lake Forest Saturday. She was the only girl in the group, but held her own and did a great job!

Then when the workshop was over she showed me another poem she'd written on her own. I pulled out the guitar and we put this together and recorded it then and there.

Thanks Jenna!

Thaddeus

Nothing Plays Tennis Like a Stinky Banana
by 5 genius children in Lake Forest, IL
Click to hear it

Some songs make perfect sense. Most country songs do this. But a lot of my favorite songs I could listen to 100 times and never tell you exactly what they're about, like 'Hotel California'.

This song is kind of like that, in a way. It was tons of fun to write but makes you think.

The Stinky Banana for instance. You might ask, why would a stinky banana want to play Tennis? How could a stinky banana hold the racket? Why does the banana stink? What's it smell like???

We wrote this together up in Lake Forest at a workshop, then I had to sit in terrible traffic all the way back downtown. While I was sitting there in my car, waiting for traffic to clear, I was really wishing someone would get up and invent the flying car already. I mean, come on!!! It's like 2008 and we should have rocket powered backpacks to carry us around town...

Well, until we have jet powered backpacks, we'll have to keep talking on the computer. Have a great Sunday!!!

To the kids in Lake Forest, great job. I'm really proud of you! Can't wait 'till next time...

Thaddeus Rex

Nerdology for Dummies
by 3rd, 4th & 5th graders
Albion Elementary
Albion, IN
Click here to hear it
Solo Version

This is by far the largest group I've ever worked with at one time on a songwriting workshop, but they did a great job! I was very impressed with how efficiently and quickly they worked!!

They created a song called 'Nerdology for Dummies' and this is actually the name of a new type of dragon, a Zombie Dragon.

Good luck to all the kids in Albion! It was fun working with you!!!


Thanks,
Thaddeus Rex

The Evil Hockey Pucks are Chasing Thaddeus Rex
by the students of McKenney-Harrison Elementary
Auburn, IN
Click here to hear it
Hear it Solo


I have to admit, I was a bit nervous at first when these students decided they wanted to write a song about me. Then they went on to create a group of Evil Hockey Pucks who were chasing me!!!

It was all I could do to stay there at the chalkboard. My knees were quaking like jelly in a tornado and every frayed nerve in my body wanted to bolt for the door. But I stayed and they wrote and the song turned out amazingly well, and I was very pleased to see I wasn't hurt by the end of the song!

We hope you enjoy!

Yours,

Thaddeus Rex

Yogi Bear Eats Old People
by 6th grade of Riverdale Elementary
St. Joe, IN

Click here to hear it
Click here to hear it - solo version


This one's strange... Hope you like it!

Thaddeus

Duck Flavored Cheesecake
by 6th grade of Butler Elementary
Butler, IN

Click here to hear it

Click here to hear it solo

These 6th graders were a blast!!! Definitely the first time I've had Cookie monster appear in a song. Hope ya'll enjoy it!

Your friend,
Thaddeus Rex

Be very very quiet... I'm sitting in the Assistant Principal's office and don't want anyone to know I'm here, typing away on the computer, writing to all of you...

I hope things are going well there. Here we are dealing with some blinding sunlight and Terribly clear skies.

Clear skies are best for alien watching. Not sure about you, but I've never seen a single alien on a cloudy day! Come to think about it, I've never seen any aliens on clear days either, but figure it's gotta increase my chances.

OK, I'd best hurry!!

I'll be posting a new song tonight, written by some of the 6th graders here at Butler Elementary in Butler, IN. Hope you like it!!

Gotta run!
Thaddeus

Our Ocean Friends are Dolphins
by 3rd and 4th graders of Ober Elementary
Garrett, IN
Click here to hear it
Click here to hear the solo version

I had a lot of fun in Garrett, IN today. They had a really cool auditorium with great sound and the show was rocking! Thanks for a great time guys!!

I hope ya'll like the song they came up with.

Thanks for the great day,

Thaddeus Rex

I just became a grand prize winner in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

The song titled, 'I'll Always Follow You', which I co-wrote with George Gershwin's son, Alan Gershwin, is one of two grand prize winners for best children's song of 2007. We need your help to make it Best Song of the Year!!

Visit www.jlsc.com/vote right now and vote for "I'll Always Follow You" in the children's category.

VISIT WWW.JLSC.COM/VOTE RIGHT NOW!!!

Once you sign up, you can vote once each day. Voting starts today and ends April 26th.

If we win this next round, our song will be given "THE LENNON AWARD" and will be sent to a celebrity panel which includes Fergie, Bob Weir, Al Jarreau and more. The winner selected by that panel will be announced "Maxell Song of the Year" and will receive $20,000 cash from Maxell!!

I'll use that cash to make a DVD so you can all see more concert footage in the comfort of your own homes.

Please help me get the word out. We'll teach the world to Read Like Rock Stars!! Visit WWW.JLSC.COM/VOTE and tell your friends!!


Your friend,

Thaddeus Rex

PS - VISIT WWW.JLSC.COM/VOTE RIGHT NOW!! You have to fill out a short form and can then vote every day between nnow and April 26!!!

The Flying Pigs Play Football
by Van Allen and Russell Elementary Students. Written in Chariton, IA

Thaddeus Rex with the kids

Solo version

This is the biggest group of kids I've ever worked with in a single workshop. It was tough getting organized at first and I thought my brain was going to fall out trying to count up so many votes for different song ideas over and over, but in the end, I really like this idea.

Because there were so many of us, we only had time to write the chorus and 1 verse. This song definitely has potential. I can just picture all these flying pigs playing football with a bunch of flying fish and they're using a banana instead of a football.  Of course, I wouldn't want to get tackled while carrying a banana. That's a horrible mess just waiting to happen!

Perhaps to make it even more interesting, we should write in that the pigs have to wear tuxedos and the fish are all wearing evening gowns and they have to stay clean while they play, or else they're disqualified and have to sit on the sidelines until their dry cleaning is finished.

But I almost forgot, this is all taking place in outer space, so maybe banans don't make  amess in outerspace. Perhaps they're all freeze dried bananas, like the astronauts eat!

 OK, now I'm just getting silly. But I think there may be something here. Will keep working.   It's late and the only food I could find open after finishing tonight's show here in SW Iowa was Hardees. So now I'm belching up burger breath and wishing I'd been able to find something a little less greasy!

 If you ever come visit this part of the country, bring a picnic basket!  Everything closes so early, I've had to eat dinner at gas stations twice this week.

 See ya'll soon...

 

Thaddeus

If You're Scared of Shoes, Go to Church
by the 6th, 7th and 8th graders at IPS #56 (Indianapolis Public Schools)
Click here to hear it!


I was a little nervous when I got to IPS 56 and they said I'd be doing a songwriting workshop with 6th, 7th and 8th grade. I hadn't done a workshop with 7th and 8th graders in a long time, so felt a little silly. Not as silly as Kermit the frog being in love with a pig, but a little silly nonetheless!

But once we got started, these kids had some great ideas and I was particularly impressed with their rhyming ability. They carried the same rhymes through the whole song which is impressive.

We sang the song together, but somehow my machine didn't save the song. Yikes!! So I had to sing it again when I got home this morning.

So sorry we lost the version of all of use singing together, cause that was rockin'!!

Hope to see ya'll again soon!!

Thaddeus

The B.A.D. Club Loves Money
by The B.A.D. Club of IPS 42 - Indianapolis Public Schools
Click here to hear the song!

The B.A.D. Club is an amazing club at IPS 42 that stands for Building America's Future.

I'm humbled and amazed at their work ethic and desire to make the world a better place. As soon as they decided they wanted to write a song about how much they love money I figured the whole song was going to be about Bling Bling!! But no, they wrote a song about using their money to help other people. I thought that was pretty cool!

Rock on!!

Thaddeus

The Mean Monkey Teacher Caught me Sleeping
by 6th grade of IPS 19 (Indianapolis Public Schools)
Click here to hear it!

This is one of the funniest songs I've heard in a long time. Off the wall silliness. Thanks 6th graders of IPS 19!!! You guys rock!!

I hope to be able to visit again soon. I think your teachers had as much fun as you did!!

Yours,
Thaddeus Rex

Beautiful Things
by Maren D. of Lebanon, IN (4th Grade )
Click here to hear it!
MAY TAKE A FEW MINS TO DOWNLOAD

Maren won week 33 of the Write Like a Rock Star!! contest with this song. This is a really timely subject with all the concern these days about the environment.

I hope you like it! I've really enjoyed being reminded of all the beautiful things we have to enjoy in this world. What are some other beautiful things we could write about, I wonder?

Beautiful mountains, beautiful rivers, oceans, lakes, fish, bears, wolves, cats, deer... The list goes on and on. I went the Shedd's aquarium last week and saw a lot of really ugly beautiful things too, like octupuses and leeches and stuff.

Well, I'm sitting in my hotel in Columbus, OH and have to pack up in just a few minutes for my drive to Cincinnati. I hope to see some of you in Sharonville tonight at the show!!

Last night's show here in Dublin was rockin! I met a lot of great kids and had tons of fun!!

Read Like a Rock Star!!
Thaddeus

Life is Tough in the Sport of Floss
by a selection of 3rd, 4th and 5th graders at Lincoln Elementary in Warsaw, IN and Thaddeus Rex
Click here to hear the song with the students
Click here to hear the song solo

Please forgive me for not being too verbose today. I got up at 4am to drive out to Warsaw, did 2 concerts and a workshop, then drove to Columbus, OH where I perform tomorrow. I feel about as energetic as a frozen tree sloth...

I'm a bucket of molasses in the freezer...

I'm a corvette in the lake...

I'm really really ready for a bit of bed!

Lincoln Elementary really wore me out. They were a phenomenal group of kids to work with and the 4th and 5th graders came up with a great song!

I hope you like it. Hope we all get lots of sleep, don't forget to floss, and I look forward to seeing those of you who live in Columbus tomorrow...

Your friend,
Thaddeus Rex

Basketball Shoes in the Future
by The 6th Grade of Leesburg Elem & Thaddeus Rex
Click here to hear the song sung by Thaddeus Rex and the kids
Click here to hear the song solo (Thaddeus Rex only)


I had quite an experience at this school! They made me feel so welcome, and the snow was falling outside when I arrived to begin setting up. I managed to get all my gear into the school without falling on my rump or wrecking into any other cars in the parking lot, which I considered quite a feet.

Thank goodness for Mr. Lawler, the custodian, he's strong as an ox and helped get all the speakers and amps and guitars and stuff into the gym quickly.

The 6th grade helped write this song and they were pure genius. Very fun to work with and had so many ideas... We worked for a little over an hour to write this song. I hope you like it. The bridge isn't finished, so see if you have any ideas to make it better.

After the songwriting workshop, I got to eat lunch at the school, and I was reminded why I rarely eat at schools. The milk was pink, the applesauce was red and the carrots were brown. Yummy they were not!! But they also had barbecue chicken fingers, which were quite tasty.

When I finished the show, I had to drive back to Chicago and the roads were terrrible!! It took about 2 hours longer than it should have, but here I am, back at my desk, writing again!!

If you go to Leesburg Elementary, thanks for having me visit. I had a great time! If you go to a different school, I hope I get to visit you real soon...

Your friend,
Thaddeus Rex

I Love School
by Olivia B. of Cincinnati, OH (6th Grade)
Click here to hear it

LYRICS:
I Love School
Learning all day and all night
I do homework until it gives me a fright
Somethimes it makes me wanna SCREAM!

I don't know why, but I still love school
Even with all the homework we do
But sometimes I just love school!!

Olivia B. of Cincinnati, OH (6th Grade)


I looked back through some of the earlier contest winners and thought this song was a great contrast to 'Road Kill Chimichanga'. It just goes to show, you can write songs about things you know (like school), things you know nothing about (cyborg Chimichangas) or anything in between.

Ideas are awesome!!!

Thaddeus

ps - I'm sitting in a hotel room in Warsaw, IN right now, watching the snow fall and one thought keeps going through my mind... I can't stop wondering... Why does this room smell so funny!!

What is it about hotels?? They always smell like old socks or cleaning chemicals. Why can't a hotel room just smell normal, like my room at home??

I spend about 100 nights a year in hotels, and they all smell funny!! From really expensive to really cheap, they never smell like normal...

What's happening here?

If you can ever figure out a solution to hotel room smell, please give me a call. I'll buy whatever you solve to fix it! If I have anything to say about it, I'll nominate you for the Nobel Prize!!!

Good luck!!

Road Kill Chimichanga
by Thaddeus Rex & the 6th grade of Harrison Elementary (Warsaw, IN).
Click here to hear the song with all the 6th grade singing
Click here to hear the song solo (just Thaddeus Rex singing)

Today I visited Harrison Elementary and watched the 4th - 6th grades rock out all morning. In the afternoon The L-3rd graders were shakin' the rafters!!

Just before lunch, I did a songwriting workshop with the 6th grade and they had some WILD IDEAS!!!

The song they wrote is called 'Road Kill Chimichanga'. It's about a cyborg Chimichanga that attacks a grandmother and steals her wig. Then the grandmother jumps into an Oscar Meyer Weiner mobile and chases down the Cyborg Chimichanga at 80 miles and hour and turns the Chimichanga into Road Kill!

Last, we served the Road Kill Chimichanga up with fries and a shake, just for fun!

The bridge of this song hasn't been written yet, so we all just scatted along (sang jibberish). If you have ideas for the bridge, let us know. The 6th graders are supposed to be working on lyrics for the bridge.

This song is definitely strange. I mean REALLY STRANGE!! I hope you like it.

Your friend,
Thaddeus Rex

My Other Brother (Click here to hear it)
by Jasmine B. of Dover, DE

I remember New Year's Eve very well. It's one of my favorite holidays. This year I had a show in Dover, Delaware. It's a really cute little town a couple hours south of Philadelphia. It's also the state capital of Delaware.

I made tons of new friends, performed 5 times, and ate too many hot dogs!

When the clock struck midnight and people across the world were screaming and hollering and celebrating, I was in a rental car, driving back to the Philadelphia airport. But the cool thing was, my rental car was a Ford Mustang and it was fast!!!

The world was whizzing by and I could also see lots of fireworks as I drove.

I remember one family I met and there was a young girl named Jasmine. She seemed really smart. Now she's written down a really cool song idea and it won last week's songwriting contest. Good work Jasmine!!

Yesterday I grabbed my tape recorder and made a little music for her lyrics. Hope you like it.

Good luck to Jasmine in the contest!

Peanut Butter & Jelly (click here to hear it)
BE PATIENT. IT TAKES A MINUTE OR TWO TO DOWNLOAD.
by Becca H. of Cary, IL (4th Grade)


This stuff is great!! I think hands down, my favorite food in the world is a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich. If you can get an apple, a few carrots and some potato chips, then it's heaven!!!

I get the feeling Becca likes Peanut Butter and Jelly too! It's always a good idea to write about things you know well. Do you have a favorite food or maybe a favorite place you like to go? Write about that. Or perhaps you have a best friend, you can write about your friend.

Becca, I see you've won a few other times and can't wait to sing the rest of your poems!!

Read Like a Rock Star!!

Thaddeus Rex

UFO's Attacking! (click here to listen to song)
BE PATIENT, IT TAKES SEVERAL SECONDS TO DOWNLOAD
by Zachery S. of Indianapolis, IN (3rd Grade)


Can you hear all the rhymes in this song. There are tons of them! Rhymes are a great way to make a song interesting. See what kind of rhymes you can put into your song next time you write.

Zachery, Keep up the great work! Your UFO's attacking is never lacking for simple fun or great backpacking

Read Like a Rock Star!!

Thaddeus Rex

School (click here to listen)
BE PATIENT, IT TAKES A FEW SECONDS TO DOWNLOAD
Kristie C. of Hawthorn Woods, IL (4th Grade)


This song is the very first winner for the 07-08 contest, and it's all about school! Interesting that it was written at the very beginning of summer.

Kristie, I see you've won this contest several times and am proud to see so much work and dedication in your writing. Keep going!! I can't wait to see what you come up with next...

Rock on!!

Thaddeus Rex

The Green Bike (click here to listen to song)
(be patient, it takes a few seconds to download)
by Nick L. of Cincinnati, OH (Kindergarten)


Now it's official!! Each week, I'm turning each week's winning poem into a song. They'll be posted here for the whole fan club to hear.

Because there are so many songs, I'm writing the music fast... Very fast!!!

Here's how it works:

I read the winning poem through a couple times, pick up my guitar, hit record and start singing.

What comes out, I record and put here for you. If I totally mess a song up by coughing or sneezing or accidentally blowing snot out of my nose while I'm trying to sing I might hit rewind and try again, but I never try more than 3 times. I hope you enjoy these cool poems. You kids are coming up with some really wicked cool stuff!!

This song was written by Nick L. of Cincinnati, OH. He's only in Kindergarten, which blows me away!! I wish I could have written something like this when I was in Kindergarten. I think I was still trying to keep my crayons between the lines!

I'm going to write music for the other winners soon!

I hope you like them!!

Read Like a Rock Star!!

Thaddeus Rex

Los Angeles Music Awards broadcast is tonight!!

Sorry for the short notice... Things have been a bit hectic recently. Over the weekend, I dedicated myself to the Thanksgiving effort by eating 28 pounds of bird meat, 14 pounds of ham, and 45 scoops of mashed potatoes with gravy... and by that time, the breakfast hour was over and they began bringing out the lunch...

Seriously, I think I might have busted something in my stomach! Have you ever eaten so much, you go look in the mirror and wonder if people think you're pregnant! Phew...

I've finally recovered, after drinking only juice for 5 days and jogging around the block, then around the whole neighborhood, then finally around the whole country from Chicago to Los Angeles. I finally feel human again!

I am in Hollywood at the moment, preparing for the LA Music Awards tonight!! This is my first Hollywood red carpet event and I'm more excited than elmo at a silly voice convention!! I've been nominated to win best children's song!!! If you have a copy of 'We Wanna Rock', please take time to listen to track #3, "I Don't Want to Go" and make a silent wish for it to win.

If you'd like to like watch the awards, they will be broadcast live on a website called http://www.synchronicitylive.com/ starting at 10:30pm EST/7:30pm PST.

I know that's kind of late for you midwest and east coast kids, so feel free to tape it.

I look forward to seeing you all soon!

Your friend,
Thaddeus