Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child

Series produced by Bill Childs

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Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child, is a weekly radio show for kids and their grownups, broadcasting from Austin, Texas. It's indie music for indie kids.


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"Spare the Rock doesn’t, and that’s why everybody loves it."
- John Flansburgh, They Might Be Giants

"Remember how kids used to wake up on Saturday morning excited to watch cartoons? My kids wake up Saturday morning excited for the first strains of TMBG singing 'It’s Spare The Rock…with Bill & Ella…and sometimes Liam! Since we started carrying the show, it has become a local cultural phenomenon. Plus, Bill Childs is a nerd. So are his kids. And nerd is the new cool. Do you think they are going to let crappy kids music hit the airwaves? I’ve heard everything from Rush to Dan Zanes, The Pixies to Brady Rymer. Pete Seeger to The f****** Muppets. Yeah, I said it in a thing about kids music. I f****** love this show."
- Monte Belmonte, Program Director, WRSI (93.9 The River) For seven years, Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child has been providing the soundtrack to thousands of childhoods in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts and southern Vermont. The show plays “indie music for indie kids,” including the best of music aimed at kids (like Dan Zanes, Elizabeth Mitchell, Lunch Money, Caspar Babypants, and They Might Be Giants) right along side kid-friendly tracks from the likes of The Ramones, Mike Doughty, Ella Fitzgerald, Brian Eno, Pizzicato Five, Andrew Bird, Fishbone, and more. Throw in book reviews and exclusive in-studios from dozens of artists, including the likes of Jonathan Coulton, Asylum Street Spankers, Dan Zanes, Dog on Fleas, Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem, Elizabeth Mitchell, They Might Be Giants, and many more, and you’ve got an idea of what the show is about. One thing it’s not is your typical kids’ programming. We’re radio nerds, and we want to raise another generation of radio nerds. That means a set that starts with Elvis Costello, switches to Brooklyn history-oriented family rock band the Deedle Deedle Dees, and then pivots to Guided By Voices, or one that starts with British folk punker Frank Turner, then family hip-hop artist Secret Agent 23 Skidoo (featuring Cactus from Granola Funk Express), and finishes up with Earth Wind & Fire. Check out some recent playlists (at http://sparetherock.com) and you’ll get the idea. It’s Kidz Bop- and condescension-free, and genuinely curated, not randomly generated by the RadioCompuBot 3000. It is good radio, period, not just good-for-kids. Now, Spare the Rock is broadcast from Austin, Texas, and is available in a one-hour format to any radio station that wishes to air it, commercial or non-commercial, anywhere in the world. Listen here on PRX.org, read more at our syndication page, or send me an email at show@sparetherock.com for details. Hide full description


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"Spare the Rock doesn’t, and that’s why everybody loves it."
- John Flansburgh, They Might Be Giants

"Remember how kids used to wake up on Saturday morning excited to watch cartoons? My kids wake up Saturday morning excited for the first strains of TMBG singing 'It’s Spare The Rock…with Bill & Ella…and sometimes Liam! Since we started carrying the show, it has become a local cultural phenomenon. Plus, Bill Childs is a nerd. So are his kids. And nerd is the new cool. Do you think they are going to let crappy kids music hit the airwaves? I’ve heard everything from Rush to Dan Zanes, The Pixies to Brady Rymer. Pete Seeger to The f****** Muppets. Yeah, I said it in a thing about kids music. I f****** love this show."
- Monte Belmonte, Program Director, WRSI (93.9 The River)For seven...

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544 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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With an in-studio from Trout Fishing in America, a guest DJ set from Alastair Moock, and much more!

Bought by KFOK-LPFM


  • Added: Sep 15, 2013
  • Length: 53:36
  • Purchases: 1
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It's (in part) a Riot Fest retrospective, plus new music from Red Yarn, Superchunk, and the Bright Siders!

  • Added: Sep 23, 2013
  • Length: 01:13:00
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With the Jellydots live in the studio, plus new music from Mister G, Red Yarn, the Watson Twins, Mike Doughty, Todd & Cookie, Jr. Madness -- and so...

  • Added: Oct 01, 2013
  • Length: 52:21
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We've got a great in-studio from Play Date, plus new music from Edukator Jr., Jr. Madness, Danny Lion, the Zing Zangs, Fountains of Wayne, and more!

  • Added: Oct 08, 2013
  • Length: 50:09
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It's the Fids & Kamily Awards!

Bought by KSRQ


  • Added: Oct 14, 2013
  • Length: 55:12
  • Purchases: 1

  • Added: Oct 21, 2013
  • Length: 49:54
  • Purchases: 1
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With a tribute to Lou Reed, plus tons of new music -- Julie Ruin, Chris Doud, Wee Bee Jammies, Johnny & Jason, Mister G, Recess Monkey, The Short F...

Bought by KSRQ


  • Added: Oct 29, 2013
  • Length: 52:53
  • Purchases: 1
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With a Caspar Babypants in-studio, an interview with Frank Turner, new music from Rachel Loshak, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, and Jelly of the Month Clu...

Bought by KSRQ


  • Added: Nov 05, 2013
  • Length: 53:23
  • Purchases: 1
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With The Verve Pipe in-studio, plus an interview with Koo Koo Kanga Roo. And a dance party!

Bought by KSRQ


  • Added: Nov 12, 2013
  • Length: 53:10
  • Purchases: 1
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With MST3K's Mary Jo Pehl chatting, The Ohmies singing in-studio, and a ton of new stuff.

Bought by KSRQ


  • Added: Nov 18, 2013
  • Length: 52:52
  • Purchases: 1
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Happy Thanksgiving! We are thankful for rock and dancing and chickens.

Bought by KDUR and KSRQ


  • Added: Nov 25, 2013
  • Length: 51:36
  • Purchases: 2
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Red Yarn in-studio! New Elizabeth Mitchell! So much good stuff!

Bought by KSRQ


  • Added: Dec 01, 2013
  • Length: 51:33
  • Purchases: 1

  • Added: Dec 07, 2013
  • Length: 52:48
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It's our Christmas episode, with music from Elizabeth Mitchell, Lori Henriques, Dr. Dog, Run-DMC, the Hold Steady, and much much more!

  • Added: Dec 15, 2013
  • Length: 51:16
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Happy New Year! All sorts of fun, including new music from Danny Lion, Rainbow Beast, and Mil's Trills, plus probably the last Jingle Punx for ano...

Bought by KSRQ


  • Added: Dec 25, 2013
  • Length: 49:20
  • Purchases: 1
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Mister G, Manu Chao, Medeski Martin & Wood, Mojo Nixon, Matt & Kim, Mike Park, Miz B, Mocean Worker, Mariana Iranzi, Milkshake. That's just the ac...

  • Added: Dec 30, 2013
  • Length: 53:47

  • Added: Jan 06, 2014
  • Length: 56:05
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New music from Chibi Kodama and Human Tim + Robot Tim, plus so very much more!

  • Added: Jan 13, 2014
  • Length: 53:48
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Mil's Trills in the studio plus new music from Baron Von Rumblebuss, Rainbow Beast, Mother Falcon, Wiggly Tendrils, and Nora & One Left!

Bought by KFOK-LPFM


  • Added: Jan 21, 2014
  • Length: 54:06
  • Purchases: 1
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With a tribute to Pete Seeger, plus new music from Chibi Kodama, Jazzy Ash, and Pointed Man Band. Plus: Queen!

Bought by KFOK-LPFM


  • Added: Jan 28, 2014
  • Length: 56:03
  • Purchases: 1