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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This week, former Wiggle Sam Moran will call in to talk about his new record, All The Feels. Plus we’ll hear songs from Charlie Faye, Mega Ran, Sha...

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  • Added: Nov 07, 2023
  • Length: 58:56
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll hear new music from Andyroo and the Andyrooniverse, Lucky Diaz, Kate Micucci, and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, plus we’ll hear a couple...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Oct 31, 2023
  • Length: 53:12
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll celebrate Halloween with music from Wee Scary Beasties, Divinity Roxx, The Deede Deedle Dees, and Telephone Company, and we’ll hea...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Oct 23, 2023
  • Length: 57:14
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll hear new music from Reggie Houston & Lori Henriques, Tom J. Reid, Charlie Faye & the Fanimals, Mister G, Mega Ran with Koo Koo, an...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Oct 16, 2023
  • Length: 56:28
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll hear new music from Red Yarn, Keith Munslow, Riffin Griffin, and Sugar Free Allstars, plus we’ll listen to songs by Sara Hickman, ...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Oct 09, 2023
  • Length: 58:35
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, Mega Ran will call in to talk about his new album, plus we’ll hear new music from Divinity Roxx and Mister G, and we’ll hear songs from ...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Oct 03, 2023
  • Length: 54:33
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll hear new music from Go Banana Go!, Frances England, Red Yarn, SaulPaul, Mister G, and Mista Cookie Jar, plus we’ll listen to songs...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Sep 25, 2023
  • Length: 57:52
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll hear new music from Lucy Kalantari, SaulPaul, Sugar Free Allstars, Marsha & the Postirons, Joanie Leeds, and Andrew & Polly, plus ...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Sep 18, 2023
  • Length: 55:28
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll hear new music from The Bruces, Will Sings Songs, Mega Ran, Flor Bromley, Parker Woodland, and SaulPaul, plus we’ll hear music fro...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Sep 05, 2023
  • Length: 54:05
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll hear some back to school songs, plus new music from Mega Ran, Andrew & Polly featuring MIsta Cookie Jar, and Charlie Faye & the Fa...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Sep 04, 2023
  • Length: 58:16
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, Greg Sings Songs will stop by to sing some songs, as his name suggests; we’ll also have new music from Suzi Shelton, Rollie Pollie Guaca...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Aug 27, 2023
  • Length: 51:38
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, Mister Greg will call in to talk about his excellent new record with the legendary Cass McCombs, plus we’ll hear new music from Parker W...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Aug 20, 2023
  • Length: 56:18
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll hear a lot of new music, including tracks from The Bruces featuring Toshi Reagon, Marsha & the Positrons, Mr. BooDaddy, Riffin Gri...

  • Added: Aug 14, 2023
  • Length: 55:02
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This week, we’ll celebrate our little radio show’s 18th birthday with music from The Pixies, Spoon, David Bowie, Rhiannon Giddens, Moona Luna, Davi...

  • Added: Jun 22, 2023
  • Length: 57:17
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This week, we’ll hear new music from The Bazillions, Mr. Greg & Cass McCombs, Suzi Shelton, and Cosmic Pretzels, plus we’ll hear songs by Jellyfish...

  • Added: Jun 21, 2023
  • Length: 53:56
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This week, we’ll hear new music from Uncle Jumbo, Renee & Jeremy, and Mister Evan, plus we’ll listen to songs from The Flaming Lips, Adam & the Bul...

  • Added: Jun 20, 2023
  • Length: 55:07
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This week, we’ll hear new music from Uncle Jumbo, Hot Toast, and Esther Crow, plus we’ll listen to songs from Sweet Spirit, Baby Loves Jazz, the B ...

  • Added: Jun 20, 2023
  • Length: 55:27
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This week, we’ll hear another new song from Charlie Faye and the Fanimals, plus we’ll listen to music from Men Without Hats, Dale Watson, Justin Ro...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Jun 18, 2023
  • Length: 57:00
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll preview the new Breakfast Boogie family music series at The Far Out Lounge in Austin, with music from SaulPaul, Charlie Faye, Uncl...

  • Added: Jun 18, 2023
  • Length: 56:19
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This week, we’ll listen to new music from The Zing Zangs, Charlie Faye & the Fanimals, Uncle Jumbo, and Superfun Yeah Yeah Rocketship, plus we’ll h...

  • Added: Jun 17, 2023
  • Length: 52:41