The official Indie Rock Alphabet Book party-time playlist

List of the Day

Writing a book was fun enough, but now we get to have a party! If you and your kids (or just you and your self) happen to be in Decatur, Ga., this afternoon, swing by Little Shop of Stories for a little shindig to celebrate our Indie Rock Alphabet Book. Co-author Caren is up in Massachusetts doing her fancy book-learnin', but Kate and I will be there along with our incredible illustrator, Owen. We might even have a few special guests* reading from the book! Not sure if the Little Shop folks will let us hook up our own music, but we've made a playlist for the party just in case.

Here's one of the most kid-friendly songs (sometimes, the only kid-friendly song-- looking at you and your drug-addled teenagers, Craig Finn) by each artist featured in the book, Animal Collective through Zombies. As is its wont, X was difficult: "The Hungry Wolf," the song that inspired the band's page in the book, wasn't on iMeem, so I stuck in a great little latter-day duet between frontman John Doe and Kathleen Edwards. The rest, though, is what we'll be rocking and reading along with today. See you there!

(Can't make it? Read the whole book online here and buy a copy here.)

"My Girls" - Animal Collective
"Funny Little Frog" - Belle & Sebastian
"Could We" - Cat Power
"Cover Me (Slowly)" - Deerhunter
"Angel In The Snow" - Elliott Smith
"Waiting To Know You" - The Fiery Furnaces
"Wayside/Back In Time" - Gillian Welch
"Take Me Out To The Ball Game" - The Hold Steady
"Boy With A Coin" - Iron & Wine
"Disorder" - Joy Division
"King Of The Rodeo" - Kings of Leon
"The Other Side Of Mount Heart Attack" - Liars
"Float On" - Modest Mouse
"In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" - Neutral Milk Hotel
"Don't Wait For Tom" - Over the Rhine
"Wishlist" - Pearl Jam
"One Shine" - The Roots (Questlove)
"No Surprises" - Radiohead
"Candy Jail" - Silver Jews
"Bend Down The Branches" - Tom Waits
"I Wanna Be Your Dog" (Iggy Pop cover) - Uncle Tupelo
"The Kids Don't Stand A Chance" - Vampire Weekend
"Buddy Holly" - Weezer
"The Golden State" - John Doe with Kathleen Edwards (X)
"How To Make A Baby Elephant Float" - Yo La Tengo
"Friends of Mine" - Zombies

* Wait. Stop. Internet, don't freak out. By "special guests" we mean "some kids we love," not that any of the artists from the book will actually be there. Just saying. But, hey, Bradford, if you're in the neighborhood, you're more than welcome to stop by.