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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542 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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This week, it’s South by Southwest week! Erin from Parker Woodland is calling in to talk about that band’s showcase and their forthcoming album, pl...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Mar 04, 2024
  • Length: 56:07
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’re back from South by Southwest and we are looking back at music from the earliest days of Spare the Rock—so we’ll hear music from Sc...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Mar 03, 2024
  • Length: 56:52
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, Todd ’n’ Tina will stop by and sing some songs from their new album, plus we’ll preview more of South by Southwest, including tracks fro...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Feb 26, 2024
  • Length: 54:39
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll preview some of the family programming around South by Southwest, including tracks from SaulPaul, A Giant Dog, Sally Timms & Jon L...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Feb 20, 2024
  • Length: 54:21
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll hear new music from Danny Weinkauf, plus songs from The Harmonica Pocket, Prince, Throwing Muses, Harry & the Potters, Mates of St...

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  • Added: Feb 13, 2024
  • Length: 56:09
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll hear new music from Kacey Musgraves covering Bob Marley and from Mister Evan, plus we’ll listen to songs from new Grammy winner 1-...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Feb 05, 2024
  • Length: 56:16
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll kick off the celebration of Black History Month with new music from Fyütch and Aura V, plus we’ll hear songs from Ella Fitzgerald,...

Bought by KECG and KCCU Radio


  • Added: Jan 29, 2024
  • Length: 55:34
  • Purchases: 2
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This week, we’ll hear new music from May & Them Pups, Hullabaloo, Michael & The Rockness Monsters, and Turkey Andersen, plus tracks from Gina Chave...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Jan 24, 2024
  • Length: 55:51
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll hear new music from Beatrice Deer, The Dinosaur’s Skin, Rolie Polie Guacamole, Red Yarn, and Strawbitty Yops, plus tracks from Jon...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Jan 16, 2024
  • Length: 57:43
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll hear new music from Beatrice Deer, Hullabaloo, and Walter Martin, plus tracks from Ella Fitzgerald, Mya Byrne, Shonen Knife, Run D...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Jan 09, 2024
  • Length: 55:53
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll hear new music from Suzi Shelton, Arcwelder, Todd ’n’ Tina, and May & Them Pups, plus we’ll listen to songs from Jenny Lewis, Aga...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Jan 02, 2024
  • Length: 54:10
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll celebrate the new year with music from Charlie Hope, Louis Armstrong, Slaid Cleaves, Gustafer Yellowgold, Old 97’s, Koo Koo, Ziggy...

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  • Added: Dec 27, 2023
  • Length: 57:34
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ve got special guest hosts with your radio pal Ella and her girlfriend Audrey, celebrating Christmas with songs from Aimee Mann, Run-...

  • Added: Dec 18, 2023
  • Length: 53:30
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This week, we’ll celebrate Chanukah and the return of more light with the winter solstice, with songs from Mister G, The LeeVees, Mama Doni, Daveed...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Dec 11, 2023
  • Length: 57:29
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll hear new music from Mega Ran, Little Lips, Laura Doherty with Reggie “The Hoofer,” Gentle Hen, and Ants Ants Ants with Red Yarn, p...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Nov 26, 2023
  • Length: 55:26
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll start the winter holiday season with new music from Sonia De Los Santos, Anne-Marie Akin & Laura Doherty, and Rockaroni & Cheese, ...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Nov 25, 2023
  • Length: 51:48
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll celebrate Thanksgiving with new music from Rolle Pollie Guacamole, Andrew & Polly with Fyütch, and Todd ’n’ Tina, plus we’ll hear ...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Nov 21, 2023
  • Length: 54:43
  • Purchases: 1
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This week, we’ll hear new music from Rockaroni & Cheese, New Zealand’s Little Lips, and Semisonic, plus songs from Booker T. Jones, Wendy & DB, The...

Bought by KECG


  • Added: Nov 14, 2023
  • Length: 52:51
  • Purchases: 1
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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...

Bought by KECG


  • 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