tET;EVi S I6 N'i 3 ' "i ' r:..?r:+i,cd,{:?;1l1ern;.,!;!ri{tf?1,+i,r1r,gt1iifrf1nlrrr:}rjrrlJr:ri }r:!}:}:r+; The new music on kids'shows is Snappy, nOt SapFV srr MTcHAEL GrLTz arney is dead.</p><p> Or at least, the sappy, simplistic, mind- numbing sing-alongs that the purple dinosaur popularized: are dead.</p><p> With the cool music airing on kids TV shows all over the dial, "This Old Man" just won't cut it anymore.</p><p> On "The Naked Brothers Band," de- buting Jm 27 at 8 p m on N.ickelodeon, Nat and Alex Wolff play preteen rock stars in a mockumentary show with the improv feel of a Christopher Guest film In real li-fe.</p><p> Nat has been Miting songs since he was 5 (he's all of 12 now), and he and Alexjust spent a few days rn the studio recording nine of his tunes Meanwhile. on "Jack's Big Music Show," airing Saturdays at noon on Noggin, puppets interact with people in a mashup of every musical style imagin- able, from doo-wop to pop to rock with guests ranging from Lisa Loeb to mem- bers of the Flming Lips.</p><p> Even Jon Stew- art stops by this season And on "Johnny and the Sprites" (Sat- urdays at I0 a m on the Disney Chan- nel), John TartaBlia works on his music while playing with his friends the Sprites and singing songs by Broadway talent Iike Stephen Schwartz ("wicked") and the gang behind "Avenue Q " The "Naked Brothers" show is a family affair: Nat wolff co-stars with his broth- er. sisier. friends and dad (jzz musician Michael Wolff , and it's a great example of k.ids delivering "adult'-style music "I've been getting into a little Joni Mitchell," says Nat, who was inspired by her classic album "Blue" to consider a concept album built around Hawaii The result? His song "Banana Smoothie " Meanwhile, adults like Laurie Berkner go the other way: She's a regular on "Jack's Big Music Show" and a kids' mu- sic superstar who's already sold out two shows at ToM HaIl in March Berkner. says the cunent state of kids music is : even better than when "Sesame Street" i and "Schoolhouse Rock" were cool i "There's so much more of it and so i mmy people who have gained the re- i spect of the music industry and their : fans," says Berknen "There is so much i crossover in everv direction " : Indeed, her songs have been heard on : "Sex and the City" and plugged by Star- : bucks, and bands likeThey Might Be : Giants and artists like Stephen Menitt of i Magnetic Fields think nothing of alter- i nating "adult" albums with music geared : toward kids And mNic is integral to i shows like "SpongeBob SquarePants" : (which has spawned soundtracks) and i Noggin's "The Wonder Pets," which i draws on Gilbert & Sullivan-twe music i for its sound i "I love feeling like I'm reaching peo- I ple my own age as well as the kids," says i Berkner, who began in the adult music : world and doesn't see much difference : betweenthem anymore "I'dprobablybe : a better adult songwiter thm I used to i be because of my writing for kids " : For Nat, plalng a rockstar in a TV : show with his pals is as cool as it gets - : even if going to school means he has to i put off going on tour.</p><p> His dream now is to i follow in the path of Drake Bell, another i Nick alum who played a song-writing kid : on "Drake & Josh," and just released his i majorJabeldebutonMotom i "We have Drake's album'It's Only i Time,' it's awesome," says Nat "My . i brother listens to it a-lmost everv hour of i the day.</p><p> I don't even think he sleeps " r)T!NY TUNES The
