ACTUAL REVIEWS: by kawirocket674 Dr. Ben and his group of musicians make this an enjoyable album for the entire family. This album compares to Jack Johnson’s Curious George soundtrack. by royalew/cheese Great musicianship & songs, poignant lyrics (esp. The World is Upside Down), beautiful chords/melodies/arrangements (Sophia’s Garden, A Perfect Day, Light a Candle), kids are involved on several tracks, great arc of “a perfect day” w/many applications - specific lessons/performances/positive background music. Calm to funky & back to reflective again. The spirits of Pete Seeger, Woody, XTC, & Jack Johnson pass through these tunes. by Angela Drumm My kids listen to this album over and over again. They have it on their own iPods so they turn it on themselves. Catchy tunes with wholesome lyrics. I can’t pick just one song that I like best, though “A Perfect Day” is always stuck in my head! QUOTES ABOUT "A PERFECT DAY" BY WORLD RENOWNED CHILD CHAMPIONS: “As the music serenaded all of us in the hospital playroom, I could see its palliative effect on the young patients. Even those attached to multiple IV lines got their music groove on, singing along to songs they know, humming to those they didn't and moving with the beats as they played games or did art projects. Ben has managed to combine some traditional camp favorites with his own brand of playful creativity to invite compromised children to explore soothing and healing resources. This medical, musical maven might trade the name Dr. Ben for the new name Dr. Blend.” -- by PUN (therapeutic visitor and performer, one-on-one mentor, and large group dynamics expert whose long-time volunteer activities at medical camps and children’s hospitals throughout California are utilized in an effort to inspire joy in children facing acute or chronic challenges). "Music inherently awakens our hearts and souls, but when it is presented with the creativity, joy, fun and authenticity as is found in Dr. Ben’s “A PERFECT DAY,” it demands our attention. It swings open the doors to our right brains and gives us visual pictures; engages our bodies with bouncy, upbeat rhythms; and makes us move physically and emotionally. To live a full, balanced, healthy life, especially if we have extra challenges, is made so much easier when we access all the parts of our body and mind that respond to music. “A PERFECT DAY” is a perfect way to access our “happiness buttons” - they are constantly pushed with Dr. Ben’s whimsical, lyrical, magical musical creations." -- by Rod Lathim (producer and playwright) LINER NOTES THE COVER: Thank you to Nancy Schier (aka “Spicey Brain”) for creating a cover that depicts an inviting place we humans would love to go. On the cover we have references to multiple songs from the album including “Perfect Day”, “Goodnight”, “The Aardvark Song”, “Row By Row”, “Glitter Glue”, and “Light A Candle”. The clay letters on the cover were made during a giant “clay fest” at the Meisel residence during which the Schier children and the Meisel children partied to create the letters and characters seen in the album cover art. “Clay Fest” was definitely an auspicious beginning to A Perfect Day. THE STORY: I wasn’t always a pediatrician. Once, a long time ago, I was a sound engineer and Music, Science, Technology student with the dream of creating great music with the likes of David Byrne and XTC. Then, as an undergraduate student at Stanford University, I started working with children who had autism and other special medical needs…and, it changed my life. I LOVED WORKING WITH THESE KIDS WAY MORE THAN I LOVED SITTING IN DARK LITTLE ROOMS EDITING SOUND. Don’t get me wrong, I loved working on creative sound projects, but it was pretty clear that working with kids was what I needed to be doing. In an effort to create music to support children like my nephew, Matthew (who has Down Syndrome & Autism), my brother Alex and I became a children’s music group called “KiD’n TOGETHER” and produced two award winning children’s music albums (“Alex, Ben, & Company KiD’n TOGETHER” and “Singin’ At The Swingset”). Then, everything changed AGAIN when I stepped foot as a counselor at The Hole In The Wall Gang Camp (THITWGC) in Ashford, CT, Paul Newman’s camp for kids with medical conditions. It is an awe inspiring place where children whose lives are normally engulfed by medical care get to play and just be kids. An entire team of well trained people come together (most are volunteers) to joyfully take over the often difficult medical regimens usually shouldered by parents so that these kids can go fishing, ride a horse, swim, hike, and get to know others who, like them, struggle with realities of being physically different. Kids who once thought themselves alone in their differentness no longer are “different” and, quite frankly, it turns their world rightside up. The world EXPANDS ASTRONOMICALLY for these kids...in an instant. That’s what this music is all about. For the last 20 years, while practicing medicine as a pediatrician, Camp Medical Director, and children’s musician, I have continued to write music to “Build Up” these very special camps and the kids they serve. Several forces came together to tell me it was time to record this important music including: (1) My own Dad, also a physician and songwriter, was becoming increasingly affected by Parkinson’s Disease and I wanted to honor him by recording some of his original songs, (2) My daughters Lea and Sophia found their own amazing voices and began enjoying singing with me, and (3) When I began contacting my childhood musical friends they ALL were “on board” to join me in the studio. Long story short….it was time for A Perfect Day. SUGGESTIONS FOR USING THIS MUSIC IN THERAPEUTIC, EDUCATIONAL, & CAMP SETTINGS (aka MUSIC ON A MISSION): This is no random assortment of 15 songs. A Perfect Day is a collection of songs made with the intention to have utility within the realm of Child Life (beyond just being great music). 1st - Songs that are meditative, calming, or conducive to guided imagery (Great for procedures): Sophia’s Garden, Perfect Day, Light A Candle, Bubbles, Lea Rose. 2nd - Songs that conjure nature: Row by Row, Sophia’s Garden. 3rd - Songs that beg for “SING ALONG” participation: Ain’t That Funky Now, The Aardvark Song, Row by Row 4th - Songs that GET YOU MOVING (Someone get Michelle Obama and Let's Move on the phone….because 4 out of 5 Dentists prefer the following songs for getting kids OFF THE COUCH): Ain't That Funky Now, Coming Out Of My Shell. 5th - Songs that encourage vegetable consumption and healthy eating: Veggify, Row by Row 6th - Songs that encourage positive character development: Light A Candle, Coming Out Of My Shell, Life’s A Workshop. 7th - Songs that accompany child life or camp activities: ● Transition between activities = Life’s A Workshop, Life’s A Workshop - Take 2 ● Arts & Crafts = Glitter Glue, Bubbles, Life’s A Workshop, Life’s A Workshop - Take 2 ● Cooking/Shake Making/Meal Prep = Veggify ● Gardening = Row by Row, Sophia’s Garden, Veggify ● After Meal Dancing = Ain’t That Funky Now, Veggify, Coming Out Of My Shell ● Tumbling/Gym = The World is Upside Down ● Lights Out = Goodnight Finally, I put the album together to reflect the pace of an actual perfect day. With a gentle, but motivating “Wake Up” mix of songs in the beginning and a quieter, calming song mix at the end for sleep. Waking up to the right music can be an incredibly therapeutic experience. I first experienced the utility and power of kids waking up to empowering, "Goodmorning music" at a camp medical conference at Bator Tabor, the SeriousFun Camp in Budapest, Hungary. Each morning, instead of the campers and staff being awakened by a trumpet playing Taps, speakers attached to our cabins played a selection of uplifting music, themed differently each day, aimed at motivating, energizing, and getting stiff joints moving. I loved how this made us all feel and wanted A Perfect Day to be useful in this same way for any organization, facility, or family looking to start their day musically well. Most remarkable about A Perfect Day is the team of immensely talented, loving human beings who have come together to make it look and sound spectacular. THE SONGS: LIFE'S A WORKSHOP (Words & Music by Ben Meisel) Austin Beede (Drums), Daniel Zimmerman (Guitar), Tom Ball (Blues Harp), Ben Meisel (Guitar & Vocals) PERFECT DAY (Words & Music by Ben Meisel) Austin Beede (Drums), Daniel Zimmerman (Guitar), David Piltch (Bass), Ben Meisel (Guitar, Vocals, Percussion, Sound Effects) AARDVARK SONG (Words & Music by Alan Sherman) Austin Beede (Drums), Daniel Zimmerman (Guitar), David Piltch (Double Bass), Ben Meisel (Guitar, Voicals, Humorous Soundscape) Kids: Addison Kuncar, Alexis Kuncar, Cole Massie, Kaia Mayland, Katya Way, Lea Meisel, Sophia Meisel VEGGIFY (Words & Music by Ben Meisel) Bart Tompkins (Drums), Glen Phillips (Guitar & Bass), Jeff Elliott (Trumpet), Ben Meisel (Guitar & Vocals) BUBBLES (Words & Music by Alex & Ben Meisel) Alex Meisel (Guitar & Vocals), Ben Meisel (Vocals) GLITTER GLUE (Words & Music by Ben Meisel) Austin Beede (Drums), Daniel Zimmerman (Guitar), David Piltch (Bass), Ben Meisel (Guitar & Vocals) SOPHIA'S GARDEN (Words & Music by Ben Meisel) Austin Beede (Drums), Daniel Zimmerman (Guitar), David Piltch (Bass), Glen Phillips (Vocals), Ben Meisel (Guitar, Vocals, Percussion) COMING OUT OF MY SHELL (Words & Music by Ben Meisel) Alastair Greene (Guitar & Bass), Austin Beede (Drums), Tom Ball (Blues Harp), Ben Meisel (Guitar, Vocals, Sound Effects) ROW BY ROW (Words & Music by David Mallett with extra Verse by Ben Meisel) Austin Beede (Drums), David Piltch (Bass), Nick Massie (Guitar), Paul Bernstein (Percussion), Ben Meisel (Guitar & Vocals) Mr. Bernstein’s 2013/2014 3rd Grade Class at Kirk O’ The Valley School in Reseda, CA Kids: Addison Kuncar, Alexis Kuncar, Cole Massie, Kaia Mayland, Katya Way, Lea Meisel, Sophia Meisel LEA ROSE (Words & Music by Ben Meisel) Alastair Greene (Guitar), Austin Beede (Drums), David Piltch (Bass), Ben Meisel (Guitar & Vocals) AIN'T THAT FUNKY NOW (Public Domain) Alastair Greene (Guitar), Austin Beede (Drums), David Piltch (Bass), Ben Meisel (Guitar & Vocals) Kids: Addison Kuncar, Alexis Kuncar, Cole Massie, Kaia Mayland, Katya Way, Lea Meisel, Sophia Meisel THE WORLD IS UPSIDE DOWN (Words & Music by Harris & Ben Meisel) Austin Beede (Drums), Daniel Zimmerman (Guitar), David Piltch (Double Bass), Jeff Bandy (Double Bass), Ben Meisel (Guitar, Vocals) LIGHT A CANDLE (Words & Music by Ben Meisel) Austin Beede (Drums), David Piltch (Bass), Nick Massie (Cittern), Ben Meisel (Guitar & Vocals) Kids: Addison Kuncar, Alexis Kuncar, Cole Massie, Kaia Mayland, Katya Way, Lea Meisel, Sophia Meisel LIFE'S A WORKSHOP - TAKE 2 (Words & Music by Ben Meisel) Austin Beede (Drums), Daniel Zimmerman (Guitar), Tom Ball (Blues Harp), Ben Meisel (Guitar & Vocals) GOODNIGHT (Words & Music by Alex & Ben Meisel) Sean McCue (Electric Guitar), Ben Meisel (Guitar & Vocals) Produced By: Robinson Eikenberry & Ben Meisel Engineered By: Robinson Eikenberry Mastered By: Eric Conn at Independent Mastering, LLC THANK YOU’s: First, to my wife, Laura who has continued to support and encourage me forward on this project despite a constantly evolving, time-dedicating process that often took me away from home and from my life-partner duties. Laura is one big reason that this album is so built on Love. And to my remarkably talented, always singing daughters, Lea & Sophia, for their willingness to guide me, join me, sing along and grow up feeling that they can make a difference in this world. To my parents, Harris & Fredda Meisel, who have always been my biggest cheerleaders and most amazing role models. To my REAL brother Alex for his superb song writing ability, his green thumb, his love of me, my wife, and my kids...and for his having brought Jacqui, Matthew, and Josh into my life. I hope that the recordings on this album make you proud of the two of us and of our KiD’n Together days. I love you. Thank you Dan Schier, Art Director for Dr. Ben & Company, (who also happens to be the husband of artist Nancy Schier, amazing creator of the album cover) whose superb animation graces our unique Kickstarter video. Much of the art from the Kickstarter video wound up being used everywhere else. Dan lasso’d his dear friend and live action director, Jason Mier into the project and the two of them worked long hours into multiple nights between other jobs to complete the animated Kickstarter video about “A Perfect Day”. To puppeteers Sarah Oh and Jess McKay. I’m still giggling about the fun we had on our Puppet Play Date in Heritage Park creating a video to thank everyone who contributed to A Perfect Day (the video can be found on YouTube titled “‘A Perfect Day’ Thanks to YOU!”). My dear friend and superb film maker, Patrick Hogan, captured me on video talking about “A Perfect Day”. He did a masterful job making my run-on sentences into something coherent…..BRAVO!!! Thank you to George Pendergast, an immensely talented drummer and friend from Junior High School whose life circumstances demanded of him all his energy and focus. And, despite these circumstances, George found the bearing to reach out to another “brother” in drumming, Austin Beede to take his place on the recording. I am grateful to George for his thoughtfulness, ability to be responsible in the face of challenges, and for finding me a new friend, Austin, whose talented drumming graces the entire album. Thank you’s to my dear friends and superb musicians Alastair Greene and Daniel Zimmerman who came back together to play after having been apart since “The Pepsicles” back in High School. I still marvel at the talent in “The Pepsicles”. Besides Alastair, Daniel, and me, trumpet player, Adolfo Acosta, went on to be head of the horn section for Tower of Power, Giancarlo Mistretta heads up the heavy rock band RETRODEMON, and Jason Gegner evidently continues to play accordion when he’s not computer programming (In the 1980’s Jason was the US Junior National Accordion Champion -- everybody POLKA!). To Sean McCue for adding his harmonic stars into the nighttime sky of the Goodnight song and for his expert outfitting of my 2 acoustic guitars, the Larrivee and the Taylor. Your superb musicianship, ability to take anything apart and reassemble it so that it works better than before, and your huge, warm heart make me glad. A HUGE Thank You to my dear friend, Paul Bernstein, who deftly led his 3rd Grade Class at Kirk O’ the Valley Elementary School in a recorded Row by Row sing along after a day of Gardening Activities topped off by a discussion of Life and Death that will forever inspire me about the immense depth and capacity that children have….especially when expertly guided by the adults in their lives. Thank you to my friend Glen for schooling me on the ins and outs of Kickstarter campaigns. And also for being father to his daughter Sophia who inspired me to first begin working on “Sophia’s Garden” when I saw her getting hands dirty alongside her mother, Laurel, in their backyard garden. A beautiful sight. Which leads me to thank my own daughter, Sophia, whose arms have always been stretched wide, ready to embrace life “no matter what comes”. I wouldn’t mind if she was a little less picky about eating certain vegetables, but her fascination with learning about life in all its forms lifts me up to the butterflies. It holds great meaning to me that Glen and I sing together on this recording (two Dad’s united by Sophias). In addition to my own personal connection with this song, I would like to pay tribute to my Health 2.0 colleague, Karen Herzog, whose battle to create a beautiful community-filled childhood for her daughter, Sophia (who lived a too short life due to Niemann-Pick disease), led her to create the Sophia’s Garden Foundation, where Karen and her husband work to help families self advocate and grow “healing communities” around the care of children with life-threatening and chronic conditions. (http://www.sophiasgarden.org/). Now to a Biggie! To my brother from a different mother, Robinson Eikenberry. Thank you for the light you bring into this world for me and for the many who are blessed to walk into your studio and get to express themselves in your presence and with your guiding hand. Your humanity is a marvel, your technical brilliance is inspiring, and your natural ability as a producer/sound engineer cannot be overstated. I am in awe and gratitude of your existence. It must be known that I, indeed, did spit green shakes at Robinson on at least 3 occasions during the recording of this album...each time as an explosive result of spontaneous, unexpected, gut busting laughter. THANK YOU SHERI SALLEE!!! And thank you to my sister, Melody Meisel (who is...by the way... a genius and ridiculously talented), for introducing Sheri to me so that we might team up to develop A Perfect Day into something communicable beyond my own vision. Sheri, I am forever grateful to you as Social Entrepreneurship advisor, marketing and communications expert, and glorious human being who sees to the heart of how music can be a vehicle for support of families working without rest to nurture their children with medically complicated lives. You are a blessing. Thank you to Catherine Grooms and the people at the Small Business Development Center who provided business support to help me bring substance to my ideas for creating a social enterprise business. To the memory of Pete Seeger who died just as I started planning the recording of “A Perfect Day”. I always associated the song “Row by Row” (aka The Garden Song) with him though he did not write it. In addition to being a great sing-along song about the magic of gardens to heal us, “Row by Row” is on the album as a tribute to Pete Seeger’s immense courage and musical ability. He often went out on a limb to write and perform songs identifying injustices needing to be righted, providing a voice to those without representation, and creating songs that will continue to influence the rest of us aiming to write music for the purpose of bettering our world. To the inspiring legacies of Jim Henson and Paul Newman...whose creativity, delight, humility, generosity, activism, and life accomplishments have truly made this world a better place for us all….you are my idols. Thank you to all of the staff at the SeriousFun Camps with whom I have had the honor to work...and to share that mantra….”Today will be the best day of these kid’s lives”. To those Painted Turtle staff members who developed the S.T.A.R. model (Stay safe, Try new things, Always build up, Respect yourself/others/the environment). When one brings together a large group of strangers from many walks of life with the goal of enabling them all to have an empowering life experience….it is essential there be a set of rules everyone is able to follow that turn “away from home” into a sanctuary for Play, Collaboration, Creativity, Freedom, Independence, and Self Mastery. The S.T.A.R. model accomplishes this goal with a brilliant twinkle. And to the numerous kids with whom I have spent time with as a doctor, musician, mentor, counselor, guide, and friend at Camp….thank you for “just being kids” despite all of the complicated, imperfect health circumstances. Some of you are not with us today, but your spirits live on in the leaves and bark of the birch beer trees, and in the water of the lake that graciously guards the rocks we trusted our wishes to, and in the air we breathed all those magical moments….as a human family.