Saturday, March 17   11:45 a.m.
SXSW Dew Music Festival at Town Lake   (Auditorium Shores)

Add this to your SXSW Calendar

  Daddy A Go-Go - For Those About to Walk (We Salute You)
Download   |   Stream

" ...Parents will hear nods to the Eagles, the Dead and even proto-punks the Vaselines. End result: a perfect soundtrack for changing diapers, washing the minivan or just bopping around the kitchen." -- Newsweek

It took a while, but John Boydston, better known in hip households everywhere as Daddy a Go-Go, is climbing out of his basement-studio and taking his show on the road. And, for his first-ever South by Southwest appearance March 17 in Austin, TX, a crop of Daddy-approved talent is piling in the minivan with him.

Daddy's firstborn, 15-year-old Jake, is on bass. Little brother Max, 12, is on lead and rhythm guitar. Rounding out the brand-new lineup are the kids from down the street: Jonathan Paz, 15, has been carrying drum sticks around Boydston's Atlanta neighborhood since he was 7, and jammed with Ringo Starr onstage when he was 10. And Daniel Cohen, 13, never met a keyboard he wasn't ready to pound.

It's Daddy's first real stage band, formed specifically for the South by Southwest showcase, and he's never been prouder.

Boydston, 48, a former CNN news producer turned stay-at-home dad, isn't the kind of father who was bent on instilling the benefits of the rock'n'roll lifestyle in his boys. But a decade ago, they got bit by the Beatles: "I was listening to 'A Hard Day's Night' in the car one day when they were 3 and 5, and the next day they insisted on hearing more Beatles. And when Max and Jake also started digging some surf music dad was listening to at the time, old Ventures and Los Straitjackets, Boydston had an idea: "How cool would it be if someone was making legit guitar-and-drum rock'n'roll that was kid- or family-specific?" Boydston pulled his old Fender out of the closet and started writing, recording and releasing his family-style rock on his own Boyd's Tone label. Five acclaimed CDs later, he's still going strong.

Only now, papa's got a brand new bag, and band. "I'm working them pretty hard to get ready for SXSW. I used to coach these kids in sports - now I'm still the coach I guess, but we're playing rock and roll songs instead of trying to get a base hit. I think I'm better at this."

Max and Jake, both heavy-duty rock'n'rollers, would be happier playing the Raconteurs or Ziggy Stardust than Daddy a Go-Go hits like "For Those About To Walk (We Salute You)" and "Eat Every Bean and Pea On Your Plate," Boydston says. "It helps a lot that my songs rock pretty hard to begin with. If I played Wiggles-type music I know my kids would have said no. They do have reputations to protect after all." And to further accommodate his new bands' tastes Boydston will perform a few covers the kids want to do that still work for Daddy A Go-Go, like Eddie Cochran's "Come On Everybody" and maybe even a Sex Pistols tune. "The lyrics need changing for a family-crowd, but my kids can sure groove on 'God Save The Queen.'" Maybe a Zeppelin tune.

"I've been practicing with these guys, they're great little players, and we're getting pretty tight. I'm excited because I'm able to do songs I've never done on-stage, with a live band, cause I've never had one before," Boydston says.


Daddy a Go-Go discography:

*Cool Songs for Cool Kids* -- Boyd's Tone Records, 1998; Top 10 Best Kids CD's of 1999, Amazon.com.

*Monkey In The Middle* -- Boyd's Tone Records, 2000; Parents Choice Award, Top 10 Best Kids CD's of 2000, Amazon.com.

*Big Rock Rooster*-- Boyd's Tone Records, 2002

*Mojo A Go Go (Real Rock for Kids)* -- Boyd's Tone Records, 2004; Parents Choice Award, Top 10 Best Kids CD's of 2004, Amazon.com

*Eat Every Bean and Pea On Your Plate* -- Boyd's Tone Records, 2006. Top 10 Best Kids CD's of 2006, Amazon.com