West Village residents Maria Christensen and Jessica Harvey make a good team. Christensen has spent the past 10 years writing pop songs, such as “Waiting for Tonight” for Jennifer Lopez and “Christmas Eve” for Celine Dion. Harvey has taught elementary school for 15 years, and is an amateur musician and songwriter. So when the two met at a songwriting seminar and hit it off, working together to create an album of children’s music felt like the perfect project.
The album’s target audience is pre-K students to third graders, and Harvey was able to try out some of the rough versions of their songs on her students before they produced the album.
“That helped us key into what kids like and what makes them dance around,” says Harvey.
One hallmark of the album is that it’s funny.
“I had been told a million times that my sense of humor was something I’d never showcased in songs,” says Christensen. “I wanted the album to be like a Bugs Bunny cartoon — something clever that would make both kids and adults laugh.”
For instance, if kids want to know what happens after they flush a toilet, they may want to listen to the song “Where Does It Go?” Poop, after all, never fails to cause the giggles.
The album, “Dangerous and Stinky” — which features rock, pop, funk, and even polka — isn’t just humorous, though; it also includes educational messages.
“We wanted every song to matter. We wanted to say something about the world. We didn’t want to write fluff,” says Christensen. For example, the song “Temper Tantrum” teaches children about self-control, “Everybody Needs a Home” is about protecting the environment, and “If You Wanna Be a Friend” reminds kids to be kind to one another.
The name came from a dream that Christensen had. She pictured a porcupine dancing with a skunk and thought about the theme of prejudice. Her goal was to teach kids that, even though they might be afraid of someone, deep down, we’re all the same.
The pair sought help from family and friends to put the album together. Christensen’s sister Lynda Abraham, an artist, provided the cartoon illustration for its cover.
“We’ve been working on a shoestring budget,” says Harvey. “We were lucky to have connections in the music world who helped us.”
On Oct. 10, the women had a CD release party at Bleecker Street nightclub The Bitter End.
“We had a full band perform and a turnout of about 120 kids plus their parents,” says Christensen. “So far, the album is a huge success. Parents keep reaching out to tell us that their kids come home from school and play it every day. We’re very proud of the album and believe that it will go on to do big things.” Their goal is to play the album live at festivals this summer.
To buy music ($12 for a CD, $10 to download the album, $0.99 per song download) or find out about upcoming performances, visit dangerousandstinky.com.
Jane Bianchi was an editor at Seventeen, Family Circle, and Good Housekeeping, and now freelance writes for a variety of publications. She lives with her husband in Brooklyn.
