Seattle's Child

Your guide to a kid-friendly city

A parent’s review: Raise Your Hand

Seattle's tutu-clad, all-ages rock band is releasing their fifth album, Raise Your Hand, on July 15.

Raise your hand if you love The Not-Its! Seattle's tutu-clad, all-ages rock band is releasing their fifth album, Raise Your Hand, on July 15.

Raise Your Hand showcases how adept the kindie band is at knowing their audience. With rockin' songs about scabs, bees, reading, getting outside and more, kids listening will be amazed at how well The Not-Its! speak their language. And don't worry parents; there are plenty of likeable songs and grin-inducing lyrics for you, too.

The album is filled with pop rock songs with a punk feel, with lead vocalist Sarah Shannon's voice ringing clear and strong on each track. "When I Fell (The Scab Song)" might be the most attention-grabbing song on Raise Your Hand, eliciting both "ooohs" and "ewwws" from your family as The Not-Its! enthusiastically describe the scrapes and scabs that adorn kids' knees.

Speaking of knees, "The Bee's Knees" and its message to be kind to bees hit home with my 5-year-old, a self-appointed champion of saving caterpillars and earthworms on the sidewalk. "Haircut," sung from the point of view of a kid who just wants to stay out of the barber's chair and grow her hair long, could very well be my daughter's theme song.

My personal rock anthem on the album, though, has to be "Hey 80s." After you and your kids hear the band's one-of-a-kind tribute to the most totally radical decade ever, you'll find it hard to stop laughing long enough to explain what Cosby sweaters and boom boxes are. "Waiting List," my other favorite tongue-in-cheek track, had me in stitches as The Not-Its! describe the plight of a kid on an after-school activity waiting list – a feeling many families in Seattle are all too familiar with.

Songs like "Echo," "We're Gonna Hike" and "Great Day" each encourage families to get outside and have fun in the outdoors, from the Grand Canyon to the hiking trails to your own backyard. Raise Your Hand is the perfect soundtrack for a playful summer day spent outside in the sunshine.

Raise Your Hand invites kids to explore the world and make a difference, whether it's something simple like planting flowers for a bee or something that takes even more courage, like speaking up and being heard. You can't ask for more in a family CD that you'll all enjoy together.


Kelly Knox is a Seattle-area mom and writer who never did get the hang of big 80s hair. 

About the Author

Kelly Knox