Potash Creates Classic Kids' Music Via Classic Rock Influences, About.com  5 Star Rating

A Day in the Life, a 24-song rock opera for and about kids, is literally about a day in the life of your average kid, from his wide-eyed waking moments to dreams of trains. Potash himself admits being influenced musically on A Day in the Life by classic folk, country, and rock musicians, including The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Woody Guthrie, The Who, Johnny Cash, Pete Seeger, and Bob Dylan.

Parents' Choice Award winner Wayne Potash has been creating music for many years in and around the Boston area, including stints in the groups X-Dreams, The Hackmasters, and The Winiker Big Band. He inadvertently stumbled into the kids' music scene, which led to the releases of his kids' music albums The Wayne Tape, Music Fun, Yodel for a Fish, and now A Day in the Life.

The Music - A Day in the Life is packed with irresistably catchy tunes like the album-opening "Wake Up," the dobro-flavored "Seeing My Friends," and the swaying "Lunch." You also get some blues boogie tunes like "Ready for Dinner" and "Clean Down", a few straight-ahead rockers like "Getting Dressed," and a touch of country rock in songs like "Eat My Breakfast."

Potash must have realized that "After My Bath" was so influenced by The Beatles' "Getting Better" that he threw in a lyrical reference to "Yellow Submarine." And dig the classic rock trio of "Snack Time," "I'm Going," and "I'm an Artist:" the first echoes Who's Next-era Pete Townshend, the second mirrors Paul McCartney's joyful "Dance Tonight", and the third is reminiscent of the wistful rock of The Bevis Frond.

Other highlights include the hypnotizingly beautiful "I Wanna Take a Nap," the tender ode to toy trucks "Backhoes", and the precious, harmony-filled "Cuddle Right Up." These 24 short songs (most are under two minutes long) really convey the wonder, frustration, and joy of being a kid from a kid's point of view.
The Verdict - Although A Day in the Life is filled with a variety of musical styles, Potash and his band's performances tie everything together thematically so that each song flows into another on the album, giving the whole project a cohesive sound. Wayne Potash's A Day in the Life is a brilliant idea expertly and entertainingly brought to fruition, and is one of the best kids' music albums of 2010.

- Warren Truitt, About.com Guide

A Day in the Life. CD. 42 min. School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3–Based on an idea by Wayne Potash's son Noah, the 24 songs collected here tell the story of a child's day from the time he wakes up until he goes to bed. Each of the short songs relates an aspect of the day from "Getting Dressed" and "Brush My Teeth" to "Snack Time," "I Wanna Take a Nap," "Time to Go," "Ready for Dinner," and "Cuddle Right Up." Potash's lyrics aptly capture the emotions and thoughts of a young child and will have listeners singing along. He offers a comprehensive look at the day, including songs about hygiene like "I'm Going" ("I'm going to the potty/And then I will wash my hands") "Hands Clean," and "After My Bath." The music accompanying the lyrics is expertly played and includes trombone, trumpet, mandolin, saxophone, and more. These brief songs will be easy to incorporate into story times or classroom lessons. A solid addition to all collections.–Veronica Schwartz DeFazio, Plainfield Public Library District, IL




Cool New Music from Massachusetts
by Amber on November 17, 2009, BostonChildren'sMusic.com

Wayne Potash had a great idea for a new CD… Well, actually his son had a great idea for a CD and Wayne ran with it. Why not create a mini-opera about A Day in the Life of an ordinary little kid? From waking up in the morning to eating breakfast, playing to napping, it’s all here. What I really like about this album is that being a “mini-opera” each song is relatively short, which means they become great songs to sing to your own little one while going through your daily routine. I’ve found that it’s so much easier to get my son to cooperate when we have a dedicated bath time song or a memorable clean up song. All I have to do is start singing the song and he understands immediatley what it is we’re doing. This CD is full of great routine songs! I also love that there are exactly 24 songs. Is that because there are 24 hours in a day? Very clever!

What fun! And what good listening for kids or anyone! While this is the fifth album from Boston area singer-songwriter Wayne Potash, it was our first exposure to this master of kids’ music. Arrangements are widely varied, tight, and nicely voiced with a range of instrumental combinations including guitar, banjo, bass guitar, drums, harmonica, fiddle, horns, accordion, piano, pennywhistle and children’s chorus.
Normally a primary pleasure in children’s albums is the original material — seeing how successfully the performer has identified and touched upon the joys and fears within their young audiences. Often the standards and traditional songs are fillers. But here the arrangements are often sweet, as with Tad Hitchcock’s lead guitar on “When the Red Red Robin Comes Bob Bob Bobbin’ Along.” Similarly welcome are the contributions of the Boston Children’s School Children’s Chorus on five songs; they have the vocal texture of the enthusiastic young children, but with no distracting stray or sour voices.
Of the six songs by Potash, at least two will be keepers for teachers and others who sing with children. “Wiggly Tooth,” here nicely accompanied with guitar and pennywhistle, has a simple repeated eponymous refrain for sing-a-longs; with his “Lobster Dance” it’s easy to imagine the pleasure of children playing the roles of lobster, crab, and shark. Teachers may also want to consider the traditional “March of the Leprechauns” as another song for upon-their-feet fun.
Ironically, the one song that common sense would have suggested dropping — a weak a cappella version of “Haul Away Joe” which quickly dissolves into laughter — has survived repeated listenings and still brings a smile.

— FL/SL Sing Out! Vol. 50 #2 Summer 2006


Wayne Potash is a man who knows how to play to his audience. More importantly, he's not afraid to play with them. Don't Forget the Donut is a children's album in more than its choice of music. Potash performs 19 of the most memorable melodies in American music with bright, understated guitar playing and a friendly vocal delivery that positively begs the audience to sing along.

by Sarah Meador, Rambles.NET, 13 May 2006

Singer songwriter Wayne Potash delivers an energetic mix of traditional tunes, old favorites, and kid-friendly originals in this collection that leans heavily toward songs about life on the go. Parents and kids will enjoy his versions of “When the Red Red Robin Comes Bob Bob Bobbin' Along,” “I've Been Everywhere Man,” and “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66,” as well as pop-influenced turns on traditional songs like “Cindy” and “Down in the Valley.” Potash's original songs are the real standouts here, especially the surprisingly poetic “Streetsweeper,” which elegantly captures the starry-eyed relationship between preschoolers and big machines. With titles like “Wiggly Tooth” and “Look at My New Shoes,” Potash's original songs highlight important details of a child's world.

–School Library Journal, Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD

"If James Taylor had chops like Johnny Cash, he'd be Wayne Potash. Wayne's an exceptional children's music artist."  -Kimberly Robasky, Kids Music Web