Bunchland

June. It’s the transom month. It’s time for finals and freedom. Tests and t-ball. Backpacks and beaches.

For parents of elementary-aged kids, all year, the challenge is to keep up with the mountains of communications from school. This is no easy task, especially if your kids are not keen to relay much information about what the teacher has been yammering on about all day. Our two kids were famous saying, “I never got that assignment.” or, “My teacher lost the paper I turned in!” or, “You’re supposed to bring in the class snack tomorrow morning.” It took awhile for us to learn that the backpack was the source of all knowledge and wisdom. Missing assignments, notes home from the teacher, PTA fund-raisers, absolute deadlines.You name it, the information was hiding there. Down in the backpack.

Master singer/songwriter/author/humorist and two-time Grammy Award winner Bill Harley has written the quintessential song on this topic. If you’re

looking for that missing note from the teacher, or that all-important field trip permission slip, it’s time for a thorough archeological dig. All kinds of random stuff has been accumulating there all year. You’ve just been avoiding it. But now is the moment of truth. Hold your nose and dig around if you dare:

Harley’s “Down in the Backpack” is, of course, a riff on the Drifters’ classic song “Under the Boardwalk. Lots of artists have covered this summery song. I’m a sucker for harmony, and I was hooked instantly by this sweet little a capella performance by the Hawaiian group Rebel Souljahz . Man, these

guys can sing! I dare you to resist humming along:

The video was recorded last year in Portland. May the good humour and warm sounds of these songs waft you toward the best summer ever!