The guys of Birdmonster got into the giving mood a little early this year, and they weren’t giving to just anyone. They were giving to the children. And since just about nothing in the world is better than a rowdy sing-a-long with a bunch of elementary school kids, we’re giving, too, with an exclusive download of the song they recorded with the gang at Bret Harte Elementary School in San Francisco.

Birdmonster took part in ASCAP’s annual national songwriting mentorship program, ASCAP Songwriter Residency @ America SCORES, a program that creates collaborations between songwriters and students to teach kids to express themselves and to value their own creative work. Basically, ASCAP rounds up volunteers from its songwriting ranks and sends them out to schools to kick it with kids and write songs. And as you can see from the pictures, they also get a little insight into the recording process, too.

The program started in 2006, and this year took place in seven different schools in six different cities and featured hip hop artists, film and TV composers and of course, the occasional indie rock band. Birdmonster spent three days over the course of a week with the students at Bret Harte, and the result was the song “Tomato Blues,” yours exclusively here. Enjoy.

Birdmonster – “Tomato Blues” Featuring The Bret Harte Elementary School Kids

It is definitely the week for Birdmonster fans, as yesterday our friends at RCRD LBL posted an exclusive download of Birdmonster’s “I Might Have Guessed (Mean Version)”, a new spin on “I Might Have Guessed” from The Mountain to the Sea. Hard to believe the Birdmonster guys could write a “mean” song? Don’t worry, no jokes about your mom — it’s just an electric revamp.

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