Live(streamed) Kids Music Returns to Symphony Space

Live children's music has returned to Symphony Space, but with a twist. While the performers are on stage inside the venue, their concerts are conducted via livestream (for free!) to family audiences around the world. We're all hoping for a return to normalcy and this compromise allows "Just Kidding Kids" to deliver its eclectic agenda of artists.

The oldest resident Native American dance company in New York, the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, pay a visit on On Saturday, January 29 at 11 AM. The troupe was founded in 1963 by a group of ten Native American men and women (all New Yorkers) descended from Mohawk, Hopi, Winnebago and San Blas tribes. They are keeping alive the traditions, songs, and dances learned from their parents, while added to their repertoire from other Native Americans living in New York as well as others who were passing through. While the event will be livestreamed, sign up here to receive updates and an email alerting you that the link has been posted on Symphony Space's event page.

Latin Grammy nominee Sonia De Los Santos returns to the venue on Saturday, February 19 at 11 AM to promote songs from her latest album, ESPERANZA ("hope" in Spanish), along with music from her past releases. During the pandemic, De Los Santos conducted a series of "En Casa Con Sonia" solo concerts and is no stranger to the "art" of livestreaming shows. Click here for the event sign up sheet for her concert.

The music of East Asia is showcased by Elena Moon Park and Friends on Saturday, March 12 at 11 AM. Children with a curiosity about how alike people are despite our cultural differences may enjoy the welcoming folk rock sound of Park's ensemble. Click here and event an email for the livestream event.

Here is the video for Elena Moon Park's song "Flower Dance":

Brighter Days on UWS With Gustafer Yellowgold

There's a reason it's called the Gustafer Yellowgold Show. Creator Morgan Taylor leads a quartet of performers accompanied by videos that interact with him. With the lyrics on-screen, audiences can participate by singing any, or all of the songs – provided they're old enough to read.

Morgan brought his troupe back to New York's Symphony Space for the 14th year in a row, making him the titleholder (Tom Chapin used to hold that distinction) for consecutive appearances. An eager crowd seemed familiar with their favorites, and were amused at the newest songs, including "Hot Malt Eagle," from Gustafer's number one Audible.Com kid's audiobook, "I'M FROM THE SUN."



Our history with Gustafer dates back to 2007, when we made a trek to the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria. The draw was honestly old Pink Panther cartoon as well as the live Gustafer Yellowgold performance, which wound up being a turning point in seeking out live children's music around New York City, such as the Long Island Children's Museum and other venues. While we've returned to the AMMI, they have stuck with mostly recorded programming for kids and sunsetted live music.


Morgan is fiercely protective of his content, and rightly so. When your currency is self-produced videos, the last thing you want to see online are multiple copies of live performances, drawing away from your own material (which includes links to live shows and merchandise). For that reason, you'll need to click through to his YouTube page to see full videos.

The Peter Jay Sharp Theater remains a comfortable, relaxing place for family shows. While you always gamble on crying children and poopy babies, we seem to have hit a good patch at Symphony Space. Upcoming shows include a singalong to the Dick Van Dyke classic film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on Saturday, February 10 and 123 Andres on Saturday, February 17.

Winter Wondering With the Okee Dokee Brothers in NYC

Simon and Garfunkel sang about the New York winters in "The Boxer." However, blame climate change or El Nino of whatever you want, it was mild temperatures that welcomed the Okee Dokee Brothers from Minnesota to Manhattan last Saturday, January 5.



Childhood friends Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing have made a name for themselves (and won a Grammy in the process) with their rustic, modern take on traditional American roots music. Their return to Symphony Space as part of the Just Kidding Kids series drew a near-full house of rapturous fans who seemed to know the words to their favorites, from "Slumberjack" to "Blankets of Snow."



The OG OD's avoid making audiences OD on messages. There is a gentle conservation theme through their material regarding the magnificence of nature. Videos played behind a few of the tracks also celebrate participation, whether it involves water and boats or boots and forest snowfalls. Like icicles slowly melting on a pine tree, the hour-long concert was over before most young observers realized. And back into the rain (although not the cold) they went.



Joe and Justin have dedicated the most recent CD, WINTERLAND, to their beloved and endangered winters, which are warming fast as a result of climate change. To help ensure their fans can enjoy a lifetime of snowy winter exploration, the Okee Dokees are donating 10% of all WINTERLAND sales to Askov Finlayson’s Keep the North Cold initiative, which supports leading-edge climate solutions in the North and across the country. Read more about their important mission here.

The Just Kidding Kids series continues with "Beats, Rhymes, and Breaking" (featuring breakdancing performances) on Saturday, January 12 at 11 AM and 2 PM (click here for tickets) and "Go Home Tiny Monster," a puppet play about a family of monsters on Saturday, January 19 at 11 AM and 2 PM (click here for tickets).

Justin Roberts, Naptime Players Rock Symphony Space

Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players returned for their (mostly) annual performance at Symphony Space on Saturday, November 3, part of the Just Kidding Kids series of weekly events for children and families. Now that Justin is a new father (really new, like less than one month new) it's going to be interesting to see how he adjusts his touring schedule in the future. Not to mention that he has diversified into books (two currently out with another pair on the horizon), so the release of another CD in the near future is a question mark.



Despite mild temperatures and an erroneous forecast of showers, it was an easy commute however we've definitely seen fuller, more boisterous audiences in the Peter Jay Sharp Theater. Luckily those in attendance did finally spark and begin to participate, as shown in the videos.



After nearly 20 years in the business, Justin and his band (Liam Davis, Gerald Dowd, Jacqueline Schimmel, and David Winer) have the patter and interaction down to a science. Yet it still appears fresh and fun, with the band seeming to genuinely enjoy the opportunity to entertain a tentative batch of hardened New York City kids.


As ever, setlist maven Ben remarked at which songs the band were not playing, as well as which ones he didn't recall the band playing at previous shows. Matt, on the other hand, reacted as if he was hearing some of these songs live for the first time – and admitted he did not remember seeing the band a few years back at the New Victory Theater. And that's why he tags along, to provide a fresh set of eyes to help me see every band. Justin signed off with a hopeful "We'll see you again," and we'll hold him to that promise.

Performances continue at Symphony Space every Saturday morning. Next up: Legend of the Banana Kid (Western Puppets on November 10) and Moona Luna (Spanish/English music on November 17).

Symphony Space Ready to Celebrate 40th Season

Hard to believe that Symphony Space is 40 years old. That's an amazing milestone and makes the facility a legitimate city landmark.

Tickets are now on sale for all events for its 2018-2019 season, including the Just Kidding Kids family series. In addition to concerts, there are also theater and literary events, such as Thalia Kids' Book Club Camp with author Katherine Marsh (Nowhere Boy) on Saturday, September 22 and the National Dance Institute Team Celebration on Saturday, October 27.

Mindy Thomas and the Pop-Ups

But the heart of the children's program has been the breadth of the musicians. We've been attending going back 15 years to seeing Dan Zanes, Tom Chapin, and Ralph's World. It's been a musical education not only for my children, but for myself. It opened doors to appreciation of different cultures and lifestyles. For me, it also turned into an entire venture (which you happen to be reading).

Performers for the upcoming season include Michael and the Rockness Monsters (Sat., October 6), Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players (Sat., Nov. 3), Lucy Kalantari and the Jazz Cats (Sat., Dec. 1). Mindy Thomas from Kids Place Live and the Pop-Ups also present a live installment of "Wow In the World" on Saturday, October 13. Heading into 2019 are the Okee Dokee Brothers (Sat., Jan. 5) to promote their upcoming CD and Gustafer Yellowgold (Sat., Feb. 2).

Tickets range from $17 for non-members to $14 for members. (Wow in the World tickets are $20 for non-members, $17 for members). For information on the entire season, visit Symphony Space's website.

Bazillions Beguile Juveniles of All Ages

With the threat of a wimper of winter weather wandering across our area, it was time to trek into Manhattan this past Saturday to see The Bazillions' triumphant debut at Symphony Space as part of the Just Kidding Kids series. Lead singer Adam Marshall pooh-poohed the prospect of "a couple of inches of snow," pointing out that the band hails from Minneapolis, where "a couple of inches of snow is what we call November."



Married educators Adam and Kristin Marshall were joined in this scaled-down performance by guitarist Mike Senkovich. They played to a packed Nimoy Theater (literally SRO) that seemed to alternately amaze and excite the trio, who went through tunes from all four of the band's CDs (according to Ben, who is my source for such fact-checking).



The Bazillions have used "educational rock and roll" as their mantra, although they attempted to push a more general "fun for all" family motif, picking their spots to actually teach without preaching. To that end, we had "Q and U," with audience participation (including a birthday girl whose party helped fill the auditorium) and "Silent E" (not the Tom Lehrer version).



Old favorites "Tommy Got in Trouble" and "Career Day" from their debut CD, ROCK-N-ROLL RECESS, helped anchor the set. But the Bazillions have never strayed far from their bread and butter (or is that peanut butter), so the songs all sounded fresh and fine, especially to one fan who traveled all the way from Buffalo, New York to finally see the band in person.



One of the most entertaining parts of going to a children's music concert is watching the reactions of kids who are clearly attending a live show for the first time. Many just sit in shock – amazed that such a thing actually occurs, not just on TV. Others dive right in, scrambling for a toy shaker or scarf, so they can join in the fun. But it's an unforgettable short-term memory that helps wire them for other musicians (and live arts) down the road. I don't know for sure how many kids qualified at the Bazillions – but many more were too happy to shout the names of their favorite action stars for "Superhero Rock Band." And many more will be happy to return for a different concert on another day.

Just Kidding Kids continues through March at Symphony Space with upcoming performances of The Joshua Show (Saturday, February 24) and the Not-Its (Saturday, March 3).

The Bazillions Coming to Symphony Space - Sat., February 17

Chuck Berry once sung about "School Days" and learning the golden rule. Continuing in that tradition of rock and roll and learning something in the process, The Minneapolis-based family band (headed by married teachers Adam and Kristin Marshall) The Bazillions are making their way to New York's Symphony Space this Saturday, February 17 at 11 AM. It's part of the Just Kidding family program and helps the band promote their fourth CD, ROCK-N-ROLL YEARBOOK – a years' worth of family curriculum in 12 songs (and 35 minutes).

As I wrote when I reviewed ROCK-N-ROLL YEARBOOK in 2016:

The Bazillions know the kids they're targeting will grow up and away from their music. However they want the information to penetrate those developing noggins. And the best way to do that is with music that sticks in the cranium like a pervasive earworm. Um, of the best kind. And I mean that in the best possible way. Give your child a sandwich and they'll ask you to cut off the crusts. Give your child ROCK-N-ROLL YEARBOOK and maybe they'll ask for guitar lessons. Live and learn, right?

Just Kidding is consistently one of the best music series for children in the metropolitan area. If you're around on Saturday, February 17 at 11 am, drop by Symphony Space and say hi. Click here to buy tickets. Enter code Yearbook2018 at checkout for $3 discount on general admission tickets!

ROCK-N-ROLL YEARBOOK is available from the Bazillions' website, Amazon, iTunes, and CDBABY.

Here is the video for their song, "Back at School." Full disclosure - my kid made the cut:

Joanie Leeds, Nightlights Spook Up a Storm at Symphony Space

A kid with special needs will occasionally pull a rabbit out a hat. "The last time we were here was in March for Lucky Diaz," Ben told me as we entered the Thalia Theater at Symphony Space this past weekend. "I spoke to Lucky about Billy Joel." That was indeed true, but real life moves at such light speed that it took Ben's verbal Post-It note to bring back a sudden flood of memories.



So it was indeed seven months between concerts at one of our favorite city venues. In the meantime, we've seen plenty of live music, including a Long Island appearance by the act we traveling to see on Saturday – Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights. However this was a difference iteration of the ensemble, gone acoustic and celebratory-themed for the morning, with many children (and adults) in attendance wearing Halloween costumes.



One of the perks of being a kindie community insider (of sorts) is learning about a performance prior to its occurrence. So I knew that Joelle Lurie of JoJo and the Pinecones would be a special guest, joining Joanie for two songs at the end of the set... although I was badly out of position when she finally took to the stage to sing vocal for "Love Is Love" and the a cappella "Stoop." Joelle is one of the new wave of kindie jazz acts to emerge of late, which includes Lucy Kalantari, Jazzy Ash, and Lori Henriques.



Symphony Space's Just Kidding program has been delighting and entertaining youth from around the region for years. We've been going since Ben was less than three years old and he still delights in the talents on display, even if he is the oldest kid in the room. You can hear him answering some of questions posed to the crowd by Joanie in her introductions. The trio (Joanie, Scott Stein, and Jeff Litman) ran through a set list that went back to her first CD (the song "Ice Cream"). While there were a number of hands raised for first-time attendees to a Leeds' concert, a number of people were clearly veterans who knew Joanie's favorite color is green (the song "I Wanna Be Green"). Joelle has strong chops as well, and her voice blended right into the harmonies (as you can hear on the two videos), in addition to belting out verses on "Love Is Love."


The Just Kidding series continues next week with bilingual rock from Future Hits (11/4). Down the road are puppets, more music, and theater events. Click through and check the calendar.

Symphony Space: Just Kidding 2017-18 Rolls With Joanie Leeds

Something always slips through the cracks during the autumn season. For me, it was the start of Symphony Space's Just Kidding Kids series. But we're remedying that situation today – and will be there Saturday, October 28 for the concert by Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights.

Just Kidding Kids is the long-running series of events that includes not only concerts, but theater and interactive performances. Coming up November 11 is a puppet show – Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers: Everybody Loves Pirates. Further along Elizabeth Mitchell (November 18), Billy Kelly (December 16), the Experiential Theater Company presents Journey to Oz (January 13), and a very special show featuring the 2017 nominees for Best Children's Album (January 27).

There's oh so much more – but there's a whole subsection of the Symphony Space website dedicated to the 2017-18 season. Click on through and check it out. We'll be there for some shows!

Here is my video of Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights performing "Ferry Nice" at last month's Kidstock:

Recess and Monkey Around at Symphony Space

And so we were off to Symphony Space again for Recess Monkey.

At three years old, Matthew is a veteran, perhaps artificially assisted by his older brother (Ben, 13), who started seeing shows here just before his third birthday (Dan Zanes, December 2003).

If there's one thing that Queens lacks, it's a regular program involving children's music acts. Occasionally a venue like Colden Center will cobble together 2-3 "kids acts" for its yearly agenda, but they usually fall under the touring puppet show or three-person vaudeville act.



 New York City, on the other hand, is littered with those programs. If you don't get to the Just Kidding Kids (JKK) series at Symphony Space, the 92nd Street Y runs Kids Central. And the New Victory Theater is right in the heart of Times Square (although they concentrate more on theater, Dan Zanes used to play there as well).

But I digress. We've seen dozens of acts as part of the JKK, including Seattle's Monkey Men. But this would be the first time with incoming drummer Korum Bischoff. The boys recorded TWO CDs last year, DEEP SEA DIVER and DESERT ISLAND DISC, so there was plenty of new material to hear.



 We piled the boys onto the LIRR and 25 minutes later descended onto the 1 train for the ride uptown. The trio (Drew, Jack, and Korum) were already signing merch in the back (they haven't recorded 10 CDs for nothing) and we said hello and welcomed them back to the Big Apple.

I've always been skittish about shooting video with our camcorder during these shows. But my new phone promised amazing video quality. And with second-row seats, I thought I might try to capture the essence of the performances. Indeed, the only failings of these recordings are my shaky hands. The songs (and the boisterous nature of the crowd) speak for themselves.



Ben sat and enjoyed himself thoroughly. He has no problem interacting with on-stage musicians. In fact, whenever they begin a "call and response" segment, Ben is ready to participate. Matthew on the other hand chose to sit on his booster seat and philosophically ponder just how a "mosh pit" of 20-30 youngsters miraculously appeared as the band ripped into "Tambourine Submarine."

The 50-minute performance contained a number of old favorites as well as songs from the 2013 "double concept set." The (nearly) packed house was euphoric, the Monkey Men were in sync, and the parents seemed to know as many (if not more) of the songs than their children. I'm always nervous for a band when one of the members jumps into the audience and leads a conga line or parade around the building. In many instances, the majority of the kids wind up back with their parents. But when Jack Forman led the children up and down the aisles for "Monkey Bars," they all seemed to find their way back to the front of the stage.

After the final song, "Jump in the Deep End," it was back to signing and photos in the back of the Peter Jay Sharp auditorium. In the past, Recess Monkey were booked for two shows in the smaller Thalia. This time around, they earned a shot at the big house and proved their worth – with as large a crowd as I can recall for a "fly-in."


We spoke with Drew Holloway, the titular lead singer for the band, about their upcoming plans. Apparently CD number 11 is coming this summer, with a "mechanical" theme. Recess Monkey has concentrated on "concepts" for the past several years, with some success. It will be interesting to see what directions they go to flesh out their theme.

When it was over, we tromped down Broadway (to Grandpa's apartment for lunch). Matt was so jazzed that he collapsed in Penn Station for a stroller nap. Ben was eager to get home and watch the songs captured on video (and shared here).

I have no doubt Symphony Space will bring back the Seattle trio for another showcase next winter. They drew a good house, and the larger theater means higher ticket prices. Hey, that's just good business sense. And with a name like Recess Monkey, good business sense is what's kept them around for almost 10 years.