Grammy Children’s Concert
When: 11 a.m. to noon Saturday.
Where: Lucky Strike Live, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles
Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 day of show
Information: http://tinyurl.com/GrammyKids
When: 11 a.m. to noon Saturday.
Where: Lucky Strike Live, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles
Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 day of show
Information: http://tinyurl.com/GrammyKids
All five children’s album Grammy nominees will once again gather for a family day of music and bowling at Lucky Strike Live in Hollywood.
The eighth annual event, which kicks off at 11 a.m. Saturday, the day before the best children’s album award is handed out in the pre-telecast, includes performances by first-time Grammy nominees Frances England for “Explorer of the World” and Recess Monkey for “Novelties.”
The show is rounded out by Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could for “Press Play,” Secret Agent 23 Skidoo for “Infinity Plus” and the Okee Dokee Brothers, which won the category in 2012 and are up this time for “Saddle Up: A Western Adventure Album.”
SiriusXM Kids Place Live hosts Kenny and Mindy emcee the event.
As producer, KC Mancebo of Clamorhouse Kids explains, it isn’t just a chance to honor these independent artists but “a simple opportunity for us to give back” with all proceeds going to the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra’s music in the school’s program.
Q: Do the nominees volunteer their performance?
A: Yes, they’re unpaid. This is really a showcase for them. We’re celebrating them and hopefully bringing a new audience. A lot of these artists don’t tour California because it’s not financially feasible for them to bring their bands out here so it’s a really good opportunity for these artists to play in Los Angeles and also play together.
Q: Is there anything significant about all five nominees being independent?
A: They are, which is such an exciting thing. A lot of these artists are not new. They’ve been working in children’s music for years and years. A good example is Frances England, whose album (“Explorer of the World”) is just beautiful if you haven’t heard it. This is her fifth album and first nomination. She’s just one of these people who happened to fall into kids music. So I think it’s really lovely for them to get a chance to be seen in this way.
Q: What’s the quality of today’s children’s music?
A: Not that the quality was ever bad, but it’s incredible. Many people have had music careers for years aside from children’s music so they’re all pretty incredible talents. Secret Agent 23 Skidoo brings an upbeat perspective to kids music but it’s also strongly rooted in hip hop, funk and soul. The guys (Drew Holloway, Jack Forman and Korum Bischoff) in Recess Monkey were former teachers, which is a fantastic part of their story, and their album is really fun. I can’t say enough good things about Brady Rymer’s love and dedication to children’s music. His musicians are divine and I adore all of his albums. And what I love about the Okee Dokee Brothers is that (Justin Lansing and Joe Mailande) have been friends since childhood. They’re always going on adventures together and that’s how they write their albums. They’re really authentic storytellers.
Q: What role, if any, do those songs play in the lives of children?
A: If you allow children to be active listeners and process and use their imagination, it opens up possibilities that they wouldn’t know existed sitting in front of an iPad. There are so many studies about the power of music and how helpful it is. It’s important and the quality being this good doesn’t hurt.
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