Showing posts with label Ravinia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ravinia. Show all posts

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Win 10 Family Friendly Freebies To ChiIL Out With This Summer #Giveaways



ChiIL Out with ChiIL Mama This Summer

 Here are all our rockin' current giveaways in one easy place.   Enter any or ALL.  Good luck!

  Enter here for your chance to win loads of books, DVDs/Blu-Ray, CDs, games, toys and more (open to anyone 18+ in the USA) and a ton of sweet Chicago theatre and family concert tickets.

We love summer time and want to share our ChiIL Picks List for rockin' kindie music, movies, eco-friendly finds, events and more with you, so 2013 can be the best summer vacation EVER.   We're giving away great fam friendly freebies all summer long!!  

Disclaimer:   Thanks to all the kindie musicians, theatres, authors, publishers, Warner Brothers and American Girl for providing us with giveaway prizes and review copies.   All opinions are our own. Check back with us like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often, for loads of original content including video band interviews with kindie (kids' indie) favs, reviews, photo filled features, free downloads, new releases, and more great giveaways.

Here's the scoop:

  Click the name of the giveaways below to enter & see our full feature on each.

  #1/#2.  2 ChiIL Picks Book Bonanzas:



*Lost in Suburbia : A Momoir, by Tracy Beckerman (5 paperbacks available/$15 value each) Now extended through midnight 7/30. 
*The Ordinary Acrobat by Duncan Wall (5 hardbacks available/  $26.95 value each).  Enter through midnight 7/30. 

  Watch for loads of our original circus content throughout the month of our giveaway.  We have video interviews with Cirque Du Soleil performers featured in the book, live show clips we've filmed at CircEsteem Shows, and loads of stills from international touring circuses including Cirque Shanghai, performing on Navy Pier all summer in Chicago, and more!
#3/#4.   ChiIL Picks Blu-Ray & DVD Movies


*Jack the Giant Slayer Blu-Ray/DVD combo! Enter through midnight 7/9($44.95 value)



*Saige Paints the Sky (American Girl) Blu-Ray/DVD combo!  Enter through midnight 7/30. ($26.99 value)

 #5/#6/#7.    Rockin' 20 Kindie CD Extravaganza 

 We're giving away sets of awesome brand new releases along with 2012 & 13 favs of ours.   All entries are open through midnight 7/30.   Winners will be announced on Winning Wednesday, July 31st! It's road trip season ya know.   And time to ChiIL out and kick back with some of the best kindie artists around.   Throughout the month we'll be bringing you our original reviews and full info on each of the 20 CDs, along with original kindie band interviews, live show footage and more.   Enter to win any or all of these sets.   All of these CDs make it onto

  ChiIL Mama's ChiIL Picks List.

  *Set 1:  Great American Tunes  for July 4th & beyond  ($74.95 value)

  Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter:

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 One lucky reader will win these 6 sweet CDs:

  

  • Ozomatli Presents Ozokidz (LA culture mashers known for singing about immigration protests, gang violence & hurricane Katrina they've now expanded their boundaries again and released a rockin' CD of kids' tunes about photosynthesis, spelling, balloons, germs, skateboards and a runaway moose that's so good you won't want to stop playing it the second you drop the kids at camp.  Freakin' hilarious, great musicians bringing quality, multicultural music in a range of genres.) $10

With five Parents’ Choice® awards to their credit, Ben Rudnick & Friends have what it takes to make recordings families love. Families also love their live shows, where the band’s unique dynamic transforms a concert into an event. The events are celebrations.
On July 11, 2008, the band set up at one of their favorite venues, the town green of Lexington, MA. The same green that saw the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Flying high from the string of shows that comes with summer, saying goodbye to their accordion player Mark Yacovone who was moving to Mississippi the next day, and joined by Rob “It’s Saturday Night” Lee on saxophones, the band turned in an unforgettable performance.
Featuring songs from their first six recordings and some favorite cover tunes, Live in Lexington fills every available second on the CD with good time tunes as only they can deliver.
Live in Lexington has garnered BR&F their SIXTH Parents' Choice Award.
ChiIL Mama had the great pleasure of catching the Okee Dokee Brothers for a video interview and shooting their live show at The Beat Kitchen in Chicago, where we sponsor an annual, weekly kindie music concert series.   They're down to earth, cool guys, with an eco-friendly bent and talent to spare.   We've given away copies of Can You Canoe earlier this year.   Now check out one of their earlier albums, Parents Choice Silver Award Winner and one of our favs, Take it Outside. $15



($77.93 value)


*Set 2:   Kidzapalooza Favs ($82 value):  

  Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter:

  a Rafflecopter giveaway


ChiIL out with ChiIL Mama at one of the best kindie fests in the nation!   We've covered Kidza all 3 days of EVERY year of it's existance.   We'll be back again for 2013.   To get you jazzed for the fest, we're giving away a CD set including Ella Jenkins' latest release-Get Moving, and kindie favs that have graced the Kidza stage in years past.   One lucky reader will win 6 CDs from these Kidzapalooza Favs:




(These guys are long time favs of ours and we've had the pleasure of shooting their live shows at Kidzapalooza and catching them for a video interview.   They have a new release out--Deep Sea Diver.   But we also adore their last two, In Tents and Flying.)


($82 value) Here's the rockin' 2013 Kidzapalooza lineup!    





 Ralph’s World


The Not Its

The Q Brothers

The Blisters

Peter DiStefano & Tor

Jambo

School of Rock

Ella Jenkins

Kristian Bush

Perry Farrell

Special Guests 


  *Set 3:   Windy Kindie CDs ($96.80 value!!) Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter: 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

  Our own home town kids' musicians are awesome.   Look for these Chicago favorites at street fests all summer & at Beat Kitchen's Concerts for Kids again this fall.   One lucky reader will win these 8 CDs by Chicago Kindie favorites:
($96.80 value!!)


  #8.  Mini Bunny Bonanza ($39.95 value)
  Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter:
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

  For those summer days when some bunny needs a nap and some big bunny needs a break!!   Let Randy Travis & Lilly Tomlin take over on the endless story reading detail for a while.   Then watch your little one drift off to sleep to Deborah Poppink sweet, original tunes.   She's an over 40 mom of 2, and she gets it! Hop from Spring into Summer with bunny fun from our ChiIL Picks List for birth to 7 year olds.   *Some bunny will win both a DVD story collection & DidiPop CD! (Since bunnies know how to multiply over the summer months... we'll double this winning!!  2 winners chosen.)




  • Scholastic Storybook Treasures Read Along DVDs--The Springtime Collection featuring Max's Chocolate Chicken.   12 stories on 3 DVDs with narration by Lily Tomlin, Randy Travis and others.  $24.95 
Deborah Poppink is a kindie musician with 2 daughters of her own.  She says DidiPop comes from when I was a kids (“Debbie Poppins”) and because it’s fun to say and sing. The Beatles are my inspiration, and I was raised on pop radio from the 60s and 70s and musical theater. I started playing piano when I was 3, guitar at 9 and songwriting at 17. My mom says I sang the day I was born. I’ve always loved great music, a catchy chorus and interesting story.

“Bunny In The Moon: bedtime songs for falling asleep" is a new album of 14 original songs, designed to wind your child down to dream-land.
The “Goodnight Moon of children’s music. Your child will look forward to turning out the light and listening as s/he falls asleep to this intimate collection of winding down songs. 

Deborah says, as a mother who waited until she was 40 to start having kids, I pour as much art, music and mindfulness into my girls as I can… in small and fun doses. I hope that you will and can give your child music and art that inspires and teaches. I make music for my girls because it was my very best love as a child and it provided me with so much. I hope to share that love and present mindedness with you and your child…through song, rhythm and magic.
ChiIL Out in Chi, IL with theatre & live music:




#9.  Chicago Tickets-Family 4 Pack to Shrek at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre ($100 value) Your choice of any dates pending availability 7/13-9/1!   Enter through midnight 7/9.





#10.   Chicago Tickets-Family 4 Pack to Justin Roberts at Ravinia-Pavilion Seats ($40 value).  
Enter through midnight 7/9.

Check back soon for his brand new release!!   We'll be reviewing it right here and giving one away.


Chicago Tickets-Family 4 Pack to Mindy Hester & The Time Outs at Wilmette Theatre ($40 value).  
Enter through midnight 7/25.

Disclaimer:   Thanks to all the kindie musicians, theatres, authors, publishers, Warner Brothers and American Girl for providing us with giveaway prizes and review copies.   All opinions are our own.
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Thursday, June 27, 2013

WIN 4 Pavilion Seats to See Justin Roberts at Ravinia Sunday 7/7 at 1pm #giveaway




ChiIL out with ChiIL Mama.   Win FREE pavilion tickets to see Justin Roberts in a rockin' outdoor afternoon show at lovely Ravinia 7/7! ($40 value).   Enter through midnight July 4th.

Oh yes, it's R-E-C-E-S-S!
GRAMMY Nominee Justin Roberts Hopscotches into Summer with a National Family Concert Tour
Celebrating the July release of 'Recess'

Sunday, July 7th, 2013 1:00 PM
Ravinia - Pavilion
200 Ravinia Park Road
Highland Park, IL 60035
847-266-5000

Price: $10 Reserved/$5 Lawn
7-PIECE BAND!
**New CD Recess will be available for purchase for the first time!**

Click here to purchase tickets.

Click the Rafflecopter Link Below For Your Chance to WIN.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway
Justin Roberts, whose 2010 album, Jungle Gym, took the nation by storm with a Grammy nomination and a raft of critical acclaim, will release Recess, a new collection of high-energy pop songs for the whole family, on July 23rd. Roberts and his band mates, the Not Ready for Naptime Players, will celebrate this ninth family music release with a full slate of summer concerts, including the Ravinia Festival in Chicago.


With the July 23rd release of Recess, Justin Roberts “continues to craft universally likable pop songs that adhere to the brain like flypaper” (Amazon.com).

Justin Roberts is a Chicago-based artist who logs thousands of miles on the road each year while performing concerts around North America. He has won numerous national awards (including seven Parents’ Choice Gold awards and six NAPPA Gold awards), and critical recognition from the likes of Parents, School Library Journal, Newsweek, People, and Time magazines. Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players consistently dish out intelligent and whimsically engaging music. 

USA Today calls Roberts “hands down, the best songwriter in the genre.”

Remaining Summer 2013 'RECESS' Tour Dates:

  • Sunday, June 30, Grandview Heights Public Library, Columbus, OH
  • Friday, July 5, LL Bean’s Summer in the Park, Freeport, ME
  • Sunday, July 7, Ravinia Festival, Highland Park, IL
Disclaimer--thanks to Ravinia for providing tickets for our giveaway.   All opinions are our own.   

Check back early and often.   We'll be reviewing and giving way copies of Recess in the very near future!!


Chicago-based kid-pop star presents 12 original songs on July 23rd, and pre-sales available now at Amazon.com other retailers


Recess rocks with gigantic electric guitars, intricate vocal harmonies, and impossibly catchy melodies that will burrow deep into your brain. In his most unrestrained release yet, Justin Roberts explores the world from multiple perspectives – kids who love to play, the proud but exhausted parents of twins, and a loyal pet dog, just to name a few.  Whether kids are jumping through the chalked boxes of “Hopscotch” or running around the playground to the triumphant electric rock of “Recess,” these 12 original songs will add energy to any day. The limited-edition CD package will include a pop-up robot, and secret web links to craft activities and bonus media.
 
USA Today calls Roberts “hands down, the best songwriter in the genre,” Entertainment Weekly says he is “a master of conjuring up images that resonate with the young ones,” and The New York Times thinks he just might be “the Judy Blume of kiddie rock.” The Los Angeles Times speaks for many reviewers in stating that Justin Roberts delivers “deft lyrics and beautiful sound,” every time.
 
There must be dozens of kids’ songs about robots, but Roberts’ “My Secret Robot” heads in an unexpected direction:  “He’s got a calm demeanor, looks like a vacuum cleaner. He’s never scared when my sister comes around.” Not every song’s theme is obvious from the start; it takes more than just a minute to figure out what “Every Little Step” and “Otis” are all about.
 
While Justin’s music always appeals to kids, parents have long appreciated the songcraft and layers of meaning in his compositions. On Recess, tracks such as “Looking for Trains” offer ruminations that easily apply to an adult’s life. Expertly produced by Not Ready for Naptime Players band mate Liam Davis, Recess features a range of styles, from power pop to ska, and gentle country-tinged acoustic rock to 60s psychedelia.
 
Recess follows Justin Roberts’ fall 2012 release, Lullaby, his first collection of softer songs for quiet moments (newly available on vinyl). In its ‘A’ review,  Entertainment Weekly writes of Lullaby, “The lyrics will break your heart with their poignancy, and the music will make you celebrate that there are such exceptional artists making songs for children these days.”
 
Roberts also recently authored a new picture book for children, to be published by Putnam in 2014.
Recess will be available from retailers nationally on July 23, 2013 (Carpet Square Records, distributed by MRI/Sony Music, $14.98 SRP).

Visit Justin Roberts online!
 
Keep up with Justin's travels with The Not Ready for Naptime Players on Facebook, visit his tour page for details about local shows; check out the growing collection of music videos on YouTube; send Justin a friendly Tweet; or simply head on over to www.justinrobertsmusic.com

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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Kindie Land-Chi-IL Ravinia Shows For The Littles and Teens


    Photo Credit:  Ravinia 

Kraft Great Kids Concerts series welcomes Ravinia favorites and new acts

Second annual teen attendance contest includes free pre-concert tent party on July 29


Ravinia is not just for the wine and cheese crowd...   This lovely, outdoor performance space in Highland Park, north of Chicago near the lakefront, is easily accessible by train and hosts a wide variety of musical genres every summer.   Check out some of their family friendly kindie acts featured below, or bring the kids to classical concerts free on the lawn.   BYOB, wine and picnics.   The kindie lineup is very family friendly.   One word of warning:   just beware of the shuuuuushers, at some of the Ravinia pop & rock concerts where you wouldn't expect 'em and at the classical shows for sure.   

The Brie eaters aren't all kid friendly!!  My kids were pretty mellow tots and after a number of bad experiences we quit going to Ravinia in favor of the waaaay more laid back classical series in Millennium Park, because of the intolerant clientele.  They expected ultimate silence and immobility from our toddlers and ruined the concert experience for all the families there with their glares and angry comments directed at every kid that moved a muscle.   It's one thing if kids truly are shrieking or running amok, but really.....   We found the childless adult yelling and shushing and evil eyes much more disruptive than any of the slightly fidgety kids there.

That said....if you're aiming for  Laurie Berkner on July 28 or Justin Roberts & The Not Ready for Naptime Players I think the snooty factor will be at a minimum.

*Ravinia is making a concerted effort to entice back the young, despite the shush brigade.   Kids 15 and younger enjoy free lawn admission for classical concerts; high school and college students with valid student I.D. admitted free to the lawn for classical concerts.

Kid-friendly, in-park activities include Customer Appreciation Day, free family space and kids program book

Ravinia Festival President and CEO Welz Kauffman has included events tailor-made for families, kids and teens as part of the 2012 season, including the annual Kraft Great Kids Concerts series, free kids admissions for classical concerts and activities, and the second annual teen attendance contest featuring a “Cannon Ball” pre-concert event.

“Ravinia is perfectly suited for families,” Kauffman said, “and we’re excited that our mission of reaching young audiences continues to grow this year with even more variety, low prices, and free admission to classical concerts. Creating unique and accessible opportunities for the younger generation to experience music of all kinds is one of Ravinia’s priorities, whether it’s attracting the world’s top young professionals to study and perform through the Steans Music Institute, in the schools through our own *REACH*TEACH*PLAY education programs, or creating a fun environment for teens to connect and enjoy classical music together.”

KRAFT GREAT KIDS CONCERTS SERIES

The 2012 Kraft Great Kids Concert series, which comprises family-friendly shows, emulates the festival’s main-stage programming, including the mix of genres and artists, in a kid-friendly environment. This family series has been supported by Kraft Foods since its inception 21 years ago and connects to the festival’s mission of REACH*TEACH*PLAY. 


KRAFT GREAT KIDS CONCERTS

Ravinia welcomes some festival favorites as part of the Kraft Great Kids Concert series. The series, which comprises family-friendly shows, emulates the festival’s main-stage programming, including the mix of genres and artists, in a kid-friendly environment. This family series has been supported by Kraft Foods since its inception 21 years ago and connects to the festival’s mission of REACH*TEACH*PLAY. 

Acts include and Laurie Berkner on July 28; Justin Roberts & The Not Ready for Naptime Players on August 18; River North Dance Chicago on Aug. 21; Ruth Page Civic Ballet on Sept. 8.; and Tom Chapin & Friends on September 9. 

Kraft Great Kids Concerts begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday mornings, with the exception of the 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 21 performance. 

We particularly recommend checking out:

Laurie Berkner, known for her appearances on the Nick, Jr. TV Channel, has produced multiple CDs, DVDs, and two picture book-with-CDs to great acclaim, and returns to Ravinia Festival for a special solo performance as part of The You & Me Tour, on July 28.

**Hailed by USA Today as the “Paul McCartney of kids,” Justin Roberts & The Not Ready for Naptime Players were nominated for Best Musical Album for Children at the 2010 Grammy awards. An acclaimed folk-pop singer and songwriter, his 2004 family release, Way Out, was selected as one of Child magazine and Amazon.com’s top-10 family recordings of the year. He appears at Ravinia on Aug. 18.

Named “one of the greatest personalities in contemporary folk music” by The New York Times and “the best family artist around” by Billboard magazine, Tom Chapin has the ability to engage and entertain children and adults alike. Five of his family recordings have received Grammy award nominations for Best Musical Album for Children, including the 2006 release Some Assembly Required. He returns to the festival on Sept. 9.


FREE TEEN CONTEST AND PARTY
In an effort to bring awareness and opportunity of classical music performances to young people, Ravinia teamed with teens last year to create the Ravinia Student Advisory Board, which collaborated on ideas to promote classical music to young listeners. The program consists of three parts: free lawn attendance for high school students with a valid school I.D. at all classical concerts; a summer-long CSO attendance contest in which students can earn points for their school to win a grant; and a special high school night including a pre-concert event and the chance to gain double points for the attendance contest.

The attendance contest spans the duration of the CSO summer residency at Ravinia, from July 4 to August 20. High school students simply show their valid student I.D at the Ravinia Box Office for free lawn admission at any CSO show (excluding the July 21 Gala), and the box office will keep track of the primary high school they attend. The school that has the most student visits at the end of the CSO residency will be awarded a grant from Ravinia Festival.

The festival, along with the Ravinia Student Advisory Board, will also host a special teen night pre-concert event for high school students on Sunday, July 29, before the CSO’s all- Tchaikovsky program including the “1812” Overture featuring live cannons. “Cannon Ball 2012” will include a free tent event complete with food, refreshments, games, prizes and the chance to earn even more points for the attendance contest. Students who attend the event and performance will also receive double points for their high school.

FREE TICKET OPPORTUNITIES/SPECIAL DISCOUNTS
Ravinia announces a continuation of last year’s policy to allow kids free admission to the lawn. Those 15 years old and under will be admitted free to the lawn for all classical concerts, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s summer residency (excluding the July 21 Gala). High school and college students will be admitted free to the lawn for classical events when they present a current student I.D. at the box office. Reserved-seat upgrades may become available at a reduced price for students.


Ravinia will host a special free family space on the north lawn prior to selected CSO concerts. Families can participate in activities including music-related crafts, storytelling and the “instrument petting zoo,” The family space will be open from 3 to 4:30 p.m. prior to the CSO concerts on July 29 and Aug. 5. The instrument petting zoo will be located in front of the Martin Theatre following the Kraft Great Kids Concert on July 7 featuring the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra, beginning at noon.

Ravinia’s Family Fun Guide is a free, special program book designed just for kids, available throughout the entire summer season in kiosks around the park. The program book includes coloring pages, exciting information on music, games, kid-friendly program notes, activities to do in the park or at home and more. Parents can also preserve their child’s concert memories by saving the book and filled-out activities.

KIDS BIRTHDAY PARTIES
Be the star that you are—host a birthday party at Ravinia. Kid’s birthday parties can be arranged for groups of 20 or more in conjunction with the Kraft Great Kids Concert series. Each party package includes tent or lawn set-up, pavilion tickets to the show, table and chair rental, a gift for the birthday boy or girl from Ravinia Gifts, and lunch for partygoers featuring a kid-friendly menu including an entrée, cookie and a beverage. Additional perks such as goodie bags, entertainment, face-painting, sweet treats and more are also available, and packages start as low as $23 per person, all-inclusive. Reservations for these birthday party packages can be made by contacting groups@ravinia.org or calling 847-266-5087.

DO NORTH
Make the northern suburbs a destination for yourself and family by planning a trip to four cultural destinations, Ravinia Festival, Kohl Children’s Museum, Writers’ Theatre and Chicago Botanic Garden. This umbrella organization called Do North offers special discounts to each cultural attraction and is looking into opportunities to create pre-planned day trips and weekend getaways for the whole family. For more information, visit www.donorth.org.

Tickets to all Ravinia Festival events are available now at www.ravinia.org or by phone at 847-266-5100. A $7 service fee is added to all ticket orders.

Ravinia Festival is located at Lake Cook and Green Bay roads in Highland Park. Ravinia welcomes all festival fans to follow, connect and interact online at backstage.ravinia.org, facebook.com (search Ravinia Festival) and twitter.com/raviniafestival. Ravinia Festival is a not- for-profit organization.
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Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Winner Announced: 4 Ravinia Pavilion Seats to The Dirty Sock Funtime Band

*There's still time to win your own Sock-A-Delic CD right here at ChiIL Mama!   Enter through midnight tonight.   Winner announced on Win A Disc Wednesday.


Big congrats to ChiIL Mama's Free Ticket Tuesday winner this week,
Dina B!   You've won 4 Ravinia Pavilion Seats to The Dirty Sock Funtime Band.    Tickets will be at will call under your name and require an ID to claim.    Please confirm with us, and if you will not be able to attend the  show, let us know ASAP so we can pick another winner.    Thanks.



At 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 19, The Dirty Sock Funtime Band performs a concert as part of the Great Kraft Kids Concert series line-up. Since 2005 the New York-based ensemble has been featured on the Noggin television program Jack’s Big Music Show. Appearances on this wildly popular show have led to great success, and in 2006 the band won a Time Out NY Kids Readers’ Choice Award for Best NYC-Based Kids Band. Prior to the performance, families can experience the Kraft Great Kids Hoopla, a traveling festival of free activities provided by Chicago cultural institutions on the lawn from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. This festival includes storytelling, building imagination playgrounds, Ravinia’s “instrument petting zoo” where kids can play musical instruments, arts and crafts and other physical activities. Lawn admission for this day is free (limit 6 per household).
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Monday, June 13, 2011

Free Socks Tickets & CD-Enter For Your Chance to WIN


This week is all about the Socks.    No not those Sox....    The Dirty Sock Funtime Band.    We have 4 free pavilion tickets to see these guys rock out at Ravinia on Father's Day.   And we're extending our Free Ticket Tuesday give away till noon Tuesday instead of midnight tonight.    So enter if you haven't already, and if you have, you can enter again with every documented social media share.   We'll be announcing our winner shortly after noon tomorrow.   Also, remember our drawing for their latest CD, Sock-A-Delic is open through midnight Tuesday with our winner announced on Win A Disc Wednesday.


Here's the deal:


As seen on Nick Jr.’s ‘Jack’s Big Music Show’ …

ROCK YOUR SOCKS OFF (AND SHOE LEATHER, TOO!)

with

THE DIRTY SOCK FUNTIME BAND

AT RAVINIA ON JUNE 19th!


 “The Dirty Sock Funtime Band: This band may have the perfect name for dancing feet. The group’s music, as exemplified on its new album, Sock-a-Delic, is a signature mix of rock, funk, hip-hop and country.” – The New York Times

“Sometimes groups are as down to earth as a pair of dirty socks. Case in point: The Dirty Sock Funtime Band, whose influences include Zappa, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, the Muppets, and Funkadelic.” – New York Post

“This band really rocks.  Songs like ‘Music Everywhere’ make it hard to sit still, and I'm still smiling at the whimsy of some of the group's lyrics. Kids’ bands always say they make music that parents can enjoy too. This band actually achieves it.” – The Morning Call

Beloved by millions of families for their high-energy music videos on the Nick Jr. channel’s Jack’s Big Music Show, The Dirty Sock Funtime Band will make a return visit to The Ravinia Festival, 200 Ravinia Park Rd., Highland Park for a show at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 19th.  This performance is part of the Kraft Great Kids Series.

The outrageous popularity of The Dirty Sock Funtime Band is easy to understand from a kid’s point of view, for their shows are interactive spectacles involving rock band, dancers, comedy, and costumes.  The band’s six-to-eight members really know how to fill the stage with action: it’s better than a three-ring circus. Each member has his or her own role to play and distinctive personality to project, but they all come together like clockwork.  And what a sound!  

Their music is polyphonic to the max with melodic lines and supercharged rhythms weaving in and out like a Bach fugue or a great Dixieland band with everyone wailing on the final chorus.  The action onstage is as fascinating as a perfectly timed basketball team. The stunning impact of this stage energy is balanced by the cleverness of the compositions and the smartness of lyrics that offer large words and large ideas, all seasoned with the band’s own brand of belly laugh comedy.  The singing, the comedy, the playing, the dancing … it all fits together into one big kaleidoscopic thrill.

Notes lead singer Mike Messer, “We’ve based our show on the idea of taking many of the elements you would find in a big arena rock show – a flashy lead guitarist, a front-man seriously committed to leaping gyrations, a drummer who continuously puts on a one-man show – all performing the entire gamut from raucous rock songs to quiet acoustic ballads, enhanced, of course, with what we’re famous for: really clever lyrics and plenty of audience participation.  Energy wise, the level is high, but everything is presented in a child-appropriate context.”

The Dirty Sock Funtime Band lays down some serious talk when they say, "Come join the band." Everything about their show is interactive from the moment dancer supreme Annie Elmer invites the crowd to jump into a new experience. From there, the action builds, with band members popping up in the audience to share the mic with kids, “Mr. Clown” (Adam Jacobs) and Annie showing everyone how to do the "Donut Brain Alien,” Mike leading the crowd in a dance-off, Stephen Jacobs organizing a game of freeze dance, and Mr. Clown asking the audience for song lyric suggestions.  

At one point, the whole band collapses from exhaustion, and it's up to the crowd to make the right kind of noise to wake them up. Resuscitation takes the form of the song "Music Everywhere," an open invitation for audience participation. The show’s “eleven o’clock” number, “No Good Reason Party,” brings kids to a peaceful state of bliss that’s the calm before the storm of a family sized ROAR wrapping up the show.

Known as the highest energy kids’ rock band ever to break out of NYC, The Dirty Sock Funtime Band was voted “Best Kids’ Band” by readers of Time Out NY Kids. According to MTV’s Evan James, the DSFB plays “some of the most innovative and exciting children’s music EVER.”  CNN described them as “distinguished by rocking beats combined with silly, visual lyrics (think Muppets take MTV).”  FOX News declared, “Find out why kids, parents and critics alike are falling in love with the first real rock band for kids.”  Chris Barron, proud parent and lead singer of the Spin Doctors enthused, “Finally, a rock band for kids that really rocks!”  

The Dirty Sock Funtime Band recently returned from their first overseas tour, performing for Navy families in Bahrain, Greece, Italy, and Spain, and they have shows scheduled throughout the summer and fall. The band recently released a new CD, Sock-A-Delic, and their first DVD, The Dirty Sock Funtime Band. The next Dirty Sock Funtime Band release, in fall 2011, will be an interactive e-book based on their song “Treasure.”  November 2011 will see the release of an all-new studio CD.

THE DIRTY SOCK FUNTIME BAND 

WHERE:              The Ravinia Festival, 200 Ravinia Park Rd., Highland Park, IL 
WHEN:                1:00 p.m., Sunday, June 19 
TICKETS:            $10 reserved Pavilion seating.  Lawn free (limit 6 per household) 
INFO:                   847-266-5100.  http://www.ravinia.org   
       
  Check out The Dirty Sock Funtime Band’s website at www.dirtysockfuntimeband.com.

As if that's not enough, The Kraft Great Kids Hoopla is going on from 11 a.m.-12:45 p.m. (concert begins at 1 p.m.) In this space families can enjoy Ravinia’s “instrument petting zoo” (an area where kids can try out musical instruments), storytelling with the Chicago Public Library, build an imagination playground with Kohl Children’s Museum and enjoy other activities provided by Chicago cultural institutions.
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