Last year my colleague Beth Johnson started a dialogue about the wonder of sharing a concert experience with your children. Recently, my family had just that sort of magical time at Gustafer Yellowgold’s Mellow Sensation at New York’s DR2 Theatre. Illustrator/songwriter/musician Morgan Taylor has developed a 45-minute show that is a beautifully streamlined narrative about his creation, a little yellow cone-headed alien from the sun named Gustafer.
The multimedia show at the intimate, 99-seat theater, which has been extended through Saturday, May 17, features Taylor’s whimsical (and comical) illustrations on a big screen, guest musicians, and Taylor’s engaging interactions with the children. Like many of the kids there, mine knew the words to just about all the songs, which have addictive melodies and surprisingly deep lyrics that touch on life, love, and death while talking about Gustafer’s explorations of life on Earth. (This includes pie-jumping and a pterodactyl with a penchant for wearing a tuxedo.) But it was the kind of plain old good time that even newcomers to Gusafer’s world could get caught up in, and a wholly imaginative and creative experience I was glad that my children could be a part of. It left me craving a chance to go to more wonderful things like that with them.
How about you, PopWatchers? Have you had a great live show experience with your children that you want to share?
When I was a kid, my parents took me to see Muppets Live, and The Chipmunks Live. My life sucks now…
I took them to see Damn Yankees at 10 years old, and they did not think it too dorky for them – in fact, I think they secretly loved it….but what blew them away was LIVE MUSIC.
My daughter absolutely loves the cd by the band the Terrible Twos (the kid friendly version of the band the New Amsterdams, with Matt Prior from the Get Up Kids). Even though she was only 1 and a half, we took her to see them at Schuba’s in Chicago (one of the best venues in the country, they regularly have kid friendly shows).
She knows most of the words to their songs by this point, including the song that shares her name, “Isabella.” At one point during the show, they asked if there were any kids named Heather or Lily in the crowd, since they have a song with those in the title, and my wife said “no, but we have an Isabella!” They stopped, changed tunings, and Matt pointed right at my daughter and said “this song is for you!” and played “Isabella.” She clapped along and loved it.
1. I saw Snorks on Ice when I was 8.
2. I worked as a Mall Easter Bunny. Crying, frightened kids gallore. :-/
3. I went to high school and am friends with children’s singer/government satirist Steven Zelin.
4. Is it just me, or does that guy in the picture above look a bit like the actor who played J.T. York from Degrassi TNG?
Our family went to see Gustafer Yellowgold and were blown away. We loved how the songs and presentation didn’t pander to kids and gently dealt with themes that kids genuinely think about — nonconformity, acceptance, friendship, loyalty.
(They also love the song about jumping on cake!)
This is not only the best new project for kids (Nat’l Librarians Council & New York Times agree with me on this), I think this is like the Beatles of the 21st Century.
My kids agree!
Me, my 6, 7 year old sons and my husband go to see concerts all over the city. It’s great for the kids to experience live music. Latest shows we go to have been Princess Katie and Racer Steve. Everyone is entertained and it’s become our family thing instead of TV.