Recess Monkey may be based in Seattle, but the band mates aren’t letting a little thing like record-breaking heat in D.C. dampen their enthusiasm for local gigs. The clothes the trio wears on stage when they perform for an audience is a different matter.
“During the show, we wear these silver pants, and if anything they insulate the heat …” said band member Jack Forman with a laugh. “We are really learning to hydrate early and often.”
| Onstage |
| Recess Monkey/Bob Brown Puppets |
| When: 10 a.m. Thursday through Saturday |
| Where: Wolf Trap Theatre in the Woods, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna |
| Info: $8 for everyone ages 3 and up; Theatre in the Woods shows are canceled for rain. For cancellation information call the National Parks Service at 703-255-1827; for tickets call 877-965-3872 or go to tickets.com. |
Positive attitudes sprinkled with laughter are arguably what made Recess Monkey a hit almost as soon as the band released its 2005 debut “Welcome to Recess Monkey Town.” Now touring behind their seventh album, “FLYING!,” Forman and his bandmates Daron Henry and Drew Holloway have settled into a groove that suits their full-time jobs as elementary school teachers combined with Recess Monkey recordings and tours.
The two pursuits complement each other as evidenced by the superhero theme on the album that developed from the trio’s conversations about their students’ fascination with Iron Man, Spider Man and other modern role models.
In classic Recess Monkey style, the trio took the concept and brought it down to earth — literally and figuratively — for kids. The superheroes celebrated in Recess Monkey song are grandmas, such as in “Grandmom’s House” and even the kids themselves, such as in “Bravest Kid in the World,” about a child who tells the truth and stands up for right.
“The human drama is there in superheroes vs. villains [but we find that it is] important to talk about superheroes in a positive way, not just crooks and archnemeses,” said Forman. “Kids face challenges, many inward such as how to overcome fear. The bravest kid in the world has an archnemesis, fear of doing the right thing, when pressured.”
The band’s music hit on the heavy subjects in kid-friendly doses, winding the messages through music that veers from Hawaiian ukulele, Dixieland jazz-styled slide trombone, trumpet, piano and more that has kept the single-digit-age audience members dancing and singing throughout the local shows.
Developing from the trio’s mutual interest in music and their dedication to kids’ educations, Recess Monkey has become a national force for children’s music. Yet Forman said the three don’t have a major goal for the group in mind beyond inspiring their young audiences.
“It’s something we talk about a lot, that we don’t have any real goal in mind,” he sad. “We are totally in love with our classes every year; It’s a family of 17 kids. It’s so heartbreaking to have to lose that [when kids advance]. The music helps us see there are so many children like the ones we love in our school.”
