Milkshake
at the Tabernacle
Sunday, August 10, 2008
4:00 p.m.
Admission Free
Milkshake is a band on a mission: to create great rock music for kids. Led by
singer Lisa Mathews and guitarist Mikel Gehl, whose songs for grown-ups have been featured
in movies and prime-time television, and whose indie rock group Love Riot garnered
critical praise during its 10-year run, Milkshake has won over preschoolers without
compromising songcraft, stagecraft or their authentic rock&roll spirit.
From the release of their first CD Happy Songs (inspired by the birth of Lisa’s
daughter and Mikel’s son), it was clear that Milkshake was an exciting departure from
traditional kids’ music. The band’s songs were added to
radio playlists across the country; a second CD, Bottle of Sunshine, earned
raves from kids, parents and critics; Noggin enlisted Lisa and Mikel
to film two videos for the premiere season of Jack’s Big Music Show;
and Milkshake was asked to bring its high-energy stage act to the opening leg of the Jamarama
Live! tour.
2006 got off to a busy start with the creation of three original songs and videos for PBS
KIDS’ “Share the Earth Day” programming, new songs and
videos for Discovery Kids’ preschool hit ToddWorld, the west coast leg of Jamarama
Live! and a just-completed 10-song-and-video project for PBS KIDS preschool
programming block.
Balancing all this work is – what else? – PLAY!,
Milkshake’s long-awaited third CD, a celebration of every kid’s desire to
just have fun. Hook- and harmony-filled, PLAY! covers all the bases, with songs
about baseball (featuring a cameo from hometown hero Cal Ripken, Jr.), bowling,
pretending, playing music, parades, planting a garden and just plain going wild. As
a bonus, the disc includes the three new songs Milkshake created for ToddWorld.
With tuneful, memorable songs that evoke influences from Rodgers and Hammerstein to
Lennon-McCartney to The White Stripes, Milkshake continues to create music that appeals to
both kids and their parents, even after listening to the same CD five times in a row.
| Solid musicianship, hip pop-song hooks, and the
welcoming singing voices of Lisa Mathews, her stellar back-up vocalists and the Milkshake
Kids' Chorus, all add up to tracks that have a cool, up-to-the-minute sound and an
age-appropriate point-of-view. -- Publishers Weekly Singer Lisa Mathews and guitarist Mikel Gehl (of the indie band
Love Riot) front Milkshake, a fizzy contemporary band that really rocks without losing
sight of its target audience. Imaginations spark in such easy-breezy observations of life
and play as "Pirates," "Superhero," "Plant a Garden,"
"Parade" and "Magic Ride." And no matter how bouncy things get, a
tender touch prevails. - Lynne Heffley, LA TIMES |
|
