REMEMBERING PEE-WEE

Featured by

When I heard that Pee-Wee Herman had died at the young age of 70 a few weeks ago, I immediately felt that terrible feeling in my gut when something or someone has been lost and is no more. Everyone in Milkshake adored Paul Reubens and felt kinship with his almost childlike alter-ego Pee-wee Herman. Here was a character that was aimed at children but tapped into adult sensibilities.

2010 was an amazing year for the Milkshake Band. Lots of big performances and happy times. One of my favorite memories from that year was flying the band to LA to attend the 52nd Grammy Awards. The band’s Great Day release had been nominated for a Grammy and we were so excited. But we had the best time watching Pee-Wee Herman revive The Pee-Wee Herman Show in a stage version when we went to the LA performance at Club Nokia.

Now that I look more closely at that advertisement for the show, it’s interesting to see “For ages 16 and up.” Although Milkshake plays music to little ones younger than that, I always thought that we had a sensibility closely alined with Pee-Wee. We pride ourselves on being able to please all ages in our live shows, but backstage has always featured mayhem and sarcasm that goes above toddler heads.

The band with Ms. Yvonne after the show.

Watching Pee-wee on stage on January 29, 2010, we laughed at jokes we’ve heard before, but seeing a now-older Pee-wee and the cast in person was magical. We stayed after for a special Q&A and Paul took questions until every last one was answered. He was totally approachable and engaged, and absolutely gracious. Needless to say, we hope Pee-wee-isms will forever light our culture (“Made you look!” “I know you are but what am I?” “That’s my name – don’t wear it out!” “I meant to do that”), and great ideas that made up the fabric of the Pee-wee Herman Show live on. Sometimes you’ll hear us tell the audience to scream as loud as they can when they hear us say a certain word or phrase during the show. Pee-wee fans know where we stole the idea from. 🙂

RIP Paul Reubens. RIP Pee-wee.

Wolf Trap Field Trip Friday

by

Brian, Lisa and Mikel visit Wolf Trap to film a video distributed to schools and learning centers.

A couple months ago, Amy Russell, the Manager of Children’s Theatre in the Woods and Grants for Wolf Trap, contacted me and asked if Milkshake would be interested in filming a video for the Wolf Trap Field Trip Fridays Series. I wasn’t familiar with the video series, and asked her to tell me more. She said that the Field Trip Fridays began last year and was well received, so they were doing it again this year. This year, the series features six “Chapters,” with the Milkshake Trio launching the Field Trips. The theme of this year’s series is travel. I thought it would be fun, so I said yes.

I immediately thought of two perfect songs we’ve written – “Travel Far,” off the Grammy-nominated Great Day album, and “Book of Dreams,” a classic from Bottle of Sunshine. Both of these songs are ambitious recordings and personal favorites of mine. I told Amy about them and sent along lyrics and MP3’s.

Over the next few weeks, we planned the filming and worked on information and images for an accompanying handout for classrooms. Amy wondered if I could also send instrumentals for them to use here and there throughout the series, and if I would do some voiceovers for them to set up the other videos. Of course! There isn’t much I wouldn’t do for Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, since I have worked with them for years as a teaching artist, and trained at the institute.

Working with a kindergarten class in Heathsville, VA
Working with kindergarteners in Heathsville, VA
Working with kindergarten at Bright Start in DC
At an early learning center in DC

Brian, Mikel and I headed down to Wolf Trap on March 3rd and spent the afternoon filming the two songs. It was a two-camera affair, with a few takes for each song. Brian loved playing the baby grand piano they provided and we so enjoyed everyone’s professionalism. It was low-tech but captured the moment beautifully, and I loved playing those songs again.

Check out the finished version below, and download the handout if you’d like to view the video and try some of the prompts in a classroom or at home with your child. You can see all seven Field Trip Fridays on Wolf Trap’s Youtube Channel, featuring some wonderful artists from around the country.

Enjoy,

Lisa

The Milkshake Trio doing a Wolf Trap Field Trip Friday.
01-milkshake-handout-2023Download

CHRISTMAS TIME

by

Milkshake was hired to film two Christmas concerts for Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Festival of Trees – an annual event we have been doing live, in person at the Timonium Fairgrounds for over fifteen years now. Because it was going to be pre-recorded and the Festival was entirely virtual and not at the Fairgrounds this year, we chose to film at Stages Music and Arts, a wonderful facility doing it right when it comes to teaching kids music, while providing great studios to record in. It’s also a place where our favorite engineer Dave Nachodsky, is now working. Dave has recorded many of our albums over the years.

So we came together, wearing masks except when singing, and had such a good time, we stayed another day and recorded two Christmas songs Lisa had written. The result is a holiday single called Christmas Time.

The songs are now available for download on all online music stores, including itunes and Amazon Music, and you can check out the two videos on our youtube channel. Tom had a great idea for the rockabilly tune “Trimming the Christmas Tree.” So Mikel and I took his suggestion and got together and decorated my Christmas tree, and then sped up the footage. Lisa’s puppy, Georgie joined in the fun! For “Christmas Time,” Lisa found some beautiful images and pieced it together like a mini movie. Enjoy! And please subscribe to our youtube channel if you haven’t done so, and if you like the videos, please let us know by giving it a thumbs up.

We are thinking of everyone and hoping you stay safe and have a happy holiday – even virtually!

Some Things Change, Some Stay the Same.

by

It’s been a year of learning new ways of doing things, staying apart while staying connected thanks to Zoom and Facetime, wearing masks, pivoting. All of Milkshake’s in-person shows have been cancelled, but some holiday shows have taken a virtual-is-better-than-nothing approach we are thankful for.

The band has been getting up early for the past fifteen Black Fridays, to officially welcome both Santa and the holiday season at Kennedy Krieger’s Festival of Trees. Usually, we do three shows at the Timonium Fairgrounds here in Maryland, but this year, the band spent time at Stages Music & Arts and filmed two concerts for the event. These concerts will be part of the weekend-long virtual 31st annual Festival of Trees, beginning Friday, November 27th.

We had a great time and loved being at Stages so much, we went back the next day and tracked two new original Christmas songs “Trimming the Christmas Tree” and “Christmas Time.” We’ll share them on our Soundcloud as soon as we have mixed and mastered versions.

Hoping you have a happy and safe Thanksgiving – even that will be different this year. But one thing remains the same – we are forever thankful for the music and…you.

Time to catch up.

by

Spring is here along with a life-changing pandemic, so Lisa (me) is back posting, continuing to document the life of this kid rock band and occasionally musing on all sorts of things.

It’s been a while since my last post (4 years!!), and it’s also true that time seems to be passing too quickly. Maybe it’s part of the getting older thing, I don’t know. Milkshake has been together as a musical force for 18 years, and sometimes we look at ourselves and shake our heads at the wonder that this band is. We’ve had so many great adventures – some of them documented in this blog – and created great music for kids. Needless to say, the band taken a few years off from creating new music, but we are excited to work on new music and record in the coming months.

Right now, it’s a strange and dangerous time for everyone. The Covid 19 pandemic is not only scaring us, but it’s keeping us and our little ones out of school and away from friends. The Milkshake band is staying apart from one another – no rehearsals, no shows. We text a lot and think about the Christmas album we were/are planning on doing. I also miss the classes I was working with through Wolf Trap and Young Audiences of Maryland. But even though this is a trying time, if we look at it in a different light and as long as we stay home and stay well – it can be a time of creative coming together and reaching out (virtually).

Many of my teaching artist friends are experimenting with making virtual lesson plans through Padlet, Jumprope or other online creative platform. I myself have tried to create something teachers and caregivers might enjoy – a “Bluebird Tutorial” showing how to do the gestures for our song “Bluebird.”

Lisa’s “Bluebird Tutorial”

It’s amazing how creative humans can be when there is time – time we don’t normally have. We are so busy doing this and that and taking care of all kinds of things that now suddenly don’t need taking care of. Time. Time to spend with family and loved ones we inhabit the same space with. Time to spend with our selves to read or write that book, paint that wall or canvas, try that new recipe or tend to that growing garden.

I have always taken the adage “Time is Money” to heart. Many of us have lost work and we’re all worried about having enough money to get by. But one thing we all have is time. I am basking in it. I have updated the Milkshakekids youtube channel that has been neglected for years. Now, most videos you click on will be clear and in HD. Please visit www.youtube.com/milkshakekids and subscribe if you haven’t done so already. We will be posting new videos as we make them, along with some old ones I’ve found.

I’ve also reworked our very old website, and it looks a lot different now! But it’s much easier to update and add to, and features working links to everything Milkshake. It was especially gratifying gathering pictures for a gallery page, and adding all the music from our five award-wining CDs for kids.

It was poignant saying goodbye to our site of 14 years, featuring our younger selves jumping in glee. Initially, our images on the home page actually moved in an old program called Flash, but that soon fell away as most web browsers stopped using that. Thanks to the folks at Mission Media for capturing the Milkshake joy so well.

First launched in 2006!

The new site is full of photos, videos, music and information, with a easy-to-use Shows page, and downloadable photo album. We’ve also added a Schools and Libraries page for the work that Lisa and Mikel do as a duo, and Lisa does as a teaching artist.

The new Milkshake Music website home page

I think the new site reflects the band as we are now, and hints at the albums to come. Look for a Christmas album in time for the holidays, which hopefully will be Covid 19-free. And as long as we can get into a studio together as a band, there’ll also be a new album release in 2021.

It’s okay to be apart for a while, as long as we know we can come together again in coming months. We hope you stay safe and well, and we see everyone again on the other side of this.

Hugs,

Lisa and the Milkshake band

Milkshake and Cartoons at WTMD Radio – Perfect!

by

I love when kids color outside the lines. It’s like when adults think outside the box or have a lightbulb turn on in their head, and usually leads to something special and more interesting. My friend Sam Sessa, a music-loving DJ at WTMD radio who is dedicated to the Baltimore music scene, is one of those adults. Sam emailed one day in March and said he had an idea. Talking to some of his listeners, he discovered they couldn’t get out to many of the WTMD events and shows at the station because the shows happened at night and they had kids. It just wasn’t as easy for them as it was for the teens and twenty-somethings who also tune in to this great indie rock station. So Sam thought: what if they had a show on a Saturday morning, something family-friendly that kids and parents could both groove to. Well, Milkshake has always thought that hearing and seeing live music together was family time well-spent. I loved the idea, and was honored he thought of Milkshake. WTMD hosts over 75 live concerts a year, but this would be the very first event geared especially for families.

We settled on Saturday, April 30th at 10 AM, and the show quickly sold out. I visited the station to do an interview,  and Sam and I chose some favorite cartoons to play – Sam liked Duck Tales and My Little Pony and I brought along Schoolhouse Rocks and Yellow Submarine. These were great to watch with the band playing. In fact, after the show Tom and Cord sat watching Schoolhouse Rocks and singing the songs even though the sound was off! Classic stuff is never forgotten.

We arrived at WTMD at 8 AM and loaded in. If you haven’t been to the WTMD Performance Studio to see a show, well, you should try. The station moved to new facilities in September 2013 and now have an inviting place to hear live music. The studios themselves are gorgeous. Soundman extraordinaire Donnie Carlo met us and set about getting the sound just right. This would be broadcast live over the radio, and things had to be as perfect as possible. Doing live radio is a trip – we were told whatever you do, don’t leave any dead space between songs. So when Cord’s wireless battery needed changing, Tom said “Well, kids. Here’s a teachable moment – always be prepared,” and luckily, Milkshake always has plenty to talk about and share with the kids. Before the concert, I asked the crowd to note the “Secret Word” in Pee Wee Herman-esque fashion. It was of course, WTMD. So every time we said “WTMD,” they screamed. So funny! Even the jokes during “Happy Place” were funny. One little girl said “What is a deer’s favorite food? Deeritos!” Excellent.

image1To say everyone had great time is an understatement, and it was wonderful to see so many young families, both new and familiar faces. The Walters Art Gallery and Garrison Forest School sponsored the event, and set up a station to do crafts. This, along with snacks and balloons, kept everyone happy before the band started. Really, the morning was perfect.

Sam says the station definitely plans on doing more Saturday Morning Cartoon shows in the fall. For now, take the family outside to one of WTMD’s First Thursday FREE concerts down in Canton. I recommend June 2nd if the weather’s nice. Baltimore great Andy Bopp will be on the bill, along with Boy and Bear and Basia Bulat.

Rockin WTMD

 

 

Caring. Giving.

by

I love this season. Milkshake is always so busy. In early November, I pull out the big box of holiday gear: Santa hats, sleigh bells, garland, reindeer antlers and bags and bags of white confetti to snow down on our audiences. The band comes together to go over all those songs we only do at this time of year, including our own “Christmas In Baltimore.” We add and subtract songs depending on our mood. This year,”Jingle Bells” was out and “Blue Christmas” (the Elvis version) was in, complete with high-pitched Oooo’s. Lovely. The Festival of Trees is an annual event we play every Black Friday – that day after Thanksgiving when people lose their minds and go power shopping. I’m much happier testing my endurance by getting to the Cow Palace at Timonium Fairgrounds at 7 AM and playing three shows until 5 PM. This year, I was asked to also read a holiday book after our last performance. I chose a little story I used to read to my daughter around this time of year. Snow Family is by Daniel Kirk, and simply presents the idea and the importance of caring for each other. In this case, the mother and father care for a child, who in turn, makes snow parents for all the snow children he has built. I loved sitting by my cardboard fire, surrounded by kids listening intently. I loved even more chatting about the story afterwards with the kids, and hearing how they “got it” – they understood the importance of caring for each other, and how much better life is when we do.

2015 MILKSHAKE 26 NOV

Just before the second show. 

Milkshake has been playing the Festival of Trees for the past eight years, not just because it’s a great time and signals the start of the holiday season, but because much of the money raised from the Festival goes to helping kids with special needs through the Kennedy Krieger Foundation. All proceeds from Ticket sales, Designer Item sales (trees, wreaths & gingerbreads), Raffle Tickets, Silent Auction, and Children activities directly benefit the Institute. All donations made to the wishing well and online to the Happy Holidays Fund are fully tax deductible.

The Happy Holidays Fund is still open through the end of the year. This fund provides support to Kennedy Krieger children and families with special needs during the holiday season. Kennedy Krieger cares for kids all the time. Please consider helping them at this time of year – caring by giving.

Here’s a video clip by friend Heidi Sheppard, taken with her cell phone during “Bottle of Sunshine” – thanks Heidi!

And my mom took this with her cell phone – thanks mom! The Festival of Trees is a family and friend affair I’m happy to be part of.

Hoping your holidays are merry and bright.

xo

 

 

 

Oh, To Be A Buddy

by

A few Sundays ago, Milkshake performed at the Chesapeake Down Syndrome Parent Group’s annual Buddy Walk at Rash Field. It was an incredible morning full of love and happiness, and that warm-and-fuzzy feeling one gets from doing something good and worthwhile. The Buddy Walk raises money for the programs the CDSPG offers, including education programs and medical outreach/First Call programs, among many others.  The group was founded in 1982 by eight sets of parents looking to share information and network in order to serve their children with Down syndrome. Currently, the group consists of over 400 families, individuals, and organizations with an interest in the well-being of persons with Down syndrome.

The Oriole Bird joins in for a game during "Baseball."

The Oriole Bird joins in for a game during “Baseball.”

For this year’s Buddy Walk, people came together to walk or run for this great cause. It was such a vibrant, happy community of people. I had so much fun playing with the crowd when they finished their walk. It was a hour of smiles, songs, dancing and yes, even the Oriole Bird.

A few days before the Walk, I happened upon a video posted on Upworthy, a great site featuring videos reflecting all aspects of human life. The video was created by CoorDown, an Italian Down Syndrome advocacy group. In the video, 15 people with Down Syndrome, tell an expecting mom what kind of life her child will have.

One out of every 691 babies are born with the condition (in which a person has an extra chromosome), making it one of the most common genetic conditions in the U.S. Approximately 400,000 Americans have Down syndrome. But like these signs at the Buddy Walk point out, people with Down Syndrome are capable of having what we consider a “normal” life. (click the pictures to view larger formats).

I especially love the pictures about reading. It reminds me of my friend Michael Rachap, a prolific musician who set about creating a series to help kids learn how to read. It’s called Readeez, and features original “bite-sized” videos that “impart reading skills with every syllable.” Michael says “Readeez are health food for growing minds,” and he likes to think his series is “Learning disguised as smiling.” Michael has been getting videos from parents of children with Down Syndrome, praising the Readeez format and it’s ability to help their children read.

Michael includes some great music in his Readeez, and through the 15 years of playing in Milkshake and making original music for kids, I know the transcendent power of music to move minds and touch souls in positive ways. Sometimes I think about stopping the band and doing something else. But then I play a show like the Buddy Walk and think no…maybe not now…

Here’s a gallery of pictures from the CDSPG’s Buddy Walk, November 1, 2015. Thanks to Stacy Geis and Ruut for these pictures.

 

Another Summer Speeds By

by

I love Fall. I love the change of seasons we have here in Baltimore. Not only do the windows re-open, and the closets seem all new, I get a burst of energy I just thrive on. It’s different from summer’s slowed-down pace. But looking back, this summer seemed to speed by.

As usual for Milkshake, not one of our outdoor shows were canceled due to rain. This always amazes me, but so far, it’s true. July 4th at the Columbia Lakefront in Columbia, MD came close, but no, the sun came out as we started playing. I look back fondly on our summer shows. Many were unexpectedly moving, like a private show the band played at the Children’s Inn at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, MD. The Children’s Inn meets the needs of children and families participating in groundbreaking research at the National Institutes of Health. Other shows were simply perfect, like when the weather cooled for our show at the Freeman Stage in Delaware and no one got sunburned or melty. A private show at the Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital was hot but very happy, as kids gathered together for a reunion of sorts, thanks to the hospital’s efforts. MWPH works on improving the health and well-being of all children who are ill, injured, or in need of help. Most recently, at summer’s end, we played (cool) Progeny’s Superhero Social, with proceeds going to the Little Lion Challenge Fund. It really was a summer that gave me pause, and made me thankful at the simple human nature of caring.

Looking to Fall, there are more shows on the Milkshake calendar that make me happy we do what we do.

The band will be at Rash Field at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor for the The Chesapeake Down Syndrome Parents Group (CDSPG) and the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) 2nd annual Buddy Walk and 5k Race on Sunday, Oct. 4 at Rash Field at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor Promenade from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. And of course, for our 8th year, the Milkshake Band will play the Annual Festival Of Trees, benefitting the Kennedy Krieger Foundation. For other dates, check our calendar.

Here’s a few pictures from some of my favorite summer shows.

Joke Blog #2

by

It’s time for our latest Joke Blog, in which we share some of our favorite jokes heard when we perform “Happy Place” during Milkshake concerts, or sent in to us via emails and letters.

“Why did the bee want to get married?” So he could meet his huni.”

“Knock Knock. Who’s there? Hello. HELLO WHO? Hello kitty.”

“Why was the baby ant confused? Because all his uncles were ants.”

“What do you call a dinosaur wearing eyeglasses? Youthinkhesaurus.”

“What do you call a cow with no legs? Ground beef.”

Cord: Hey Mikel, you look pretty dirty.
Mikel: Why thank you Cord. I look pretty when I’m clean too.

James - creator of jokes and music!

James – creator of jokes and music!

I love hearing jokes and one day I hope to actually be good at telling them, but one special Milkshake fan trumps all the joke-tellers I know right now. James Burrows has been a Milkshake fan for most of his young life. Now he’s 13 and creating his own interesting beat-based music. Here’s a link to a recent piece on WYPR’s The Signal featuring James and his work. James not only tells jokes – he makes them up, and his mother Nancy says there’ll be times when it’s a “Joke-A-Day” feature in their lives. We’re thinking James might add this to his many potentially lucrative talents. Here’s a few of his mother’s favorites that she sent to us by email the other day:

“What’s a vehicle that runs around? A tractor!”

“What did the Mexican cloud say? Let’s Taco ’bout the weather.”

“What happened when the engine got tired? It was exhausted!!”

“Where do Baltimore penguins go when they’re cold? The inner harbrrrrr”

“What did the sheep say?  Rub my baaaaack”

“Who opens a cage? A zoo KEYper”

“What might you worry when you brush your teeth? The toothbrush might sink!”

“Why did the sick boy fly? He had the flu!”

“What fruit can you drink from? A strawberry.”

“What kind of shoes should you wear at the beach? SANDals!”

“What’s a part of your body that rings? Your bell-y!”

“What do you say when you drop your meat on the ground? I made a miSTEAK!”

“What kind of storm do you go fast in? a HuRRYcane!”

“What town has a lot of bruises? sCARSdale!”

“What’s a criminal’s fav food? JAIL-O.”

“What’s a balloon’s fav food? A popsicle.”

Great stuff – thanks for sharing, friends! We’ll post another joke blog soon.