Recess Monkey is a Seattle-based trio of current and former elementary school teachers who have made music for kids and families since their debut album ''Welcome to Monkey Town'' in 2005.
They have since released 14 albums for family audiences. They perform live concerts throughout the United States with an emphasis on audience participation, dancing, and a focus on the entire family.
History
The band's original members, Drew Holloway (lead vocals, guitar),
Jack Forman (bass, vocals) and Daron Henry (drums) met as colleagues at Seattle's University Child Development School. They originally performed adult-focused
independent rock
Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produce ...
as The Waiting Room but soon experimented with combining their indie-rock music with childhood themes. Drummer Henry was replaced in late 2012 by Korum Bischoff (formerly of
The Dead Science
The Dead Science (formerly The Sweet Science) is an experimental pop band based in Seattle.
The band consists of guitarist/vocalist Sam Mickens, Jherek Bischoff on bass and Nick Tamburro on drums. Jherek Bischoff's brother Korum was the drum ...
), who continues as the third member of the trio.
The name of the band is similar to a fictitious band from an ''
SCTV'' sketch "Pre-Teen World Telethon for Pre-Teen World" called "The Recess Monkeys" consisting of
John Candy
John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian actor and comedian known mainly for his work in Hollywood films. Candy rose to fame in the 1970s as a member of the Toronto branch of the Second City and its '' SCTV'' seri ...
,
Eugene Levy, and
Rick Moranis
Frederick Allan Moranis (; born April 18, 1953) is a Canadian actor, comedian, musician, songwriter, writer and producer. He appeared in the sketch comedy series ''Second City Television'' (''SCTV'') in the 1980s and several Hollywood films, inc ...
.
Recordings
Discography
Recess Monkey is known as a prolific
contributor to the American "
Kindie Rock
''Kindie rock'', otherwise known as "kindie" or "family music" is a style of children's music that “melds the sensibility of the singer-songwriter with themes aimed at kids under 10.” Many popular kindie rock artists first gained fame as adul ...
" musical community, routinely releasing a new album each year, each with its own unique theme.
# ''Welcome to Monkey Town'', 2005
# ''Animal House'', 2006
# ''Wonderstuff'', 2007
# ''Tabby Road'', 2008
# ''Field Trip, 2009
# ''The Final Funktier'', 2010
# ''Flying'', 2011, produced by
Tor Hyams
# ''In Tents'', 2012, produced by Dean Jones
# ''Deep Sea Diver''
', 2013
# ''Desert Island Disc'', 2013
# ''Wired'', 2014, produced by
John Vanderslice
John Vanderslice (born May 22, 1967 in Gainesville, Florida) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and recording engineer. He is the owner and founder of Tiny Telephone, an analog recording studio with locations in San Francisco M ...
# ''Hot Air'', 2015,
produced by
John Vanderslice
John Vanderslice (born May 22, 1967 in Gainesville, Florida) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and recording engineer. He is the owner and founder of Tiny Telephone, an analog recording studio with locations in San Francisco M ...
# ''Novelties'',
2016
# ''Family Photo Album'', 2018
Awards and Distinctions
Recess Monkey's albums have received multiple awards from nationally recognized family music organizations.
Novelties
Their 2016 album ''Novelties'' was nominated for a
2017 GRAMMY Award in the Best Children's Album category. The album was awarded the gold medal by the
Parent's Choice Award
The Parents' Choice Award was an award presented by the non-profit Parents' Choice Foundation to recognize "the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels." It was considered a "pres ...
board, who asked, "What happens when you mix together three very musical educators from Seattle, fourteen original songs, and fold in great production? They rock!"
''Novelties'' received a NAPPA Award in October 2016. The album was an Amazon Originals Family Album, presented exclusively on the
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...
and
Amazon Prime platform. The album earned the #8 spot on the annual Fids and Kamily music poll in November 2016.
School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
named the album one of the ten best of 2016.
Hot Air
Their 2015 album ''Hot Air'' was awarded the gold medal by the
Parent's Choice Award
The Parents' Choice Award was an award presented by the non-profit Parents' Choice Foundation to recognize "the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels." It was considered a "pres ...
board, which praised its "irresistible sophistication of melody lines, layered harmonies and pop rhythms." ''Hot Air'' received a silver NAPPA Award for its "tunes that hold a sunny, Beatles-like quality."
''Hot Air'' also received a KIDS First Award for its "potent punch of fun, danceable and delightfully listenable tunes that will lift your spirits and take you on flights of fancy".
The album earned the #5 spot on the annual Fids and Kamily music poll.
Wired
2014's ''Wired'' earned the #3 spot on the annual Fids and Kamily music poll.
Deep Sea Diver
2013's ''Deep Sea Diver'' earned a #6 spot on the annual Fids and Kamily music poll.
In Tents
2012's ''In Tents'' earned a #3 spot on the annual Fids and Kamily music poll.
Flying
2011's ''Flying'' earned the #1 spot on the annual Fids and Kamily music poll.
The Final Funktier
2010's ''The Final Funktier'' earned the #4 spot on the annual Fids and Kamily music poll.
It earned 4 stars (out of 4) in People Magazine who deemed it "irresistibly fun."
Field Trip
2009's ''Field Trip'' earned the #3 spot on the annual Fids and Kamily music poll.
The album was also selected as an
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...
Notable Children's Recording.
On Sirius XM, Kids Place Live – Channel 78
Recess Monkey has earned several #1 hits on
Sirius XM's
Kids Place Live Channel 78 and have played yearly live shows in the channel's Rumpus Room series since 2008. In 2013, Recess Monkey's bassist emcee
Jack Forman became an on-air host on SiriusXM's
Kids Place Live, hosting the daily, nationally broadcast call-in show "
Live From the Monkey House."
Notable live performances
The band has played on the children's stages at several nationally acclaimed festivals including
Lollapalooza in 2010 and 2016,
Austin City Limits
''Austin City Limits'' is an American live music television program recorded and produced by Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", and is the only television show to ...
in 2011, The Life is Good Festival in 2013, Seattle's
Northwest Folklife
Northwest Folklife is an independent 501(c)(3) arts organization that celebrates the multigenerational arts, cultures, and traditions of a global Pacific Northwest.
The Northwest Folklife Festival is an annual festival of ethnic, folk, and tradit ...
Festival multiple years, and The
Bumbershoot Festival in 2009. They have been featured at the
Getty Museum
The J. Paul Getty Museum, commonly referred to as the Getty, is an art museum in Los Angeles, California housed on two campuses: the Getty Center and Getty Villa.
The Getty Center is located in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles and fe ...
in Los Angeles on two occasions, in 2009 and 2013.
Recess Monkey is a frequent performer at
performing arts centers across North America. Shows have included
Symphony Space in New York City, They played the
Millennium Stage
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
at
The John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in 2011 and
The Segerstrom Center For the Arts in Orange County, California. The band has also been featured in several runs of ''Big Top Rock'' music and circus shows geared for the whole family at Seattle's
Teatro ZinZanni
Teatro ZinZanni is a circus dinner theater that began in the neighborhood of Lower Queen Anne in Seattle, Washington. It has since expanded to a site on the waterfront at Pier 29 on The Embarcadero in San Francisco, California.
History
Teatr ...
, including 2012's "In Tents," 2013's "Tambourine Submarine" 2014's "Curious Circus." and 2015's "Lighter Than Air." The band has played several engagements at
Wolf Trap's Children's Theater in the Woods in Vienna, Virginia.
Recess Monkey appeared with
The Dalai Lama
, coatofarms =
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, incumbent = Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
, incumbentsince = 22 February 1940
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at Seattle's Seeds of Compassion event in 2008, playing to an audience of 50,000 at
Qwest Field
Lumen Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. Located in the city's SoDo neighborhood, it is the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL), the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL, t ...
(now CenturyLink Field).
The band joined other nationally acclaimed family musicians at 2014's New Year's Eve live music festivities at
Legoland California, playing two sets. Recess Monkey also shared the stage with
The Okee Dokee Brothers
The Okee Dokee Brothers are an independent American bluegrass and American roots children's music duo from Minneapolis. Their 2012 CD/DVD release ''Can You Canoe?'', with music and videos created during a 2011 paddle down the Mississippi River, ...
and comedian
Larry The Cable Guy
Daniel Lawrence Whitney (born February 17, 1963), known professionally by his persona Larry the Cable Guy, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, country music artist, and former radio personality.
He was one of the members of the ...
at Nebraska's
Lincoln Children's Zoo's Zoobilee in August 2015.
Video productions
Recess Monkey has created several dozen self-produced video works. In tandem with their release of 2009's ''Field Trip'' album, they released two 90 minute DVDs in the ''Field Trips With Recess Monkey'' series. Each DVD is broken into four short episodes and the volumes are known by their episode numberings, Episodes 1-4 and Episodes 5-8. The DVDs blended music videos with live performances, interviews and were hosted by the band's fictitious hand puppet band manager Mayor Monkey. The band has self-produced three full-length concert videos of each of their Teatro ZinZanni Big Top Rock series, released for free on YouTube and other platforms. Recess Monkey's 2015 audio album ''Hot Air'' was released with a tandem 40-minute DVD video also entitled ''Hot Air'' which tells a narrative story in a mixed media, animated form.
The band has created numerous standalone music videos for songs from 2008 to present.
[{{Cite web, title = Recess Monkey, url = https://www.youtube.com/user/recessmonkey3, website = YouTube, accessdate = 2015-09-17]
Kindiependent Collective
The band is a member of the Seattle-based
Kindiependent Collective, which includes
Caspar Babypants
Caspar Babypants is the stage name of children's music artist Chris Ballew, who is also the vocalist and bassist of The Presidents of the United States of America.
History
Ballew's first brush with children's music came in 2002, when he record ...
, The Not-Its, Johnny Bregar, The Harmonica Pocket, The Board of Education and Brian Vogan and His Good Buddies.
References
External links
Official WebsiteKids Place Live Website
2005 establishments in Washington (state)
American children's musical groups
Musical groups from Seattle
Musical groups established in 2005