2 inch analog tape meets duct tape. eclectic songs about creativity inventions machines and electricity inspired by diy kids.

...this time with a superhero bent. Kids who prefer playing Robin to Batman finally get a tune of their own: the witty ‘Sidekick.’”

“If you haven't already checked out the three elementary-school teachers collectively known as Recess Monkey, you should. It's out-standing music that celebrates the joys of childhood.”

“We had to mention these superheroes. They’re back! This time flying through life with superpowers and more power-pop tunes. If you liked their rock-and-roll in the past, you’ll like it again.”

“If Seattle is the new bastion of Kindie Rockers, then the trio of teachers are the city’s breakout stars.”

“A brilliant, multilayered concept album”

We know of one: Recess Monkey, a trio of Seattle teachers that sounds a bit like a mix of Donovan and the Beatles, and they have a wacky audacity that’s hard not to love. Comedy gold!”

“These guys are able to tap into elementary school so well that it’s like they never left. In this never-ending nationwide talent show of kid and family music, they are most definitely at the top. That’s it. I’m scratching their name on my locker door.” – Mindy Thomas, Program Director

“There are bands you can’t go wrong with, and this is one of them.”

2-INCH ANALOG TAPE MEETS DUCT TAPE!

RECESS MONKEY’S

‘WIRED’

“These kids’ songs are awesome! There are bands you can’t go wrong with, and this is one of them.”– USA TODAY

“THE GENRE’S TOP STARS: If Seattle is the new bastion of kindie rockers, then the trio of teachers are the city’s breakout stars.” – Time Magazine

“A brilliant, multilayered concept album.” – NPR’s Morning Edition

SEATTLE, WA (April 15, 2014) – Inspired by the breathtaking creativity and inventiveness of today’s DIY kids, kindie music icon Recess Monkey celebrates “maker” culture with the band’s eleventh studio recording, Wired. (Recess Monkey, $14.99, for ages 3 – 8, run time 43 minutes. Release date June 17.)

Wired, a collection of super-eclectic “gadget rock” songs about inventions, machines, and electricity, also highlights the richness of life beyond batteries: Grandpa’s wisdom, board games, singing with others, storytelling, and the fine art of duct tape.

Says Recess Monkey’s Drew Holloway, “Wired is all about design-thinking and innovation. We live in a ‘wired world’ with so much at our fingertips, yet it’s easy to lose touch … but not on this record!”

Wired was produced at John Vanderslice’s famed Tiny Telephone Recording in San Francisco, where everything was recorded on tape with analog equipment. Recess Monkey found working with John Vanderslice to be like observing the machinations of a mythic alchemist practicing his craft. Vanderslice and engineer Jamie Riotto created incredible effects “on the spot” during live takes, twisting knobs with one hand while altering the speed of the tape with another, bringing to Recess Monkey the realization that Vanderslice and Riotto weren’t simply producer and engineer, but truly members of the band.

Notes Jack Forman, “It cannot be overstated what huge fans we are of John Vanderslice, and the experience of getting to make music with him at the helm was downright life-changing. Removing computers from the recording equation forced us to rely on our ears, as in the days before digital. This was the perfect approach for an album inspired by ‘outside the box’ creativity!”

Adds Korum Bischoff, “Going into an analog studio was a little intimidating after years of recording digitally, losing the ability to tweak and nudge to utter perfection. But the loss of control over the minute was made up for in spades by the freedom of just letting go and making music in the moment instead of in the software.”

Recess Monkey’s trademark over-the-top, loaded-with-humor lyrics are again delivered with the band’s amazing mastery of diverse musical styles. Wired rolls out of the gate with “Take Your Kid To Work Day,” a track that combines a driving, 8 to the bar rhythm with a super-energized, lyrical bass guitar line and a Mick Jagger-like vocal intensity. This explosion of energy continues unabated with the next track, “Wired,” an ode d’amour to a sugar high with the real treat at the end. “Braces” provides a nice contrast with more than a little tip-of-the hat to the Beatles. In “Car Wash,” Recess Monkey does a little time traveling to this quintessential 1970s experience, but for really serious time travel, check out “Grandpa is a Time Machine” and soak up some old time, ukulele driven, up-tempo two-beat along with Grandpa’s iced tea and endless supply of stories. “Wishing Well” is another score for Beatlemaniacs, enhanced by a guitar solo that pays homage to the great George Harrison. Other highlights include “Brick by Brick,” where Recess Monkey “puts together” an anthem to Legos, the original “maker” toy, and the hilarious ballad, “Duct Tape World,” in which one boy, one girl, and one million and two rolls of duct tape leads to a front yard business called “On A Roll With You!” The relaxed tempo and uncomplicated texture of “Off The Grid” showcase the expressive quality of Drew Holloway’s vocals, bringing Wired to a peaceful and beautiful close.

For more information about RECESS MONKEY or to schedule an interview, please contactElizabeth Waldman Frazier at Waldmania! 415.334.2787 or elizabeth@waldmaniapr.com.

Check out the Recess Monkey website at www.recessmonkey.com.

 

For more information about RECESS MONKEY or to schedule an interview, please contactElizabeth Waldman Frazier at Waldmania! 415.334.2787 or elizabeth@waldmaniapr.com.

Check out the Recess Monkey website at www.recessmonkey.com.

In addition to rocking out with Recess Monkey, Jack Forman is an on-air personality on SiriusXM’s Kids Place Live, where his daily call-in show, Live From the Monkey House, is a hysterical cornucopia of game show segments, kid callers, special musical guests, and the best kids’ and family music out there!

Recess Monkey released their debut CD, Welcome to Recess Monkey Town, in 2005, followed by another popular hit, Aminal House, in 2006. The band made history with their 2007 release, Wonderstuff, the first double CD children’s album. As with all their albums, including 2008’s Tabby Road, 2009’s Field Trip, 2010’s The Final Funktier, 2011’s FLYING!, 2012’s In Tents, and 2013’s Deep Sea Diver and Desert Island Disc, Wired is grounded in real life children’s experiences.

Ten Recess Monkey songs have reached #1 on SiriusXM’s Kids Place Live chart. Kids Place Live Program Director Mindy Thomas declared, “In this never-ending nationwide talent show of kid and family music, they are most definitely at the top.” Time Magazine celebrated Recess Monkey’s “tight, smart, acclaimed original songs ... and seriously grooving funk.” Explained kids’ music authority Stefan Shepherd (Zooglobble.com), “Recess Monkey just keeps turning out album after album with pop nuggets, as if we’d just discovered that The Beatles had recorded a ton of kids’ music 40+ years ago.”

Deep Sea Diver and Desert Island Disc, companion albums released in 2013, were lauded by People magazine, Entertainment Weekly, USA TODAY, and Sound & Vision, among many others, and appeared on “Best of the Year” lists from Cool Mom Picks, Daily Candy Kids, Red Tricycle, and more.

Recess Monkey’s 2012 circus-themed album, In Tents, was included on numerous “Top Kids’ CD of the Year” lists, including those of USA TODAY, Cool Mom Picks, and Red Tricycle, and was singled out for praise in such prominent publications as Parents Magazine, The Washington Post, Time Out NY Kids, and Scholastic Parent & Child.

FLYING!, released in 2011, was highlighted in People magazine and honored with inclusion in more than a dozen “Best of the Year” lists, including those of The Washington Post, Parents Magazine, Common Sense Media, Cool Mom Picks, and more.

From a plethora of remarkable Seattle-based “kindie” musicians, Seattle Magazine chose to honor Recess Monkey in 2010 with its “Best Local Kids’ Music” accolade. The band’s 2010 release, The Final Funktier, was highlighted on CBS-TV’s The Early Show and in People magazine, and was featured in more than a dozen “Best of 2010” lists.

Recess Monkey’s 2009 release, Field Trip, was on more than a dozen “Best of 2009” lists, was named to the American Library Association’s Notable Children’s Recording List, and was included among USA TODAY’s “Favorite Releases of 2009.” Time Out NY Kids declared Field Trip the #1 CD of the year, calling it “pure genius.”

Wired will be available at recessmonkey.com, amazon.com, cdbaby.com, theAVCafe.com, bigkids.com, iTunes, bandcamp.com, Silver Platters, Sonic Boom Records, and Barnes & Noble.

WIRED SONG LIST: Take Your Kid to Work Day, Wired, Braces, Car Wash, Grandpa is a Time Machine, Wishing Well, Brick By Brick, The Great Diorama, Garage Sale, Duct Tape World, Shutterbug, Skee Ball, Lazy Susan, Batteries Not Included, Off The Grid.

RECESS MONKEY IN PERFORMANCE – HIGHLIGHTS – Spring /Summer 2014

May 17 Benaroya Hall with the Seattle Symphony Seattle, WAJune 26 Music Center at Strathmore N. Bethesda, MDJune 26 SiriusXM Rumpus Room Washington, DCJune 28 Longwood Gardens Kennett Square, PAJune 29 Philadelphia Museum of Art Philadelphia, PAAugust 2 Rox in Sox Festival Lake Oswego, OR

 

1. take your kid to Work day What better way to breathe some fresh air into a stuffy office than a hot chocolate binge and self portraits on the photocopier? Korum Bischoff trades in his drums for an extremely rhythmic typewriter.

2. Wired- Parents sneak triple caramel macchiatos with the same frequency that their kids dive into taffy and tiramasu. This sugar-fuel insanity simply cannot last long!

3. braces- A set of new shiny chompers turns anyone into the six million dollar kid. We’ve heard of erector sets, but this is ridiculous!

4. car Wash- “Mamma, won’t you take me down to the carwash?” Recess Monkey time travels to the 1970s to get their car shiny clean. Best listened to inside of a 1975 Ford Country Squire Station Wagon.

5. grandpa is a time machine- Who needs a Delorean when Grandpa can take you back in time, one story after another?

6. Wishing Well- Our wish was that this song could have lasted about ten hours, the perfect product of America’s pre-eminent analog studio.

7. brick by brick- Lego fever has spread across North America, but we’ve been hooked since our childhoods. Here’s an anthem to the original “maker” toy.

8. the great diorama- Every kid at one point or another will stay up way past their bedtime to finish a project due at school the next day… and every parent will have to work extremely hard to not swoop in and “fix it!”

9. garage sale- This here is a family of junk entrepreneurs! Just don’t ask little brother to part with a single thing.

10. duct tape World- One boy, one girl, and one million and two rolls of duct tape leads to a front yard business called “On A Roll With You!”

11. shutterbug- From awkward school photos to selfies at every turn, these people know how to use a camera!

12. skee ball- Best carnival game, or best carnival game EVER!? Drop in a quarter and you be the judge!

13. lazy susan- This little dynamo isn’t lazy. She’s just thinking of ways to have the machines do all of the work for her?

14. batteries not included- How DARE this toy not come with the juice!? You’ve never seen a fever like that of a new toy owner who’s missing his or her double As.

15. off the grid- It wasn’t until the blackout that I realized that gadgets weren’t the most important part of our family.