Totsapalooza “Hey! Ho! Let’s Go / to TOTSAPALOOZA! / Let’s Go”
Renowned musician Don Kerr will host Totsapalooza, an afternoon celebrating the DIY spirit in music, books and crafts featuring the Blue Bin Band (Doug Friesen, Tyler Kerr and Paul Linklater). Special guests include author and musician Dave Bidini and the popular indie band, Sho, Mo & The Monkey Bunch!
The featured books will be The Sniffing Princess And The Sweet-Toothed Prince by Don Kerr, Bidini’s For Those About To Rock: A Road Map To Being In A Band, and Punk Farm by Jarrett J Krosoczka. Budding rockers will learn how to build instruments out of recycled materials and participate in a giant jam session – A TINARS For Tots event presented by Pages Books & Magazines, Bunch, Gladstone Hotel and The Little Paper.
The Sniffing Princess And The Sweet-Toothed Prince: How do our individual actions impact the natural environment around us? How much is too much? Don Kerr tackles such weighty themes with a touch of whimsy and magic in his contemporary fairy tale, The Sniffing Princess And The Sweet-Tooth Prince. After bringing the kingdom to the point of collapse with their gluttony, the eponymous royal siblings must reverse their ways to save it. The book includes a CD of beautifully crafted songs based on Kerr’s tale as well as a reading of the story in both English and Japanese.
Don Kerr is a musician, songwriter, producer, and author. He sings and plays drums, cello, and tenor guitar. Kerr has played with Ron Sexsmith since 1987 and was a member of Rheostatics. He has a recording studio in his home called The Rooster, where he works as a highly respected producer. Kerr created and illustrated The Sniffing Princess And The Sweet-Tooth Prince, a children's book and accompanying cd. He has invented and built many musical instruments; notably, the Salad Bowl Banjo, the Canadian Talking Drum, and The Hydrophone (a 2 octave tuned percussion instrument). Kerr is Canada’s pre-eminent urban landscape percussionist.
For those about to rock: a road map to being a band
Playing in a rock band is the stuff of dreams. What is the reality? Dave Bidini, rhythm guitarist with the Rheostatics and acclaimed author of Around The World In 57 ½ Gigs and On a Cold Road, knows firsthand. In For Those About To Rock: A Road Map To Being In A Band, Bidini tackles the questions that any kid with a penchant to be on stage has asked. How do you decide what to play? How do you deal with tensions among the musicians? What happens when one person becomes more popular than the others? How do you get to gigs, and what do you wear?
Bidini handles his material with honesty, humour and authority. From the serious considerations to the frivolous issues, Bidini takes young readers through forming a band, practices, performing, and the business of show business. Interspersed with advice and observations are hilarious anecdotes pulled from his own experience and the experiences of musicians he knows.
For Those About To Rock: A Road Map To Being In A Band is a sure-fire winner for all young musicians, even if their instrument of choice is the air guitar and their only venue is their shower stall.
Dave Bidini is a celebrated musician and author. He was a founding member of The Rheostatics. Bidini wrote and hosted the Gemini Award-winning small-screen adaptation of his book Tropic of Hockey, called Hockey Nomad. His most recent publication is the bestseller Around The World In 57.5 Gigs.
Punk Farm
At the end of a long day, Farmer Joe heads for bed. Back in the barn, a band of his animals prepare to rehearse for their rock concert later that night. Cow and Chicken set up drums and keyboard, while Pig and Goat tune their guitar and bass and vocalist Sheep tests the mike. At the performance, they play their version of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm," with riffs on their instruments instead of the usual animal sounds. Their frantic fans go wild. Author and illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka says on the back flap of Punk Farm that he had childhood daydreams of rock stardom, but even kids who've never picked up an air guitar will enjoy the droll humor. The paintings, which start out simple and bucolic, become increasingly jazzy as the band heats up, climaxing in a frenzy of form and color, then reverting to a quiet scene when morning brings Farmer Joe back to the barn.
Jarret J. Krosoczka is the author-illustrator of Good Night, Monkey Boy; Baghead; Annie Was Warned; and Max for President. "If kids walk away from my books with anything,” Krosoczka says, “I hope they will be encouraged to read, draw, and create." He lives in Boston.
Sho, Mo and the Monkey Bunch: Maybe it’s time to give kids music that won’t drive their parents insane. Music that has bite to it while still being sweet. Introducing Sho, Mo and the Monkey Bunch!
Meet Sho: Shoshana Sperling is a Toronto writer/performer who has given us character-rich plays, television and live comedic monologues.
Meet Mo: Maury LaFoy is a musician/songwriter who has played with Jann Arden, Sarah Harmer, Ron Sexsmith and his own band, The Supers.
Now Meet The Monkey Bunch!!
ALI EISNER (YTV Host, Nanalan Puppeteer), MIA SHEARD (Toronto Singer Extraordinaire), DAN BRYK (Quirky Songwriter without equal), IAN LEFEUVRE (Starling, Lynn Miles producer), TERESA PAVLINEK (Sean Cullen Show, History Bites, Second City), JOHN OBERCIAN (Sarah Harmer, Danny Michel), DAVIDE DIRENZO (Jacksoul, Ashley McIsaac, Holly Cole), GRAHAM POWELL (The Supers, Jason Plumb), DAVE MATHESON (Moxy Früvous), KEVIN FOX (Sarah Harmer, Shaye), MARK MARIASH (Sarah Slean) and a Grade 3 class from Ryerson Elementary School.
THE BLUE BIN BAND Host DON KERR has gathered some of the finest musicians on Toronto’s indie music scene for TOTSAPALOOZA. Guitarist PAUL LINKLATER and bassist DOUG FRIESEN have played, often alongside Don, with a such celebrated talents as Dave Bidini, Kurt Swinghammer and Angela Morris, to name but a few. Emerging multi-instrumentalist TYLER KERR is the fourth member of The Blue Bun Band.
