Laurie Berkner Band Returning to Raleigh, 12/12

Best-selling children's recording artist and preschool television favorite Laurie Berkner loves the holidays! The Laurie Berkner Band will present a festive holiday show for families on Saturday, December 12 at 11:00 a.m in Meymandi Concert Hall at Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, 2 E. South St., Raleigh, NC.

Says Laurie, "One of my fondest memories of the winter holidays is singing together with my family every Christmas Eve. It's one of my favorite ways to celebrate this time of year, and I feel really lucky to sing some of those same songs now at my holiday concerts with families who enjoy my music!"

The Laurie Berkner Band's Raleigh concert will celebrate the season with traditional songs like "Jingle Bells," and "Frosty the Snowman," plus originals from Laurie's well-loved album, A Laurie Berkner Christmas, including "Santa's Coming to My House Tonight" and "Candle Chase." This performance will also showcase many fan favorites from Laurie's recently released "greatest hits" album, The Ultimate Laurie Berkner Band Collection.

Dubbed "one of the hippest children's artists" by FamilyFun Magazine, Laurie Berkner's original songs, albums, DVDs, music videos, and books leave no doubt: Laurie is the uncrowned queen of children's music and the power behind the progressive "kindie rock" movement.

Laurie Berkner was the first artist to ever appear in music videos on Nick Jr. and was featured in nearly all of the episodes of the channel's Jack's Big|Brave Music Show. She currently stars in the animated musical short-form series Sing It, Laurie! on the Sprout preschool channel and makes regular appearances on Sprout's Sunny Side Up Show. Laurie will release her tenth album, a two-disc recording titled Laurie Berkner's Favorite Classic Kids' Songs, in October.

A former preschool music teacher by day and indie rocker by night, Laurie Berkner started selling her music more than ten years ago out of her living room on her own label, Two Tomatoes Records. The Laurie Berkner Band has received tremendous critical acclaim. Time Magazine lauded Laurie as "a kind of sippy-cup Sheryl Crow ... Berkner inhabits a kid's curious perspective in her lyrics and pens folk-pop melodies that bear repeated -- very repeated -- listenings." The Wall Street Journal called Laurie "one of the most popular children's performers in America ... her music is distinctive because it speaks to kids without talking down to them, charming youngsters without boring grown-ups."

Laurie finds inspiration in her audience. "I want to create songs that matter for children," she says. "I was singing once and saw a four-year-old girl shut her eyes and start swaying to the music. I thought, 'That's the reason I got into music.' It keeps me wanting to do more."