Seattle's Recess Monkey Plays NYC, Beg. July 24

Seattle's celebrated band of teacher-rockers – Recess Monkey – will bring their special brand of "undeniably hip, yet also kid-accessible" music and humor to four NYC area shows in July.

On Tuesday, July 24, the band will rock out in Queens at 10:30 a.m. at NYC SummerStage in Rufus King Park, 150-03 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica, and they will then head to Long Island for a 2:00 p.m. show at the Long Island Children's Museum, 11 Davis Ave., Garden City. On Wednesday, July 25, Recess Monkey will again perform at 2:00 p.m. at the Long Island Children's Museum. Winding up in Manhattan, Recess Monkey will give a show at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 26 as part of the Madison Square Kids Summer Concert Series in Madison Square Park, between Fifth and Madison Avenues at 23rd St., NYC.

Recess Monkey shows are a mixture of celebrating "the everyday lives of kids" and just plain belly laughs, all while somehow managing to dance pretty much nonstop. Every Recess Monkey show is a high energy dance party, tailor made to the kids who are there. In true teacher fashion, the band really listens to kids, taking requests for songs and activities and improvising like crazy. Recess Monkey helps kids to be an active part of their shows, not only through planned opportunities for participation, but also by being willing to put everything on hold and change directions when a kid-inspired opportunity presents itself. They want kids to leave their shows feeling like they were very much a part of the experience.

In their July shows, Recess Monkey are sure to offer circus-themed songs from their new CD In Tents, along with a variety of "fan favorites." Kids and their grownups will zoom around the room with Drew, Daron, and Jack on "Flying," join the Monkey Bar conga line (located everywhere), take a soapy ride at the Bubble Factory, and give that loose tooth an extra jiggle with Dr. Wiggle. From flapjacks to jetpacks and everything in-between, families should be ready for more disco dancing, knock-knock jokes, puns, shenanigans, and catchy sing-alongs than you can shake a stick at!

The three members of Recess Monkey met while working at the same Seattle school, sharing a genuine enthusiasm for a grad school project that morphed into their 2005 debut release Welcome to Recess Monkey Town. This was followed by another popular (and zoologically correct) hit, Aminal House. The teachers - Jack Forman, Daron Henry, and Drew Holloway - made history with their next release, Wonderstuff, the first double CD children's album. As with Wonderstuff, which was produced from material generated at a kids' summer campworkshop, 2008's Tabby Road, 2009's Field Trip, 2010's The Final Funktier, 2011's FLYING!, and this year's In Tents each came from real life children's experiences.

SCHEDULE:

WHAT: RECESS MONKEY!
WHERE: NYC SummerStage, Rufus King Park, 150-03 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica, NY
WHEN: Tuesday, July 24. 10:30 a.m.
TICKETS: Free of charge
INFO: (212) 360-2756 or click HERE

WHAT: RECESS MONKEY!
WHERE: Long Island Children's Museum, 11 Davis Ave., Garden City, NY 11530
WHEN: Tuesday, July 24 and Wednesday, July 25. 2:00 p.m. both days.
TICKETS: $4 with Museum Admission; $3 for LICM Members; $10 for Theater Only.
INFO: (516) 224-5801 or click HERE

WHAT: RECESS MONKEY!
WHERE: Madison Square Park, between Fifth and Madison Avenues, NYC
WHEN: Thursday, July 26. 10:30 a.m.
TICKETS: Free of charge
INFO: (212) 538-4071 or click HERE

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

Photo credit: Kevin Fry