Phillips Center Invites The Public To Climb Aboard for a 'Ranky Tanky Pajama Party' with Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem 11/6

Join members of talented string band Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem as they launch their first-ever Pajama Party in celebration of their soon-to-be released children's CD Ranky Tanky. Parents and kids alike can have a great time singing, dancing, shouting and clapping at this family-friendly event at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, November 6, at 7 p.m.

Ranky Tanky takes a wild ride through American roots music, including stops in the Georgia Sea Islands, the Appalachians, a Mississippi blues joint, a Texas dance hall, and a New Orleans parade. From The Green Grass Grows All Around (Louis Jordan-style) to Audubon Zoo by the Meters, to the old-time rock n' roll of Sheb Woolley's Purple People Eater, to a 1901 broadside, to, oh, a little Nat King Cole or Tom Petty, Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem admit no boundaries when it comes to exploring styles. On stage, they love to talk about the songs, instruments and styles they play, but it's no schoolroom lecture - it's more like four happy cooks introducing their favorite ingredients for an irresistible musical stew. And, whether they're using only voices to groove on a pop tune from the Bahamas, showing off the drummer's 100% recycled drum set, or serenading a birthday boy with a turkey-baster whistle, they also like to show kids that you don't need fancy stuff to make great music.

At its core, Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem is fiddle, acoustic guitar, standup bass and a recycled drum set made of boxes, tin cans, plastic jugs, and an old suitcase. But watch out - the drummer's suitcase holds all kinds of surprises, including jawharps, kazoos, an mbira, and a half a dozen percussive what-cha-ma-callits from around the world. The guitarist tangos with his telecaster at every opportunity, and the bass player loves to vacation on ukulele and banjo. Atop this instrumental mayhem (which turns on a dime from lullaby to hoedown) are the band's four superb vocalists and their trademark harmonies.
Is it music for kids that parents can love, or music for parents that kids can love? The band refuses to answer that question, and it's just as well. They'd rather prove that good music never grows old - and that it keeps us all young.

Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem - Pajama Party

Friday, November 6, 7 p.m.

Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

Ticket Prices: $21 - Adults / $15.75 - Children

Web sites: University of Florida Performing Arts: www.performingarts.ufl.edu

Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem: www.raniarbo.com

To Purchase tickets, call the Phillips Center Box Office at 352-392-ARTS (2787) or 800-905-ARTS (toll-free within Florida) or call Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 (toll-free). Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Phillips Center Box Office, the University Box Office at the University of Florida Reitz Union or from any Ticketmaster outlet, or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Cash, checks, MasterCard and Visa are accepted.

 

UF students may purchase $10 tickets (with a valid student ID) at the Phillips Center Box Office and the University Box Office at the Reitz Union. Other students may purchase $10 student tickets (in the balcony) at the Phillips Center Box Office.

Performance dates, times and programs are subject to change.

University of Florida Performing Arts does more than entertain. It breaks down walls. It breaks down the walls between people by increasing cultural awareness through programming that attracts artists and audiences from around the globe. It breaks down the wall between patron and performer with educational programs such as master classes, artist residencies and pre- and post-performance discussions. It breaks down the wall between health and illness with AIM Together, a collaborative program between UFPA and Shands HealthCare that brings world-class performing artists to those who are hospitalized. It breaks down the wall between idea and realization by commissioning and nurturing new work. Art doesn't have walls. But sometimes life does. UFPA breaks down the walls, enriching the lives of the citizens in the Heart of Florida, helping to make Gainesville "the #1 place to live."