Family Concert Recap: The Music of The Broadway Show Hamilton! for Kids at Brooklyn Bowl (4/30)

This Sunday, April 30th, The Rock and Roll Playhouse family concerts went outside the box with a kid-friendly spin on the music from popular Broadway show, Hamilton! We had such a fun time bringing the soundtrack to life in an educational and historical way because we all know how impossible it is to get Hamilton tickets…

The Rock and Roll Playhouse House Band kicked off the afternoon playing many of the Tony Award-winning hits like “Alexander Hamilton” and “My Shot”. During the show, Paolo had a blast jumping off stage, giving the audience the mic and letting them sing along. The kids in the audience were amazing and knew every word to each song. Another highlight, keeping with the tradition of Hamilton, was when the audience took their turn to “fight the British troops” with a limbo stick. We love to create an immersive experience for the families in our audience, it is truly why we do it all!

It was such a great time bringing the joy of Hamilton to our stage and welcoming Broadway lovers to the Rock and Roll Playhouse family. We can’t wait to take on more musical challenges that come our way, bring it on!

In other Rock and Roll Playhouse news, our new line of merchandise made its debut at the show as well! We are now selling tee shirts, bracelets, and onesies for your tiniest music fans to rock. We always have sharpies on hand for our musicians to sign your tee shirt and help keep your family concert memories alive forever. Don’t miss out on our next Hamilton celebration on May 20th at Garcia’s in the Capitol Theater! Get your tickets HERE. Our next family concert at Brooklyn Bowl will be next Sunday, May 7th, featuring The Music of Dave Matthews with Rhyme and Reason. Get your tickets HERE!

Setlist: 

Alexander Hamilton

Aaron Burr Sir

My Shot

Schuyler Sister

Right Hand Man

You’ll Be Back

The Room Where It Happens

Helpless

Satisfied

Dear Theodosia

History Has Its Eyes/Yorktown

Family Concert Recap: Music of Phish at The Capitol Theater (4/15) & and Easter Beatles Bash at Brooklyn Bowl (4/16)

This Easter Weekend was full of music thanks to two awesome Rock and Roll Playhouse family concerts!

The Capitol Theatre was a SOLD OUT success Saturday, and excited families streamed into Garcia’s with anticipation to jam to the music of Phish with the talented tribute band, Uncle Ebenezer. It was an enjoyable afternoon with lots of dancing, including an epic freeze dance during “Chalk Dust Torture”. The audience was filled with kids decked out in their most phestive looks. Check out our best dressed in micro-fashion:

Good music is timeless, just like the moments we spend with our family at @therockandrollplayhouse. @uncleebenezermusic #phish #rockandrollplayhouse #garciasatthecap

18 Likes, 2 Comments - The Rock And Roll Playhouse (@therockandrollplayhouse) on Instagram: "Good music is timeless, just like the moments we spend with our family at @therockandrollplayhouse...."

Can't we live while we're young? #yem #phish

18 Likes, 3 Comments - The Rock And Roll Playhouse (@therockandrollplayhouse) on Instagram: "Can't we live while we're young? #yem #phish"

In true Phish style here is the setlist, annotations and all, from the show:

Set I

Hello Song

Llama*

Halley's Comet ->

Brother#

Chalk Dust Torture%

Tube^@

Mango Song^

Piper~ ->

Happy Birthday to You~

Poor Heart+

Encore:

Down with Disease

* for Max

# with Jump Dance in jam

% with Freeze Dance in jam

^ with Parachute

@ with Wheels on the Bus

~ for Piper's 2nd birthday

+ with Head, Shoulder, Knees and Toes

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Easter Sunday was hoppin’ at Brooklyn Bowl for our free Easter Beatles Bash! The Easter Bunny himself made an appearance on Wythe Ave to hand out candy to all the delighted kids. It’s safe to say the kids loved the face painting by Cheeky Chipmunk, as they patiently lined up all afternoon. Faces were transformed into cute little bunnies and fingers were re-imagined into colorful carrots, making the spirit of Easter and Spring come alive!

The Brooklyn Bowl house band supplied the tunes for this fun-filled afternoon playing Beatles hits like “Yellow Submarine” and “Here Comes the Sun.” Mike Messer led the band and had a total blast on stage. It was a family affair as Joanie Leeds brought her little one on stage to join in during “Here Comes the Sun” and Marley sat in and rocked it on the bass for a song! It was the perfect soundtrack for the beautiful Spring weather we had that day.

Check out this recording for Joanie Leeds' sit in on Sunday, performing "Here Comes The Sun" with Messer and the band: 

Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate this beautiful weekend with us, we hope you enjoyed the shows as much as we did! There will be no show at Brooklyn Bowl this Sunday (April 23rd), although we hope to see you again next Sunday (April 29th) for The Music of Broadway Show: Hamilton. Grab your tickets here. To never miss a beat about our family concerts, sign up for our email list and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for updates and show announcements!

Family Concert Recap: The Music of Bob Marley (4/9) at Brooklyn Bowl

This Sunday, April 9th, David Langlois and the Brookliners joined us for a fun-filled afternoon at Brooklyn Bowl with the music of Bob Marley! The combination of reggae music and beautiful weather made for a perfect afternoon for a family concert.

The five piece band kicked off the show with a Bob Marley classic: “Stir It Up,” following that up with hits like “No Woman, No Cry” among others. As is tradition, the iconic rainbow parachute enveloped nearly the entire dance floor with its strikingly bright color, bringing joy and excitement to the audience with each song. If you weren’t able to experience it in person, check out the Facebook live stream below for footage of David and the band performing “Waiting in Vain.

To close out the show, front man Langlois stepped off stage and continued to perform on the dance floor alongside the mesmerised sea of little ones, and allowing them to partake in making music on the drum he set up close by. David’s family, including his wife, their little boy, and newborn baby, all emerged from the crowd to stand alongside their loved one.

Thank you to everyone who came to spend their Sunday with us at Brooklyn Bowl. The best part about Sunday funday is that it takes place every weekend, giving you countless opportunities to join in on the fun at Brooklyn Bowl. This weekend, we’ve got back to back family concerts! Don’t miss The Music of Phish with Uncle Ebenezer on Saturday, April 15th at Garcia’s. It’s sure to be an awesome start to the weekend. ( TICKETS) On Sunday, we’re hosting a Special Easter Beatles Bash at Brooklyn Bowl with the RRPH house band and special guest, Mike Messer. Even the Easter Bunny is going to make an appearance. This show is free admission with no RSVP required, so come on out!

THINGS WE LOVE: Alyssa Cowit's 'Live From Snack Time' Instagram Account

Alyssa Cowit has made a name for herself by preserving some of the best one-liners overheard in the classroom, and we can't get enough of these little ones and their innocent wit!

We are heavy in anticipation for Sunday, May 14th, where we’ll spend the afternoon honoring all of our moms and their tireless hard work with a special family concert featuring The Music of Madonna! We’ve also enlisted the help of a very special guest for our Mother’s Day Special;  joining us is Alyssa Cowit, co-creator of the popular Instagram account @livefromsnacktime and co-author of the new book, I Did My Homework in My Head. During the show, Alyssa will have special readings by students and a book signing.

Alyssa Cowit, co-author of "I Did My Homework in My Head"

NYC school teacher Alyssa Cowit was so fascinated by the questions and comments from her Kindergarteners that she wanted to find a way to preserve the infinite antics. Teaming up with co-creator, Greg Dunbar, the pair started an Instagram account in 2015, aptly named @livefromsnacktime, to chronicle them. Alyssa believes children are honest and curious, and while often perplexed, they’re brilliant – and that it’s a teacher’s job to take what children say seriously. Alyssa wants to help adults understand that children are not always acting outrageous to seek attention, but instead thinking out loud, soaking up new information, and solving problems 24/7!

From Cowit's Instagram, @LiveFromSnackTime

Following their joint success with @LiveFromSnackTime, Cowit and Dunbar created a compilation book inspired by these silly one-liners from her Kindergarten classes. Thus, I Did My Homework in My Head was born. It features 175 brand-new quotes exclusive to the book - that celebrates the innocent (and sometimes not-so-innocent) revelations of children. From friends, siblings, and pets to lying, love, and homework, the wisdom and witticisms on Live from Snack Time have been picked up by Today, Huffington Post, Good Housekeeping, Buzzfeed, and more.

This special event will be a great time for all, and is FREE for all Moms - a special way to say thank you for all of the hard work each and every mother puts in each day.

Tickets for our Mother's Day Special can be purchased HERE

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A graduate of Ithaca College, ALYSSA COWIT teaches at an elementary school in New York City. In May 2015, she started the Instagram account Live from Snack Time with GREG DUNBAR, now a digital marketing manager with Walt Disney Studios. Together they have grown Live from Snack Time to more than 56K followers with accolades from Hello Giggles, Cosmopolitan, Babble, ABC News, and Ashton Kutcher. Cowit lives in New York City and Dunbar lives in Los Angeles.

Family Concert Recap: Stella Blue’s Band at Brooklyn Bowl (4/2)

This Sunday, April 2nd, our family concert series featured Stella Blue’s Band. Before the band took the stage, Paolo from our house band did a special reading of the children’s book, “Octopus’ Garden” by Ringo Starr in celebration of International Children’s Book Day. Following the reading, Paolo performed a set of Beatles covers to kick off the music-filled afternoon. The kids enjoyed an interactive version of “Yellow Submarine” most, taking turns calling out their favorite colors from red to magenta, and back to yellow, which were all incorporated into a new version of the tune. Check out the live video of this special, audience-inclusive performance on our Facebook page.

Just before 1PM, Stella Blue's Band took the stage, to the obvious delight of all of the parents in the crowd. They played a selection of Grateful Dead songs, such as “Bertha,” highlighted below in our Facebook live stream. It’s safe to say that Stella Blue’s Band had everyone in attendance jamming out to the best of the Dead. It was a truly exciting moment for our Dead-loving parents to share their passion for live music with their little ones.

Thank you to everyone who came out despite the gas main break in the neighborhood which limited the menu to a selection of cold drinks and appetizers. We hope the music was able to make up for the unavoidable neighborhood wide gas issue! For all of our reggae fans, don’t miss out on The Music of Bob Marley next Sunday at Brooklyn Bowl. Grab your tickets here.

Family Concert Recap: Music of The Who at The Capitol Theatre (3/25) and Music of Fleetwood Mac at Brooklyn Bowl (3/26)

This past week was filled with music as a result of two awesome Rock and Roll Playhouse family concerts at The Capitol Theatre and Brooklyn Bowl. It all kicked off on Saturday at Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre where Julia Wolfe and her band rocked out to the music of The Who. The band covered classic anthems like “Baba O'Riley” and “My Generation” that encapsulated the group perfectly.

The kids had a blast doing the limbo during the tunes, and the highlight of the show was the sight of colorful scarves galore being thrown into the air during “Behind Blue Eyes”. It was a positively great afternoon spent at The Capitol Theatre.

Although hard to top, Sunday proved to be equally magical, with the music of Fleetwood Mac at Brooklyn Bowl. Both Mike Messer and Lizzie from Lizzie and the Makers embodied the members of this pinnacle band, especially during “Landslide” which you can watch below on our Facebook Live stream. In spirit of the family concert, this show also included its fair share of limbo.

A big thank you to our friends at Rockabye Baby for generously gifting the audience a copy of their Fleetwood Mac Lullaby Renditions CD.

Thanks to everyone who made this weekend amazing! Make sure to check out our photo gallery and Instagram page to experience more fun moments from this weekend's show.  Don’t miss out on next Sunday’s show at Brooklyn Bowl featuring The Music of the Grateful Dead with a set from Stella Blue’s Band. Get tickets here.

Family Concert Recap: The Music of Prince at Brooklyn Bowl

This Sunday March 19th, the Rock and Roll Playhouse family concert paid tribute to the music of the late Prince, joined by Adam and Paulo of the RRPH house band, Greg Gonzalez, Nic Travis, and Devin Snow, as well as Rock Bands for Kids’ Blue Lightning. Our talented house band kicked off the show with “Let’s Go Crazy” and followed with other Prince classics like “Kiss” and “Purple Rain”.

Photo Credit:  Deanna Young 

In true Rock and Roll Play House style, each song had a fun and playful nature, and the crowd danced and played along with parachutes, streamers, shakers and bells. Devin Snow prompted a wild dance party with his incredible on-stage moves, and Paolo even reimagined his tambourine as a steering wheel during “Little Red Corvette,” when he “drove” around the stage! At the end of the set, the audience was treated with Chuck Berry's “Johnny B. Goode” as a special bonus song.

Photo Credit: Deanna Young

Following The Rock and Roll Playhouse house band, Rock Bands for Kids’ Blue Lightning sat in to play a selection of their favorite Prince songs, and dedicated their set to rock legend, Chuck Berry, who passed away over the weekend. The band brought a fun and youthful perspective with their performance that showed an approachable side to music for the little ones in the crowd. During their set they played “I Could Never Take the Place Of Your Man”, “7”, and “Raspberry Beret”.

Photo Credit: Deanna Young

As always, a huge thank you to the all the families in attendance as well as The Rock and Roll Playhouse house band and Rock Bands for Kids’ Blue Lighting for turning a Sunday afternoon into a special purple celebration! Check out our photo album and Facebook live stream below to see The Rock and Roll Playhouse house band perform “Kiss”, one of the best moments from last Sunday’s show.

Don’t miss out on the fun and join us next Sunday, March 26th for the Music of Fleetwood Mac! Get tickets here.

Family Concert Recap: “A Grateful Purim Party” feat. The Terrapin Family Band and Rabbi Dan

Last Sunday, March 12,  The Rock and Roll Playhouse hosted “A Grateful Purim Party” at Brooklyn Bowl featuring The Terrapin Family Band and Rabbi Dan Ain of Because Jewish. This special celebration began with a creative Purim narration, by Rabbi Dan, set to the music of the Grateful Dead. Each song the band played related to the spirit of Purim and the celebration of Queen Esther. During the storytelling, Rabbi Dan added a whimsical spin to the original Purim story using actors, parachutes, and music by the Terrapin Family band that engaged the kids and parents alike.

After Rabbi Dan’s wonderful recount of the Purim story, families participated in a costume contest. Everyone looked great in their costumes, including the parents, their kids, and the members of The Terrapin Family Band!

Following the costume contest, parents and children were treated to a special daytime set by the one and only Terrapin Family Band, before they played with Phil Lesh later that night on the same stage.  They played countless hits during their set, like Man Smart, Women Smarter, that every generation could jam to.

The afternoon ended with a talk hosted by Mike Greenhaus, editor-in-Chief of Relix Magazine, and The Terrapin Family Band about music and spirituality. Thanks for choosing to spend your Purim with The Rock and Roll Playhouse and Brooklyn Bowl - we hope you had as much fun as we did! To see highlights from the show, check out our photo album and Instagram page. And don’t miss our next show at Brooklyn Bowl: a tribute to Prince on Sunday, March 19! Get tickets here.

“Puff the Magic Dragon Meets Ziggy Stardust”: A Re-Cap of Sunday’s STEVENSTEVEN Show

Last Sunday, STEVENSTEVEN took the Brooklyn Bowl stage for the duo's much-anticipated “Foreverywhere” album release show. Steve Burns, the original host of Blue’s Clues, and Steven Drozd, long time band member of The Flaming Lips, joined forces, recording what would become their debut collection of children’s songs. Described by the band themselves as, “Puff the Magic Dragon meets Ziggy Stardust," their songs are undeniably imaginative, wistful and fun for music-loving parents and kids alike.

Photo by Marc Millman

The duo came out donning rainbow capes and used a selection of props, from sock puppets to a toilet plunger, to animate their songs and bring them to life. STEVENSTEVEN were not the only ones in costume, as a handful of the audience came dressed in their most eclectic attire for the occasion, furthering the audience participation throughout the show. It’s safe to say this show was a fun time for adults and children alike!

Photo by Marc Millman

Photo by Marc Millman

A huge thank you goes out to STEVENSTEVEN and each person who came out for this truly extraordinary Rock and Roll Playhouse performance. Don’t forget to check out our photo album filled with the show's best highlights, and stay tuned for even more opportunities to make unforgettable memories at our family concerts.

Photo by Marc Millman

RECAP: The Rock and Roll Playhouse and Brooklyn Bowl 2nd Annual Holiday Festibowl

On Sunday, December 18th, RRPH wrapped up our second year of incredible Family Concerts at Brooklyn Bowl with a festive celebration for the whole family. RRPH turned the famed Brooklyn  venue into a winter wonderland fit for the occasion, complete with snowfall hailing from high above the packed dance floor.

Capping off an exciting year for The Rock and Roll Playhouse that featured shows including Tributes to David Bowie, The Who, and The Grateful Dead, we celebrated with the music of Taylor Swift and countless Top 40’s classics. RRPH is proud to work with such talented artists and our special guest performers from Bennett Miller Entertainment joining forces with RRPH’s Music Director Adam Roberts and RRPH Teaching Artist Paolo Perez to bring the radio hits to life on stage.  Our littlest rock stars were snuggled in baby carriers as their parents hit the dance floor, bigger kids stole the show as they danced and sang along to the lyrics and, when it came time, show some serious moves to close of the set with Shake It Off.

RRPH Family Concerts are created to bring families together to celebrate music and our mission extends beyond the younger years by helping to create opportunities for young musicians to get up on a stage and play a venue.  What could be better than playing on The Brooklyn Bowl stage in middle school!  RRPH’s favorite young talents, Blue Lightning, from the program Rock Band for Kids, proved that age is just a number when sitting in for a lively cover of “Uptown Funk” with the opening act. The energy was pulsing throughout the dancefloor as little ones jumped, danced, and sang . What made this event so memorable was the connection music creates between the performers and their young audience; a link RRPH strives to create with our Family Concert Series.

Throughout the afternoon families took time to share in the holiday spirit and had the opportunity to take photos with Santa at our holiday photo station. Santa made note of the little ones’ Christmas lists and the moment was captured and printed as a keepsake from our final Family Concert of 2016. We gathered under the disco ball Mistletoe - a Festibowl tradition - and spread holiday cheer with a holiday sing along featuring some of our favorites. Even Santa brought his dancing shoes, leading the Macarena and taking the stage to show off his moves.

DJ Natalie of Baby DJ School closed out the event with an entertaining dance party, where she led a conga line across the dance floor and took turns letting the children participate in selecting songs. Energetic and excitement-filled, Natalie kept the kids entertained until the party was over.

The 2nd Annual Holiday Festibowl was a huge success and we are so thankful for all of you for joining us throughout the year to rock out with your families as we continue to pass along the music to future generations.   

Happy Holidays and May the New Year be filled with lots of Rock and Roll!

See you in 2017!

- The Rock and Roll Playhouse and Brooklyn Bowl