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"the best thing to happen to contemporary kids' music in yonks"
"This Sydney duo are injecting junior jams with inner-city cool"
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"The music is upbeat, quirky and promises to elicit giggle from your youngsters"
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Music is an extremely powerful medium, just ask any film director. It can be used to create a mood, ...Music is an extremely powerful medium, just ask any film director. It can be used to create a mood, emphasis a point, draw mystery to a scene or shot; and in our own lives, elicit responses that we were unaware we could feel. For children, music can teach concepts, engage even the shyest child in group activities and both calm and encourage. Music is fun – just think of those moments when you have been able to shed all inhibitions and dance around your lounge-room with the kidlets, singing your heart out!
Electric Lunchbox - www.electriclunchboxmusic.com - is a Sydney based music dynamo, Jayde and Steve who have combined their numerous skills to write and perform songs that will have your little ones giggling and dancing with glee. Jayde was teaching Music & Movement Classes at Redfern, NSW for a few years when she started telling Steve that she wished that there was more variety in kids music that she could use in the classroom. Using some of her lyrics as a prompt, Steve wrote some music and convinced Jayde to sing along to it. From that moment, their songs have just kept on building.
The couple draw inspiration from everyday life and experiences. Possibly one of my favourites is “Born In An Ambulance”, which literally came about when their youngest son was born in an ambulance on the Princes Highway in Tempe! Of course “Mother Knows Best” also resonates with me for obvious reasons! Electric Lunchbox is unpretentious and fun. The music is upbeat, quirky and promises to elicit giggle from your youngsters.
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"pretty cool! It’s full of fun, silly and really relatable songs."
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How did 'Electric Lunchbox' come about?
Steve: Jayde's been teaching Music & Movement Classes a...
How did 'Electric Lunchbox' come about?
Steve: Jayde's been teaching Music & Movement Classes at Redfern and Alexandria Community Centres for several years, and often came home telling me that she wished there was more variety when it came to music she could use for her classes.
Jayde: I could really see the way the kids responded to the sillier stuff, and there just didn't seem to be alot of it about. I had some ideas so wrote down some lyrics, and gave them to Steve. One day he called me in to his studio, put a microphone in my hand, and said "sing along to this". He'd made the music track for Prawn Crackers, and seeing as they were lyrics I'd given him, there was no backing out.
Steve: Ha ha, I'll never forget your face when I told you I was recording. But once we found a rhythm of working, the songs came thick and fast.
What’s your inspiration?
Steve: At the very core of the whole idea is the fact that we're both mad for music. All sorts. I last played in a Bluegrass band, so that's where you find the country-style harmonies in EL, but you'll also hear elements of Doo-Wop, Motown, and we've had people say they can hear a slight AC/DC tinge to Prawn Crackers. There's a Spaghetti Western track in there as well , and that idea came from listening to stuff like The Good, The Bad & The Ugly at home. Those songs have huge personalities, and our kids just love them. They really connect with the character of those songs.
Jayde: Also, kids love variety, we wanted the album to be mixed genre with extra silliness. I think we realised the album worked when our kids stopped arguing in the back seat of the car whenever we put it on.
Steve: Lyrically, you don't have to look far to see where we got our inspiration from.
Jayde: Just walk down Illawara Road and you'll see where I got the idea for Prawn Crackers.
What do you do when you’re not ‘Electric Lunchbox’?
Steve: I'm also an actor. Funnily enough, I had just landed the role of B1 in the new animated series of Bananas In Pyjamas. So I'd record "Bananas" during the day, and then Jayde and I would record our music at night. It was such a laugh, and it just put me in the perfect headspace for Electric Lunchbox.
Do you live locally?
Jayde: Yes, we live in Marrickville, and we also have a studio here where the album was recorded. We LOVE Marrickville. Our first daughter was born in the Eastern Suburbs and although we loved the beach, we loved space more, so we moved over here. Our very first memory of Marrickville is of Bay Tinh (the old one, where you could go and get a $6.50 lunch and sit and watch the Christmas decorations all year round). The manager, who was lovely, labeled us as the parents who had the "messy baby".
How many children do you have?
Jayde:: We have three kids... two girls, eight and five, and our latest addition, a boy who is fourteen months. He was born in an ambulance on the Princes Highway in Tempe, hence the song "Born In An Ambulance". Ha ha I knew it would a good story one day (didn't feel so great at the time though).
Are you touring or performing anytime soon?
Jayde: We are going to do a performance early next year, our band is ready to start rehearsing... Yippee!! We want it to be fun and entertaining as well as visually stimulating. Join our mailing list to keep up to date with all our new video's, shows and info.
Where can you buy the album?
Steve: The CD with 16-page booklet can be ordered for home delivery via the website, and will be available via iTunes in the first week of the New Year. Click here to see the 'Prawn Crackers' clip and to purhcase the Electric Lunchbox cd!
So what does Kid Size Living think?
Our littlies thought it was pretty cool! It’s full of fun, silly and really relatable songs.
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"It's impossible to listen to Electric Lunchbox without cracking a smile"
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SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2011
Electric Lunchbox!
It's impossible to listen to Electric Lunchbox wit...SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2011
Electric Lunchbox!
It's impossible to listen to Electric Lunchbox without cracking a smile. Each song draws inspiration from a different style of music, so prepare for rock 'n' roll, country and western, even a hint of funk! But do trust us when we say there is not one boring nursery rhyme in sight.
Kids will be jiving, grown ups will definitely end up singing along, and we can't promise the entire household won't be breaking out into a glorious rendition of 'Prawn Crackers' after a few listens.
Catchy! Take a peek...
Jayde Bond and Steve Shanahan are the duo behind the magic, and don't pretend it doesn't make you locals swell with Inner Westie pride to hear they are from Marrickville. Inspired by their music-loving kids (we reckon musical prowess must be in the water over at their place), Electric Lunchbox have perfected the art of sing-along-silliness.
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"cool fifties edge, reminiscent of the Doo-Wop, Rock'N'Roll and Mowtown era"
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Electric Lunchbox are husband-and0wife team Steve Shanahan and Jayde Bond who make kids' music with ...Electric Lunchbox are husband-and0wife team Steve Shanahan and Jayde Bond who make kids' music with a cool fifties edge, reminiscent of the Doo-Wop, Rock'N'Roll and Motown era. This is ideal music for dancing around the lounge room with the kids
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"The hottest new kids band on the block have set the date!"
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AND THE BEAT GOES ON....
The hottest new kids band on the block have set the date! They're headin...AND THE BEAT GOES ON....
The hottest new kids band on the block have set the date! They're heading to Melbourne and will have you and your mini's jamming to some quirky hit tunes.
Electric Lunchbox are a new, exciting, hip and fun kids band with some very funky tunes.
Electric Lunchbox are Jayde Bond & Steve Shanahan, a singing husband and wife duo - you know, like Sonny & Cher, Johnny & June, Kermit & Miss Piggy (okay, they weren't married... or people... but you get the idea).
December 2010 saw the launch of their first album...12 fun toons which are guaranteed to get you singing, dancing and laughing - they'll even accept chortles, guffaws and harrumphs ! So don't be surprised to find a nod, however silly, in the direction of 50's Rock 'N' Roll, Country, Motown, Doo-Wop and even Spaghetti-Western.
You'll be able to catch Electric Lunchbox at the Electric Lunchbox Gig in Northcote on 29th October and at the Rhymes Festival Melbourne, 30th October 2011.
THE INTERVIEW
1. Just who is Electric Lunchbox?
Essentially we are a Rock'N'Roll kids band, but within that there are so many styles we go to... Motown, Spaghetti Western, Doo-Wop
Steve - Jayde and I wrote and recorded our debut album in our studio last year. We did all of it, and had the awesome Paul Johnstone play drums and chuck his voice in too (he was in the original production of Jesus Christ Superstar). We then got a band together to promote it, with PJ being joined by the very classy Frank Grubisa on the bass( he makes his own "Grusbia" guitars). The last piece of the puzzle is the super-smooth, "Dancin'" Johnny Carr on guitar, keyboard and vocals. John's now a Northcote local, so we send him recordings of rehearsals, then fly him up to gigs.
Jayde - We started EL because initially we wanted some new songs to play in the classes I was running, but it turned into more when our kids grew and so did their stories, and well, the stories were funny... and relevant... so we started to get more serious about it. Steve was voicing B1 at the time for the new ABC series, so with three kids we were right in relm of a kids head space.
2. How did you become interested in Music?
Steve - The first time I saw Count Down when I was nine years old... and that was that!
Jayde - My Dad, he used to play The Beatles (mainly Sgt Peppers), The Rolling Stones and Van Morrison (who I wasn't really sure about - maybe I'm still not?)
3. You have Children. Have they influenced your music?
Steve - Yes, absolutely . Their latching onto songs that you wouldn't expect kinda makes you revisit stuff you haven't listened to for years, ie we took the girls to see Gary Numan and couldn't believe how much they loved it, and us too.
Jayde - Yes, everyday, new stories. Like any family, we seem to keep each other entertained.
4. Favourite bands/artists?
Where do we begin....The Ronettes, Radiohead, Elvis (both of them), Wilco, The Flaming Lips, Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, LCD Sound System, Lanie Lane, The White Stripes, The Rolling Stones, You am I, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dusty Springfield, Nick Cave, Tom waits, AC/DC, Kiss, The Church, Deerhunter, Gary Numan, The Scientistis, Kimbra, all music from Sesame Street and Yo Gabba Gabba....we could go on and on.
5. How do you prepare for a gig? Do you ever get nervous or is it...on with the show?
A bit of both, the butterflies are fun! We just love to play live.
6. What's your most requested song?
Prawn Crackers, but we've got a few new ones we are looking forward to playing. It's great fun working up the new songs with a band.
7. What's the craziest thing a fan has ever done at one of your gigs?
At the end of a song while everyone was clapping, a little boy walked out of the girls toilets with a huge cupcake smeared all over his face, right next to the stage. That's kids music, and that's Rock 'n'Roll!
8. Where's your favourite place to perform?
After these two gigs the answer will definitely be Melbourne!
9. How did you come up with band name 'Electric Lunchbox'?
Steve - We'd always wanted one... I mean, imagine plugging your lunchbox into a power point at recess and everything being icy cold... Awesome!
Jayde - Steve came up with the name one night after our original name was not sounding so original anymore.
10. Tell us about your next shows and why we should all be there?
Saturday October 29th at the Northcote Uniting Church at 3pm and Rhymes Kids Festival Sunday October 30th (Melbourne showgrounds) from 9am. It is our first Melbourne gig. Our guitar/keyboard player Johnny Carr is from Northcote, Jayde was born in Melbourne, and well, we just think that Melbourne rocks and the band is pumped to play some very fun tunes... in Melbourne!
*Thanks so much to the rocking duo (& coolest Sydney-side Mum and Dad), Jayde and Steve. We dig your style, music and we have amazingly similar tastes in music. See you again for your Northcote and Rhymes Festival Melbourne Gigs! Now altogether....Prawn Crackers. Pppppp Prawn Crackers. Pppppp Prawn Crackers!
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"Rollicking, Multi-talented"
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Electric Lunchbox – Live On Stage
Gluttony – Excess Theatre, Sat Mar 10
Multi-talented husband an...Electric Lunchbox – Live On Stage
Gluttony – Excess Theatre, Sat Mar 10
Multi-talented husband and wife duo Jayde Bond and Steve Shanahan craft an entertaining show full of original kids’ songs from rockabilly to country. The five-piece band along with their young dancers took a couple of songs to get the modest crowd moving, but once the young ones were on their feet there was no stopping them. There were bright costumes in a ‘50s style, some simple stage choreography and wide subject matter such as prawn crackers, buzzy bees, a song about a spy and being born in the back of an ambulance. Electric Lunchbox is fun for the whole family yet it is the small children two-six who benefit the most as they bop, clap, spin, twist and march their way through a one-hour set. A little variety may be needed to break it up a little as the kids seemed to get lost in the middle of the show.
Final Word: Rollicking
Sian Williams
supersonic
