The Party Animals

Colorful characters give nursery classics a rock 'n' roll edge
July 29, 2010|By Mary Carole McCauley, The Baltimore Sun
Performer Mark Ruegg came up with the idea for his interactive rock concert, "Party Animals" while trying to coax smiles from one of the toughest audiences imaginable — children of celebrities.

Ruegg was hired to provide the youth entertainment for such Hollywood celebrities as Barbra Streisand and Steven Spielberg, and was determined to reproduce the over-the-top extravaganzas in which he participated for everyday kids.

"You can't imagine what birthday parties in Hollywood are like," said Ruegg's wife, the dancer and aerialist Buffy Hornung.

"They're these big, crazy, fun events with things that ordinary kids don't normally get for their birthday parties. Mark wanted to take these big, crazy parties and bring them to the masses. We started to ask ourselves how we could do that."

The result, for children ages 2 through 10, combines a carnival with a rock concert that features performers costumed as animals. Kaila the Kangaroo is the bubbly keyboardist; surfer dude Lance the Lion plays the drums; Brandon the bear, on the bass guitar, is klutzy and lovable; Walter, the guitar-strumming fox, dislikes his name and prefers to be called "X."

The show includes original, rock versions of such nursery classics as "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider," and the audience is invited to sing along.

Almost as soon as Party Animals staged its first concert, the group was booked by Armed Forces Entertainment to entertain the offspring of U.S. troops who are living abroad. The company has been to military bases in Norway, England, the Netherlands, Japan, Bahrain and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"These people really sacrifice a lot for their country," Hornung says, "not just the troops, but their families as well. It's the best audience we'll ever have. They're so grateful for anything we do. It's been a wonderful experience, and we're so happy we've been able to perform for them."

mary.mccauley@baltsun.com



- Baltimore Sun

“This is definitely the best overall kid’s show I have ever seen. Thank you for Rocking the Netherlands!”

---- Lieutenant Colonel Andino-Aquino (NATO)


“It was a total success thanks to your amazing contributions...and everyone in attendance thoroughly enjoyed your outstanding performance!”
----Tyhese Sample (Screen Actors Guild)


“One of the best live shows for kids that I have ever seen. My daughter will not stop listening to the CD!”

---- Michelle Weiss (Playhouse Disney)


“OMG! You guys have been the talk of the entire event. The kids and families have never had so much fun. We want to have you back every year!”

----Matti Contopulos (Children for Cancer Research)


“We have never had an event that the kids and parents were so totally engrossed for the whole show. What an amazing testament to you and your group! Thanks again for bringing so many smiles to our kids.”

----Silvana Berberian (Universal City Walk -Hollywood)


“Wow! Thank you SO very, very much for playing on Friday. I was absolutely blown away by how much everybody loved your show. I really can’t thank you enough!”

---- Jennifer Jesperson
(Stevenson Elementary School)


“I brought my 18 month old daughter to the party animals and a new groupie was born.    The things she retained from this show, and the joy she experienced, well.... she is still babbling about non stop.  And my husband and I love the music.  The Party Animals ROCK, truly.”

---- Alison Roberston-Boris (Producer - BD Approach) - The Party Animals Live

“This is definitely the best overall kid’s show I have ever seen. Thank you for Rocking the Netherlands!”

---- Lieutenant Colonel Andino-Aquino (NATO)


“It was a total success thanks to your amazing contributions...and everyone in attendance thoroughly enjoyed your outstanding performance!”
----Tyhese Sample (Screen Actors Guild)


“One of the best live shows for kids that I have ever seen. My daughter will not stop listening to the CD!”

---- Michelle Weiss (Playhouse Disney)


“OMG! You guys have been the talk of the entire event. The kids and families have never had so much fun. We want to have you back every year!”

----Matti Contopulos (Children for Cancer Research)


“We have never had an event that the kids and parents were so totally engrossed for the whole show. What an amazing testament to you and your group! Thanks again for bringing so many smiles to our kids.”

----Silvana Berberian (Universal City Walk -Hollywood)


“Wow! Thank you SO very, very much for playing on Friday. I was absolutely blown away by how much everybody loved your show. I really can’t thank you enough!”

---- Jennifer Jesperson
(Stevenson Elementary School)


“I brought my 18 month old daughter to the party animals and a new groupie was born.    The things she retained from this show, and the joy she experienced, well.... she is still babbling about non stop.  And my husband and I love the music.  The Party Animals ROCK, truly.”

---- Alison Roberston-Boris (Producer - BD Approach) - The Party Animals Live

Rock ‘n’ Roll is heading to Cuba, Party Animal Style, with two performances of an Armed Forces Entertainment Tour specifically designed for the families of our troops. The Party Animals Live gives the elementary-school set a rockin’ good time with an edgy beat, kid-friendly lyrics and a live interactive show in celebration of “Month of the Military Child” in April.

Los Angeles, CA. March 30, 2009—The Party Animals Live will be donating their services beginning April 17, 2009 traveling to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for another Armed Forces Entertainment (AFE) tour. Once again AFE is saying “thank you” to a very specific group of the military that is oftentimes forgotten: The Children. For many years, April has been designated as the “Month of the Military Child.” This April, The Party Animals Live will take its festive brand of children entertainment to the military families stationed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Party Animals Live is a “one stop shop” in providing children entertainment and will be throwing two huge bashes, April 19 and 20 in conjunction with this celebration.

The show starts as soon as you get to the venue. Concert goers are invited to arrive up to an hour before the posted show times to enjoy face painting, magic, balloon animals, stilt walkers and more at The Party Animals Pre-Show Festivities. Then The Party Animals take the stage for a high-energy concert the whole family can enjoy with interactive songs and dances that maintain the party from the moment you arrive until the moment you leave.

The Party Animals are no strangers to entertaining the troops and their families. They teamed up with AFE in Fall 2007 and traveled to Europe for twelve performances in five countries. After getting back home to California, The Party Animals teamed up with the Navy and MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) and performed on military bases in San Diego, Ventura, and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

The Party Animals don makeup and accessories to create their onstage personas: Kaiya the Kangaroo, keyboard and lead vocals; Walter the Fox, lead guitar and vocals; Brandon the Bear, bass guitar; Lance the Lion, drums; and their friends Dee and Jay, who help as the narrators of the show. Together, they sing and dance to original music written by Phil X and Ninette Terhart from the rock band “Powder.” Phil X can also be heard as a session guitarist on albums for Daughtry, Kelly Clarkson, and Tommy Lee to name just a few.

The Party Animals were created to fill the entertainment need of the youngest rock ‘n’ roll fans, two to eight years old, who enjoy the adult sound but deserve kid-friendly lyrics. According to The Party Animals founder, Mark Allen Ruegg, “Kids love listening to adult music for the beat, but often you’ll hear a preschooler singing Pussycat Dolls’ or Eminem’s lyrics that aren’t really appropriate for children. We’ve created a rhythm that’s hip and now, with lyrics that are appropriate for kids of all ages.” This show isn’t just for the kids though. The Party Animals perform rock ‘n’ roll for the whole family and encourage all parents to come and rock out with their kids.
- Tolucan Times

Rock ‘n’ Roll is heading to Cuba, Party Animal Style, with two performances of an Armed Forces Entertainment Tour specifically designed for the families of our troops. The Party Animals Live gives the elementary-school set a rockin’ good time with an edgy beat, kid-friendly lyrics and a live interactive show in celebration of “Month of the Military Child” in April.

Los Angeles, CA. March 30, 2009—The Party Animals Live will be donating their services beginning April 17, 2009 traveling to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for another Armed Forces Entertainment (AFE) tour. Once again AFE is saying “thank you” to a very specific group of the military that is oftentimes forgotten: The Children. For many years, April has been designated as the “Month of the Military Child.” This April, The Party Animals Live will take its festive brand of children entertainment to the military families stationed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Party Animals Live is a “one stop shop” in providing children entertainment and will be throwing two huge bashes, April 19 and 20 in conjunction with this celebration.

The show starts as soon as you get to the venue. Concert goers are invited to arrive up to an hour before the posted show times to enjoy face painting, magic, balloon animals, stilt walkers and more at The Party Animals Pre-Show Festivities. Then The Party Animals take the stage for a high-energy concert the whole family can enjoy with interactive songs and dances that maintain the party from the moment you arrive until the moment you leave.

The Party Animals are no strangers to entertaining the troops and their families. They teamed up with AFE in Fall 2007 and traveled to Europe for twelve performances in five countries. After getting back home to California, The Party Animals teamed up with the Navy and MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) and performed on military bases in San Diego, Ventura, and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

The Party Animals don makeup and accessories to create their onstage personas: Kaiya the Kangaroo, keyboard and lead vocals; Walter the Fox, lead guitar and vocals; Brandon the Bear, bass guitar; Lance the Lion, drums; and their friends Dee and Jay, who help as the narrators of the show. Together, they sing and dance to original music written by Phil X and Ninette Terhart from the rock band “Powder.” Phil X can also be heard as a session guitarist on albums for Daughtry, Kelly Clarkson, and Tommy Lee to name just a few.

The Party Animals were created to fill the entertainment need of the youngest rock ‘n’ roll fans, two to eight years old, who enjoy the adult sound but deserve kid-friendly lyrics. According to The Party Animals founder, Mark Allen Ruegg, “Kids love listening to adult music for the beat, but often you’ll hear a preschooler singing Pussycat Dolls’ or Eminem’s lyrics that aren’t really appropriate for children. We’ve created a rhythm that’s hip and now, with lyrics that are appropriate for kids of all ages.” This show isn’t just for the kids though. The Party Animals perform rock ‘n’ roll for the whole family and encourage all parents to come and rock out with their kids.
- Tolucan Times

Former Valley resident Ian McDavid, 28, spent a few days at Guantanamo Bay in April. Luckily, he wasn't a resident at the infamous prison. He was a performer with the Party
Animals' concert, for the military
children who live in Cuba, as part of the Armed Forces Entertainment Tour.
This weekend, he'll be marking Labor Day in Bahrain, a small island off the coast of Saudi Arabia. He will spend the holiday weekend singing, dancing and putting smiles on the faces of dozens of American children growing up outside of their home country. "Most people don't get to see these places unless they're in the military, so it's a real treat for me," McDavid said. After graduating Sonoma Valley High School in 1999, he went to Cal State Fulerton to earn a degree in musical theater. In 2007, McDavid auditioned for the Party Animals, a children's rock 'n' roll band that uses fun characters and catchy tunes to get kids up and dancing during their
live performances. He scored the part of Walter the Fox, lead guitarist and vocalist in the merry band of animal rockstars. "Kids like the music their older siblings listen to but it's not right to hear a toddler sing along with the Pussycat Dolls," said Mark Ruegg, who founded Party Animals in 2007. "I thought if we could create something with that cool, hip beat but with more kid appropriate lyrics, we might just have something." Ruegg said the group started small, booking three shows at a theater in Burbank. "We ended up selling out all three shows," he said. "And somebody affiliated with the USO saw it."
Ruegg said he was approached and asked if the Party Animals would want to perform for the military families living at bases across Europe. McDavid was on the tour, which crisscrossed more than 18 bases throughout Northern Europe in 21 days. "It was a whirlwind tour we like to call it," McDavid said. For the hundreds of children growing up on
military bases, it was a treat to have a live concert just for them. A vast majority of performers come to entertain the troops, and finding kid-friendly acts can be difficult.
"All the parents are always just so happy we came out," McDavid said.
When the group performed at Guantanamo Bay, Ruegg said it was the first time the base had hosted family entertainment in
three years. McDavid and Ruegg said the children were ecstatic because there is little to do on the remote base as no one is allowed to travel into the country the way military families can at other bases. McDavid said the USO pays for the group to fly and either finds them rooms at the base or puts them up in a hotel during the trip. While in Cuba, the group stayed on the base and only saw the notorious prison's outer fence. When the opportunity to perform in the Middle East presented itself, Ruegg first wanted to make
sure the performers would be safe. In 2004, the Pentagon forced families to leave the base in
Bahrain citing concerns about an Al Qaida attack. As the threat diminished, the military families
were finally reunited on the base in June. "To top it all off, we're going during Ramadan," Ruegg said, referring to the holiest time of the
year on the Islamic calendar. "We have to be totally covered and can't eat anything from sunup to sundown. It should be a pretty interesting cultural experience. We thought Guantanamo Bay was going to be pretty wild and crazy, but this could top that." McDavid said he never expected he would get to travel the world when he signed on to the Party Animals, but he has no plans to leave the group any time soon. He's even established his own
groupies. "We call them 'Fanimals,'" he said. - Sonama News

Former Valley resident Ian McDavid, 28, spent a few days at Guantanamo Bay in April. Luckily, he wasn't a resident at the infamous prison. He was a performer with the Party
Animals' concert, for the military
children who live in Cuba, as part of the Armed Forces Entertainment Tour.
This weekend, he'll be marking Labor Day in Bahrain, a small island off the coast of Saudi Arabia. He will spend the holiday weekend singing, dancing and putting smiles on the faces of dozens of American children growing up outside of their home country. "Most people don't get to see these places unless they're in the military, so it's a real treat for me," McDavid said. After graduating Sonoma Valley High School in 1999, he went to Cal State Fulerton to earn a degree in musical theater. In 2007, McDavid auditioned for the Party Animals, a children's rock 'n' roll band that uses fun characters and catchy tunes to get kids up and dancing during their
live performances. He scored the part of Walter the Fox, lead guitarist and vocalist in the merry band of animal rockstars. "Kids like the music their older siblings listen to but it's not right to hear a toddler sing along with the Pussycat Dolls," said Mark Ruegg, who founded Party Animals in 2007. "I thought if we could create something with that cool, hip beat but with more kid appropriate lyrics, we might just have something." Ruegg said the group started small, booking three shows at a theater in Burbank. "We ended up selling out all three shows," he said. "And somebody affiliated with the USO saw it."
Ruegg said he was approached and asked if the Party Animals would want to perform for the military families living at bases across Europe. McDavid was on the tour, which crisscrossed more than 18 bases throughout Northern Europe in 21 days. "It was a whirlwind tour we like to call it," McDavid said. For the hundreds of children growing up on
military bases, it was a treat to have a live concert just for them. A vast majority of performers come to entertain the troops, and finding kid-friendly acts can be difficult.
"All the parents are always just so happy we came out," McDavid said.
When the group performed at Guantanamo Bay, Ruegg said it was the first time the base had hosted family entertainment in
three years. McDavid and Ruegg said the children were ecstatic because there is little to do on the remote base as no one is allowed to travel into the country the way military families can at other bases. McDavid said the USO pays for the group to fly and either finds them rooms at the base or puts them up in a hotel during the trip. While in Cuba, the group stayed on the base and only saw the notorious prison's outer fence. When the opportunity to perform in the Middle East presented itself, Ruegg first wanted to make
sure the performers would be safe. In 2004, the Pentagon forced families to leave the base in
Bahrain citing concerns about an Al Qaida attack. As the threat diminished, the military families
were finally reunited on the base in June. "To top it all off, we're going during Ramadan," Ruegg said, referring to the holiest time of the
year on the Islamic calendar. "We have to be totally covered and can't eat anything from sunup to sundown. It should be a pretty interesting cultural experience. We thought Guantanamo Bay was going to be pretty wild and crazy, but this could top that." McDavid said he never expected he would get to travel the world when he signed on to the Party Animals, but he has no plans to leave the group any time soon. He's even established his own
groupies. "We call them 'Fanimals,'" he said. - Sonama News

Sep. 28--Billy Rogers was in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, face paint, a wig with ears attached and a long tail protruding from the back of his beach shorts, when a little girl approached.

"She wanted my autograph," he said.

That's when the Edmond native knew the years of dancing, acting and stage performing were worth it. "I'm very lucky," he said. Rogers, 24, who lives in Los Angeles, is part of the Party Animals, a rock 'n' roll group aimed at kids ages 2 to 8. The four-member group, created originally as high-end birthday party entertainment, recently has been traveling overseas to perform for families of military personnel.

Rogers plays "Lance the Lion," a laid-back "surfer dude" version of the kingly beast. Rogers has developed an entire persona for his counterpart. The character lives in Venice Beach, is into yoga and health foods and works out a lot, Rogers said.

Lance plays drums for the Party Animals, which is a reach for Rogers, who barely had sat at a set of drums before a friend last year told him the Party Animals needed a new drummer. "Oddly enough, I look exactly like the last guy" who portrayed Lance, Rogers said. But drum experience? "Not at all," he said, even though "I'm very good at keeping a beat."

Otherwise, Lance is perfect for Rogers. "Performing for the kids has always been my thing," he said.

Rogers has danced since he was 3, he said. But at Edmond Santa Fe High School, sports were his thing, particularly basketball, where he played small forward. Once, he won a spot in a school talent show, but with his sports commitments, found it difficult to find time to practice.

After graduation, the 5-foot-11 Rogers, passed on a basketball scholarship offer from a small Kansas college to major in dance at the University of Central Oklahoma. He liked dance but wasn't interested in other courses, so he headed west to do what many do: pursue dreams. "Dance is what brought me out here," Rogers said of Los Angeles. There, Rogers and a woman he met launched Artist Community for Change, a nonprofit organization for artists to focus on humanitarian and environmental issues.

And last November, he began performing with the Party Animals. The group does commercial shows in the U.S., including private parties and special events, and often works with other performers, including a contortionist.

"It's pretty much a rock 'n' roll circus," said Mark Ruegg, creator and producer.

The group signed on with Armed Forces Entertainment and in 2007 toured bases in several European countries, Ruegg said. In England, they performed for an audience that included families that had lost loved ones in fighting in the Middle East. Grieving mothers and their children in attendance "could not thank us enough," Ruegg said. "It's why we're doing it."

In April, the group, which included Rogers at that point, went to Guantanamo. They toured the small corner of Cuba controlled by the U.S. and performed for families at the base. And in recent weeks, they traveled to Bahrain, where they performed a somewhat different act only for troops because family and children were not present. Many military personnel told band members how unpleasant their lives were in the region and how down they felt about not being home, Rogers said. But military personnel said the performance helped lift their spirits.

One young woman said she hated her life, but said the performers "pretty much made my year," Rogers said. "It was a tearful moment for her. That really touched me."

- The Oklahoman

Sep. 28--Billy Rogers was in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, face paint, a wig with ears attached and a long tail protruding from the back of his beach shorts, when a little girl approached.

"She wanted my autograph," he said.

That's when the Edmond native knew the years of dancing, acting and stage performing were worth it. "I'm very lucky," he said. Rogers, 24, who lives in Los Angeles, is part of the Party Animals, a rock 'n' roll group aimed at kids ages 2 to 8. The four-member group, created originally as high-end birthday party entertainment, recently has been traveling overseas to perform for families of military personnel.

Rogers plays "Lance the Lion," a laid-back "surfer dude" version of the kingly beast. Rogers has developed an entire persona for his counterpart. The character lives in Venice Beach, is into yoga and health foods and works out a lot, Rogers said.

Lance plays drums for the Party Animals, which is a reach for Rogers, who barely had sat at a set of drums before a friend last year told him the Party Animals needed a new drummer. "Oddly enough, I look exactly like the last guy" who portrayed Lance, Rogers said. But drum experience? "Not at all," he said, even though "I'm very good at keeping a beat."

Otherwise, Lance is perfect for Rogers. "Performing for the kids has always been my thing," he said.

Rogers has danced since he was 3, he said. But at Edmond Santa Fe High School, sports were his thing, particularly basketball, where he played small forward. Once, he won a spot in a school talent show, but with his sports commitments, found it difficult to find time to practice.

After graduation, the 5-foot-11 Rogers, passed on a basketball scholarship offer from a small Kansas college to major in dance at the University of Central Oklahoma. He liked dance but wasn't interested in other courses, so he headed west to do what many do: pursue dreams. "Dance is what brought me out here," Rogers said of Los Angeles. There, Rogers and a woman he met launched Artist Community for Change, a nonprofit organization for artists to focus on humanitarian and environmental issues.

And last November, he began performing with the Party Animals. The group does commercial shows in the U.S., including private parties and special events, and often works with other performers, including a contortionist.

"It's pretty much a rock 'n' roll circus," said Mark Ruegg, creator and producer.

The group signed on with Armed Forces Entertainment and in 2007 toured bases in several European countries, Ruegg said. In England, they performed for an audience that included families that had lost loved ones in fighting in the Middle East. Grieving mothers and their children in attendance "could not thank us enough," Ruegg said. "It's why we're doing it."

In April, the group, which included Rogers at that point, went to Guantanamo. They toured the small corner of Cuba controlled by the U.S. and performed for families at the base. And in recent weeks, they traveled to Bahrain, where they performed a somewhat different act only for troops because family and children were not present. Many military personnel told band members how unpleasant their lives were in the region and how down they felt about not being home, Rogers said. But military personnel said the performance helped lift their spirits.

One young woman said she hated her life, but said the performers "pretty much made my year," Rogers said. "It was a tearful moment for her. That really touched me."

- The Oklahoman