04.11.08

Wonderstuff is a great double CD which musically tells a fun story of adventures in the Magical Meadows. How I love Penelope who is not your average storyteller and pronounces: "…you can call me narrator"! You'll meet a turtle named Sammie who characteristically "takes her time" and bravely saves Everett the wonderbee and Harold the rat from the Monkeytown River. Fortunately there is a plethora of tea and crumpets to stave off hunger! Harold, an unlikely savior, finds "The Golden Seed" and discovers a magic carpet of wonderbees with many "Helping Hands".

The music is charmingly varied with lots of styles and good humor. Although the CD tells a story, each of the songs is a great stand alone tune. Adventures at "The Gray" are described in a cute blues melody. A plaintive and captivating tune, "Come Out of Your Shell" is gentle and persuasive. One great song "The Pool" is reminiscent of the Beach Boys and the lyrical "My Pet Rock" recalls the style of the Beatles.

Drew Holloway, Daron Henry and Jack Forman, three elementary school teachers in Seattle perform and record as Recess Monkey. The Wonderstuff album came from their music summer camp for kids. "We made this fun new double album over the summer with the help of over a hundred friends ages 3 to 10! They wrote lyrics, played instruments, made art and watched the story unfold before their very eyes. We turned our school for a couple of weeks into the ultimate music making experience."

From April 11-15, 2008, Seattle became home to an unprecedented five day gathering. The Seeds of Compassion event, anchored by the presence of the Dalai Lama, featured dialogue with renown educators, experts, researchers and policy makers gathered to formulate programs to nurture and empower children. The event, live web cast and available in 24 languages featured Recess Monkey entertaining at the public event at Quest Field, prior to the keynote address by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
We are proud to review this talented group and congratulate them on their amazing gig!