The Bunny Clogs will kick off the evening with their own brand of funky dance rock for kids. They will perform songs off their debut record, "More! More! More!" which has been described as part comedy and part dance party while delivering an overall positive message. Their music will delight kids of any age.
The free concert begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.
Who are Robbert Bobbert and the Bubble Machine?
What's happening during the Last Week in the Family Fun Tent this Week?
Millennium Park is located in the heart of downtown Chicago. It is bordered by Michigan Ave. to the west, Columbus Dr. to the east, Randolph St. to the north and Monroe St. to the south. Convenient parking is located in the Millennium Park Garage (entrance on Columbus at Monroe or Randolph) and at the Grant Park North and East Monroe Garages, all located within a short walking distance of Millennium Park.
Millennium Park, managed and programmed by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, is an award-winning center for art, music, architecture and landscape design. The result of a unique partnership between the City of Chicago and the philanthropic community, the 24.5-acre park features the work of world-renowned architects, planners, artists and designers. Among Millennium Park's prominent features are the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States; the interactive Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa; the contemporary Lurie Garden designed by the team of Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, Piet Oudolf and Robert Israel; and Anish Kapoor's hugely popular Cloud Gate sculpture. Since its opening in July 2004, Millennium Park has welcomed more than 16 million people, making it one of the most popular destinations in Chicago.
For more information about Robbert Bobbert and the Bubble Machine with the Bunny Clogs in Millennium Park, visit www.millenniumpark.org or call 312.742.1168.
ROBBERT BOBBERT AND THE BUBBLE MACHINE
Free concert
6:30 pm tonight
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Millennium Park
www.millenniumpark.org
ABOUT ROBERT SCHNEIDER
Robert Schneider is a present day renaissance man; a man whose musical ambition knows no boundaries. His musical explorations continue in 2009 with a brand new release for the youngest among us. His new release, "Robbert Bobbert and the Bubble Machine," offers kids of all ages a lab full of new and original tunes, all produced in Schneider's unique, power pop style. By introducing a the zany scientist character of "Robbert Bobbert" through the comic book art of Todd Webb, Schneider reaches a 21st century audience with new sounds, new ideas and endless imagination.
As the eldest of three brothers, Schneider grew up trying out musical ideas and recording songs for his younger siblings. Some of those tracks, including the song 'Fee Fi Fo' include some of the tracks from those early recordings." Largely a self-taught musician, Schneider began improvising on the piano at an early age, then taught himself guitar as a teen. But he credits his early musical awakening to music classes in elementary school, a place he still says is important for any child's musical education. "Where else are they going to learn those public domain American songs except at school?" he asks.
As anyone that has had a chance to meet Schneider will attest, he is disarmingly charming and energetic. So, when the opportunity to release a kid's music album came into focus, he was determined to make it a masterpiece. Schneider tells of the inspiration and journey in making this new album:
"When I was 21, I started recording fun songs on my four-track for my three kid brothers, which basically was the beginning of this album, he says. "I dropped out of university with my dad's blessing - he believed I showed promise as a children's music artist - and resolved to finish an album of awesome music for kids. I even advertised it for sale in the first Elephant 6 catalog, a little over-ambitiously in hindsight. But within a year, my band The Apples in stereo had signed with spinART Records, and between making albums and touring, I was never able to seriously work on my children's album for years, aside from still recording the occasional song for my brothers - well, maybe 'seriously' is not the right word for making this album. Since then my brothers have grown up, and I have a son of my own, and my friends have kids, so I started recording fun songs for them in my home studio. I finally finished the album I dropped out of college to make."
Today at home in Lexington, KY, he finds time to write songs for his son Max to show off in his second grade class, or at the science fair. In fact, Schneider recently led a presentation about physics at his son's school, presenting a new song called "Gravity," which ended up on the new Robbert Bobbert CD.
Schneider is excited to debut Robbert Bobbert and the Bubble Machine for a new audience. As he says, "Recording music for children is an amazing experience - you have to be extra-creative because you are writing for an extra-creative audience. Kids' ears are very tuned-in to unusual sounds, so you throw all your regular instruments out the window and try to come up with a whole new palette of colorful noises. You want to make super-pop music that kids will like to sing along with. And you and your friends have such a great time singing and dancing around in your studio, it feels like a birthday party in there."
With the launch of Robbert Bobbert and The Bubble Machine's debut album, Schneider continues on his lifelong musical journey of discovery and grand accomplishment.
For more information, visit his website at http://robbertbobbert.com
