Ben Rudnick and Friends: Under the Copper Beech CD Review and Giveaway

Who's Ben Rudnick and Friends?

With legions of devoted fans throughout the country, FIVE Parents’ Choice® Awards in their hip pocket, and a tsunami of critical praise, Ben Rudnick and Friends stand in the front row of the best of today’s family music performers. With yards of acclaim for their studio recordings, it’s easy to forget that Ben Rudnick and Friends is first and foremost a live band! In the spirit of sharing a Ben Rudnick and Friends live concert of historical significance, Ben Rudnick released his ninth album, Live in Lexington: Under the Copper Beech on August 30th. (Bartlett Ave. Records, $14.99, for all ages, run time 78 minutes).

Affectionately nicknamed “the Grateful Dead for kids,” Ben Rudnick and Friends create a jam band dynamic that transforms their concerts into events. The band’s stratospheric level of adventurous musicianship brilliantly beams across a spectrum of bluegrass, light folk, calypso, country, second-line New Orleans jazz, and the many flavors of rock. The result: kids and grownups dance together, older folks happily recognize many songs, and a sense of community fun dominates the scene.

On July 11, 2008, Ben Rudnick and Friends set up at one of their favorite venues, the Town Green in Lexington, Massachusetts, site of their very first gig, where they’d played every summer since 2001. Flying high from a string of summertime shows, poignantly saying goodbye to Mark Yacovone, the band’s accordion player who moved to Mississippi the next day, and joined by Rob “It’s Saturday Night” Lee on saxophone, the band turned in an unforgettable performance. Happily, for music loving families everywhere, this musical slice of family apple pie was recorded. The result is Live in Lexington: Under the Copper Beech.

Ben Rudnick and Friends take great pleasure in introducing kids and families to music that is an important part of America’s cultural fabric. Rather than playing down to kids, Rudnick assumes that children enjoy listening to a variety of music, much of which would not necessarily be labeled as “kids’ music.” When performing for children in a family audience setting, Ben Rudnick and Friends do so in a thoroughly honest way, bringing in music from many sources: folk tunes, cowboy songs, bluegrass melodies, and songs made popular by great singers of the 1950s like Hank Williams and Buddy Holly, in addition to Ben Rudnick originals.

Notes from Ben Rudnick, “The Lexington Friday Night Concert Series has been going on for quite awhile, and we are by far the biggest draw. When we play, there are upwards of 2,000 people on the historic Green with chairs and blankets and food and kids and balloons, and it's just a great atmosphere. We like to say it’s ‘America at its best on a Friday night.’ If you can picture a sort of hip Norman Rockwell image with a little tie-dye thrown in for good measure, that's Lexington when we play. With 2,000 people out there and everyone in a good mood, it transports the band to another zone, and we feel great ourselves, which comes through in the music.”

About "Under the Copper Beech"

Putting a live concert ambiance behind repertoire heard on Ben Rudnick and Friends’ first six recordings and mixing in some of the band’s favorite cover songs, Live in Lexington: Under the Copper Beech fills every available second of its CD with good-time tunes as only Ben Rudnick and Friends can deliver. Highlights include “I Like Silver, I Like Gold,” which incorporates clave rhythms of South America in much the same way as did the great Bo Diddley, a lively treatment of the traditional “Skip to My Lou,” Hank Williams favorites “Hey, Good Lookin’” and “Jambalaya,” Buddy Holly’s “Oh Boy!,” a joyful instrumental rendition of “Hava Nagila,” Dire Straits’ “Walk of Life,” “When the Saints Go Marching In,” and many more.
 

Upcoming Concert Dates

September 24 and 25      Life is Good Festival      Canton, MA
October 29      Symphony Space      New York, NY
November 12      World Café Live      Philadelphia, PA

What We Thought

This CD rocks! Maggie and I both love the variety of music on this CD and the great beats! I love that there are songs that even I enjoy (and so does she!). I particularly really liked "When the Saints Go Marching In" and "I Got a New Friend." I think Maggie really liked, "Macaroni and Cheese." It's a great CD to pop in and get her up and dancing around (which to me means a great way of exercising for kids!).  I think this is one CD the whole family could agree on listening to! Pop it in your car and take it on your next road trip!

Buy It!

You can purchase this CD at http://www.benrudnick.com/ and at Amazon.com.

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