June Tunes: Recess Monkey & Red Yarn Release New Albums

Portland, get ready to rock – kindie style. Pacific northwest artists, Recess Monkey and Red Yarn, release new albums this month and host super fun concerts to showcase their work. Here’s how you can hear the albums and see the shows to support our local music scene.

photo: Recess Monkey

Recess Monkey
Three Seattle school teacher-musicians, Jack Forman, Drew Holloway and Korum Bischoff are flying high with their 12th studio album release, Hot Air, a 2-disc set with 15 original songs on CD and an animated, magical hot air balloon adventure on DVD. The video features frontman Foreman’s original art, blended with live action pieces and is narrated by actor, Christine Deaver, from Seattle’s Teatro ZinZanni. Together, the story and music explore the concepts of flight, adventure and discovery, as well as everyday occurrences in elementary school kids’ lives, like wearing hand me-downs and hanging out with kids who are different from them.

Recess Monkey’s bouncy, catchy music is totally danceable and gets kids and parents shaking their collective groove thing.Not only that, but the award-winning band has been heralded far and wide for its ability to be completely tapped in to the elementary school kid experience by the likes of People, USA Today, The New York Times and NPR.

Recess Monkey’s trio will be touring all summer, but stopping in Portland on the Hot Air album’s official release date, June 16th. Here’s where to catch them live:

Tues., June 16
3 p.m. Tigard Library, 13500 SW Hall Blvd., Tigard
7 p.m. Tualatin Commons, 8325 SW Nyberg St., Tualatin
Free
Online: recessmonkeytown.com

 photo: Red Yarn

Red Yarn
Red Yarn’s new 14-track album, Deep Woods Revival, features foot-tapping, catchy acoustic folk music that makes it completely impossible to sit still while listening. The music is rich and full of vocal harmonies, guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, slide guitar and accordion along with Red Yarn’s engrossing songs about squirrels, grizzly bears, hares, groundhogs and a cross-eyed gopher.

Red Yarn, along with a full band and choir, will perform two shows on Father’s Day at The Old Church to showcase the new album. Here’s where you can check him out:

Sun., June 21
3:30-4:45 p.m. and 5:30-6:45 p.m.
The Old Church
1422 SW 11th Ave.
$8/person advance; $10/person at door; free for babes in arms
Online: redyarnproductions.com

Have you seen these musicians live? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!

–Suzie Ridgway