(Note: Thanks to Nicola Nieburg, a freelance writer from South Africa via Hoboken, NJ who now lives in New Canaan, for contributing this great piece about Dre Towey. For more information about Nicola, please visit www.NicolaNieburg.com or email her at nnieburg@gmail.com.)
If you’re looking for an outing for your kiddies that’s going to be as fun for you as it is for them, do yourself a favor and check out Dre Towey’s next gig. My daughter Hannah, 16 months, and I bopped along (when I wasn’t chasing her) to her colorful lyrics and catchy tunes a couple weeks ago when we caught her regular Tuesday morning performance at Chef’s Table in Fairfield. Please
note that unfortunately for all of us, the band is on hiatus till September.As you may well know it’s not always so easy finding “Mommy-and-mes” that aren’t a little dull/repetitive/lame… (pick your adjective) for Mom after a while. I know it’s all about THEM. But, let’s face it, Mama’s got to sit through these classes week after week too!! So they might as well be enjoyable for us! (Besides, research shows a happy mom makes a happy babe!)
Fortunately moments after rock ‘n roll mom Dre began strumming her guitar, I knew Hannah and I were both in a for a treat. The rest of the band—percussionist Kwame Henry Jones and “guest artists” (Psst: really Dre’s kids) Mae, 4, on vocals, Emmet, 7, on the African drum, and Hannah, 9, on vocals—only added to the appeal. And judging by the number of (small) fans banging drums and shaking maracas in the front row, we weren’t the only ones having a blast! Their moms feel the same way: “The music at Chef's Table is downright adorable!” enthuses Lynsey, a Fairfield local and a regular on Tuesday mornings. “Brendan, 13 months, is just at the right age to really enjoy it now. It’s such fun to let loose with the other Moms and their kids.” First-timer, Susan, felt the same: “Dre Towey was very cool, and her music was great,” she says. “My daughter Giulia, 2.5 years old, jumped right in when the kids' instruments came out. Plus, Chef's Table has excellent coffee, and a wide selection of food for even the pickiest toddler. We'll definitely be back in the Fall!”
Turns out—not surprisingly—that Dre (AKA Andrea Loomis Towey) is a woman of many talents. Apart from writing, playing and singing her own music and lyrics, she does all her own PR, artwork and marketing. She’s also a former elementary school teacher (which explains the quirky lyrics that appeal to young and old-er alike) and art educator. Dre got her start in children’s music when she was asked to illustrate the CD Dancin’ in the Kitchen for a friend. Inspired by the success of their first collaboration, she went on to write and illustrate for the second CD. In 2006, she produced her own CD Chester the Dog, Unleashed. Keep an eye on her website (www.littleloomis.com) for details of her soon-to-be-released next CD, Sugar on Top.
Come September, you can catch Dre in action at Chef’s Table, Fairfield, at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays or check out story time at the Rowayton library at 10.30 a.m. on the first Friday of every month. Hannah and I will see you there—in the front row!
www.littleloomis.com
www.chefstable.com
www.nicolanieburg.com
1 comment:
OK - this is one event that I am REALLY going to try to make. Supporting good music is important.
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