If a child is sitting in front of a television, We Are the Laurie Berkner Band is the award-winning entertainment they should be watching. The Laurie Berkner Band is an upbeat group with an extraordinary talent for writing and performing. The band’s energy is contagious, so "just sitting" is not what they inspire!
Songs on the DVD are collected from Berkner’s many cds, and fans of Berkner’s music will love seeing the band in action. Add children, bright clothes and DVD technology, and you have a very enjoyable, entertaining video.
The children on the DVD are amazing. They come in all shapes and sizes; a welcomed respite from the standard Abercrombie & Fitch kid crowd. In the bonus tracks, the behind-the-scenes video shows fans how the DVD was made, including all the children’s involvement. There are some great out-takes, including a girl correcting the adult cuing her.
The DVD starts out with I’m Gonna Catch You, an upbeat song featuring the seven days of the week and fun, random rhymes about each day. Their song Victor Vito is delightful. Vegetarian parents will love its emphasis on eating healthy food. Their version of O Susannah is fabulous, especially since it gives Berkner’s husband, the bassist, a chance at the microphone. He pulls it off well.
The band members seem comfortable performing for kids, though they started out their careers playing adult-centered music. There’s not a lot of self-conscious performing; they look healthy and interested, unlike some "for-kid groups" who look like your scary next-door-neighbor or as if they might have had a past life in a circus! Laurie Berkner is fun, but she’s not a clown.
The clothing the band wears might put off some conservative parents – or parents who don’t get out much. Laurie and the pianist, Susie Lampert, wear fun, bright clothes that sometimes are figure-hugging and lingerie-like. Although Berkner dances around and has some wonderful moves while playing the guitar, she usually sports solid high heels. Because Laurie is lovely, and our children might want to be "just like" her, those may not be the kind of shoes parents want their daughters asking for. But hopefully they’ll skip wanting her shoes and will just want her amazing voice, great smile, great dancing and bouncing hair.
From the goofy (but somehow sophisticated) dance moves to the learn-the-signs songs, Berkner and her band are fun and encourage interactivity. The DVD includes two songs that were recorded live, which adds a familiarity adults will enjoy.
The DVD debuted on the Billboard Music Video DVD Chart at #1, and has kept that position for 4 weeks in a row---not surprising!
Visit the band's website at www.laurieberkner.com.
