Hilltown Families 
Dancing Skunks and Stolen Toes in Florence
Family Concert at Cup & Top with Mr. Richard
“Richard Peeples [Mr. Richard] has a gruff singing voice that suggests he is more cartoon character than human, but that’s just part of his charm. On his second CD, he lathers his native Louisiana groove and gumption onto songs about dancing skunks and stolen toes.” – Cookie Magazine, April-May 2007
This past Saturday Mr. Richard did a free performance at Cup & Top in Florence, MA, presented by Valley Free Radio’s Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child.
Mr. Richard performed several titles off of his Might As Well Sing album. A few of our favorites were “Airplane Jane,” “Zanyville,” and “Long Island Railroad Blues.” While we didn’t find his voice gruff (as suggested by Cookie Magazine) we did find his lyrics silly and fun. Several songs he performed had sound effects that engaged his audience. We ended up snorting like pigs to his song “Pigs Pigs Pigs” and tugging at pretend train horns as he blew into his harmonica in “Long Island Railroad Blues.”
I imagine what Lui Collins is to the Hilltowns, and Aric Bieganek is to Northampton, Mr. Richard is to Orlando, Florida. A bright engaging artist that makes young children laugh at silly lyrics, and dance around pretending they’re pigs, snakes, airplanes, and so on. A good formula that works well with young children.
Here’s a video of “Airplane Jane” from Saturdays performance, with Persephone breaking through a bout of shyness. She’s sporting her favorite dress she out grew last summer and somehow always locates it no matter where I hide it …:
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Sienna – thanks for the swell mention! If anyone is interested, you can hear one of my kids songs, “Central Park Kitty,” by going to http://www.myspace.com/recessrock.
Also, on the morning of June 6th, I will be performing at a benefit for Heather Egan Haynes, a mother who passed away recently, only days after giving birth to her son, Samuel. The event will happen in the basement of Edwards Church at the Northampton Parents Center, and it will happen from 9:30 – 11:30am. Music begins at 10:45am, and all donations received will go straight to the Samuel Owens Haynes Fund. For more information visit the Parents Center website at http://www.northamptonparentscenter.org.
Thanks,
Aric Bieganek