Basic Info

Members:: Laurie Berkner - lead vocals, guitar; Susie Lampert - keyboard/piano, vocals; Adam Bernstein - bass, vocals; Bobby Golden - percussion and drums
Genre:: Family and Children's Rock/Folk
Hometown:: New York, NY
Record Label:: Two Tomatoes Records, LLC

Detailed Info

Website:: http://www.twotomatoes.com/site/index.php
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fus...
Current Location:: New York, NY
General Manager:: Shannon Chirone - Please send fan e-mail or general questions to Katie at Katie@twotomatoes.com!
Booking Agent:: John Waldman, booking@twotomatoes.com - serious inquiries only, please! No private parties or Birthday Parties, sorry :)
Press Contact:: Sarah Geist Rosen at SKG Publicity, publicity@twotomatoes.com - Media Requests Only
Artists We Also Like:: Ziggy Marley, Hot Peas 'n Butter, Dirty Sock Funtime Band, David Weinstone and Music for Aardvarks, Tres Leches, Dan Zanes, The Beatles, Spaghetti Cake, Leon Thomas, Nuttin But Strings, The Quiet Two
Band Interests:: Helping to keep the environment healthy, being outside, traveling, playing games, spending time with family, learning, giving back, cooking, and so much more!
Biography:: Laurie Berkner

Laurie Berkner Laurie Berkner has been a professional musician since 1992, but her success as a children's recording artist was a surprise to her. "It was so unexpected," says Laurie. "I'd been performing in rock bands (including Lois Lane, an all-female cover band, as well as her own original rock band, Red Onion) and struggling to write original music. Writing music for kids has not been a struggle at all. The more I started working on material for children, the more I realized that it opened up creativity in me that I never knew I had."

While Laurie never planned to be a children's performer, looking back on her career it almost seems inevitable. Music was certainly in her blood, and working with children was a running theme. Growing up in Princeton, New Jersey, Laurie was always involved in music, whether singing in choirs, playing in bands, or performing in musical theater. In high school and throughout college (at Rutgers University), she toured Europe with several choirs and orchestras as a soloist and guitarist. After college, Laurie worked as music counselor at summer camps, and later worked for several years as a children's music specialist at New York area preschool and day care centers. Working with children became the perfect creative outlet for Laurie to express her talents and create something that, she says, "has turned out to be incredibly rewarding."

Laurie's early loves included music from Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and Broadway musicals (especially ones starring Julie Andrews!), Marlo Thomas' 'Free To Be You And Me' album, and Simon & Garfunkel. In high school her tastes ranged from the Beatles to Blondie, and during college it evolved towards artists such as Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Joan Armatrading, the Rolling Stones and Talking Heads. More recently she has been inspired by a diverse group of musicians including Beck, Liz Phair, Aimee Mann, Hawaiian slack key guitarist Dennis Kamakahi (whom she discovered on her honeymoon), and the late African guitarist and bluesman Ali Farka Touré.

Laurie's first release in 1997, 'Whaddaya Think Of That?' (only available on cassette at the time) was inspired by the parents of her young students. "The children were really responding to the music we created together," explains Laurie. Many of the songs involve movement, and all of them invite children's participation. Songs such as 'We Are The Dinosaurs' allow children to express anger and to feel powerful, while quieter songs inspire feelings of security and warmth. By the time she released her second CD in 1998, 'Buzz Buzz,' Laurie had formed her own record company, Two Tomatoes Records, LLC. Her work began to sell briskly in the New York area as word of mouth began to spread and critical acclaim began pouring in. Laurie's inventive, playful, and well-crafted songs, as well as her accomplished guitar playing and warm, engaging vocals, stood out among other, often over-produced, children's fare.

By the time Laurie's third release, 'Victor Vito' came out in late 1999, Laurie had national distribution and a fanatic following among children aged 0-7. The CD received enormous critical acclaim from publications ranging from People Magazine to U.S. News & World Report, and the FX Network's "American Baby Show" invited Laurie to make her first national TV appearance. 'Victor Vito' was bestowed two Children's Music Web awards and a Parent's Guide To Children's Media Award. Us Magazine's Bruce Kluger proclaimed, "the title cut has already become a birthday party anthem."

'Whaddaya Think Of That?' was re-mastered and re-released on CD in September, 2000. Critical raves soon followed. Family Fun's Moira McCormick named it one of the best children's CDs of 2000, and wrote, "[Laurie's] congenial voice and acoustic guitar, off-the-wall sense of humor, and ability to zero in on exactly what tickles her young audience's fancies make her special indeed . . . Berkner's a blast." The Los Angeles Times' Lynne Heffley took note of Laurie's expert use of "rhythm, rhyme and humor irresistible to little ones for play-along fun."

The Laurie Berkner Band, Susie Lampert on keyboards and Laurie's husband Brian Mueller on bass (Brian left the band in early 2006), made their debut on VHS in September, 2001, with the release of 'Laurie Berkner's Video Songbook.' Filmed at one of their standing-room-only concerts, the video blends deliberately simple animation with live footage. NBC's Today Show previewed the video when the band performed live on the program in July, 2001. Publisher's Weekly's Shannon Maughan noted Laurie's "catchy, playful tunes and spontaneous, warm performance style," while Amazon.com's Tammy La Gorce wrote, "Laugh-along interactive numbers and a playful vibe make this a songbook worthy of more than a few flip-throughs." The video received a 2003 Telly Bronze Award, a Kids First! Endorsement, a Parent's Guide To Children's Media Award and a Video Magic Award from Parenting Magazine.

In 2002, Laurie, Brian and Susie joined with Elefanten children's shoes and Americans for the Arts to create a program called Steps to ArtTM, to raise funds and awareness for early childhood arts education programs. The band created a special fundraising CD, 'Bumblebees & Googleheads: Fun Songs By Laurie Berkner,' featuring favorite songs chosen from their first three recordings.

Laurie Berkner's fourth studio CD, 'Under A Shady Tree,' was released in late 2002 to rave reviews and multiple awards, including a N.A.P.P.A. Gold Award, a Parents' Choice Silver Honor Award, a Parent's Guide To Children's Media Award, a Children's Music Web Award (Best Recording For Toddlers), an iParenting Media Award and an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award. National magazines from People to Child singled out the recording as one of the best of the year, while Publisher's Weekly's Shannon Maughan called it "[the band's] most accomplished recording yet." The band expanded their use of varied instruments on this CD, and explored genres from reggae to world beat on several of the songs (which, with one exception, were all originals). In 2003, Laurie's "hip" quotient rose when Entertainment Weekly proclaimed her the "in" children's performer, and HBO's Sex & The City used one of her songs for an episode ('Clean It Up' from 'Buzz Buzz').

February, 2004 brought the release of Laurie's first picture book-with-CD, 'Victor Vito and Freddie Vasco,' on Scholastic's Orchard Books imprint. The lyrics of Laurie's hit song 'Victor Vito' come to life as two road-tripping polar bears set out on a cross-country mission to find tasty new items for the menu at their Klondike Cafá. The book is vividly illustrated by noted children's book artist Henry Cole, and is accompanied by a special CD featuring 'Victor Vito' as well as 'Bumblebee (Buzz Buzz),' and commentary by Laurie. National family magazines including Family Fun, Child, Parents and American Baby gave the songbook rave reviews and it was a winner of an iParenting Media Award.

Shortly thereafter, The Laurie Berkner Band made their debut on the NOGGIN TV channel (Nickelodeon's educational, commercial-free preschool sister station) with a series of six musical interstitials airing throughout the day's programming as part of the network's Move To The Music series. The videos showcased Laurie, Brian and Susie performing their hit songs. The exposure on national television sent sales of their CDs soaring -- hitting Billboard's 'Top Internet Album Sales' and 'Top Kid Audio' charts, and becoming the numbers #1- 4 best-selling children's discs on amazon.com. 'Laurie Berkner's Video Songbook' was the #1 best-selling video (out of all categories!) on the site.

Laurie contributed an original song, "I Want It," to Marlo Thomas' book and companion CD, "Thanks & Giving All Year Long," which was released at Thanksgiving, 2004. The track was recorded by Marlo and rap-rock singer Uncle Kracker. The CD won a Grammy Award in 2006.

In a March, 2005 segment, ABC's Good Morning America proclaimed "If you think the Beatles made a splash in '63, wail 'till you see the mayhem caused by this woman." A second performance on the Today Show in June, 2005 and a glowing review of 'Under A Shady Tree' shortly thereafter in Time Magazine sent sales soaring again, as did the band's debut on NOGGIN's new original half-hour series Jack's Big Music Show. Laurie was featured in every episode of its' debut season. Hosted by Jack, a preschooler puppet, the show is a platform for children's music featuring videos and in-studio performances.

In February, 2006, the band released their first DVD, "We are . . . The Laurie Berkner Band" (Two Tomatoes Records, LLC/Razor & Tie Entertainment/Starbucks Hear Music), produced by award-winning children's film producer Jane Startz. Packaged with a compilation CD that includes a brand new track, the DVD entered Billboard's Top Music Video chart at #1, where it stayed for six weeks, and went quadruple platinum. "We are . . . The Laurie Berkner Band" marked the first time Starbucks Hear Music co-released a family title. Parenting Magazine wrote, "The Pied Piper of Preschool pulls together a bouncy set of her best get-up-and-dance music videos, sure to keep wee toes tapping. This critic's faves: the delightfully silly "Pig on Her Head" and Berkner's can't-help-but-sing-along anthem, "Victor Vito." The DVD was the recipient of a 2007 NAPPA Honors Award, was chosen in the February, 2007 issue of Parenting magazine as a Parenting Mom-Tested! DVD Of The Year.

Earlier in the year, Laurie and Brian made a joint decision that it was best for them to keep their work and family lives separate. Brian's departure from the band left him free to go back to school and pursue a masters degree in psychology. Laurie made her third appearance on the Today Show in March, 2006 in conjunction with the DVD's release. She was accompanied by bassist Adam Bernstein, who performed on her first three CDs. In June, Laurie, Adam and Susie made their debut on Live with Regis and Kelly, and in August the trio gave a performance on Good Morning America. In November, 2006, the band made their debut at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade® on the Fisher-Price® float.

The band rang in 2007 with a return to Jack's Big Music Show. The NOGGIN series' second season features two new music videos by the band in addition to show appearances by Laurie. Also in January, The New York Times heralded Laurie, Adam and Susie's appearances on the show with a story on the front page of its Arts section.

Later in the spring, the paperback version of Laurie's "Victor Vito and Freddie Vasco" book was released, as was her very first sheet music compilation, The Laurie Berkner Songbook (Music Sales Group). The book comprises 25 of the band's songs, arranged for easy piano, voice and guitar. It also includes suggested guitar strumming patterns and many related play activities. An instrumental sing-along backing CD, containing seven favorite songs such as 'Bumblebee (Buzz Buzz),' 'Victor Vito' and 'We Are the Dinosaurs' is also included.

In April, The Laurie Berkner Band drew an incredible crowd of 15,000 fans at their free concert in Central Park at the Green Apple Music & Arts Festival, as part of a nationwide Earth Day celebration.

In September, the band released its second book-with-CD, "The Story of My Feelings," on Scholastic's Orchard Books imprint. The CD features the title track as well as a bonus song "Walk Along the River." Kids can read and sing along as feelings come to life through Caroline Jayne Church's delightful illustrations. Growing up is not always easy and it is important for children to be able to identify and express their feelings. Says Laurie, "I wrote this song to remind myself that it's okay to express my feelings with sounds - and to remember how good it feels to connect with my life energy that way." The book was the recipient of a 2007 iParenting Media Award. Later that autumn, Laurie's version of the theme song for the Showtime TV program 'Weeds' ("Little Boxes" by Malvina Reynolds) aired on one of the season's final episodes.

The Laurie Berkner Band's hit songs were featured at the end of 2007 on a software cartridge that accompanies an updated version of Fisher-Price's® award-winning product, Learn Through Music Plus. Kids can sing along with Laurie with a Record & Play microphone while a touch-sensitive screen allows them to scroll through colorful light-up scenes. In its fifth year on the market, this innovative learning platform teaches a fundamental preschool curriculum through the use of rhythm, rhyme and repetition of song.

February, 2008 brought the band's debut on ABC Television's "The View." They performed a medley of three songs to an audience filled with excited kids. The next stop was a second performance on "Live with Regis & Kelly" in August.

On August 5, 2008 Laurie, Adam and Susie released their first new CD since 2002, 'Rocketship Run.' The recording was met with immediate critical acclaim. People Magazine bestowed it three stars, while Parents, Family Fun, and Parenting gave it rave reviews. Cookie Magazine proclaimed, "It'll be a matter of mere days before your kids Ð and you Ð have the whole album memorized." New York Magazine's "Agenda" newsletter asserted that Laurie "may have outdone her peers with this cute and versatile album . . . a rare instance where the packaging is almost as fun as the product."

'Rocketship Run' portrays a musical journey on a rocket ship in search of treasure, with the song "Going on A Hunt" performed in different styles throughout, creating a storyline. The CD features 20 new songs and arrangements (plus four additional versions of "Going on A Hunt"), ranging from a Brazilian samba to an Irish jig to a folk song set against a gospel/country background.

The recording represents considerable growth by The Laurie Berkner Band. Says Laurie, "It's a much more collaborative effort than I have ever done before. We arranged most of the songs as a band, Susie and Adam have both contributed songs, and I co-produced the album with Bob Golden, who recorded/produced the sound for all our NOGGIN videos and our 2006 DVD, instead of doing it mostly all myself. We also have a lot of talented guest artists performing on this CD."

The Laurie Berkner Band performs across North America. Their concerts have been held at varied venues from the White House (for the Easter Egg Roll in 2000) to national and international children's music festivals.

Susie Lampert

Susie Lampert Susie Lampert grew up in Pomona, NY in a large family with five siblings, dogs and cats. From an early age, she loved music and played piano. Her first live venture came at age 15, playing in a jazz group influenced by Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane and Lee Morgan, among others.

That same year, Susie hooked up with a punk band called Ruby and the Rednecks, which became the house band for New York City's Playhouse of the Ridiculous. She wrote music for and played keyboards in a number of Off-Off-Broadway plays, and shared stages at legendary NYC venues Max's Kansas City and CBGB's with such infamous musicians as Iggy Pop and The New York Dolls (Ruby and the Rednecks have survived and Susie and the band are as of 2006 working on a second CD).

Susie performed in many other bands throughout the years, in genres ranging from Country to Bluegrass to Rock. During the early '80s, she discovered Milton Nascimento and Brazilian music, and found herself "enraptured and forever changed." She learned Portuguese and traveled to Brazil frequently to buy records and become acquainted with the culture. During those years, she also became a registered nurse and worked part-time while pursuing her music.

Susie met Laurie Berkner over 10 years ago when they were both working at New York City's Rockefeller University. Laurie was a preschool music teacher, and Susie was a research nurse. Says Susie of their first meeting, "Laurie was sprawled out on the floor, lost under her headphones with her eyes closed, listening intently. An aerobics class was assembling around her and I intervened, suggesting she might want to make way for the class, and asked her what she was listening to.... It was her own band (adult music) and she shared the tape with me. We made a fast and deep connection, resulting in spending three years gigging with Lois Lane, an all-female cover band. When Laurie left the band to pursue her kids' music career I joined her playing schools, libraries etc. as a duo. The rest everybody knows!"

These days, Susie is excited with her musical life. She not only sang and played keyboards on 2008's 'Rocketship Run,' she also wrote several songs and co-arranged much of the album's music with her bandmates. Susie relishes time with her long-term boyfriend, family, friends and cats. She enjoys her daily meditation practice, yoga and samba, as well as her special time with her fairy godchild, otherwise known as Laurie's daughter, Lucy Day Mueller.

Adam Bernstein

Adam Bernstein Adam Bernstein is no stranger to performing with Laurie! Adam played bass on Laurie Berkner's first three award-winning and critically acclaimed releases, 1997's 'Whaddaya Think Of That?', 1998's 'Buzz Buzz,' and 1999's 'Victor Vito' before officially joining the band. On 2008's 'Rocketship Run,' in addition to singing and playing bass and electric guitar, Adam also contributed his songwriting and arranging talents.

An accomplished composer, arranger and educator as well as bassist, Adam led the successful folk/rock/klezmer/funk 14-piece big band All God's Children for six years. The Aquarian Weekly (NJ) named Adam "Best Bassist" and the band "Best Band" in 1993. He later performed and/or recorded with a wide range of talented musicians and dancers, including Levon Helm, Sahib Shihab, Perry Robinson, Walter Perkins, Ethel (string quartet), Teocinte (from El Salvador), Jack Hardy, Claire Daly, The Angstones, Solar, David Driver, Sean Altman and Jennifer Muller/The Works.

In 1990 Adam toured Japan with Hilario Soto's Higher Culture, and in 1993 studied percussion at the Escuela Nacional De Danzaq Moderna Y Folklorica in Havana, Cuba. As a composer and arranger, Adam co-arranged the score for a television program on Groucho Marx that aired on the A&E network's popular series "Biography." He has composed many scores for dance, performed at Columbia and Rutgers universities as well as other performance spaces.

In 1998, while continuing to perform and record, Adam turned his attention toward jazz education. He is the jazz director at the Berkeley-Carroll School in Brooklyn, NY and on the faculty at Jazz at Lincoln Center. He received a proclamation for his outstanding work in jazz education from Brooklyn Borough president Marty Markowitz on June 3, 2005.

Laurie contributed to Adam's latest CD, 'Dust Off the Timeless Night.' Produced by They Might Be Giants drummer Marty Beller, the CD is an original collection of pop gems with thoughtful lyrics and fine musicianship. Says Laurie, "I'm proud to have been a part of this album. In listening, I am transported to a world of soulful grooves and heartfelt melodies that have quickly become familiar friends."

Find out more about Adam at adam-bernstein.com.

BOB GOLDEN

Producer of Rocketship Run, drums & percussion
Before co-producing Laurie Berkner's ROCKET SHIP RUN and WE ARE THE LAURIE BERKNER BAND DVD, Bob Golden wrote and produced Songs for Dora The Explorer, Sesame Street, Jack's Big Music Show, Gullah Gullah Island, Shari Lewis' TV series: Lamb Chop's Play-Along, as well as for Michael Moore's films Bowling for columbine and Fahrenheit 911.

Bob was the music director and music producer for The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss (season 2), Disney's Out of the Box (3 seasons), HBO's Jammin' Animals, Insomniac With Dave Attell (4 seasons), Craft Corner Deathmatch, Code Blue, and Michael Moore's The Awful Truth. Bob has composed and produced music for film and TV and recently wrote the theme music for the Gong Show with Dave Attell.

Bob became an official member of the band in May of 2009 after touring with the band after the release of Rocketship Run in 2008.

TOBIE BALDWIN

Trombone, vocals Buzz Buzz
Tobie Baldwin teaches Elementary Band in South Plainfield, NJ. As a free lance Tenor/ Bass Trombonist/ Euophoniumist, he has performed in a variety of settings throughout the Metropolitan Area of New York. Proficient in many styles of music, Mr. Baldwin is at home sitting in a big band, playing in a rock band, orchestra, concert band, playing chamber music or any other musical setting you can think of.

MICHAEL FELDSTEIN

Recorder-Victor Vito
Michael Feldstein isn't actually a musician, but he plays one on CDs. He is, however, actually a Googlehead.

ANDREW MAROKO

Trumpet, vocals-Buzz Buzz & Victor Vito
Andrew began his musical exploration with the granddaddy of all instruments, the accordion. After getting beat up a couple of times he branched out to guitar, trumpet, and other not quite so geeky endeavors. Andrew has been hard at work scoring film, TV, and multimedia www.turnaroundmusic.com He can also be found playing gigs of various genres, including rock, soul, funk, and most notably The Andrew Maroko Group (see picture), which is a jazz ensemble who have just released their debut album Conscious Effort, www.turnaroundmusic.com/amg.

BRIAN MUELLER

Electric bass, vocals, guitar, violin
Brian Mueller grew up in New York and New Jersey. He began his life in music playing viola in the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. Later, he played amplified viola with experimental rock groups and over the years started playing electric bass and guitar with various original rock bands.

Laurie's husband, Brian appears on the band's first four CDs as well as on the DVD. He performed live with Laurie and Susie from 2000 until early 2006, and received his master's degree in psychology in May, 2009.

OWUSU SLATER

Conga-Buzz Buzz
You probably already know Owusu. He can be found playing his rimmed-with-bells conga drum on the platform of the 59th St. subway at Columbus Circle in New York City. He and his drum are one.

JOE RUDDICK

Recorder-Victor Vito
Engineer extraordinaire, piano, baritone sax, melodica, drums, vocals and various percussive instruments in all three albums Joe Ruddick is a pianist, saxophonist, synthesist, composer, arranger and producer. In addition to his work with Laurie---engineering/mixing her CD's and contributing instrumental playing as well as some whooping and hollering---Joe's music has been featured in live performance all over the US and Europe; on television on MTV, Bravo, TV Land, and Nick at Nite; on many film scores; and on CD with projects ranging from "Dewdrops in the Garden" by the platinum-selling pop group DEEE-LITE to jazz and avant garde recordings with--among others--Phillip Johnston, William Parker and Rachelle Garniez. Joe has been described as "some kind of genius" by Options Magazine and "brilliant" by Down Beat Magazine.

KEVIN SZTAM

Trombone, vocals-Victor Vito
Kevin loves the crap out of kids. That's why he's a playing fool, and looks after little humans in his spare time as a doctorish-guy. He also loves the ska, motown, and jazz and can be seen from Newark to NYC on the trombone. He wishes you freedom, and encourages you to give him a call. "Let's git together."
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Laurie Berkner

Laurie Berkner Laurie Berkner has been a professional musician since 1992, but her success as a children's recording artist was a surprise to her. "It was so unexpected," says Laurie. "I'd been performing in rock bands (including Lois Lane, an all-female cover band, as well as her own original rock band, Red Onion) and struggling to write original music. Writing music for kids has not been a struggle at all. The more I started working on material for children, the more I... (read more)

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