Concerts for Kids With Baby on Board

By Elizabeth Shapiro in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 2, 2007 2:24PM

We know you head to Beat Kitchen to enjoy the likes of artists like Plane, New Duncan Imperials and Deadstring Brothers. Be prepared for your toddler to start dragging you back out when they hear about the “Concerts for Kids” shows on Sunday afternoons … at the same Beat Kitchen where you were rockin’ the night before.

Once a month, Beat Kitchen opens up its concert space for local talent that caters to the younger crowd. With your $5 at the door (we didn’t have to pay for our toddler), you get close to an hour of great kids’ music, a complementary juice box and a slice of pizza. What else do you need?

Karen Banks-Lubicz recently packed the house for her Halloween concert. Karen, a teacher at the Wiggleworms program at Old Town School of Folk Music, is a regular at festivals around Chicago. Last weekend, she was joined with a band that included her husband and Shana Harvey, another favorite from Old Town. We are always impressed with her rich vocals and ability to create kids’ music that isn’t cloying. Kids in costume boogied to her Halloween adaptations, including the “Hooky Spooky”, a ghoulish take on the “Hokey Pokey”.

Little Miss Ann, famous for tunes with titles like “Edamame,” is another Wiggleworms instructor and the Concert for Kids’ next act on November 18. Banks-Lubicz will be back on the Beat Kitchen stage on December 2, and Stacey Buehler will perform on January 13. All upcoming shows are at noon.

Beat Kitchen is at 2100 W. Belmont. Check out their concerts for adults on their website.