Music for New People at the Butterworth Center -- July 13.
Wednesday, July 13, 6:30 p.m.
Butterworth Center, 1105 Eighth Street, Moline IL
Popular touring musicians whose family concerts are inspired by pop singers, rock bands, authors, and even standup comedians, the innovative artists of Music for New People will perform a free Music on the Lawn concert at Moline's Butterworth Center, their July 13 engagement boasting unique tunes crafted through electronics and all manner of musical instruments.
Performing a mix of originals and covers, Music for New People creates a singular concert experience that accompanies cutting-edge electronics with ukulele, percussion, accordion, and more to create an engaging and dynamic environment for kids and adults alike. Inspired by the work (and play) of talents including Andy Kaufman, Shel Silverstein, Reggie Watts, and They Might Be Giants, the outfit was founded by musician Lenny Zieben, and bridges his love of entertaining and educating young and young-ish minds.
A teacher and performer in many capacities, Zieben has served as an Artist-in-Residence for Snow City Arts, where he facilitates music projects to children of all ages in a hospital environment. He is also a teacher for Chime's Clap, Sing & Read, a literacy-based music program for elementary grades at CPS. A former member of the Sharp Cookies and bassist for their most recent work Bouncing Ball of Energy, Zieben has taught for several years at the Old Town School of Folk Music, a couple years at Smart Love Preschool, and currently teaches at Midwest Montessori. He graduated from the DePaul School of Music, and as a former audio technician at the Chicago Cultural Center, he has helped amplify such illustrious speakers as Tom Skilling, Mayor Daley, and Madeleine Albright.
Zieben is joined in Music for New People by Harley Gingras, a multi-instrumentalist, experimental-electronic composer, sound designer, and master of instruments such as the drum set, accordion, and kazoo. Gingras has been studying music since 2002, composing since 2003, performing since 2007, and teaching since 2009, and in 2014, he graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelor's of Music in Contemporary, Urban, and Pop Music Studies. During his time at Columbia, Gingras reconnected with what he calls his "eccentric side" in music, becoming interested in experimental-music composition and sound design, and since then, he's been pursuing his residency as composer/producer with jazz trio the Giving Trio, as well as membership as bassist for the Dirty Dirty Dollars.
The Music for New People concert on the lawn will take place on July 13, and the 6:30 p.m. event will be preceded by 5 p.m. family activities on the grounds of the Butterworth Center's nearby Deere-Wiman House. Attendees are invited to bring a blanket or lawn chairs and a picnic dinner if desired, and ice cream will be served by the legendary Lagomarcino’s Confectionary. In the event of extreme weather, all activities and the concert will be moved indoors to the air-conditioned Deere-Wiman Carriage House, and no reservations are required for the free evening. For more information, call (309)743-2701 and visit ButterworthCenter.com.
