The Award Winning Musical Team for Children
and Families
First things first: "A Storm Is Coming" sounds lovely. The singing and playing are full of relaxed confidence, a gentle sway that draws the listener in. It's tinged with country, spiced with a little blues, and centered around a rhythmic kind of small-group folk-rock that never stops leaning forward. You could lie in a hammock and listen to this all night. Then phrases from the lyrics seep into your consciousness: "It's just business, he said, as he smiled so seriously ..." (to a tune that puts a smile on your face). And: "Mrs Jones, we regret that your son has been killed in the war ..." Or: "I remember a time when a tousled haired child went walking with old Father Time ..." As the words sink in, you start to understand that this is seriously adult music, made by people who have lived, and learned to accept their lives as they really are, not just as they wish they were. It's not exactly political, it's just real. Even the joyful "Out on the Town Again" includes the wry commentary: "So now I've cast my hook and all I see, / Are glimpses of my insecurity. / I never want to feel this way again ; I never want to feel the same." Tim and Laura have spent years singing silly for kids -- but kids are a tough audience, and the kids certainly knew (even if they didn't know they knew) that the Battersby Duo could be silly about lost socks and elephants' toenail pizza precisely because their hearts were always in the right place. They always encouraged children to read and learn and appreciate the world around them. Now, under the name Cross Creek, they are singing for the parents, and for themselves.
about the author:Pete Shanks attended Oxford University, where he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics. He has studied the eugenic possibilities of biotechnology and has worked with the Center for Genetics and Society. He is the author of Human Genetic Engineering: A Guide for Activists, Skeptics, and the Very Perplexed (Nation Books). He is a regular contributor to Psychology Today
.
Winners
of 3
Parents
Choice
Awards
and
an
ACE
,
The
Battersby
Duo
is
considered
to
be
one
of the
finest
Musical
Comedy
Teams
for
Children and
Families
in
the
USA
Today.
They've
performed
6
times
at
The
White
House,
appeared
on
Sesame
Street
PEP,
and
also
on
the
Today
Show
on
NBC.
In
April
2008
they
performed
at
The
Savannah
Music
Festival
in
historic
downtown
(see
photos
below.)
In
addition
they've
performed
at
The
Kennedy
Center
in
Washington
D.C,
Wolf
Trap
in
Vienna,
Virginia,
The
Spoleto
Festival
in
Charleston,
the
Fairfax
Fair
in
Virginia,
The
Minnesota
State
Fair,
The
Indiana
State
Fair,
The
Marcus
Center
in
Milwaukee,
The
Tampa
Bay
Performing
Arts
Center,
and
on
CBS,
ABC,
NBC
and
Fox
Networks.
The
Battersby
Duo
perform
in schools
and
libraries
around
the
US.
They
are
members
of
NARAS
and
ASCAP.
Ms.
Laura
grew
up
in
Arlington,
Va.
and
Mr.
Tim
in
London.
They
now
live
quietly
on
the
west
coast
of
Florida,
writing
songs,
videos
and
books
for
junior
citizens.
Goofy
wacky
and
whimsical
are
all
adjectives
to
describe
the
musical
antics
of
The
Battersby
Duo.
Beneath
the
facade
of
silliness,
The
Battersby's
offer
honest
non-threatening
glimpses
in
to a
child's
world
of
understanding
and
imagination.
Their
harmony
laced
style
of
music,
blends
the
blues
with
the
50's
and
folk
with
the
90's.Couple
these
ingredients
with
a
dash
of
comedy,
and
liberal
doses
of
interactive
theatrics,
and
you
understand
why
every
BatDuo
concert
is
so
much
fun
"The Battersby Duo is a National Treasure." Senator Bob Graham Florida's 39th Governor
Notable
"Quotables"
“Hip
Folk-Rock
from
the
Dynamic
Duo.”
John
Wood
kidzmusic.com
"Though
disguised
as
goofy
frivolous
fun,
The
Battersby
Duo's
antics
and
songs
simmer
with
serious
themes.
The
Battersby
Duo's
songs
offer
honest
non-threatening
glimpses
into
a
Childs
world
of
understanding
and
imagination.
Their
beautiful
voices
and
pleasing
music
shine."School
Library
Journal
“A
Top
Notch
Duo."
Sesame
Street
The Battersby Duo are always a huge hit with the Kids and their Parents.”
Hillary
Clinton.
“A banquet of silliness designed to please the most refined of juvenile
palates."The
American
Library
Association
“We
will
remember
with
pleasure
that
The
Battersby's
are
a
part
of
our
neighborhood."Mr.
Rogers
Neighborhood “A
thousand
happy
Kids
had
the
best
time
of
their
lives."
Tampa
Bay
Performing
Arts
Center
"Goofy
wacky
and
whimsical
are
all
adjectives
to
describe
the
musical
antics
of
The
Battersby
Duo.
Their
beautiful
voices
shine.School
Library
Journal
Battersby
Duo
songs
effervesce
with
off-the-wall
humor,
unexpected
lyrics
and
a
dash
of
British
quirkiness.Parents
Choice Magazine
"The
Battersby
Duo
is a
National
Treasure."
Senator
Bob
Graham
Florida's
39th
Governor
Kids go bananas for The Battersby Duo." The
Tampa
Tribune
"The
Battersby’s
are
naturals
for
our
audiences.”
Wolf
Trap
Farm
Park
Performing
Arts Center
"Taking
zaniness
to
new
levels."
St
Petersburg
Times
“Rarely
do
our
marble
walls
and
chandeliers
witness
such
levels
of
silliness,
as
The
Battersby’s
inspire
in
their
audiences”The
Kennedy
Center
Dmitri
Tiomkin
1894-1979 In
1971
I
was
living
in
London.
One
crisp
November
day
I
was
asked
to
help
a
friend
move
some
boxes
from
a
man's
house
in
Hampstead.
Nothing
better
to
do,
and
the
promise
of a
decent
pub
lunch
I
readily
agreed.
After
helping
in
the
main
house
for
a
few
hours,
my
friend
asked
me
to
go
to
the
apartment
above
the
garage
and
get
some
other
things.
Sitting
at a
desk
going
through
old
musical
scores
above
that
garage,
was
an
old
man
of
around
77.
Being
a
struggling
musician
myself,
I
assumed
this
old
man
was
another
struggling
musician
renting
the
apartment
above
that
garage,
and
sorting
through
old
scores.
We
got
to
talking
and
He
asked
me
about
my
music,
and
I
told
him
I
was
in a
band,
and
played
in
pubs
around
London.
We
chatted
for
over
2
hours
that
November
morning.
His
kindness
and
consideration
much
appreciated
by a
kid
with
long
hair
and
big
dreams.
His
encouragement
helped
me
become
the
musician
I am
today
38
years
later.
Little
did
I
know
it
at
the
time,
but
it
turns
out
that
I'd
been
nattering
with
one
of
the
greatest
film
composers
of
all
time
Dmitri
Tiomkin,
the
composer
of
classic
movies
like
High
Noon
(1952)
Lost
Horizon
(1937).
Mr.
Smith
Goes
to
Washington
(1939)
Meet
John
Doe
(1941),
and
It's
a
Wonderful
Life
The
Battersby Duo
proudly
play
Taylor
Guitars.
They own
a Koa
K26ce,
an
814ce
and
an
855.
They use
a
Bose
L1
Model
2
w/Tone
match
controls
for
their
pro-sound
needs
Artists
and
Politicians
with
whom
we've
shared
a
Stage
Trout
Fishing in
America,
Ella
Jenkins, Art
Garfunkel,
38 Special,
Craig &
Company, Rosenshontz,
Parachute
Express,
David Grover
& the Big
Bear Band,
Janet Reno,
John Podesta,
Rodney
Slater,
Alexis
Herman,
Robert
DeNiro,
Jamie Lee
Curtis, Tom
Chapin, Big
Bird, The
Cookie
Monster,
Sesame
Street, Jane
Seymour,
James Keach,
Amy Tan, Sam
Arnold,
Donna
Shalala,
Hon. Richard
Riley, Gary
Rosen, Bill
Shontz,
Willard
Scott, Al
Roker, Raven
Symone,
Garfield,
Joanie
Bartels,
Taran Noah
Smith,
Michael
Fishman,
Mara Wilson,
Deborah
Norville,
Justin
Timberlake,
Lance Bass,
Ted Danson,
Mary
Steenburgen,
Julie
Andrews,
J.K.
Rowling,
Laurie
Berkner,
Stan and Jan
Berenstain,
Lawrence
Summers,
Wolfman
Jack, Bob
Sagett.
