The Award Winning Musical Team for Children and Families
Home Page Schedule Buy CD's Performing Arts Sonicbids Bass Pro Shop Assembly Videos Twitter

Teachers

Contact Us

Cross Creek: A Storm Is Coming
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 Battersby Duo and the Secretary of State at The White House 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 proudly play Taylor Guitars

Taylor Artist
See other Taylor Artists
Muzlink Logo


Look at my hat baby

Hi Kids, you look GREAT

This is a fashion statement???

Ms Laura's weeping?


"The Battersby Duo is a National Treasure." Senator Bob Graham Florida's 39th Governor

Quantcast


                                          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

"The Battersby Duo provides a wonderful mix of Melody, Energy, Sweetness and Humor." Kimbo Educational

“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

To download a free copy of Painting Box song visit: http://freesongsforkids.com/users/battersby-duo  or visit http://freesongsforkids.com/lullabies to watch our Teddy Bear video

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.



Contact Information

The Battersby Duo
Brooksville Fl 34602
batduo@bellsouth.net
Fax: 352 754 5073
Other BatDuo Web Sites: www.batduo.com  or www.wordnerdherd.com