Named "Best Kids' Performer" in its 2008 "Best of New York" issue by New York Magazine, and Session I Grand Prize Winner in the Children's Category of the 2008 John Lennon Songwriting Contest, illustrator/songwriter/performer Morgan Taylor continues the autumn run of his multi-media, off-Broadway show, Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Sensation, at the DR2 Theatre, 103 E. 15th St., NYC, with performances at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. every Saturday through December 6.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Gustafer Yellowgold will sponsor a canned food drive during the month of November. Families are encouraged to bring canned goods to all November shows; these will be donated to the Imani House food pantry. Based in South Brooklyn, one of the most ethnically and economically diverse areas of New York City, Imani House primarily serves disadvantaged members of Gowanus, Red Hook, Fort Greene, Sunset Park, Flatbush, Park Slope, and parts of Crown Heights. Imani House's food pantry, one of its many community programs, is a lifeline for those in need, including many elderly people and immigrants from Latin America, West Africa, the Caribbean, and Arab nations. By sharing food, families can truly share in the spirit of Thanksgiving.
Gustafer Yellowgold, explains press notes, is "a little, yellow, cone-headed fellow who came to Earth from the sun and has an interesting magnetism for making friends with some of Earth's odder creatures. He lives in a cottage-style home on the edge of an uncharted wooded area in Minnesota, where, for recreation, he enjoys punching cheese and jumping on cake. Morgan Taylor's trademark "musical moving book" of giant, projected, animated illustrations forms the heart of Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Sensation, and Taylor's whimsical, absurdist humor infuses his performances of original songs and stories about Gustafer's world."
The autumn run of Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Sensation takes audiences through Gustafer's very favorite time of year. Gustafer loves the fall because it leads to winter, the deliciously cold season for which he had yearned all his life on the hot sun. In addition to new songs, there's a bigger band, new between-song visuals and jokes, and a new autumn stage set decorated with pinecones and autumn leaves. Children also have the opportunity to meet Gustafer Yellowgold himself, as he makes his first in-person appearance.
Since his creation in 2005, Gustafer Yellowgold has become an international phenomenon, praised by Newsweek as "full of great pop tunes and hand-drawn animation about a li'l fella from the sun." The Los Angeles Times enthused, "Taylor's whimsical, lightly psychedelic world forms an interesting bridge between adult and kids' music." Possessing an unusual crossover appeal, The Gustafer Yellowgold Show has performed as the support act for Wilco and The Polyphonic Spree, as well as headlining kids' venues all across the U.S., London and Seoul, Korea.
Wrote
New York Magazine, "The most original performer on the family-music scene today is Morgan Taylor, creator of Gustafer Yellowgold. Whereas the other kiddie-tunes stars are reinvigorating old folk tunes and rocking out on the Noggin channel, Taylor has dreamed up a whole world of story-songs about Gustafer (he's from the sun) and his menagerie of friends. Not to be missed."
Morgan Taylor has released two award-winning Gustafer Yellowgold DVD/CD sets. 'Gustafer Yellowgold's Have You Never Been Yellow?' is a 2008 NAPPA (National Parenting Publications Awards) Gold winner, is endorsed by the KIDS FIRST! Film and Video Festival, and made Disney Family.com's and NPR's "Best of 2007" lists. 'Gustafer Yellowgold's Wide Wild World' was a 2007 NAPPA Gold winner, a Parenting "Mom Tested! DVD of the Year," and a first prize-winner in the KIDS FIRST! Film and Video Festival. A third Gustafer Yellowgold DVD/CD set is planned for release in March 2009.
Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Sensation will be performed at the DR2 Theatre, 103 E. 15th St., NYC, Saturdays through December 6, at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by calling Telecharge at 212-239-6200 or online at
Telecharge.com. For more information, visit
www.dr2theatre.com.
