Laurie Berkner to Play Gallo Center, 11/3

Laurie Berkner, one of the leaders of what is called the "kindie rock" movement, will perform a solo concert at the Gallo Center for the Arts at 2 pm on Sunday, November 3.

Tickets for the performance range in price from $12 to $60. A $60 ticket includes seating in the front two rows and a post-show meet-and-greet opportunity with Berkner. Tickets can be purchased online at www.galloarts.org, by calling (209) 338-2100, or from the Gallo Center ticket office at 1000 I Street in downtown Modesto.

Berkner has been a professional musician since 1992, but her success as a children's recording artist was a surprise to her.

"It was so unexpected," she says. "I'd been performing in rock bands and struggling to write original music. Writing music for kids has not been a struggle at all. The more I started working on material for children, the more I realized that it opened up creativity in me that I never knew I had."

These days critics widely acknowledge Laurie's major contribution toward launching what is now dubbed the progressive "kindie rock" movement-i.e., less saccharine, more rocking music that is not dumbed down for children, and also appeals to parents. Berkner's success got her labled as "the queen of children's music" by People Magazine.

A star on Nick Jr. and Sprout TV with her band, Berkner continues to be inspired by her audience.

"I want to create songs that matter for children," she says. "I was singing once and saw a four-year-old girl shut her eyes and start swaying to the music. I thought, 'That's the reason I got into music.' It keeps me wanting to do more."

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