Banana Slug String Band
The Banana Slug String Band is a group of lovable musicians and educators from the coastal redwoods of Northern California. The Slugs are "Airy" Larry Graff, Doug "Dirt" Greenfield, "Solar" Steve Van Zandt and "Marine" Mark Nolan.
With vocals, guitars, mandolin, bass, harmonica, banjo and percussion, Slug songs range from rockin' boogies to sensitive ballads; folk songs to reggae and rap. Music, theater, puppetry and audience participation create a fun-filled learning experience.
The Banana Slug String Band also develops curricula and provide trainings and workshops in schools so students can learn how to do the ‘Water Cycle Boogie’ and create a rainstorm right in the classroom.
The Banana Slug String Band brings the FUN-damentals of science and ecology to kids with characters like Big Red, Zee Professor, Mr. Dirt and the Nature Man.
The Banana Slug String Band is committed to educational entertainment for children and families through interactive music and performance. They are dedicated to fostering positive attitudes about the environment, providing accurate information about natural history and science, promoting music appreciation, building self esteem in children, honoring creativity, supporting the arts in education and sparking in people a joyful sense of wonder. Through the production of tapes, CDs, videos, songbooks, picture books, curriculum, activity guides, teacher workshops and concerts, we hope to make these values accessible to an increasingly wider audience. We endorse and support collaboration with other individuals and organizations that promote the well being of children, family and the environment. We believe that music is a powerful instrument for honoring diversity while uniting people for the common good.
Their 2005 recording, Wings of Slumber, won the iParenting Media Award, the Parents' Choice Silver Award, a National Association of Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) Gold Award, a 2005 Early Childhood News Director's Choice Award and the Creative Child Magazine Seal of Excellence Award Seal of Excellence Award.
Their 2008 recording, We All Live Downstream, has received a National Association of Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) Honor Award. The two-year process of researching, writing, and recording the album started with an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency grant that launched the Slugs on a series of watershed concerts, workshops and interactive family performances. In 2009, they recorded Only One Ocean, which features George Winston and bass icon Victor Wooten.
Banana Slug String Band has additionally won numerous awards including:
2003 California Arts Council, selected as 2004-06 touring artists
2000 AFIM Indie Award, Children's Album of the Year, Goin' Wild
2000 National Park Service Audio Interpretive Excellence Awards, Goin' Wild
1997 American Library Association's Notable Children's Recording, Penguin Parade
1996 National Association of Parenting Publications Honor Award, Penguin Parade
1996 Parent's Choice Audio Approval, Penguin Parade
1996 Howard Bell Award for Outstanding Contributions in Outdoor Education
1991 N.A.I.R.D. Children's Album of the Year Nominee, Slugs At Sea
