WALLA WALLA, WA – Somewhere in the confluence of Shel Silverstein, Frank Zappa, Jerry Garcia, Jack Black, and Mr. Rogers … rocks multi-award-winning family musician Eric Herman. Eric’s first new album in six years, Magic Beans, is out today, March 18, 2022.
A showcase of clever lyrics with lots of attitude, Magic Beans delivers a wide variety of styles and influences not often heard in the kindie genre. The hip listener will hear flashes of Bowie and Pink Floyd alongside The Police, Kate Bush, and Sparks. Slightly subversive and more than a little trippy, the songs work their magic on multiple levels, with subtexts, self-reflection, and social commentary presented through characters and situations. Indeed, Magic Beans is music for the adventurous of mind and ear: think Dark Side of the Moon or Sgt. Pepper’s for eight-year-olds.
Watch a video of the Magic Beans title track HERE. A 3D/360 version is soon to come!
“The title came from a joke about paying my band members with magic beans,” says Eric Herman. “But I loved the idea of something that seems small and insignificant becoming something unexpected and enormous. That could be a tree or a person or a song or a universe.” According to Herman, the concept informed a lot of the album. “It felt like painting or even gardening, but with music and words and ideas. Songs became little worlds of their own, growing out of a simple musical phrase or lyric.”
Inspired by the new album, Eric Herman has created a live Magic Beans show, a spectacle of eye-popping video projections, fantastic special effects, creative comedy sketches, and virtuosic musical performances featuring Eric Herman and the Puppy Dogs.
The world premiere performances of the Magic Beans show take place tonight through Sunday, March 18 - 20, at the Princess Theatre, 1228 Meade Ave., Prosser, Washington. For tickets, visit the Princess Theatre website HERE or call the box office at 509-786-2180.
ABOUT ERIC HERMAN
In 2003, when Eric Herman transitioned from playing in Buffalo, NY area alt-rock bands and performing in live theater productions to writing songs for kids, he was just another among a burgeoning field of independent kids’ music artists, a genre soon to be dubbed "kindie." But armed with a steady batch of clever and catchy tunes that owed more of an influence to Sondheim and The Beatles than Raffi and The Wiggles, and music videos that drew on the feel and depth of ‘70s classics like Schoolhouse Rock and The Point, Eric quickly became a notable name in the genre. And in 2007, when a relatively new site called YouTube featured his homemade "Elephant Song" video, that really set his star rising, ultimately leading to over 100 million worldwide views online for Eric’s videos.
The years that followed saw Eric Herman’s songs and videos featured nationally on PBS Kids, SiriusXM radio, Fox & Friends, The Today Show, and in the Warner Brothers film, Life As We Know It. A version of “The Elephant Song” was covered for a multi-platinum release by Brazilian superstar Xuxa, and Eric became one of the only children’s music acts (along with The Wiggles) to sign with BMG.
Previous releases by Eric Herman include The Eric Herman Strikes Back (DVD, 2017), Bubble Wrap (2016), The Incredibly Spaced Out Adventures of Jupiter Jackson (2014, Parents’ Choice Award), Party Animal (2014, NAPPA Award), What a Ride! (2009, Parents’ Choice Award, NAPPA Award), Snail’s Pace (2007, Pearl Award), Snow Day! (2006), Monkey Business (2005), and The Kid in the Mirror (2003).
Magic Beans is available at major digital retailers.