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Very Cool Music for Kids
The Cat's Pajamas has been making very cool music for kids since 1995, bringing a musical comedy twist to high-octane kid-rock. With dance, puppets, props and costumes and a great band backing their signature 3-part harmony, The Cat's Pajamas not only captures the imagination of children but also thoroughly engages the adults.
Their unforgettable live performances have earned them a reputation as "perhaps the foremost family musical artist out there working today" (Michael Jaworek, long time promoter for The Birchmere).
Janet SchreinerJanet Schreiner's background in professional children's and musical theatre creates The Cat's Pajamas' high octane blend of music and theatrical highjinks. Janet has worked as an actor, director, producer, high school theatre teacher and taught early childhood music for 21 years. To answer the question most frequently asked by fifth graders, she's been on the stage since she was in ...fifth grade.
Janet sings lead vocals, plays the autoharp and the kazoo, and runs the band (which is like herding cats). She also wears a shower cap on stage, packs a 4 foot shark and a plunger, and makes puppets out of Christine's socks!
"Can you believe how much music comes out of that little person?" -Justin Leigh, drummer!
Debbie StahlDebbie Stahl has taught music at Germantown Friends School for 24 years. She sings harmony and plays bass and acoustic guitars and, as the other original Cat's Pajama, has been performing with Janet since 1990. Her brand new shiny red bass guitar is a Gibson named Susie!
Christine Havrilla electric and acoustic guitars and vocals with The Cats. Named one of the top 10 Indie Artists by Advocate Magazine, she has received two Meet the Composer grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. Six award winning albums and a unique sound best described as "neofunkadelicfolkpoptwangrock. The Christine Havrilla Band includes Duane on drums and Bob on harmonica - see below! Please check her website for performances and excellent CDs.
Duane LargeDuane Large, drummer for the band, also plays guitar, bass, mandolin, piano and lute. He has a degree in Classical Guitar Performance and masters degrees in Music History and Performance from Temple University. He is a featured performer with The Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society and has played mandolin with The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Pennsylvania Ballet. Duane has an extensive teaching practice both privately and at Germantown Friends School where he teaches music history and theory, choir, guitar, bass and piano. He is also the drummer in The Christine Havrilla Band!
Also appearing with The Cat's Pajamas is Dan Kleiman on keyboards. Dan did the arrangements for "Reading Rocks!" Dan has performed and/or recorded with Ernie Watts, James Bron, The Fifth Dimension and many others and he leads and composes for the highly regarded Brazillian jazz group, Siora. Emily Bate is the newest addition to the band on guitar. She works as a singer, guitarist and songwriter in multiple bands in the Philadelphia area. Our Big Band also features Bob Beach on harmonica and flute! He's a regular at World Cafe Live and you can also see him with The Christine Havrilla Band as well as many others. Jim Hamilton, our percussionist, has toured and recorded with Grammy Award winning artists BoyzIIMen, GeraldAlston and others. He now appears with many area orchestras including Siora, and is an accompanist for both Philadanco and the University of the Arts. Jim is also the owner of Rittenhouse Recording Studios where the Cat's Pajamas recorded their second and third albums, "Goin' Bananas!" and "Reading Rocks!"
The "Reading Rocks!" school band is now thrilled to include drummer Michael Beeson, who has been playing and performing drums and percussion for 30 years. When he is not performing with the Cats, Michael plays in a coverband called the Bighouse Band. Please visit all these musicians at their websites and see what they do when they're not playing with The Cat's Pajamas! You'll be amazed! We are very proud to have such talented and accomplished musicians working with us!