National Children's Music Sensation The Laurie Berkner Band Blasts Off With First New CD In Six Years, 'Rocketship Run!'

NEW YORK (Top40 Charts/ Two Tomatoes Records) - It has been six years in the making but worth the wait! Award-winning, best-selling children's music superstars The Laurie Berkner Band with Susie Lampert and Adam Bernstein will release their first CD since 2002, 'Rocketship Run,' (Two Tomatoes Records, marketed and distributed by Razor & Tie Entertainment, $18.98, run time 52:32) on August 5th. Widely recognized as the most popular children's music artist in the United States, Laurie Berkner's intelligent songwriting, captivating vocals and infectious melodies have won not only legions of little fans, but also parents, who enjoy the music as much as their kids. The Laurie Berkner Band's recent debut DVD, 'We are . . . The Laurie Berkner Band' (Two Tomatoes Records/Razor & Tie Entertainment/Starbucks Hear Music) was certified quadruple platinum.

'Rocketship Run' portrays a musical journey on a rocket ship in search of treasure. Laurie Berkner collaborates with bandmates Susie Lampert (keyboards) and Adam Bernstein (bass) on 20 new songs and arrangements ranging from a Brazilian samba to an Irish jig to a folk song set against gospel/country background.
From the title track - which was seen and heard this season in a NOGGIN* video - to Laurie's exquisite solo rendition of the standard "Fly Me to the Moon," the album's artistic integrity shines through.

Some of the music on 'Rocketship Run' has a symphonic setting, arranged with strings, flute, piccolo, bassoon, and trumpet, while other songs are delicate and personal. Dialogue among Laurie, Susie, and Adam threads together all the songs, like chapters in a book.

'Rocketship Run' represents considerable growth by The Laurie Berkner Band. Says Laurie, "It's a much more collaborative effort than I have ever done before. We arranged most of the songs as a band, Susie and Adam have both contributed songs, and I co-produced the album with Bob Golden, who recorded/produced the sound for all our NOGGIN videos and our 2006 DVD, instead of doing it mostly all myself. We also have a lot of talented guest artists performing on this CD."

The Laurie Berkner Band has received tremendous critical acclaim. Time Magazine lauded Laurie as "a kind of sippy-cup Sheryl Crow…Berkner inhabits a kid's curious perspective in her lyrics and pens folk-pop melodies that bear repeated - very repeated - listenings." The Wall Street Journal called Laurie "one of the most popular children's performer's in America … Her music is distinctive because it speaks to kids without talking down to them, charming youngsters without boring grown-ups. The Laurie Berkner Band performed on "The View" earlier this year, following appearances on "Good Morning America Weekend," "The Today Show" and "Live With Regis & Kelly."

A former preschool music teacher by day and indie rocker by night, Laurie Berkner started selling her music out of her living room on her own label, Two Tomatoes Records, and all four of her previous CDs are now best-sellers. Laurie, Susie and Adam were the first artists to ever appear in music videos on NOGGIN, Nickelodeon's 24-hour educational, commercial-free preschool network, and are featured in nearly all of the episodes of the channel's "Jack's Big Music Show."

Laurie's concern for the environment has prompted her to make the switch to "green" packaging for 'Rocketship Run,' using an eco-friendly package made entirely of post-consumer recycled paper, rather than the standard plastic jewel case, and to organic cotton for the band's t-shirts, totes and other merchandise (available at concerts and online at www.twotomatoes.com).