Ask the Artist: Justin Roberts of the Not Ready for Naptime Players and Ticket Giveaway at Jammin’ Java on April 27
Win two tickets to see Justin Roberts, a three time GRAMMY nominated singer-songwriter, childrens’ author (and new dad), when he returns with his band to the venerable Tot Rock circuit at Jammin Java on April 27. The Vienna, Va. venue is true to its name serving plenty of java and other drinks, and hosting nearly every night of the week, an incredible array of touring performers like The Tennesse Queens Tour: LOLO and Garrison Starr, a dynamic duo of female singer songwriters from Jackson, TN and Los Angeles, CA.
Hailing from almost smack dab in the middle of these two parts of the country, Justin Roberts regularly entertains families from the Chicagoland area with a light folk style and music brimming with everyday fun and adventures. Learn more about Justin’s parenthood experience as a working musician along with his professional cellist wife, what inspires his songwriting on a dozen kids’ albums, and more here, in my exclusive Family Music n’ Arts interview. Then enter to win two free tickets to the Jammin Java show at 12:30 on April 27!
FMA: I know you became a new dad, how is that going, moving between music world, and baby world? Are other band members also family guys?
JR: It's been an amazing life change, mind-blowing, difficult, and lovely. Both my wife Anna and I are musicians. She is a classical cellist. It is definitely harder to find the concentrated and uninterrupted time to write and practice (for both of us) but we have been finding ways to share the responsibilities and are hitting a sweet spot now that Eli is six months old. Yes, my drummer Gerald and my trumpet player Dave both have kids.
FMA: 2018′s GRAMMY nominated Lemonade is such a nostalgic collection of songs. How much of your music comes from your own childhood memories? Do you and the band write together?
JR: Many songs begin from fragments of my own memory but often songs are born from conversations with other people or just listening to the world around. "Must Be This Tall" came from a text message from a friend who said, "Have you ever written about wanting to ride a roller coaster and not being tall enough?" Often times, I don't know where a song comes from I just start singing and words come out and I try to figure out what that is all about. I write the songs myself and often record demos of them on my computer before playing them for other members of the band. Lemonade was unusual as it was recorded primarily with a trio of other musicians, two of whom I don't perform with regularly (Robbie Fulks and John Abbey) and then other instruments were added to that live recording. Most of my other recent records have featured the same band, Jacqueline Schimmel on bass, Gerald Dowd on Drums, David Winer on Trumpet, and Liam Davis on electric guitar. Liam also produces my recordings.
FMA: I know your mom, dad, wife, family members etc. are proud of what you do, how do you think they describe what you do, what kind music you write and what being GRAMMY nominated for kids music means for you?
JR: My wife usually tells her fellow classical musicians who might be a bit confused about my career choice: "He writes music for kids, but they are actually just really great songs that you don't have to be a kid to enjoy." That sums up what I'm trying to do. My mom and dad are terribly biased but they have traveled across the country to see us perform in different cities and they've always been super supportive of me following my dreams to be a musician.
I have received three GRAMMY nominations and it means a lot to me to have received those nominations, because it is a peer award. I try to make albums that I would want to listen to that respect the variety of ages that might consume my music. While a GRAMMY nomination is great, there's nothing better than hearing a five year old say that she constantly requests only your music from her Alexa and then have a grandparent say that they love hearing my music on their car CD player even after the kids have left the car.
FMA: I visited my sister and family in Wilmette and really enjoyed Evanston and a chance to see you there last summer at a street fest. What do you like best about living there?
JR: I only recently moved back to Evanston from Chicago (right around the time that you saw that concert). It was pretty cool that day because the mayor came to that show with his daughter who grew up listening to my music. What a nice welcome to my new hometown! Much like the street I lived on in Chicago, I love the great neighborhood feel of Evanston, the restaurants and coffee shops that are walking distance and the lakefront so nearby. The lakefront is always a great quick escape from the everyday to collect your thoughts and begin again.
FMA: Jammin Java is kind of a DC area home for you. How do you like playing there?
JR: We have been playing in DC since the early 2000s and I found a home at Jammin' Java shortly after they opened. It is a very intimate venue and feels like you are playing in someone's living room. I love the kid mosh pit that usually starts in the front and the wonderfully engaged parents that sing along and spend the morning with their kids enjoying music together. It always feels like a party when we play there!
