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Bobs and Lolo: Interview

Canadian Musical duo Bobs and Lolo are in London this weekend, the latest stop on their whirlwind Ontario tour. The duo, friends from high school, sing, write and perform songs like Raindrop POP (in video above). Their fun children’s songs are often on Treehouse TV, and they are fast becoming favourites among the preschool set. Their fun songs encourage kids to get up and dance while exploring topics like friendship and the environment. On Saturday they perform at Aeolian Hall  http://www.aeolianhall.ca/ . Tickets are still available at $15 each and children under one are free. There are two performances schedule for tomorrow (Saturday, November 6th) at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The performance will draw from all three of their albums Action Packed, Musical Adventures and Sea Notes. Lorraine Pond, Lolo, one half of the duo www.bobsandlolo.com/ spoke with thriftmommastips on behalf of Mom Central Canada last night.

1. Where do you get the inspiration for your songs?

Our main goal with the music is to inspire kids to care about the world around them. In terms of song-writing, we tend to write about things we love – nature, friendship & family! We usually start with trying to tell a story with the song and the lyrics and music come together naturally. It’s a really organic process for us. We don’t follow a formula or have a real system for songwriting. Writing the lyrics is a fun creative process that we like to do together. Sometimes the final version of a song is completely different then what we started with and other times we come up with something that works right away. Songwriting is a nice break from the regular office work behind-the-scenes, and occasionally, it’s a good excuse to enjoy a nice bottle of red wine too.

2. What is the most rewarding part of this career?

Performing for young audiences is by far the best part! The things kids say, the way they move and the endless energy our audience brings to our shows is rewarding, inspiring and motivating. We can both honestly say that we would not be performing or putting in the long hours behind-the-scenes without the kids cheering us on (parents too)!

3. What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning?

Everything! We have the best job ever! 🙂

4. Why do you think kids enjoy your music so much?

We put a lot of energy into making our music educational, family-focused and listener-friendly for all ages. We want our music to engage and inspire children to learn more about the topic at hand, to care about the world around them and above all, to get up and dance! We think the kids really respond to the music first and the storyline of the songs and the interactivity of the shows second. We also think the kids really enjoy connecting with us as ‘real’ people given that they often live in a world filled with animated or make-believe characters. We enjoy the role of favourite ‘teacher’ or ‘aunt’…it helps makes us approachable – even to the shyest child.

5. What sets Bobs and Lolo apart from other musical acts that market to children?

The big thing is our story – Bobs & LoLo really evolved from our friendship first and a mutual interest in working with children. “Bobs & LoLo” were actually our nicknames in high-school, so we were B&L long before songwriting and children’s entertainment was introduced to our lives. Before we started our musical adventures, Robyn (Bobs) was teaching elementary school prior to which she had completed a degree in linguistics at the University of Victoria and a Bachelor of Education at UBC. Lorraine (Lolo) previously worked in the fields of environmental education and non-profit fund development. Her academic background includes a Bachelor of Human Kinetics (Exercise Science) from UBC. Songwriting and performing really started out as a side project for us as a fun way to create some content for our jobs working with children – we never dreamed it would lead to running our own small business much less national television! We truly have a real passion for what we do and we are completely invested in the content we create for children…perhaps more so than some acts or products that are produced at a more commercial level for kids.

6. Will we be seeing any Bobs and Lolo merchandise on shelves at Walmart and toy stores soon?

We’ve been slowly working on our CD and DVD distribution over the last few years. We’ve had a lot of support from the independent toy store and children’s boutique communities over the last few years, but it has been very grassroots. Most of our distribution lies in Western Canada (we live in Vancouver), but we’re making new partnerships throughout Canada all the time. We recently introduced some of our music to Chapters/Indigo, and we hope to get some interest from Walmart in the near future. Please ask for our music in your favourite stores – it helps us a lot! We also recently launched our own e-store at bobsandlolo.com which has made our products more readily available to everyone. 🙂

7. What is next for Bobs & LoLo?

We’re currently putting together some ideas for a fourth album that we hope to release in the early New Year. We also have a lot of upcoming performances including our shows in London and Brampton this week plus a heap of holiday events on the west coast. We are also looking to continue building our relationship with Treehouse TV, and hope to produce some new content with them down the road. On a personal note, we’re also both keen to start families!

Mom of two beautiful active girls, traveller, fitness junkie, social media consultant, and keeper of the sanity.

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