On Saturday, November 13, the center will host its first Presenting Series family and children’s show of the season, the Grammy-winning, internationally touring, family funk show phenomenon 23 Skidoo presents The Secret Agency. This dynamic, lyrically intelligent hip-hop group is sure to thrill family members of all ages. We asked Secret Agent 23 Skidoo a few questions in preparation for the upcoming performance.
What impact has COVID-19 had on you/your group?
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo: We’ve simultaneously learned to be in hibernation while reaching out further than ever. Although we have had far fewer live shows than usual in the last two (2) years, we’ve also created virtual programming that found its way directly into family homes. And we collaborated with international musicians on an elementary grade curriculum project about rhyme writing and about the cultures of communities in West Africa, Egypt, Peru, Japan, and the Cherokee Nation. So, while being stuck at home, we’ve also stretched around the planet!
What are you most looking forward to about performing for live audiences?
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo: There is nothing like the soul electricity of live performance! Although we love recording and doing virtual gigs, the feeling of connecting with an audience –– and especially an audience full of kids –– recharges our batteries and makes us feel like kids again!
How did the concept for Secret Agent 23 Skidoo arise?
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo: When my daughter turned five (5), she entered that age where she had one foot in the magical realm of childhood and the other in the world of words. She began to understand and use words on a much higher level. At that point, I wanted to find a way to show her the styles of music, lyrics, and storytelling that I loved, and so I transformed the games we were playing and the stories we were telling into a hip-hop album and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo was born.
How did the concept for the Secret Agency arise?
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo: After 13 years of touring the country and even playing shows in Canada, India, and Australia, the group of musicians I traveled with had become a force of nature, each amazing and unique, with their own style and flavor. It seemed far more authentic to perform as a group of equal and different individuals than for them to simply be my backing band. So, we adjusted the show to make sure each member had their moments in the spotlight, centering the performance around them for that time.
It’s made the show more potent and interesting, and it’s made sure that each member of the audience sees themselves reflected onstage as a leader. We travel and perform as a living, breathing, dancing symbol of unity, diversity, and wonderful weirdness.
What is the best part of performing for families/children?
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo: There’s a symbiotic feedback loop when you create and perform for young minds. Not only does it cause you to simplify your view of the world by boiling down your ideas rather than watering them down, therefore sharpening your thinking, but it’s also a constant check on your cynicism.
Kids tend to have an undiminished sense of wonder, seeing the magic of the world in a way that grownups have mostly forgotten. Like collaborating with any community, you have to learn to speak their language, think their thoughts, and see the world through their eyes –– and doing that gives us a sense of hope and joy that transcends everyday logic.
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo is a unique concept. How would you describe your band to someone unsure what it’s about?
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo: Secret Agent 23 Skidoo and the Secret Agency combine all the things we love into a musical gumbo of crazy complementary flavors. Hip-hop lyricism and soulful harmonies weave together science-fiction and surreal storytelling, and the acrobatic dancers and colors mesmerize the grumpiest grownups. We are like P-Funk on tour in Never Never Land, and we use rhymes as magic spells. Make sense?
We can’t wait to be mesmerized by these magic spells on Saturday! A big thanks to Secret Agent 23 Skidoo for his fascinating answers, and don’t forget to grab your tickets soon. 23 Skidoo presents The Secret Agency is sure to be a lively and unique experience for the entire family!
