Animal Band Show comes to The Renaissance Center

Release Date: 4/23/2002. Expired: 4/27/2002

Calling all kids! Calling all adults who want to remember what it was like to be a kid! Now is your chance to see a great popular show and be in a video! Be at The Renaissance Center at 10:30 a.m. Saturday and be ready to smile, dance and cut up and generally have a great time because you’ll be on Animal Camera with The Animal Band Show when it’s filmed for television.

Admission is free and the only requirement is that children and adults have a great, fun and exciting experience. For Jim Moore, that’s what life is all about.

Traveling all around the country to schools and other venues, The Animal Band is dedicated to bringing good, wholesome family fun to audiences and sending a positive message to children and adults.

“That’s what I’ve dedicated my whole career to,” said Moore, founder of The Animal Band, singer and songwriter. “It’s been 13 years of my life and even prior to that I did things. All the songs I write are about family life, family time and things that you go through and loading up a car full of kids and hearing “are we there yet?” a million times. I have been very fortunate to be one of the lucky musicians and writers that have been able to make a living doing this.”

Touted as America’s most exciting family show, The Animal Band Show is participatory fun for kids and adults. Imagine being pulled out of the audience to don a crazy hat and dance to animal music. That’s what’s been happening to families all over the nation since The Animal Band Show hit the tour circuit and won the Nashville Music Awards’ 1995 Nammy for Children’s Recording of the Year and Best Children’s Recording in the 1995 Academy of Children’s Entertainment Awards.

“The music and the message is positive,” Moore said. “We have fun!”

Moore said The Animal Band sprang to life in 1990 from the lyrics of a simple song he wrote for his two children. All Animal Band tells the story of animals touring the country performing their music for everyone, include the President and the Pope. Moore said he was inspired by the song’s power to make kids and adults laugh.

“Being around families, that’s what I was cut out to do. That was my destiny,” Moore said. “I love seeing parents and grandparents and other adults interacting with kids.”

Moore sold a successful business, wrote some more tunes, recruited a band, and designed costumes. The Animal Band’s first performance was at the 1990 Summer Lights Festival in Nashville.

Ever diligent in marketing and promoting the novel group, his persistence paid off when a producer for PBS offered the band an opportunity to make special guest appearances on a 1991 PBS regional pilot, Fuzzy Company. It wasn’t long before The Animal Band was in demand around the country, including Fox affiliates. The band began headlining at Fox Kid’s Fest events.

In 1992 the band gathered in a basement studio and recorded its first 10-song album, Are We There, Yet?. Recorded on a reel-to-reel 8-track and mixed, mastered and packaged within a 6-week time frame, the album became the band’s calling card.

Gradually building the band’s fame and recording more original music, Moore signed an exclusive tour sponsorship in 1997 with Jelly Belly, the gourmet jellybean company. Throughout 1998 and the first quarter of 1999, the Dreams and Jelly Beans Tour sold more seats at venues in the nation than any other children’s music recording artist. In the last five years The Animal Band is second only to Amy Grant in the number of seats sold at the Grand Ole Opry House.

Moore performed two years ago at The Renaissance Center in a Christmas concert and fell in love with the facility.

“I’m amazed. It think as a venue it’s definitely one of the most interesting and probably one of the nicest venues I’ve seen, especially in a smaller city,” Moore said. “It’s unheard of. As a matter of fact, some of the larger cities I’ve been in could take a lesson from it. I love it. I think the workshops and things that you all do there is amazing. I definitely would encourage everyone in the area to take a look.”

Moore said that in his travels he hears all sorts of positive comments about The Renaissance Center, even from people who have never been inside the building.

“A lot of people in Nashville say they’ve “been meaning to go by there” or “I’ve been by there but I’ve never been inside.” What an amazing thing they’re going to have: an incredible kick! I’m amazed at the technology as far as the studios.”

Fans from around the South are traveling to The Renaissance Center for The Animal Band Show, Moore said, adding that the out-of-town fan base will benefit the local economy since the fans will utilize local hotels and restaurants.

Finally, Moore said, he is looking forward to filming the show for television at The Renaissance Center. He said it’s a project he’s been working on for 13 years.

“I’m glad it turned out to be something I can do at The Renaissance Center,” he said. “The show will be filmed for television and it’s produced by Ann Gillis Productions, Venice Film Merchants and The Animal Band Joint Venture.”

Moore said Gillis is probably best known for the production Letters From Death Row, starring Martin and Charlie Sheen and Brett Michaels.

“Here they are filmmakers and they didn’t know about The Renaissance Center,” Moore said. “I suggested to them that we do it there. If it’s up to me I’ll be a good advertiser for The Renaissance Center. The people there have been very nice and they know it means a lot to me.”

The film will be released on DVD and VHS and is actually being filmed as a television special, Moore said.

“Each song will be released on The Learning Channel,” he said. “Each song will have its own life.”

The Animal Band Show is at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 27. Admission is free by reservation only. For more information or to make reservations call (615)754-8701 or e-mail at theanimalband@aol.com.

The Renaissance Center is located at 855 Highway 46 South in Dickson, just 35 minutes west of Nashville off Interstate 40 at exit 172.

Visit the Events - Concerts and Recitals page for more about musical performances.

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