Mr. Harley performs for kids under a parachute. Courtesy photo
Harley Smith, better known as Mr. Harley, is returning to Maine from his new home in Florida to present a fun and educational children’s concert at the Brunswick UU Church at 3 p.m. on Oct. 2, as the latest performance in the Concerts for a Cause series.
Concerts for a Cause series raises money for local charities. Proceeds from this year’s concerts will benefit the Brunswick Area Teen Center and Maine Family Planning.
Smith is well-known in central Maine as a children’s musician better known as Mr. Harley. He has been entertaining kids of all ages up and down the East Coast for almost two decades. He studied jazz at the University of Maine at Augusta and got his professional start as a jazz-rock drummer with adult audiences, but he is best known for his energetic shows for children at libraries, museums, fairs, schools and birthday parties.
Many of his songs call for audience participation, asking the kids to sing along or dance like frogs or slither like snakes. While the kids are enjoying songs about dinosaurs and pirates and bananas, the grown-ups are enjoying songs that share the sounds of jam bands, ska bands, or even disco bands. Smith’s songs also tend to be educational.
Mr. Harley has performed on NBC’s Today show, where he sang “The Sneeze Song,” and his song “Blue Shirt” appears in a viral commercial. Mr. Harley has released three albums, “Toast and Jelly,” “Blue Shirt,” and “Just Peel It,” which are all available on iTunes.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children or $25 for a family. They can be purchased at the church office from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday or online at ticketstripe.com/mrharley. For more information, call (207) 729-8515.
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