The gangster rap scene of the mid-1990s was devastated by the deadly feud between East and West Coast artists, which caused the early demise of stars like Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur.
Thankfully, the relationship between the coasts in the children's music scene in Canada is a lot more peaceful.
That point is driven home by the recent collaboration of Squamish resident Daryl Robb and New Glasgow, N.S.-based Crystal Mann, who recently came together to record their new album entitled On the Back Porch.
"I was booked to play a library in New Glasgow and at the end of the show, Crystal came up to me and we started talking and developed a mutual interest in working together," Robb said. "We kept in touch and when this project came about I decided to develop it with Crystal. With her experience and my experience, it all came together really nicely."
Robb is a veteran in the children's entertainment scene, having toured across the continent for the past 11 years and having hosted the one-time, locally produced Down by the Docks kids' show. The show aired on local Shaw and community channels throughout North America. He said it's fun to be on television but that he also loves performing in front of the kids.
"It's very rewarding," he said. "I usually tell people I don't feel like it's a job but it's the best job I've ever had. I like knowing the impact I have on the kids and it's nice knowing that they're going to remember what they saw in my performance for a long time."
The Down by the Docks kids' show has been a huge part of Robb's life and features several popular puppets including Leroy the Lobster, Cobo the Pink Oiseaux and Luc the Lobster. Robb admits that often the puppets end up being the most popular part of the show.
"Leroy the Lobster is an enigma to himself," he said. "When he comes out and starts talking to the kids, a lot of the focus is on him. That interaction with the kids is just amazing to see. He can make the shyest kid in the room want to stand up and give him a hug."
During a typical concert, Robb tells stories, sings songs and entertains the kids. He hopes to have the same success with On the Back Porch that he's had with Down by the Docks.
"The exciting thing about On the Back Porch is that we've got some African and Caribbean influence in some of the songs," he said. "Down by the Docks is more a fun, rocking sound and a little folky."
Robb has already completed a new pilot for the re-introduction of Down by the Docks and hopes to also distribute episodes of On the Back Porch. He noted that he hopes to shop both shows to potential networks and believes the shows could have global appeal.
In the meantime, Robb and Mann are brainstorming what the upcoming tour will look like and then hit the road in the spring and summer of 2012. He noted that he racked up 25,652 kilometres travelling across Canada in the summer of 2010 and expects to have another busy year in 2012.
"We get to really see the whole country," he said. "We go to a lot of small towns and it's really special to go there because a lot of times the kids there don't get live entertainment very often. When they get to see us, there's usually a lot of enthusiasm."
Robb said he's not sure whether the tour will come to 小蓝视频 but encouraged all those interested to visit the website, www.downbythedocks.com. Fans can also check out the show's Facebook page by typing "Down by the Docks" into the search bar.
