Toe Jam Puppet Band
Encyclopedia
The Toe Jam Puppet Band is a children's entertainment group from New Bedford
, Massachusetts
. They perform throughout New England
several times per week, including every Monday at Buttonwood Park Zoo
in New Bedford, and played 270 times in 2007 across Massachusetts, Rhode Island
, New Hampshire
, Maine
and New York City
. Band members include co-founders Tom Poitras and Vinny Lovegrove,. The band formed in 2001 after Poitras, previously a punk rock singer with The Gluons, began writing songs for his newborn son, met Lovegrove who had been entertaining folk since 1994 with his Miracle Fish Puppet Theater. Their first CD, titled First CD, sold over 1000 copies. They released a second album, Toe Jam Dance Party, in 2003, and a third, Toe Jam in Outer Space, in 2008.
They have received a grant from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children for their Creative Arts Playgroup, and proceeds from the sale of their first CD went to the MSPCC.
According to the Boston Globe, they are "blazing a path through the world of family entertainment". WickedLocal said they offer "a special brand of hands-on children’s entertainment that grown-ups can actually enjoy". The Providence Journal noted that "The kids' involvement steers each show, so every performance is different."
New Bedford
-Places:*New Bedford, Illinois*New Bedford, Massachusetts, the most populous New Bedford**New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park*New Bedford, New Jersey *New Bedford, Ohio*New Bedford, Pennsylvania...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. They perform throughout New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
several times per week, including every Monday at Buttonwood Park Zoo
Buttonwood Park Zoo
The Buttonwood Park Zoo, located in New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA is a ten-acre zoo located within the center of Buttonwood Park. It is owned and operated by the City of New Bedford, with the support of the Buttonwood Park Zoological Society....
in New Bedford, and played 270 times in 2007 across Massachusetts, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Band members include co-founders Tom Poitras and Vinny Lovegrove,. The band formed in 2001 after Poitras, previously a punk rock singer with The Gluons, began writing songs for his newborn son, met Lovegrove who had been entertaining folk since 1994 with his Miracle Fish Puppet Theater. Their first CD, titled First CD, sold over 1000 copies. They released a second album, Toe Jam Dance Party, in 2003, and a third, Toe Jam in Outer Space, in 2008.
They have received a grant from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children for their Creative Arts Playgroup, and proceeds from the sale of their first CD went to the MSPCC.
According to the Boston Globe, they are "blazing a path through the world of family entertainment". WickedLocal said they offer "a special brand of hands-on children’s entertainment that grown-ups can actually enjoy". The Providence Journal noted that "The kids' involvement steers each show, so every performance is different."