GBBP 173: Tami Stronach

In the beginning, it is always dark.

Kids of the 80s (like yours truly) grew up on a diet of cheesy and wonderful sci-fi and fantasy films, and – let me tell you – not many come more wonderfully cheesy than The Neverending Story. Bastian running from the bullies, Atreyu seeking the Southern Oracle, poor Artax meeting his maker in the Swamp of Sadness, Falcor the luck dragon, the Nothing consuming all of Fantasia, and of course the Childlike Empress.

Today on the show, we chat with the Childlike Empress herself, Tami Stronach. Even though she embraces the role and doesn’t shy away from it, it certainly doesn’t define her. She’s the founder of Tami Stronach Dance company and Paper Canoe Company, a self-described “boutique family entertainment content producer.” Their newest release, Beanstalk Jack, is one of those rare pieces of “children’s music” that transcends age.

According to Stronach, “We know the rules. The rules are you aren’t supposed to make albums anymore. Albums aren’t supposed to be narrative. Kids’ music is supposed to be funny, sweet, cute, and musically ground floor. We wanted to break all those rules. We made a full-length, A-side B-side concept album that tells an amazing story. We wanted it to be great music first, great storytelling second, and third, to let families connect to nostalgic American musical traditions from the folksy protest music of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger through to the classic rock/pop sounds of the 80s.”

On this episode, we talk to Stronach about her amazing childhood as the daughter of two archaeologists in Iran and Israel, her brief stint in the movies, her work with Paper Canoe Company, and the joys of exposing kids to art as early as possible.

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