Children’s music icon, environmentalist, and all-around nice guy Raffi is coming to Vermont this week to perform a show at the Flynn Theater in Burlington, so I thought I’d ask him a few questions before he arrives!
Tenor Dad: Hi Raffi! You have an upcoming show in Vermont. How often do you perform in Vermont, and what are you looking forward to most about being here?
Raffi: I first sang in Burlington in 2016, and I enjoyed it so much I wanted to return. Some members of the Sanders family came to my show and that made it even more special for me, a big Bernie Sanders fan. I’d love to meet with Bernie and talk about youth voter registration. Fingers crossed.
Tenor Dad: You have been performing for decades. Have you ever had a show not go as expected? I mean, what is your craziest story about a show?
Raffi: Not really, my shows consistently turn out well. But there was that time a couple of years ago when, as I was leaving the stage, I noticed that the sole of my left shoe was coming off. That made the encore interesting—I laughed through it.
Tenor Dad: Many of your songs seem to have an environmental focus, which I think will resonate with Vermonters. Where do you draw your musical inspirations from?
Raffi: I’m very much inspired by Nature, and several of my songs celebrate our big, beautiful planet, our one world home, our diverse global family. My new album, Dog On The Floor, includes the songs “Dragonfly,” “Rainbow” and George Harrison’s “Here Comes The Sun.” Looking forward to singing with Vermonters soon!
You can see Raffi in Burlington this Saturday, June 23rd at 3 PM at the Flynn Theater (tickets available here!) and his new album “Dog on the Floor” will be out on July 27th!