Super Pal Universe

Talk about getting out of your comfort zone! Normally, as you know, my life is pretty well circumscribed by the needs, demands, interests, talents, etc. of three young children. Except that I do have this little secret side that likes to write and occasionally gets paid by someone who actually wants to trade their money for my words. Amazing, isn't it?

Well, as you may know, I have this ongoing gig for Parent:Wise Austin magazine, where every month I write a day-tripping column. For next month, my editor has asked me, on somewhat short notice, to write the cover story (yikes!), featuring singer/songwriter/artist extraordinaire Sara Hickman (if you're like me and have little ones, you may think she's just the talented creator of CD's like "Newborn" and "Toddler," but oh, she's so much more, it turns out, in addition to being a cool person to talk on the phone with) and a teen band she's helped create and is now mentoring. It's called Super Pal Universe, and they're not just a band; they're starting a TV show which hopefully will be picked up by PBS (I'm going to attend the pilot filming this weekend). And the cool thing is, even though rock n' roll isn't really my thing, I have to admire the way they're using their music to get a message across. No "Baby I Can't Live Without You" drivel here. They're writing songs about being yourself, about conservation, about other meaningful issues, and using their webisodes and TV show to highlight community projects and kids who are making a difference.

I got to attend their rehearsal today, and I was so impressed! Sara, their mentor, wasn't even there, but after several months of being together, these five young teens are mostly self-directed. They stayed focused on making music, and no one was telling them, "Okay, hey, c'mon guys, let's FOCUS." And, during their snack break, they all sat down with me for a nice chat. They must have done the interview thing before, because despite the fact that they're 13 and 14 and have agents (!), they were both down-to-earth and incredibly articulate and cognizant of the huge opportunity they've been given. They were selected after five rounds of auditions from all over the Live Music Capital of the World, but they all said they didn't expect to be chosen, and were truly surprised when they were. And their friends don't really get it, don't understand their brand of activism, but their attitude is, "they will."

A neat afternoon, and for sure, not something I do every day!