Alphabet Soup

Darryl Sterdan

Yes, they're doing it for the kids -- but Alphabet Soup doesn't stop there. As you'd expect, the songs on this CD have zippy melodies and kooky lyrics to keep the wee ones entertained, along with a few simple lessons about food, family, colours and more. But their music also rocks enough to keep the parents from getting sick of it. So ultimately, they're doing it for the folks too. - Winnipeg Sun

“…a group that combines original and creative songs with tight harmonies and a spunky beat….” - The Herald (May 29, 2002)

“…a memorable children’s act….Their creative silly songs were a hit as well as their interactive stories…” - Jeannie Nickel

“…a very professional group to work with….A talented group of performers willing to focus on music that is thematically and developmentally targeted at a family audience. “ - Manitoba Children's Museum

December 6, 2008

SOME children's musicians like to
sing lullabies. Others want to teach
their young audiences how to spell
lullaby. But for Winnipeg's Alphabet
Soup, the name of the game is F-U-N.

"Lots of bands go in for serious education, and they're great at it," says Soup's Sean Hogan. "So we let them handle it. We just want to have lots of fun with kids. If there isn't humour in it, then that's our red flag."

Then again, a red flag could be sort
of fun too: Alphabet Soup is all about props. On the tune Something She Ate, band member Micki Casey mimes chowing down on progressively more
outrageous objects, starting with a rubber ball.


The response to visual humour from
the band's kindergarten-to-Grade 5
audience, Hogan says, is inspiring. On one song, Harmonica, kids are invited onstage, given harmonicas, and dubbed the Winnipeg Philharmonica Orchestra.
"You never know what's going to happen," Hogan says. "In the past, we've run out of harmonicas, and the creative substitutions kids come up with blows our minds. They'll mime playing a harmonica.
They'll share harmonicas, two
kids to one."

Of course, you won't see the props on their brand new CD, You're It! But even if families can't make it out to the trio's CD release shows today, they can still play along. You're It!, which has been
in the works for two years, includes
all of Alphabet Soup's "greatest hits," like Kiddy Pool Surfer and Colour Song, which have inspired sing-alongs at festivals like the Teddy Bear's Picnic and the Winnipeg Fringe Festival.

The trick to building such grassroots
popularity as a children's act, Hogan
says, comes down to ditching the
grown-up ego. "Kids can sense when you're worried about what you look like," says Hogan. "We're extremely silly, and way more
silly than we could be in any adult
venue. We count on each other to call each other out if we start to get too cool."


Families can see that silliness in
person today at two CD release shows at the Manitoba Children's Museum. Both sets will be the same, and the trio pledges to bring its A-game. There will be lots of props, and maybe even some
prizes. Mostly, you can expect the kind of kid-friendly energy the trio is known for - and it's not an act.
"We have a song called When I Grow Up, and at 32 years old, I still feel like I'm having to answer that question," Hogan says with a laugh. "But why should we have to?"


The shows are at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and are free with admission to the museum.

You're It! is available at McNally
Robinson Booksellers, or online at
AlphabetSoup.ca. - Winnipeg Free Press