Crosspulse Rhythm Duo Delights with Toilet Plunger, Garden Shears and a Ukulele

In addition to housing a glorious selection of CDs, our local branch of the San Francisco Public Library has been hosting quite a few music events this summer. On Thursday, DJ B and I popped in to see a performance by Oakland's Crosspulse Rhythm Duo. Trained percussionist Keith Terry and dancer/musician/Stairwell Sisters' member Evie Ladin delighted the kids by playing music on their bodies (lots of clapping, slapping, and stomping) and on unusual instruments like boxes, metal lids, large gardening shears, and a toilet plunger.



Crosspulse also played more recognizable instruments like bells, banjo, and ukulele (played by kid guest-star Rocco). Miss B clapped along with the music, hissed like a snake when asked to, and crawled on the floor to get a closer view of the musicians/dancers. During a Q&A with the audience there were many random comments, including one kid's pronouncement that, "When I grow up I'm going to be a movie star." Miss B didn't share with the band, but when I asked her what the music was like, she said, "Tinkerbell."

Crosspulse Rhythm Duo and Special Guest Rocco

Their lesson about embracing the sounds of ordinary objects rubbed off on Miss B, who immediately following the performance sang at the top of her lungs in the echo-filled library bathroom while banging her hands on the handicapped stall's metal grab bars. She definitely understood the joy of percussion.