Banana Slug String Band

Banana Slug String Band (BSSB), formed in 1985, is a children's band based out of Santa Cruz, California and are self-described as "Environmental Educators".[1]

Banana Slug String Band
Years active1985 (1985)–present
Members
  • Doug "Dirt" Greenfield
  • "Airy" Larry Graff
  • "Solar" Steve Van Zandt
  • "Marine" Mark Nolan
Websitewww.bananaslugstringband.com

They focus on live performances at schools assemblies and music festivals. As of 2015, they were playing as many as 150 shows a year performing with costumes and as characters to deliver their environmental messages to children. The Slugs have performed at festivals including the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, High Sierra Music Festival, and Strawberry Music Festival.[2]

History

BSSB formed in 1985 after meeting at an nature camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The four founding members (Doug "Dirt" Greenfield, "Airy" Larry Graff, and "Solar" Steve Van Zandt, and "Marine" Mark Nolan) were teachers and performed music together for the students and sing songs related to the what they had learned that day at camp. Later, the group developed deals and created performances that they began performing at school assemblies and other venues.[3][4]

BSSB has partnered with many groups in their career, including 30 different ocean conservation organizations that helped fund their album Only One Ocean and they continue to perform at school assemblies.[5][6]

They've released 12 CDs, along with live recordings.[1][7]

As of 2019, they still consist of the original four band members.[8][1] They have won three Parents' Choice Awards, most recently in 2011 for Only One Ocean, along with other awards.[9][10]

Larry Graff is also a member of Painted Mandolin, a Grateful Dead cover band.[11]

Other ventures

Doug "Dirt" Greenfield is a faculty member and program director for Venture West School of Outdoor Living and Exploring New Horizons, and has designed and led outdoors science camps in Northern California.[12]

Discography
Year Title Note
1987 Dirt Made My Lunch
1989 Adventures on the Air Cycle
1991 Slugs at Sea
1995 Penguin Parade
1999 Goin' Wild
1999 La Tierra Y El Mar
2002 Singing in Our Garden
2004 Wings of Slumber Guest musicians: George Winston and Laurie Lewis[13]
2008 We All Live Downstream
2011 Only One Ocean Winner of a 2011 Parents' Choice Award[14]
2019 Pollinator Nation

References
  1. "The Band". bananaslugstringband.
  2. "BANANA SLUG STRING BAND | Strawberry Music, Inc". strawberrymusic.com. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  3. Gilhooley, Andrew (2005-03-10). "Musical science". The Salinas Californian. Salinas, Calif., United States. pp. –6. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  4. Bland, Thyrie (2002-04-22). "Eco-band is down to earth". The Clarion Ledger. Jackson, Miss., United States. pp. –1. ISSN 0744-9526. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  5. "Hot Topics". November 11, 2015.
  6. "Dirt Made My Lunch". Baker City Herald.
  7. "Banana Slug String Band". Banana Slug String Band.
  8. "Santa Cruz's beloved Banana Slug String Band marks 30 years of entertaining kids and changing lives". November 11, 2015.
  9. "Banana Slug Band-Free Children's Concert". Napa Valley Register.
  10. "The Michigan Alumnus". p. 29. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  11. "Painted Mandolin: A journey through the music of Jerry Garcia". The Union: News for Nevada County, California. 2019-01-03. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
  12. "Doug Dirt Greenfield | Faculty Member | Esalen". www.esalen.org. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  13. Heffley, Lynne (2005-05-05). "Mister Rogers' love and legacy live on". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  14. "Only One Ocean".
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