Lunch Money

In the late 90's, an almost comically morose indie pop group called The Verna Cannon (Cargo/Headhunter) once performed for an audience of 7-year olds (at the request of a teaching assistant friend). Surprised and a little perplexed by the rather melancholy concert, one little boy earnestly remarked, "Your music makes me sleepy." And while the band got many an appreciative chuckle over the comment, singer/guitarist Molly Ledford also walked away thinking she would like to play for children again with a new band project directed at a younger audience. In 2003, Molly enlisted fellow Verna Cannon bandmate Jay Barry (snare) and multi-instrumentalist JP Stephens (bass, mandolin, harmonica) to form Lunch Money. Focusing her writing, which had been described as "full of memories left in a shoebox in the dusty corners of your brain" (Spin.com), on the stuff of childhood, Molly soon accumulated a new catalog of songs about such things as wishing for a pet dog, getting up the nerve to ride a roller coaster, and twirling around in rain and sun beneath an umbrella. The band's debut CD Silly Reflection has been warmly received by children's radio shows and music writers. Lunch Money delivers a high-energy show that aims to get children and their parents dancing, thinking and laughing.