Arts & Entertainment

National Recognition For Southeastern Connecticut Band

Steve Elci and Friends honored by Parents' Choice Foundation

The group has been in the kids’ music business for less than a year, but Steve Elci and Friends have already received an honor from a national organization highlighting products for children.

The Parents’ Choice Foundation awarded the band a “Parents’ Choice Recommended” honor for their album Vowels as part of the organization’s spring 2011 awards. The foundation is a nonprofit group identifying products that are helpful to a child’s development. The awards recognize television shows, music, toys, websites, and other products with classic awards, gold and silver honors, recommendations, and approvals.

“’Vowels’ is a groovy, easy way to enforce vowel memorization skills with your just-learning-to-read children,” states the foundation’s review of the CD. " Listening to ‘ABC/123’ was like being at a carefree summer concert on the grass plus a lesson learning your abc's at the same time.”

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The band consists of Steve Elci, Casey O’Neill, Michele O’Neill, and John Van Ness. Elci said he has been playing music for 25 years, but the transition to children’s music was a recent one. He still occasionally plays alternative punk. These influences carry over into Vowels, as Elci said he intends to introduce a rock beat into the songs and create a message without being patronizing.

“I want to make sure that when we do music that the kids love it and the parents love it more,” he said. “I’ve had parents come up to me and tell me, ‘My kids weren’t even in the car and I was rocking out to your CD!’”

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Elci, a Waterford resident, has put his music to causes in recent years. One of the songs on the CD, “Submarine Town,” was recorded in 2004 as part of the effort to prevent the closure of the submarine base in Groton. Elci has also played in fundraising shelters to support New London homeless shelters and food pantries.

“I believe in New London in every way when it comes to the arts,” he said.

Elci said the CD has been purchased from as far away as England, California, and Florida. The group is more than halfway through their second album. Their next live appearance will be at 5:30 p.m. on April 29 at the as part of a book drive for the Whale’s Tales Book Bank for Kids.


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