The Plaza Family Band
The "Plaza Family" is a special, close-knit community centered around a special preschool in Charlotte's historic Plaza-Midwood neighborhood. For generations, Plaza has nurtured wonderful little people in a loving, open environment, and has created a space where an artistic, entrepreneurial crowd of parents gathers daily with their children: The Playground.
With such an impressive concentration of talented folks pushing swings together, the idea to create a children's album sparked and a few months later, here we are.
Aaron Pitkin, Hope Nicholls, Beth Brown Al-Rawi, Clifton Castelloe, Mike Strauss, Barbara Bonner, Sergio Agraz (Sarah Gates Photography)
MIKE STRAUSS (Vocals, Guitar) - Mike Strauss is a celebrated singer-songwriter/guitarist who has released four solo Americana/Roots Rock albums in the last eight years. He has two children who have both attended Plaza Presbyterian Weekday School.
CLIFTON CASTELLOE (Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Percussion, Harmonica) - Mr. Mom by day, producer/singer/songwriter by naptime and night, is part of the award-winning acoustic guitar duo Melonbelly. His original music can be heard in feature films and television programs on CBS, NBC, E! Network and others.
HOPE NICHOLLS (Vocals) - Hope grew up in Davidson NC. After graduating from Warren Wilson College, she and her husband Aaron Pitkin began persuing a musical career. They formed Fetchin' Bones and were signed to Capitol records in the 80's...Sugarsmack and Sire records in the 90's and now have a band with friends and family called Snagglepuss.
AARON PITKIN (Guitar, Percussion) - "I was born and raised in VT where I got the punk rock. I met Hope in the NC mountains, fell in love, learned the rock secrets, jammed the Fetchin Bones, Sugarsmack and Snagglepuss bands, had kids and landed in the Plaza Family Hootenanny."
SERGIO AGRAZ (Vocals, Guitar) - Born in Mexico City, he studied music in The Conservatory of Music and Poetry of the state of Puebla. Besides music, Sergio trained as an architect and an artist. Professional Practices in Germany (Fluent in German) His career took him to the Charlotte area where he has been performing for the past eight years in various venues including: Calle Cinco Latin Festival, Latin American Festival at the Mint Museum, local restaurants and clubs. Sergio was one of the first performers in the area to entertain in English and Spanish and continues to captivate his audiences with talent and charisma Living in the USA since 1988, currently in Charlotte, N.C.
BARBARA BONNER (Vocals, Piano) - With a father that is a classical musician, Barbara grew up playing violin and piano, going to concerts and rehearsals, etc. She picked up the guitar after college, which has come in handy for in her decade of teaching music. Barbara is certified in ORFF, a licensed Musikgarten teacher and most recently finished a degree in piano at UNC Charlotte. Her favorite thing is watching the way children experience music with absolute joy and abandonment.
MICAILA MILBURN-THOMAS (Vocals, Native Flute, Percussion) - Micaila/Ayorinde Milburn-Thomas is a singer/songwriter and visual and performing artist dedicated to the empowerment of humanity throught the promotion of creative expression. Using her background in psychology and the healing arts, she has worked in Charlotte for more than fifteen years as an artist, teacher, actor, singer/songwriter, healing facilitator and cultural educator. She has performed on radio, camera and stage and has conducted classes and workshops with people of widely diverse ages and backgrounds.
JON SCHIGODA (Bass, Guitaronne) - Jon Schigoda got bit by the music bug when he got his first guitar at age 8. He has played Bass professionally and therapeutically since he was a teenager, and currently plays with singer/songwriter Mike Strauss. He also plays banjo and collects wayward guitars. He has a Bachelors degree in Communications and spends his daytime hours in the edit box at WCNC TV-36 and the rest of his spare time on his bicycle or motorcycle, or hanging out with family and friends.
DONOVAN COLLINS (Vocals, Piano, Melodica) - Donovan Collins plays piano/keyboards, guitar, sings, and writes original songs. Donovan toured the world over for 5 years as keyboardist for the reggae band "Culture" and won the "Merle Watson Festival" songwriting contest in 1997.
DAVE CONLIN (Bass) - Dave Conlin currently plays bass and snare drums as part of Carolina Gator Gumbo, a Charlotte-based cajun and creole band.
BETH BROWN AL-RAWI (Vocals, Violin) - Formerly a fiddler in Carolina Gator Gumbo, Beth currently plays with the Mike Strauss Band.
RICK BLACKWELL (Bass)
Cover Artist:
Raed Al-Rawi feels like he has always been Inspired by his father's artistic career. Starting in the 1970's Raed Al-Rawi worked as an illustrator for a national children's magazine in Baghdad, Iraq. He then began to be published as a political cartoonist. Along with other Iraqi cartoonists he established the first cartoonist group in Iraq. He has participated in many national and international cartoon exhibitions.
He has worked as an art director and a graphic designer in North Carolina since 1980. As a painter, he began to exhibit his work in galleries and with artist groups around North Carolina starting in 1990 to the present. Since then he become an established artist and painting teacher. Today he is represented by, Gallery C, in Raleigh NC.