Davey Doodle™, Songwriter, Vocals, Keys, Saxophones, Ukulele, Loves Candy, and Can Summon Unicorns
Davey gave his fist performance at the age of 3 singing with a harmonica player in front of a Church audience of about 500 people, and from that day on, Davey was never afraid of performing on stage. Davey started to learn piano at age 5, and he arranged a deal with his parents that if he took piano lessons for 5 years, he could get any instrument that he wanted. At the time Davey really wanted a drum set, but after five years of piano lessons, he decided that he wanted a tenor saxophone and he began to play in 5th grade. After one year, he was a talented saxophone player and lead horn player in the schools band and jazz band. The next year he began to learn how to play the organ, including foot pedals. In the high school years that followed, he played tenor saxophone at the highest level with a symphonic ensemble at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and toured throughout Europe performing very difficult classical and symphonic music at music festivals, amusement parks, and other venues. During this time he started to play keyboard, and taught himself how to play bass guitar, and even started playing bass in a band and began to write songs. He continued to collect instruments and taught himself how to play them. Today he has over 100 instruments including 3 saxophones, 3 keyboards/synthesizers, a piano, a bass guitar, three guitars, two autoharps, a full drum kit, xylophones, a melodica, and many more fun instruments and noise makers. A real crowd favorite is that he plays the invisible trumpet through his mouth while playing other instruments such as the keyboard or harp-mandolin.
Davey continues to write songs and started playing and singing children’s songs to his nieces and nephews, and following the birth of his daughter in 2010, he began focusing most of his musical energy into his children’s music. Over the years he has started to perform to 1,000s at major venues worldwide. In 2014 he released a collection of 14 original Davey Doodle songs on his new album “Jumping Town©” to bring many types of fun songs to the kids’ stage. In this album he brings real life characters into life with songs about his dog Truffle Doodle, scoot scooting daughter April, niece Madison in Rhode Island, and nephew Ty’s stuffed brown bear named BB. He has developed new classics for parties and holidays with the Happy Happy Birthday song and the Very Scary Halloween song. The 2 pieces of Toast song will get you excited about eating the breakfast tasty treat. Other songs take you jumping on musical journeys through busy city streets, dandelion pastures, oceans and Islands, and cruising down all kinds of roads.
Davey Doodle is also the world’s first surfing musician who plays instruments such as accordion, harmonica, and a tenor saxophone while surfing the wakewave behind a boat. He is the current world record holder for two musical records: 1) Longest time playing the melodica while hula hooping and 2) Longest time playing saxophone while surfing. Check them out on his Youtube Channel (Davey Doodle).
Davey Doodle & the Red Hots
5 years ago Kraig and I started a music project aimed at family fun kindie music, I started to write songs about my nieces and nephews, and once I had my daughter April and started performing weekly at Cultured Kids Daycare, I focused on forming a the band Davey Doodle & the Red Hots and self recording my first album called Jumping Town. Jumping Town album has 13 all original songs written and performed on my collection of instruments. Songs tell a story, and there are songs about my loving dog Truffle Doodle, fun things that kids do, and songs about being a parent. Kraig and I started playing in his garage, and when we played a new song called Scoot Scoot Caboose one evening as all his kids were going down for bed and all the windows were open on a hot summer night, we knew we were on to something magical and found a drummer named Chris Barry, and walah, we formed Davey Doodle & the Scoville Unit (since we all really love hot chili peppers). Kids were confused about the Scoville Unit thing, so we switched to Davey Doodle & the Red Hots. We brought in the talent of Dylan Heckman on bass guitar, and climbed to the top of the kids stage by performing for 1,000s at the Overture Centers Kids in the Rotunda series in our home town of Madison, WI. We continued to write more songs and bring our unique super engaging creative performance style to venues in the Midwest. A few band members have changed over time, and now with Peter Johnston on drums, and Jeremy Holmstadt on the bass, Kraig (Banjo) and I are ready to bring our music to the world stage. I (Davey Doodle) had to move 6 years ago to the Twin Cities, MN and now have expanded our music and fanbase throughout the Midwest. We have completed are recording in a real great studio of our next album “Pop Snap Party”, which is set for nationwide release on 11/29/2019! This album will be the best one yet, and even have a new song about SLIME representing a new musical genera I invented called UkaJop that fuses Ukulele, Jazz, and Hip Hop and feature a guest appearance by famous hip hop artist Rob Dz. This album will delight your ears, and get you dancing to the musical party of Davey Doodle and the Red Hots, we know you will enjoy. Look for us to have album release shows in 2019-2020 throughout the world, and who knows where else in the world this will bring us.The Red Hots
Kraig Karels, banjo, loves eating tacos, and smiles
Music has been no stranger to our Banjo player Kraig Karels. As early as 2 years old, Kraig was moving and grooving to the magical sounds that were projected out of the family’s record player. Elvis, Willie Nelson, and Merle Haggard were just a few of the many musicians that caught his attention in the early days. At around age 5, Kraig received a guitar from the school music teacher, eager to learn, he started out with his Hal Leonard Guitar Method Book 1, and the love for playing instruments was born. He realized in grade school that he loved to sing, hence performing was right up his alley and he embraced every chance he could to be on stage. Throughout Middle School, and High School, he continued his passion with performance and competed at the State level receiving dozens of 1st place medals for his work in Solo, Duet, Madrigal, Quartet, Octet, Show Choir, and Group Concert Choir. His Junior year he played several parts in the High School production of the famous musical, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.” Around the same time he grew very interested in drums and percussion instruments, so down to the local music store he went and purchased his first set of congas which led him to being a member of his first band “The Jawn Dough Band” in La Crosse, Wi. After playing together for over 25 years, the members still get together every couple years to play gigs, now under the name “The River Road Ramblers.”
In 2002 Kraig traveled to Alaska, and was immersed in the local Bluegrass music scene. Bluegrass became his new musical love. There was something about the very “clean” tones and precision of the notes that really intrigued him. Shortly after his return to Wisconsin he purchased his beloved Banjo. After a year or two he got together with a good friend David Baumler, having “jam” sessions every Thursday they could. A new musical direction was about to take place, one they never expected but there was something calling, so they answered by forming the family band, “Davey Doodle and the Red Hots.” Over the past few years they have played dozens of shows for crowds ranging from neighbors enjoying shows in their garage during a chili cook-off, Festivals at local Convents, or packing in hundreds for their annual Kids in the Rotunda event at The Overture center in Madison, Wi.
Keep an eye out for other possible musical adventures Kraig will get
involved in over the years to come. As most people would say, “We are just
getting started.”
Peter Johnston, Percussion, building percussion instruments, naps
Pete has been banging rhythms on drums and about anything throughout this whole life. He grew up in a family of musicians and toured throughout the USA with a drum corps performance group throughout his youth. Pete was one of the original founding members of the reggae band Natty Nation, who did national tours with 100’s of shows per year. Pete has played in many other musical groups since then, and is a professional weathered musician. Pete joined our band in 2015 and has been a crowd favorite with the kiddos with his energy and enthusiasm he brings to the kids stage. Pete likes to build things to play drums percussion on, and with his new superpowers brings great rhythms and beats to all of our songs.
Jeremy Holmstadt, Bass guitar and botanical knowhow
I'm Jeremy, superhero power: "The Gardener".
I play bass guitar. And I love to garden, grow, and cook my own food, while helping others with their gardens. I love art, and also paint, draw, sketch and draft nearly every day. I create beautiful drawings, paintings and illustrations while wielding my paintbrush, pens, markers, computer and tablet. I also wield my two green thumbs creating beautiful gardens and living art made of plants, flowers, stone, boulders, bricks, concrete, wood, soil, water and nature. Not only for my own garden, but hundreds of gardens for others!
Music has always been a big part of my life. If I'm not playing an instrument making music, I'm always listening to it. My love of it started at an early age. My Dad would often play accordion and piano and was in a polka band. Some of my favorite memories were at home with me and my brothers running around and chasing each other while my Dad sat in a chair playing classic polka songs. It influenced me to take piano lessons in grade school and eventually into playing the Horn later. I also liked listening to my brothers' old records and eventually began collecting my own music, which ultimately lead me to playing electric bass and guitar. During and after college I played bass or guitar in a several different local indie rock, post punk, and shoegaze bands: In Green Ink, Tall Drink of Water, New Dawn Fades, Rockets Over Battersea and more. I was also a part of the futuristic robot rock band, the Baum Squad, where we toured Japan dressed as robots from the future! Hello Tokyo! Hello Osaka!
As you can see I like to play music with many friends while meeting new ones from around the world. So it's fitting that I had the pleasure of meeting Davey Doodle after a show while playing in another band called Natural Disasters. He asked me to play bass and I'm now part of the Red Hots!
Come see us at our next Davey Doodle and the Red Hots show, get inspired and "garden" some new ideas and melodies in your head!