The Red Yarn Puppet Band is a lively musical puppet troupe that uses interactive performance to animate stories and songs about animals. Br'er Rabbit tales, early American folk songs, rockabilly, country, and '60s folk-rock are all fair game in RYPB's clever shows. With multi-talented members switching seamlessly from instruments to puppets, RYPB can be a marching band one minute and a gaggle of singing critters the next.
RYPB was born July 2010, when founder Andy Furgeson put out a call to creative friends in Portland, Oregon to see who wanted to join a puppet-centered folk band. RYPB has been growing and changing ever since. They have performed at elementary schools, community events, puppet slams, weddings, and have contributed large-scale puppet spectacles for music and dance shows. Members past and present include:
Andy Furgeson (AKA "Red Yarn"): guitar, vocals, drums, puppet-building and operating
Kate Belden: puppets, clarinet, trumpet, vocals, set-building
Jeff Speetjens: puppets, vocals
Jessie-Eller Isaacs: vocals, puppets
Jonathan Owicki: puppets, vocals, accordion
Addy Kessler: puppet-building and operating, vocals, banjolele, set-building
Tony Candelaria: puppet-building and operating
Stef Choi: puppet-building, design
Jim Stier: banjo, vocals, puppets
Nina Isaacson: puppet-building, film-making
To book the Red Yarn Puppet Band at your venue, school, or event, please contact Andy at redyarnproductions@gmail.com.
