A happy accident — that's what Nick Adams attributes to the creation of his life as a Juno-nominated children's entertainer.
Adams, alongside Taes Leavitt, make up the musical duo Splash'N Boots. They're heading to Greater Sudbury on Saturday, Sept. 23 to play Laurentian University's Fraser Auditorium, and they're bringing all of their friends as part of the Big Yellow Tunes tour.
“We're bringing more characters from our show with us this year, and new songs from our new album,” Adams told Sudbury.com over the phone.
Splash 'N Boot performed in the Nickel City last year, but Adams promises a “bigger show with more singing and more dancing.”
“Sudbury, over the years, has been great to us, and the crowds are always really responsive to our show and our music,” he said. “We're still surprised when the crowd gets that excited.”
Of course, a performance by Splash'N Boots wouldn't be complete without a visit from friends Charlie, Keys and Jumping Jack Granny.
And, for the first time ever, Chef Brock Lee will appear on stage.
Adams said they are still astounded by how far they've come from their days at Queen's University. What started off as a class project, performing at libraries and children's parties for audiences of three or four, turned into a daily appearance in more than 8.3 million homes across Canada through their music videos and Treehouse's “The Big Yellow Boot.”
“It was a class project for children's theatre,” he said. “We wrote a play, and we wrote three songs to go with that play, but it was the songs and the interaction part that we were drawn to. It was incredible. We knew something was there.”
Instead of a new play, the duo decided to put out an album.
“It was totally a happy accident that the music is what really inspired us and what really inspired families around us,” Adams said.
Since then, they've release another nine albums and three DVDs. They were nominated for Juno Awards three consecutive years for Children's Album of the Year, and named Sirius XM Independent Music Awards’ Canadian Children’s Music Group of The Year three times.
They've also shared the stage with the likes of Fred Penner and The Wiggles. And, of course, they have their own show on Treehouse.
“Every year, I find it hard to believe we're still doing this,” Adams said. “I think, as a performer, you never really lose that.”
Entertaining children with song and dance certainly isn't for everyone, Adams said, but for him and Leavitt, there was never a question of what else they wanted to do.
“We knew from our first show that this was it,” he said. “We found what we were going to do. We knew it, but it was a matter of convincing others around us that we kind of knew what we were doing, even though we didn't.”
Apparently, it didn't take much convincing. As Splash'N Boots, they've performed more than 3,000 shows across North America in venues such as the Molson Amphitheatre and The Burton Cummings Theatre, as well as international tours in Dubai, Italy, Bermuda and Australia.
Now, they're focusing their efforts on their Big Yellow Tunes Tour, which starts in Sault Ste. Marie on Sept. 22 and ends in Halifax, N.S., on Oct. 15.
In Sudbury, show times are 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit splashnboots.com/tour.
