The Beanies
The Beanies | |
|---|---|
 The Beanies (from left to right: Miriam "Mim" Rizvi, Michael Yore, Laura Dawson) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Sydney, Australia |
| Genres | Children's |
| Years active | 2016-present |
| Labels | ABC Music |
| Website | https://www.thebeaniesaus.com |
| Members | Laura Dawson Miriam "Mim" Rizvi Michael Yore |
The Beanies are an Australian children's music group, formed in 2016. The band consists of three theatre performers, Canberra-born Laura Dawson and Miriam "Mim" Rizvi, and Newcastle-born Michael Yore. The group have drawn acclaim and garnered an Australian Podcast Award for their educational podcast of the same name,[1][2][3][4] and their second album was nominated for an ARIA Award.[5][6]
About[]
The Beanies were formed in Sydney in 2016. As a response to the rising usage of tablets and smartphones amongst young children, the group aimed to produce Australian-made children's entertainment which encourages creativity and imagination without the use of screens.[7] They write and produce all their own material, with the assistance of Sydney-based composer and music producer James Court.[8]
In October 2018, The Beanies premiered their one-act musical for children, entitled The Beanies' Eggs-traordinary Day, at the Sydney Fringe Festival, which has since been performed at various regional locations throughout NSW. The group performs regularly at fairs, festivals, and community events Australia-wide, including shows at City Recital Hall and the Australia Day Sydney Children's Festival, and their episodes and songs are broadcast internationally. The trio has also been guests on ABC's Weekend Breakfast, Channel 9's Today and Weekend Today, several parenting and productivity podcasts, and at Australian podcast conference OzPod.
In early 2020, The Beanies were signed to the ABC Kids music label, who released their fourth album in April of that year.[9] The group also began live-streaming concerts, due to live shows being postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and released a single called Quarantunes during that time. In July of that year, the group also moved their podcast to the Podcast One network, which has since rebranded to LiSTNR.[10]
The group also maintains a YouTube channel, where they release music videos, comic sketches, and concert livestreams.
Members[]
The Beanies consists of Laura Dawson (Laura Beanie), Miriam Rizvi (Mim Beanie), and Michael Yore (Michael Beanie & Professor Know-It-All). The three also play all of the characters in the podcasts. Singer and drummer Brendan Paul occasionally performs with the group occasionally (as understudy Brendan Beanie), as does James Court as keyboardist and 'Music Wizard'.
For larger concerts, the trio perform with the 'Big Beanie Band' - a live band which consists of a number of Sydney-based session musicians including Court on keyboards, Rachel North on saxophone/clarinet, Michael Napoli on guitar, Amanda Jenkins on bass, and Brendan Paul on drums.
Podcast[]
With the support of the Mamamia Podcast Network, The Beanies produced ten 15-minute podcast episodes, which were released in April 2017. A second season was confirmed soon after, with sponsorship from Kinderling Kids Radio, and was released in December 2017. A third season was released in July 2018, and in its leadup a series of mini-episodes, Beanies Breakthroughs, were released weekly.[11] Since the fourth season, released in late 2019, the podcast has expanded to include three separate formats:
- Story Time, which includes a story, a brief guided meditation (or ‘brain break’), an original song, and an educational segment with 'Professor Know-It-All'.
- Show & Tell, where the trio interact with fans via voice messages and answer their questions.
- Kids News, where the group break down three of the week's top news stories for a young audience.
The podcast is currently produced on an ongoing schedule, with a 'Kids News' episode released every Monday, and 'Story Time' and 'Show & Tell' alternating fortnightly on Fridays.[10][12]
As of August 2021, the podcast consists of over 70 regular 'Story Time' episodes and have amassed in excess of 750,000 downloads from over 30 different countries. Each episode of The Beanies podcast is written, performed, and edited entirely by The Beanies.
Music[]
The Beanies' songs and albums are produced independently, and released on the ABC Music label. All tracks have lyrics by Dawson, Rizvi, and Yore, with music composed and produced by James Court.[8] As of August 2021, The Beanies' songs have collectively been streamed over a million times.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It's Raining Jelly Beans" | 2:00 |
| 2. | "Silly Dizzy Dance" | 1:33 |
| 3. | "Opera Moo" | 2:44 |
| 4. | "The Mean House" | 2:05 |
| 5. | "Gee Billy! That's A Hot Chilli!" | 1:46 |
| 6. | "Zigzag Stomp" | 1:45 |
| 7. | "Painting Party" | 3:17 |
| 8. | "There's A Fish In The Tea" | 1:51 |
| 9. | "Can I Get A Milkshake On Mars?" | 1:57 |
| 10. | "Boss For The Day" | 1:54 |
| 11. | "Sing In Harmony" | 2:40 |
| Total length: | 24:00 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Power!" | 2:07 |
| 2. | "Bubbles" | 2:53 |
| 3. | "Jazz Shark" | 2:39 |
| 4. | "New School" | 2:01 |
| 5. | "Sneaky Robber" | 2:45 |
| 6. | "Saturday Morning Cuddles" | 3:32 |
| 7. | "My Shoes" | 2:08 |
| 8. | "The Shoelace Song" | 1:10 |
| 9. | "Sneezes" | 1:48 |
| 10. | "Speedy Snails" | 1:33 |
| 11. | "Christmas Rumba" | 2:20 |
| Total length: | 25:00 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Brush Your Teeth" | 2:10 |
| 2. | "Seasons" | 3:23 |
| 3. | "Wobble Wombat" | 1:53 |
| 4. | "The Art of the Fart" | 2:36 |
| 5. | "Jinx!" | 2:09 |
| 6. | "Scissor, Paper, Rock!" | 1:37 |
| 7. | "Dig, Dig, Dig!" | 1:37 |
| 8. | "Shy Shadow" | 2:21 |
| 9. | "Fingernails" | 1:41 |
| 10. | "Amazing Machine" | 3:37 |
| Total length: | 23:00 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "We're The Beanies!" | 0:43 |
| 2. | "Full of Beans" | 3:34 |
| 3. | "Super to Me" | 3:16 |
| 4. | "Can You Get Dressed by the End of This Song?" | 2:27 |
| 5. | "Puppy Love" | 2:37 |
| 6. | "Push the Button" | 2:14 |
| 7. | "Teeny Tiny Spider" | 2:12 |
| 8. | "Rainbow" | 3:53 |
| 9. | "The Escalator Challenge" | 2:26 |
| 10. | "Pluto's Lament" | 3:18 |
| 11. | "Why Are We Here?" | 2:15 |
| 12. | "We're The Beanies! (Reprise)" | 0:43 |
| Total length: | 30:00 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Quarantunes" | 2:48 |
| 2. | "Band-Aid Boogie" | 2:01 |
| 3. | "BOAT" | 2:10 |
| 4. | "Noise Factory" | 2:14 |
| 5. | "Topsy Turvy Zoo" | 2:20 |
| 6. | "My Secrets" | 2:43 |
| 7. | "My Poor Farmer Friend" | 2:55 |
| 8. | "Elderly Elephants" | 2:13 |
| 9. | "Safe With Me" | 4:00 |
| 10. | "Spaghetti" | 2:21 |
| Total length: | 26:00 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Meditation for Kids" | 2:56 |
| 2. | "I Feel My Feelings" | 3:17 |
| 3. | "Stretch, Rest, Breathe, Flow" | 4:26 |
| Total length: | 11:00 | |
Awards[]
In 2018, The Beanies were winners of an Australian Podcast Award for their eponymous podcast, in the category Best Podcast for Family and Kids.[13] The group was nominated again in 2019 in the same category.
In 2019, the group's second album, Imagination Station, was nominated for an ARIA Award for Best Children's Album, but lost to Dan Sultan for Nali & Friends.
| Year | Nominated works | Award | Result | Lost to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | The Beanies (podcast) | Australian Podcast Award for Best Family & Kids Podcast | Won | |
| 2019 | The Beanies (podcast) | Australian Podcast Award for Best Family & Kids Podcast | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Imagination Station | ARIA Award for Best Children's Album | Nominated | Dan Sultan – Nali & Friends |
References[]
- ^ "Entertain the kids with The Beanies' new podcast!". Kinderling Kids Radio — music for children and families. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "The Beanies launch new podcast on Kinderling Kids Radio - The Dad Website". thedadwebsite.com. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "The Beanies Group launches new podcast on Kinderling Kids Radio". Mumbrella. 7 December 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "The kids podcast you're about to be obsessed with". Mamamia. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "Aria Awards". www.ariaawards.com.au. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ "Here Are All The 2019 ARIA Awards Nominations". Music Feeds. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ "Mamamia continues podcast push with new program targeting kids - Mumbrella". Mumbrella. 8 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "The Beanies". The Beanies. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "Party with The Beanies – LocalNewsPlus". Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Manning, James (1 July 2020). "Podcast Week: Cooper Chapman, Howcroft delivers, Podshape mystery". Mediaweek. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ "The Beanies by Kinderling Kids Radio on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "The Beanies". LiSTNR. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ "2018 FINALISTS ANNOUNCED". 2018 Australian Podcast Awards. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
External links[]
- Australian children's musical groups
- Musical groups established in 2016
- Australian podcasters
- 2016 establishments in Australia