Caspar Babypants

Caspar Babypants is the stage name of childrens music artist Chris Ballew . Ballews first brush with childrens music came in 2002, when he recorded and donated an album of traditional childrens songs to the nonprofit Program for Early Parent Support titled "PEPS Sing A Long!" Having a son and daughter himself, he enjoyed making the record but didnt think about it again until 2008 when he discussed working on a childrens book with his wife, collage artist Kate Endle. [ 1 ] Ballew began digging up nursery rhymes and folk songs in the public domain, songs that have been reinterpreted and passed down through generations. [ 2 ] This, in addition to a number of original songs, formed his first full-length release, "Here I Am!" The album was a hit, and Ballew began to perform in the Seattle area. A longtime friend, Fred Northup , heard the album while working on a project with Ballew, and Northup offered to play as his live percussionist. Northup, a Seattle-based comedy improvisor, suggested his frequent collaborator Ron Hippe as a keyboard player, and Ballew subsequently auditioned Hippe. Christening the two "Frederick Babyshirt" and "Ronald Babyshoes", they officially became the Caspar Babypants live band in 2009. Ballew is the primary creative force behind Caspar Babypants and records, produces, masters and distributes the albums from his home studio. Northup and Hippe frequently appear on his recordings but have not played live with Caspar since May of 2012. Currently Ballew performs exclusively as a solo artist. Caspar Babypants is a true do it yourself (DIY) venture with Ballew running the Aurora Elephant Music record label, booking shows, running the studio, and producing and distributing the albums.