Quantcast

Kid stuff! Karen K leads the Jitterbugs at Carroll Park on Aug. 17

Kid stuff! Karen K leads the Jitterbugs at Carroll Park on Aug. 17
Photo by Robert Davidson

Calling all jitterbugs.

Karen Kalafatas, who goes by the simpler Karen K, and her band, the Jitterbugs, come to Carroll Park on Aug. 17 for a free concert featuring one of the stars of the local “kindie” music scene.

Kalafatas splits time between Carroll Gardens and Boston, but her new CD, “Pancakes for Dinner,” led to a sold-out show at Jalopy earlier this year, putting her in the ranks of kid music stars such as Laurie Berkner and Barry Louis Polisar.

She’s following the formula: playful tunes that both kids and adults can listen to.

It helps that Kalafatas is constantly surrounded by her target audience — songs like the title track, as well as “I Wanna Be a Jitterbug,” “If I Were a Toy,” and “That’s What I’m Wearing Today” are inspired by the kids in her music classes, as well as her 4-year-old daughter.

“Kids see things so differently — a bean isn’t just a bean, it’s a magic bean. A jump rope is a jump rope and also a tight rope and a spider web,” said Kalafatas. “It really makes us jaded adults see the world differently. I never run out of material.”

Karen K and the Jitterbugs at Carroll Park (President and Smith streets in Carroll Gardens), Aug. 17 at 4 pm. Free. For info, visit www.carrollparkbrooklyn.org.