A festival of family values

Back in the early-’90s heyday of Lollapalooza, the festival was a place where alienated kids could get away from their parents.

Today, many of those kids are parents themselves. And for the revived Lollapalooza, a two-day event in Chicago on July 23 and 24, organizers are hoping for full family togetherness.

The new Lollapalooza will be accompanied by Kidzapalooza, an on-site children’s area with various activities and performances, including sets both days by Lollapalooza cofounder Perry Farrell -- now the father of three.

“We’ve come full circle,” says Kidzapalooza producer Tor Hyams, who was behind last year’s “A World of Happiness” children’s album featuring Farrell and other musicians and actors. “Kids and parents alienated from each other is not acceptable to me. The stronger bonds we create through families, the more successful we’ll be in getting along in any issues.”

Farrell, performing with guitarist Peter DiStefano, will be joined in the Kidzapalooza music lineup by Los Angeles’ Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang, Detroit’s punk-moms group the Candy Band, Atlanta’s Daddy a GoGo and Ella Jenkins, arguably the matriarch of modern children’s music. Some other main Lollapalooza artists are also expected to come over for children’s sets and music workshops.

The Kidzapalooza activities, which will wrap up before the main stage gets into gear, will also feature the giant puppets of the Quest Theatre Ensemble, hands-on music sessions, kiddie yoga and punk hair spraying.

“I started Lollapalooza to bring music, art, fashion and technology to the early adapters,” says Farrell. “It never even occurred to me that one day I’d have little children of my own and that I would be thinking about the earliest of adapters and that I’d want them to experience Lollapalooza.

“Lollapalooza and Kidzapalooza will be the first all-ages arts festival of its kind -- like the ancient village celebrations that invited elders to dance with young braves.”

Hyams notes that this is an introductory test of the Kidzapalooza concept, with plans to launch as a separate touring festival next year, focusing on the concept of music that kids and parents can share.

Kate Lawler, executive editor of Parents magazine, likes the idea.

“The young generation of 20s and 30s having kids themselves want to keep the hip lifestyle and work kids into it in a positive way,” she says. “This is a perfect blend, and it’s smart to appeal to those young parents with small kids to bring them along and expand the concept of Lollapalooza to something a little more family-oriented.”

But will it stop the kids from later resenting their parents?

“I don’t know if you can guarantee that,” Lawler says, laughing.

Hyams is also a realist in that regard.

“In seven years, my kid will want nothing to do with me,” he says of his 5-year-old daughter. “But if we establish a bond with something as powerful as music, we’ll have something, even if she’s someday yelling at me about not being allowed to go out with some boy.”

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The Keystone State in a new key

Pop musicians align themselves with many worthy causes these days. Look at all those who are working to press the G8 to cancel Third World debt burden -- the focus of the upcoming Live 8 concerts. And others continue to work for tsunami disaster relief, for the release of Myanmar dissident Aung San Suu Kyi and for other causes.

So against this background, the Bloodhound Gang has decided to mount an effort to change ... the Pennsylvania state song.

The group, which hails from King of Prussia, Pa., is initiating a petition campaign to dump “Pennsylvania,” written by Eddie Khoury and Ronnie Bonner and adopted as the official state song in 1990.

The Bloodhounders attribute a series of misfortunes associated with the state (ranging from Philadelphia’s status as the No. 2 fattest city in America to Pittsburgh being the setting for box office bomb “The Mothman Prophecies”) to the song, which they find saccharine. Of course, they have a suggestion for a replacement: their own “Pennsylvania,” which will be on the group’s new album, “Hefty Fine,” due Sept. 13.

Signatures for the cause will be collected at the Rolling Rock Town Fair rock festival in August and at other in-state events, and a website (www.pennsylvaniastatesong.com) has been established as well.

Given that the group is best known for party ditties about beer and female anatomy, it’s no surprise that the new state song candidate is not exactly traditional. In fact, it’s not even complimentary.

And yet they seem to think they may make headway.

“We’ll need the support of a legislator to draft the bill,” says band manager Brett Alperowitz. “We can push for this with an overwhelming number of signatures. We are optimistic -- our voices will be heard.”

Beth Williams, spokeswoman for Pennsylvania House of Representatives Speaker John Perzel, has not heard the Gang’s song but says any serious effort could get consideration if a state representative can be enlisted.

“If this is something they feel strongly about, it’s worth garnering support and getting a representative to consider it,” she says. “If they get that support, then it will go from there.”