Mr. Patrick's Story
Patrick Raftery - aka Mr Patrick - is a songwriter, musician, dad and self-styled "maker of musical mischief" who loves entertaining families with his wacky blend of absurdist comedy and catchy, sing-along-able tunes. If Beethoven were alive he would call Patrick, "Der dumme Mensch mit dem Frosch auf dem Kopf," which loosely translates to "the silly man with the frog on his head." But since Ludwig is no longer with us, take the word of TheLiberationArtist.com, who called him, "the talented and very funny pied piper of kidsville," with Staten Island Family magazine chiming in that, "you won't be able to sit still listening to this fun music." Can't argue with that, can you?
Patrick loves mixing absurd comedy with grooving music to create a combination that is more fun than a barrel full of monkeys. (Not that barrels filled with monkeys are particularly fun, but you get the idea.) He's played live shows both as a solo artist and with his group the Rock-A-Silly Band at more parties, schools, camps, zoos, libraries, museums and parks than you can shake a stick at. (That's, of course, assuming you don't often shake sticks. If you're a professional stick-shaker then you may have shaken sticks more than he's played, but you hopefully get the point.)
In both 2011 and 2012 Patrick received grants from Staten Island Arts to record albums and perform concerts for under-served children in the community, and in 2014 Patrick delivered a TEDx talk called "Seriously Silly: The Power of Play." Patrick was also included in an ABC News segment about the healing power of music in March of 2015. (You can view it here: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/person-week-celebrating-music-therapists-29455541) He is a former trustee of the Staten Island Children's Museum and has proudly lent his talents to many children and their families through the Staten Island Giving Circle, the Ronald McDonald House and Camp Good Grief, which provides services to children grieving the loss of loved ones. Patrick also does weekly classes at Rainbows Reach, an inclusive after school program for children on the autism spectrum.
So if you're interested in entertainment for a party, camp or school, or if you'd like to attend a ridiculously fun concert or maybe just listen to a tune or two you've come to the right place! Give him a shout: the FUN is GUARANTEED!
