From Autism Inspiration to Punk Rock Anthems: The Story Behind Punk4Kids

Tell us a bit about yourself and your family. What inspired you to start Punk4Kids, and how did the idea first come together?
So the idea of Punk4Kids started a few summers ago. Tanner, our son, is Autistic and goes to school year-round. As a teacher, I take him to school in the summer. That one summer, I noticed that whatever the first song he heard was the song we had to listen to the whole way, which is around 20-25 minutes away. During this time, I kept going back to the idea of why there aren’t kids’ songs that I’d like to hear, something different from the typical cookie-cutter or bubble gum stuff that is out there. I grew up listening to Punk and Ska, so I kept asking myself, “Why isn’t there kids’ music in that style?” because it’s fun and upbeat, and I think it could work. I decided to demo “5 Little Monkeys” and, after getting a positive response from friends, decided to release an EP of other covers. That fall, I released an EP and my first original, “Happy Halloween.” Soon, as I said earlier, we thought it would be best to write originals to help unlock language for Tanner. This project has such strong ties to him and our family, and seeing him react to a new song or belt out the words to one is motivation enough to keep going.

How has your son Tanner influenced your music and the direction of the band?
Tanner is the driving force behind the songs written for Punk4Kids. All the songs have some tie either back to him or our family. For instance, the song Frankie Mac & Cheese came from videos my sister-in-law would send of her dog Frankie eating Mac and Cheese, since Tanner also loves Mac and Cheese. He loved the videos, so I decided to use that as inspiration for a song. Yippee Yippee(I Found Zippie) is literally about Tanner walking up every morning trying to find his elf during the Christmas season.

What makes Punk4Kids different from traditional children’s music?
Again, I think most kids, music is very bubble gum and cookie-cutter, and Punk4Kids is making songs in the style of Punk and Ska. I think that that style of music works well for kids because it’s fun and upbeat. I grew up listening to that style of music, and it influenced me and made me want to pursue music as a hobby. A lot of Punk songs’ lyrics aren’t necessarily appropriate for kids, so I thought this could also be a way to introduce kids to that style of music in a way that’s ok for them.

Can you describe your recent performance at the Autism Awareness event in Westfield? What did that experience mean to you?
This show was obviously very special for me to play. Being able to plan an event for kids who are autistic, one of the reasons I started this project was an amazing experience. When I started this, it was never intended for me to play live, which I have been fortunate to do a few times now. Playing this show was one of the most rewarding experiences to date with this project.

How do kids—especially those with autism or different learning styles—respond to your music?
I think they seem to like it. It’s high-energy music, so it almost forces you to get up and move. I’ve often said that when you hear a Ska song, it almost automatically makes you want to get up and dance. I think in terms of kids who are autistic, they hear things differently, so I’m sure they are picking up different things in my songs that maybe a neurotypical kid wouldn’t. Also, I know that our son has high sensory needs, so this type of music caters to that.

What message or feeling do you hope families take away from a Punk4Kids show?
I want kids and parents to just enjoy the music and hopefully bring them a little joy in their lives. Punk/Ska is fun music, so I want that to come out in the songs that I’m writing. Also, the story of Punk4kids is important to us, specifically why it started, so I always want to bring awareness to that. Though not all kids who listen to Punk4Kids are special needs, supporting that community and bringing awareness and acceptance, especially to Autism, is something very important.

As both a teacher and a musician, how do those roles influence each other?
It helps and doesn’t. I teach TV Production in a High School, so those kids are very different from the demographic of who the music is written. I do a lot of videos for social media, so having that background there has helped with that aspect of this project. I like that it’s different from my day-to-day. Music has something I’ve always been passionate about. I started playing guitar when I was 14 and never looked back.

What has been the most rewarding moment for you since starting Punk4Kids?
Hearing Tanner belt out the words to one of my songs is probably the best. This whole project started to help him unlock language by writing songs especially for him, so now that it’s happening is pretty amazing.

Are there any upcoming performances, songs, or plans for the band that people should know about?
I’m in the process of wrapping up some new music and have one of my new songs coming out this month. It’s called Slow Mo Joe, and it’s about a sloth whose message is to slow things down a little so you can take in the world around you. I’m also playing a show on May 31st in Califon, NJ.

If you could sum up Punk4Kids in one sentence, what would it be?
The goal of Punk4Kids is to inspire young children to express themselves and embrace individuality through energetic, fun, and positive punk rock music. We also have a tag line, which is “Kid Size Punk Rock.”

You can follow Punk4Kids on Instagram and TikTok @punk4kids. You can also listen to all songs wherever you stream music including the new single “Slow Mo Joe”