"Part cartoon characters and part high-energy pop band, married couple, Princess Katie &Racer Steve debut at Musikfest Saturday with a show that combines puppets, costumes and animation with every type of musical style you can imagine.
Princess Katie & Racer Steve are one of the highlights of Musikfest's kids' performers and the couple and their band will perform at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. at Banana Island.
Katie, whose background is in improvisational comedy, says she and Steve were inspired to start the band after dressing up as SpongeBob and Spider-Man to cheer up kids at a children's hospital.
''We really got hooked,'' Katie says.
The duo decided to channel their own inner children and began dressing as their favorite characters. Katie discovered she had a natural singing voice and Steve dusted off his guitar. They started writing songs for kids.
''Kids pay attention to characters,'' Steve says. ''We make our shows visually stimulating.''
Their music ranges from surf, swing and mariachi to what Steve calls ''heavy metal-esque.'' ''We make music fun,'' he says."