Peter Holsapple has spent much of his musical career performing with some big names – R.E.M. and Hootie and the Blowfish, among them – and creating groundbreaking music of his own.

But for five years, Holsapple performed for a much different crowd – kids and their families at a Borders bookstore near New Orleans. Holsapple was working there at the time when he suggested offering a kids program that would become Peter’s Pajama Party. He would don his pajamas, play music and read stories.

“I got to watch a bunch of kids grow up,” said Holsapple, the father of three. “I thought rock and roll was an interesting game, but playing for children is particularly superb. They take no prisoners.”

Holsapple, who grew up in Winston-Salem and went to school in Chapel Hill, moved to Durham after Hurricane Katrina destroyed his home and everything in it. Now he’s looking forward to meeting a new batch of kids for his first Peter’s Pajama Party at Regulator Bookshop in Durham Friday (Aug. 28) at 7 p.m. More concerts are scheduled at 7 p.m. Sept,. 4, Oct. 2 and Oct. 16

His goal is to demystify what he calls the “dark sanctity of a bookstore” for kids.

“You’re always told you should be quiet in a bookstore,” he said. “We make a lot of racket. I’ve told the nice folks at the Regulator to be prepared.”

Holsapple is best known for his work with the dB’s and the Continental Drifters. Holsapple and his musical partner Chris Stamey recently released a new album, hERE aND nOW to critical acclaim. Last year, he wrote for the New York Times’ online songwriter’s blog, Measure for Measure.

Before Katrina, Holsapple toyed with the idea of doing a kids record. But he also knew that an awful lot of his contemporaries in the so-called power pop genre were doing the same thing. He’s written some kids songs and he might eventually record something later on, but for now he’s focusing on the pajama parties.

“Live is sort of where it’s at for me at this point,” he said. “I like to really get in the kids faces and let them get in my face and interact that way.”

During the 30 to 40 minute show, Holsapple will sing some old children’s favorites like “Bingo” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It” and read some books. He might pull from more obscure pieces too. He’s been known to perform Cream’s “Mother’s Lament” about a mother whose baby was so small it went down the drain during a bath.

“That gets a few muted raised eyebrows,” he said.

Holsapple said he does plan to wear pajamas tonight and was on the lookout for a new pair recently. As for the audience?

“They are welcome to wear pajamas,” he said. “They can wear a top hat and tails if they need to.”

Also …

Grab some deals at the Next 2 New 4 Kids sale in Clayton. It starts Friday.

Learn how to make yourself a model boat at the N.C. Museum of History’s Make, It, Take It: Model Boats from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Then look at examples of North Carolina boats in the museum’s exhibit Workboats of Core Sound. 

See giant puppets at the Paperhand Puppet Intervention’s 10th annual summer spectacle, “The Sea of Living Memory.”  The performance includes giant puppets, masks, stilts, shadows and more performing to live music. The show started Aug. 7 and runs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Sept. 7 at the Forest Theater in Chapel Hill. It continues Sept. 11 and Sept. 12 at the N.C. Museum of Art off Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh.

Celebrate Sarah P. Duke Gardens’ 75 anniversary with a performance by the Grammy-winning a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock, which is known for its anthems of social justice, personal empowerment, love, hope, peace and ecological responsiblity. The free concert starts at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Gardens, 426 Anderson St., Durham. Parking will be free on Sunday. Concertgoers are welcome to bring food, beer and wine, drinks, chairs, blankets and rain umbrellas. Beach umbrellas, tents and dogs (other than seeing eye dogs) are not permitted. The concert will feature American Sign Language interpretation. 

As always, there's more on the Mom2Mom calendar.