Musician to perform kids’ tunes that everyone can enjoy

There’s no reason children’s music can’t rock,
at least in Dan Zanes’ opinion.

Zanes, his bandmates and friends will be performing their brand
of folksy rock music for kids this Saturday and Sunday at
UCLA’s Schoenberg Hall. But kids are not the only ones who
should be interested in checking out the show.

Zanes used to front the 1980s roots-rock band the Del Fuegos.
The band was well-received by critics. At its peak, it was playing
in Madison Square Garden and opening for Tom Petty. In 1984,
Rolling Stone magazine dubbed the Del Fuegos “Best New
Band.”

But as the ’80s came to an end, the members of the Del
Fuegos parted ways. As Zanes settled down in Brooklyn with his wife
and daughter, the rocker found his musical interests were changing
along with his life.

The decision to shift gears musically came when Zanes went music
shopping with his infant daughter several years ago. He was looking
for something they could listen to together, the sort of music he
had listened to as a child ““ Chuck Berry or Pete Seeger
““ but with a scruffier, more do-it-yourself sound. He wanted
something that sounded like a bunch of people in a room just making
music.

But what Zanes found were shelves of over-produced soundtracks
to Disney movies and sing-along cassettes from Nickelodeon
television shows. It was all very corporate and definitely not his
idea of good family music.

“I really objected to these records that sounded like they
were made in a studio and that had the production of grown-up
records,” said Zanes. “I really didn’t know why
that would be important to anyone, especially a child.”

So he began creating the kind of music that had stuck in his
head since childhood, writing a few raucous kids’ tunes and
recruiting his friend Sheryl Crow to sing on a bluesy version of
“Polly Wolly Doodle.”

Once he got going, Zanes said he “found that there was
music everywhere.” Besides getting other musician friends of
his like Suzanne Vega and Simon Kirke to perform children’s
music with him, Zanes recruited his family and people he met on the
playgrounds and parks while out with his daughter to come to his
home studio and record.

Out of these sessions came 2000’s “Rocket Ship
Beach.” Zanes handed out copies of the album around his
neighborhood and quickly realized there was a lot of enthusiasm for
the kind of children’s music he had created.

“I had been having trouble getting gigs playing grown-up
music about girlfriends and that sort of thing, but now everyone
wanted me to come play at their schools and events,” said
Zanes. “There was a lot more excitement and interest in this
fun, communal kind of music. I’ll always follow the fun. The
money I don’t care much about, the fun I follow.”

Community, optimism and fun are common threads that run through
all the songs, and Zanes emphasizes these themes should appeal to
everyone, not just grade-schoolers. He looks to avoid the “I
love you, you love me” inanity other children’s music
tends toward in an effort to get the parents to enjoy the music and
share the experience with their child. Rather than just grit their
teeth and tolerate kids’ music for their children’s
sakes, his songs aim to get adults happily bobbing their head to
the tunes.     

“These aren’t songs particular to the experiences of
a 3-year-old. They’re not about learning to tie your shoe or
brush your teeth,” said Zanes. “I want to appeal to the
grandparent without losing the kids.”

Zanes also hopes the messy sound of his music will encourage
listeners to pick up their own instruments and give music a try. He
feels slickly produced children’s music distances kids from
the music-making process and encourages the idea that only
professional musicians and singers are capable of performing a fun
song.

“I’d like [my music] to be a springboard for people
to make their own music,” said Zanes. “Everybody has a
voice and can play an instrument; it’s something everybody
can do. Don’t leave this to the professionals.”

The performances this weekend will likely capture this
democratic approach to experiencing music. In concert, Zanes gets
the audience involved so they are just as much a part of the show
as the band. Typical shows begin with sing-alongs and
call-and-response songs, but by the end, they descend into a sort
of Grateful Dead-esque show where the audience is encouraged to
just enjoy the music however they like.

Although the music is the reason for people to get together at
his concerts, Zanes does not want it to be the entire focus. He
would much rather see people creating their own entertainment while
his band provides background music.

“My strength is my enthusiasm for music and making
music,” said Zanes. “I’m there, but it’s
really everybody’s thing.”Â Â 

Dan Zanes and Friends perform at Schoenberg Hall on Dec. 6
at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. and Dec. 7 at 11 a.m. Student tickets are $8.
For more information visit www.uclalive.org.