Former Del Fuegos frontman Dan Zanes ditched his rock 'n' roll fantasy in the late 1990s and invested his musical energies and passions in children's music.
The rock world's loss was a big coup for the kiddie corner.
Millions of kids around the world act like chickens and bob along as Zanes and Friends lead them in the unpretentious ditty "All Around the Kitchen" Cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo!
While the lyrics are definitely paced for a preschooler, the music has sophisticated flashes of bluegrass, rock and world — exposing kids to musical styles that will stay with them well into adulthood. In some ways, Zanes becomes the prerequisite for his listeners more mature musical tastes.
Zanes' foray into children's music — his audience is preschool-to-first-grade or so — has been a fruitful, humbling and rewarding journey thus far. He has earned critical acclaim and a 2007 Grammy for Best Musical Album for Children.
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His energetic, sometimes goofy music videos are also regular staples on Disney Channel in the kids' network's "Dan Zanes House Party" segments. You can also watch them online at www.disneychannel.com.
But, mostly, his shift in gears has earned him an earlier bedtime. No more late-night concerts in bars and clubs; his concert Saturday at the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St., starts at 1 p.m. — somewhere between lunchtime and naptime.
Tickets for the all-ages show range in price from $19 to $23. Call 740-1000.
