Dan Zanes and the Team of Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer
Are Making Some of Today's Best Music for Children

By Jim Steinblatt

Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer

Music plays a multi-faceted role in the lives of people of every age -- as entertainment, ritual, communication, socialization and education. For the very young, lyrics and melodies are crucial elements in the development of nearly every basic life skill. In recent decades, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of music in the lives of children and families and, accompanying it, a re-energization of creativity in the writing, performing and recording of music for kids. Among ASCAP members in the vanguard of those who are putting quality, care and art into children's music include Washington, DC-based duo Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer and New York rock & roller Dan Zanes.

With more than 25 years of combined experience on both the folk and children's music circuits as performers, songwriters, multi-instrumentalists and producers, Cathy and Marcy have amassed eight Grammy nominations (including three this past year alone) and a slew of other awards and honors. "Music for families and kids has been a parallel career for us in addition to playing folk and country. We've never done just one or the other," says Cathy. Indeed, one of this year's Grammy nominations was for their "adult" album, Postcards, released on their own Community Music label.

Music for kids and families is not just a sideline, but a serious pursuit for Cathy and Marcy. "Our underlying agenda has always been to open kids' minds to different kinds of music," explains Marcy. "When we do a swing tune, we bring in a band of experts -- a horn section, if we need it. We try to present different styles on every recording as well as we can."

For Cathy, the musical content has definitely evolved over the years: "In the 70's we played a lot of Appalachian, old-timey, bluegrass stuff." Since then, however, adds Cathy, "we have created a large body of original songs using the old folk styles as well as more contemporary forms and applying them to a lot of theme projects that address things we see as important."

Those projects range from their 1998 album, Changing Channels (Rounder), which focuses on helping children deal with violence and inappropriate material in the media, to to their brand new Rounder release, Bon Appétit! Musical Food Fun, which encourages healthy eating habits. "We've taken our skills as musicians and songwriters and tried to see where there are needs," says Cathy. "Parents talk to us at concerts all the time and tell us what they could use some help with.."

Marcy loves the fact that many of their young fans end up with a lasting interest in music themselves. "We know that kids who listen to our music are growing up to play," she says. "We get feedback."

Dan Zanes

Fairly new to the field of music for children and families is longtime rock and roller Dan Zanes. Currently based in Brooklyn, Zanes originally made his musical mark as leader of Boston's Del Fuegos, a fiery roots-rock band that issued four major label releases in the 1980's and a highly-acclaimed solo album, Cool Down Time, in 1995. For the past three years, however, Zanes has been rocking for a new demographic group -- young children and their parents. His independent label, Festival Five Records, has issued three albums by Zanes. Each album (Rocket Ship Beach, Family Dance and Night Time) feature richly-illustrated packaging reminiscent of little children's cardboard storybooks, along with guest performances by the likes of Sheryl Crow, Suzanne Vega, Lou Reed, Rosanne Cash, Aimee Mann and Loudon Wainwright III. A brand new collection, House Party, is to be issued soon. The songs range from covers of Woody Guthrie classics to early Tin Pan Alley hits to novelty songs to fresh originals.

Having a family of his own certainly influenced Zanes's move into children's music but he was motivated by something else, as well. "In the early Boston days of playing in the Del Fuegos, it was very communal. It always felt like our band may have been on the stage, but everyone, including the audience, was part of the show." Zanes has regained that sense of community with his family shows and, with the new recordings, his sense of self as well. "I put out five records singing about old girlfriends," he says of his efforts aimed at the adult market. "I just don't know how much more of that I have in me. I feel that who I am on these records is the real me, right now."

The Festival Five operation is a truly homegrown, Mom-and-Pop type of business. Zanes likes to refer to his home studio, where the music is recorded, as "steam-powered, by today's standards." The fact that he's the owner, however, means that "there's just no limitations at all." Following his own heart means that blues, folk, jazz, hip-hop and doo-wop can all co-exist on Zanes's albums. Explaining what influences go into his music, Zanes says "I grew up listening to Pete Seeger, Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie. Later, I discovered "oldies" radio and so I was listening to doo-wop and rockabilly and early soul music -- it all seemed like it was part of the same package of handmade music created by people that may not have known exactly what they were doing, but who went with what felt right and what sounded right to them."

Like Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, Zanes hopes that his albums and shows will not only entertain but move some of the children and their parents to pick up instruments, themselves. "By keeping things on a simple level, I want to make records that sound as though they were made in somebody's house by real people. If we make somebody think about taking that old guitar out of the closet, then I feel like we've done our job."