ny1 news
12/12/00

eighties rock singer makes a comeback with new audience

If you don't believe in reincarnation, then you haven't met Dan Zanes. The former lead singer of eighties punk group the Del Fuegos now sings children's music.

"I feel the same way I felt twenty years ago when I was a teenager starting the Del Fuegos," says Zanes. "We would pile all the gear in a station wagon, drive to the show and try to whip up a dance party playing songs that we loved."

The Brooklyn resident recorded his "Rocket Ship Beach" album with friends Cheryl Crow, Suzanne Vega and G.E. Smith.

Smith, the former band leader on Saturday Night Live, says kids rock. "They're the best audience in the world," he says. "They just want to have a good time and hop around."

"Kids are more interested in live music. They haven't seen it a million times," says Zanes. "So it's that fresh eye towards music that is so inspiring to be around."

Zanes says he made the transition from punk to playground around six years ago when his daughter was born and he hasn't looked back since.

When asked if missed the rock scene, Zanes responded, "No, I don't even think about it. I'm so blessed to still play music and get so much from it. I'm one of the lucky few who gets to to have this next chapter that I never would have predicted."

Zanes is predicting his new children's label Festival Five Records will rock him into his next life.

- Paul Lombardi