Dan Zanes

If you don't know who Dan Zanes is, chances are your kids do. The former Del Fuegos frontman has undergone a career rebirth by immersing himself in "age-desegregated folk music." In layman's terms, that means songs that children love but adults can equally enjoy. Whereas Zane's Fuegos -- dubbed Rolling Stone's best new band of 1984 -- once enjoyed airplay on MTV with hits such as "Don't Run Wild," he has recently found a much younger fan base on Noggin and Disney Channel. The kids-aimed networks show his peppy, homespun videos on seemingly perpetual rotation. Zanes' creative philosophy evokes a time when families and friends of all ages gathered around their neighborhoods to play instruments and sing songs -- and the loose, social atmosphere of his concerts reflect that.

"This might have been somewhere in Kansas where we played a particularly uninspired show, and the next morning the headline of the article read: "Del Fuegos take crowd for a walk on the dull side." That hurt, but they probably weren't far off. That might not have been the worst show, but it was certainly the worst followup to a show. That's the one that stays with me."

— Dan Zanes