Suburban musician Justin Roberts among many locals entertaining kids
In the past few years, the indie children's music scene has exploded, skyrocketing the careers of people like Dan Zanes, Laurie Berkner, Ralph Covert, Ella Jenkins and Evanston's Justin Roberts.
"Children's music finally grew up," said Fred Koch, of Lake Bluff, an industry expert who runs BestChildrensMusic.com. "Raffi started this 20-some years ago, but major labels weren't paying attention. Now, we have the opposite extreme where we're oversaturated with this music."
The boom can be attributed to a few other factors. For one, it's relatively cheap and easy for aspiring children's musicians to put out a CD. But also, there seems to be increased parental involvement in the music choices compared to, say, a decade ago, says Christy Burich, director of the Wee Heart Music programs in Wheaton, Glen Ellyn and Lombard, which caters to ages 0 to 5.
"Parents now are trying to introduce their children to more variety, and (the parents) want to jump in and have fun with the music themselves," said Burich. "If the parents are loving it, the kids will, too."
This new wave of children's folk music extends into world music, such as the Caribbean-themed songs by Nelson Gill, or the bilingual and Latin-influenced tunes of Tricia Sebastian.
"I have hundreds of CDs around here and I've thrown away hundreds," Koch said. "But Chicago's producing some people who are really good."
One of those local musicians is Roberts. He and his four-person band, The Not Ready for Naptime Players, bring their nationwide tour home to Downers Grove Saturday and to Chicago Sunday. At these shows, they'll no doubt face the fanatical fans and kiddie mosh pits that typically greet them at their pre-lunchtime concerts.
For Roberts, 39, it's all been a crazy ride. The bespectacled, guitar-playing Des Moines native started out studying philosophy and playing in an eclectic band in the early 1990s, Pimentos for Gus.
"We played everything from ballads to punk rock on acoustic guitars with some world beat elements thrown in. Not very well, maybe," he said, laughing.
Realizing he'd never be able to pay the bills with this gig, he found a job as a preschool teacher.
"I started doing music with the kids ... they were watching Barney and things like that, but I came in and sang Sam Cooke covers and Irish songs," he said.
He started playing a Pimentos for Gus song called "Giraffe/Nightingale," about a giraffe and a nightingale having a conversation. Once parents got wind of it, he was suddenly doing birthday parties and performances at local libraries and bookstores.
Still not seeing music in his future, though, Roberts applied for the divinity graduate program at the University of Chicago. Meanwhile, the demand for his music grew. In 1998, he decided to give a music career a whirl and released his first CD "Great Big Sun."
Since then, Roberts has released five more CDs, including his latest, "Pop Fly," and has done music videos for the preschool cable channel, Noggin.
"About the closest thing I did to using my degree ... is write some songs based on Bible stories, called 'Why Not Sea Monsters?' But it's more about telling stories than making any kind of faith statement. I don't like preaching to anyone, especially kids."
People often prejudge children's musical tastes and assume they want to hear super-simple or repetitive songs, Roberts said. Critics, however, call Roberts' songs "intelligent and funny."
"I just write what appeals to me," he said. "A lot of it is evoking memories of my own childhood and getting into that place of what it's like to be a kid."
When: 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 21
Where: Tivoli Theater, 5021 Highland Ave., Downers Grove
Tickets: $12 in advance, $15 at the door
To order or for more info: (630) 687-1920
Also playing: Sunday, Feb. 22, at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. Visit justinrobertsmusic.com for details.