Dan Zanes & Friends

a song to celebrate cinco de mayo! / una canción de méxico para celebrar el cinco de mayo!

i'd never been asked to write a song from the point of view of animals facing extinction before but when the philadelphia zoo approached me for just such a thing how could i say no? their new program, X-TINK-SHUN, was developed by the henson company and left hand productions and will run through the summer. the message is timely and clear and the puppets are, not surprisingly, quite adorable. my song "hail the creatures"  which i sang with shine of shine and the moonbeams, is in there too. here's the link to a tv spot for the X-TINK-SHUN exhibit featuring the song. the song is up on itunes and a portion of all proceeds go to the zoo’s conservation efforts. i'll see you at the zoo.

people are always looking for creative things to do with that old mandolin that's taking up space in the corner. instead of turning it into a chandelier why not tune it up and learn how to play it? i'm trying to do my part to help out in this delicate situation. here is my first lesson of mandolin basics. good luck with your family band!

sometimes i feel as though i'm always asking for your help in one way or another but i try to ask only if i completely believe in the project. here's a big one. our fiddle and trumpet player elena moon park is about to begin making a cd that i've been waiting years to hear. it's called rabbit days and dumplings: family folk music from east asia. this is something you can't find when you go to the record store (if you're lucky enough to have one near you). as exciting as it is to see so much music available for family listening these days, it doesn't begin to reflect the rich cultural tapestry that exists here in the u.s.. elena's about to fill a glaring void and whether you are asian, asian american, the parent of an asian child, friends with asian families, or have no asian connection whatsoever, this is going to be some soulful and exciting listening. but this cd needs your financial help! here is a kickstarter page that explains more about the project and what you can do to pitch in and what you'll get in return. we're going to release it on festival five records and this is clearly the best way to get everyone involved early on in the success of the cd. elena's done an incredible amount of research, selected some beautiful tunes, and has commitments from a range of heavy musicians so far. i hope that you are able to help get this off the ground. again, here's the link to learn more. thank you in advance for your support!