David Hamilton as ‘Mr. Dave’ gets kids up and moving with his songs

June 06, 2013 8:00 pm  •  By JIM VOREL – H&R Staff Writer

DECATUR — David Hamilton has been the founder and lead singer of Chicago-based roots rock group 56 Hope Road for more than 15 years now, but for almost as long, there has been a second side to him as a musician. For 12 years, Hamilton has simultaneously embraced the persona of “Mr. Dave” the children’s entertainer as a teacher and a performer. His band, “Mr. Dave and the Space Cadets,” will appear in a free show Saturday morning at the lakeside office of Decatur’s Baby TALK organization, 500 E. Lake Shore Drive.

“I’ve always just had fun playing music for kids, even when I was younger,” said the veteran guitarist and vocalist. “They’ve always sort of gravitated toward me wherever I go. In the last few years, working with kids has really taken off for me, and now I have tons of work from it. It’s sort of become my main thing.”

Hamilton works in Chicago at the Old Town School of Folk Music, running “intro to music” classes for kids just starting out, ages 4 and under. He teaches 20 or more of those classes each week, and at the same time takes his Mr. Dave show on the road, performing at venues such as museums, day cares and music schools. In Decatur, he’ll put on a typical show, mixing original children’s music with classic children’s songs.

“I mainly like to write action songs, stuff with the kids stamping their feet, clapping their hands, jumping up and down,” he said. ip info . “I try to motivate them to be as musical and active as they can be. They are mostly songs for ages 5 and under, but I think kids as old as 8 or so could still enjoy them.”

The songwriter’s philosophy for writing his own children’s songs is to remember that his audience consists of kids who are just starting out with music. Too often, he believes that children’s music is not written specifically with a young child’s comprehension in mind.

“I think kids’ music these days often sounds like adult music that just has a lighter subject matter, when it should really be all for them,” Hamilton said. “They need melodies that are easy for them to latch onto and remember when they sing. I think someone like Dan Zane does a great job of writing those kinds of songs.”

Ultimately, Hamilton is still a dual musician with interest in children’s and adult music. He was recently able to use the success of his work with children to fund a trip to Los Angeles and the recording of his first-ever solo CD of adult music, “Crow & Raven.” He next plans to return again and record a new album of children’s songs.

“Performing kid’s music has been a blessing and let’s me do some things I’ve never been able to do before,” he said. “Working with them is a blast.”

jvorel@herald-review.com|(217) 421-7973