FEATURE
Interview with Creators of Children’s Band Sir Dapp & The Paw Prints
“Sir Dapp & The Paw Prints”, a fictional band featuring real-life singers Eli Jacobson and Rachel Potter. With a focus on a new way to look at manners, common courtesy and the reality of a child’s daily interactions with peers, Sir Dapp Von Clapp and his crew of family and friends teach through example, utilizing fun music, dance and raps to transmit their main message: “Never neglect kindness and respect.”
Sir Dapp & the Paw Prints’ first release, a Christmas song entitled “Santa Spirit”, and the upcoming full-length album of creative, ‘teaching moment’ songs that range from rock to pop to jazz. A game show-style app was released in January 2019. You can find the app HERE.
About the creators of Sir Dapp & The Paw Prints
Jeanne Marie Tidwell
“Listen to your dreams” is more than a lyric in one of the songs in her Sir Dapp! world. Jeanne’s vision of her family’s Schnauzer dancing and rapping to an audience of enthralled children prompted her to sit in front of a hand-me-down laptop in 2010 and create Sir Dapp, his family and friends, and their adventures.
A graduate of the University of Kentucky with a B.A. in Communications, Jeanne followed the writing-heavy curriculum with a career in advertising copywriting. Always creative, her dabbling in poetry led her to find a unique way to begin a dialogue with children about manners, kindness, and respect through fun stories and timeless raps.
Jeanne delights in the continuation of the theme, working with her two sons in the unexpected but exciting realm of music creation, and the development of an app. When she is not writing for her project, Jeanne continues to live out another one of her dreams, acting for television, and thanks her husband for his unwavering support in all endeavors.
Looch Delgado
Luciano Delgado, or “Looch” as he is known throughout the industry, is a music technologist. For over thirty years he has successfully ridden the crest of the music technology evolution wave. He is a seasoned producer, engineer, composer, programmer, keyboardist, and mastering engineer; as well as an overall electronic musician in his own right – having been the composer/keyboardist/producer to the once-popular underground band Scurge that pushed the envelope by melding underground electronic music and pop songwriting into a perfect synergy of traditional and non-traditional musical expression.
During his years in the audio mines (as he calls it) Looch has produced, engineered, and written for both bands and artists alike. Some of his experiences include working with artists, writers and producers like Legendary salsa band Conjunto Impacto, worked closely with Dave Cabrera (guitar legend and musical director for Ricky Martin, KC and the sunshine band), Co-produced Gothic giants Life in Sodom as well as new wave group The Front.
Early work with Cee-lo Green of x-factor fame , Trinidadian rap sensation Jack Nasty, alt-rock geniuses Ho Chi Minh, Celtic artists The Three Jacks, Flamenco legend Alex Fox, Thomas Van Dyke, jazz pianist Brian Murphy, Agony in the Garden, Lenard Rutledge, Marilyn Manson, Bonnie Pointer, Ade Peever, The Path, rappers 8-ball and MJG, voice over legend Neil Meyers, and many countless others that have, at some point along their musical journey, crossed the threshold of Miami Beach Recording Studios – once known as Sync Studios. The myriad of genres helps him bring a wide variety of musical approaches to any project.
How did you come by your stage name brand?
JM: The Sir Dapp! ® brand for children’s entertainment began with a dream that I had, where a hip-hopping Schnauzer led children on a path to empathy, kindness, and respect for themselves and others, one rap at a time. I’ve always written poetry, and the words flowed into lyrics, then stories, which became an app, the Sir Dapp! Game Show, and a full-length album, “This Is Our Time.” Luciano “Looch” Delgado of Miami Beach Recording Studio (MBRS) was our perfect musical partner for this project.
LD: I’m known as Looch, a registered pseudonum for the first syllable of my name when spoken like an Italian.
When did you discover your love for your craft and what made you realize you wanted to pursue a career in it?
JM: I’m creative, and my outlets were always writing, and acting for television. The happy ‘middle-age’ surprise of Sir Dapp! is, what I thought would start and end as stories, became a three-tiered project that will hopefully become a television show someday. With music. I really, really love music.
LD: As a teenager, my bands recorded in a bunch of studios, and we weren’t happy with the results. Being extra cocky, we decided to try it for ourselves and realized we had a true affinity for producing and went full speed ahead with blinders on. I received a computer degree along the way (for my parents) in case the “music thing” didn’t work out. I’m happy to say I’ve been the owner of MBRS for over 38 years now.
On your current project. How did you come up with the concept?
JM: I wanted to (and did!) create an app through which kids could absorb important life lessons while playing a fun game. The same thought held true for the album: some of my lyrics are pure fun and fantasy, while others weave serious subjects into the beat, like standing up for yourself, rising above words that hurt, and appreciating yourself for the wonderful person that you are. I wanted to make sure the music appealed to both children and parents, having suffered through a LOT of less-than-appealing music while ferrying my sons in the car ‘back in the day.’
LD: Is this a run-of-the-mill kids’ album? No. We took over a year and a half to make this album, and both Jeanne Marie and I are extremely proud of its uniqueness and quality. And we had fun along the way.
What are some of your greatest challenges as an artist and what is your greatest attribute when it comes to your work ethic?
JM: My greatest challenge with the album is getting it heard. We’ve gotten some great reviews, and won a few awards from parenting organizations, etc., but I’m not known in the industry and it’s a new release. Our real-life singers Eli Jacobson and Rachel Potter have received critical acclaim, and I’m hoping their incredible talent combined with our great music will get us noticed. Along with my sons, I work hard every day to make that happen.
LD: The music industry itself is a challenge; there are egos at the forefront, where the music and the product should come first. I feel my greatest attribute is my empathy to the client, fleshing out the best version of their vision, making it musically unique and viable. Is it a tight rope walk? Yes, but I’m able to do it easily.
What impression would you like fans to be left with after experiencing your craft?
JM: I’ve approached the Sir Dapp! project with the mindset that it will be completely different than any other children’s project that’s ever been made. Ambitious? Yes! But I hold myself to high standards and am so proud of the Sir Dapp! Game Show app and the “This Is Our Time” album. I want Sir Dapp! fans to dance with me, sing with me, and take notice that empathy, kindness, and respect aren’t just words…. they’re thoughts and actions. Kids will be leading the way to a different world if they embrace these concepts and show adults how it’s done.
LD: Pure happiness and joy.
What are your plans for the near future?
JM: I’m busy marketing the project, and writing, writing, writing for the fun posts we put on the Sir Dapp Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as the next album we hope to produce at some point. I really love what I do.
LD: I’ll be working with my great clients, helping deliver the best possible version of their project through the high tech, constantly upgraded, methodologies our studio has to offer.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank, any shout outs?
JM: I’ve worked on Sir Dapp! for years, and my incredible family has been with me every step of the way. For the album, we were lucky to get great vocal talent on board and find a producer who appreciated my vision and made it a reality. Looch, we made great music, and thanks for reminding me to always invite my Muse into the room. She’s amazing.
LD: I would like to thank Jeanne Marie Tidwell and her sons for allowing me to join this amazing venture and to the extremely talented vocalists Eli Jacobson and Rachel Potter for their professionalism. They are the legs to what JM and I have written and produced.
How can fans find you?
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