Dilly Dallies Bring the Fun to Weirdness

It's all about timing. The Dilly Dallies know their youngest listeners probably won't get the significance of their latest release, DO YOU THINK I'M WEIRD, coming out in the middle of Pride Month. But it's important to note that "being weird" is a hallmark for many members of the LBGTQ community, many of whom have toddlers and tykes of their own. As they sing on the title track, "I don’t really care if you think I’m weird, It’s not like I suddenly have no ears."

The Dilly Dallies are comprised of Steve Slater and Jenn Ekman. Professional drummer/stay-at-home dad Steve performs with four San Francisco Bay Area bands and wears many hats working as a music instructor. Stay-at-home mom Jenn is a singer and stage actor with more than 25 productions under her belt. Steve and Jenn dubbed themselves the Dilly Dallies as an acknowledgement of the curiosity of children (including their own), who tend to dawdle, observe, and generally dilly dally as they investigate the world around them. Their radio show is also broadcast at Alameda Community Radio, where they go over topics contributed by young radio listeners.

The dozen songs on DO YOU THINK I'M WEIRD celebrate the spirit of individuality and positivity, which are important to every children's development. You can also find lyrics and chords on their website. "Boring Human" discusses how we don't possess the traits of other species (such as "I wish I was a penguin/ I’d survive in the freezing cold"). "Fictional World of Excitement" encourages kids to be spontaneous and creative. "It's Wonderful Being Short" gives a whole list of reasons to ignore anyone who body shames kids who have yet to go through growth spurts. But the message of inclusion also allows room for silliness, such as "Chuck":

I’m a chuck – A chicken and a duck.
A product of pure luck.
I’m a Chuck.
And everywhere I go, people want to know, what’s a Chuck.

Deep down, the Dilly Dallies realize that everyone feels weird now and then. DO YOU THINK I'M WEIRD asks and answers its own question, with a healthy dose of parental love. On "Let Me Breathe You In,' Jenn sings an ode to children born and unborn, "I loved you before I even met you, and you learned the sound of my heartbeat, I'll try to see the world through your eyes." That's a truth we could all learn a little something about. In fact, take a little pride this month in your own personal growth.

DO YOU THINK I'M WEIRD is available from the Dilly Dallies' website, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Here is the video for the band's song, "I Want To Pet an Ant":

Quick Hits: Mista Cookie Jar, Dilly Dallies, and Father Goose

Mista Cookie Jar (and his nieces Esme and Isa) go totally EDM over pandas in his new song and video, titled "Pandas." If you're into EDM and/or totally cuddly creatures, here's your chance to join the panda-monium (sorry, I just had to).



The Dilly Dallies are back with their second CD of family music, WALKING AROUND WITH GIANTS. Stay-at-home parents Steve Slater and Jenn Ekman (not married to each other, but separated at birth by seven days) display their multi-instrumentation on the ukelele, bass ukelele (yes it's a thing), glockenspiel, vibraphone, marimba, cowbell, kazoo, vibraslap, and many more. You can get the CD from their website, Amazon, and iTunes.

Here is the Incredibles-esque video for their song, "Superhero":



Father Goose returns with a song about despair and recovery. Not a real pleasant topic, especially when it comes to children. But "In the Mirror," featuring vocalist Patricia Verdolino, goes in depth about his worries for his health and his family when he dealt with kidney and heart failure and being put on life support – twice. FB has more upbeat music in the hopper, and that will be featured in the next quick hits post in a week or so. You can get "In the Mirror" from iTunes, CDBABY, and Amazon.