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New Orleans’ Imagination Movers are leading the evolution of children’s music from insufferable inertia of the (purple) dinosaur age with an energy and style that has children and their parents—and even educators—second lining.

“When people hear what we are, it’s not really what we’re doing. We’re trying to bring children’s music into 2006,” says Dave Poche, the group’s bassist. Poche is a graduate of Baton Rouge’s Magnolia Woods, Kenilworth Middle and Lee High schools. He then went on to LSU where he met his wife, Michele, and completed 200 hours pursuing a five-year degree in architecture.

“We want to create music parents can tolerate after listening to it 500 times because kids want to hear the same CD over and over again,” he says.

It’s Bear in the Big Blue House with a Beastie Boys beat, or Sesame Street with a dash of Red Hot Chili Peppers. And, it’s catching on.

Since their first CD release in 2003, Imagination Movers have topped the XM Kids-charts, earned regular rotation on Sirius Satellite radio and received kudos from Parents’ Choice Foundation and the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Scholastic’s Parent & Child Magazine named the Movers’ Stir It Up DVD as best new video. In 2005, the Movers expanded statewide with a series of concerts and eight one-minute music videos on Louisiana Public Broadcasting. And their latest CD Eight Feet just garnered the 2006 Parent’s Choice Recommended Award.

The group started on a whim, when four friends—architect Dave Poche, teacher Scott Durbin, writer Rich Collins and firefighter Scott “Smitty” Smith, all rock musicians—began singing to entertain themselves, their wives, children and friends.

Durbin drafted the backdrop of blue-collar brainstormers collaborating in an idea warehouse as a way to unify the look, songs, stage show and TV show concept.

G-rated titles such as “Playing Catch,” “I Want My Mommy” or “Clean My Room” belie the mix-and-match sound that bounces from the Beastie Boys to B-52s, Barenaked Ladies to Dr. John and scores of hip-hop, funk, samba, rap, Caribbean, blues and rock artists.

“Each of us brings a different [style]. We are forgiven to go all over the map versus a rock group looking to redefine music in a single style,” Poche says.

However, as parents themselves, the musicians are looking to do more than market downsized pop for kid consumption. “Kids are aware of the grown-up music out there, and they want to hear it,” he says. “With contemporary music for kids based on Top 40, there’s nothing to make it offensive, but it offers nothing. It’s like candy cigarettes.

“With Scott being a teacher, we make sure the content is appropriate, developmentally and educationally, with proven research,” he says.

An impending recording contract and TV deal with Disney is helping the displaced Movers cope with an uncertain futures in their current professions.

But, even if they make the big time, could making music for youngsters get old? “The music has grown with our kids,” Poche says. “We’ve got a backlog of time to grow from and insightful creativity, and the kids [in the audience] make it fun with big smiles when we come out. That would definitely be the upside to counter that.”

To sample the Movers’ audio and video clips, go to imaginationmovers.com and click the audio/video tab.