After two decades on the road with Slightly Stoopid, Daniel “DeLa” Delacruz has played some of the world’s most iconic stages, from Red Rocks to festival fields packed with thousands of fans. But the saxophonist’s newest creative chapter wasn’t born in front of massive crowds — it began at home, surrounded by kids, cartoons, and the unmistakable realization that a generation of Stoopid fans were growing up right alongside the band.
“My buddy on keys in Slightly Stoopid, Paul Wolstencroft, and I were kind of just noticing a changing of the guard in our crowd,” DeLa says. “A lot of the people who had been on our scene for a long time were starting to have families of their own. And at the same time, coincidentally, so were we all.” That unexpected synchronicity sparked a question that became the seed of an entirely new project: What if we made music for kids?
When we were creating Dub Town Rockers, part of what we noticed was all the bands in the scene we are in we’re having kids. Not just Stoopid, but The Expendables, Hirie and Jackson both had kids, Cas Haley, 2na, and other,” remembers Paul Wolstencroft about the project’s inception. “That’s how we decided to make Dub Town Rockers a band within our scene and include everybody on it. If you look at Sing Little iBirdie guests include Slightly Stoopid, Hirie, the Elevators, The Movement, Chali 2na. It seemed like the whole scene was just turning that age with the younger generation was coming in.”
From there, Dubtown Rockers — a vibrant children’s music and storytelling universe — came to life. The project blends the same soulful, reggae-rooted warmth DeLa is known for with an imaginative world designed for younger listeners. Their first releases, including “Sing Little Birdie,” set the tone. “We got our kids involved, and it’s just been a great journey,” he says.
Their upcoming single, “Family,” features vocalist Jay Lorne, a standout voice who adds an emotional center to the music. “It’s just talking about family and how important all that is to an essential vibe for your life,” DeLa explains. Rather than draw solely from classic children’s entertainers, DeLa and Paul decided to look right in front of them — to their own kids. “We’ve been reaching for what’s popular now, seeing what our kids are listening to and being like, hey, well, that’s cool, but I can write one like that too,” he says. “We’re drawing inspiration directly from our children, which is… the best.”
But Dubtown Rockers didn’t stop at music. The duo also created a fully illustrated children’s book, Dubtown Rockers: The New Kid, expanding their universe into storytelling. Set on a tropical island called the Island of Rub-a-Dub, the story introduces adorable, music-loving monster characters who reflect the quirks, innocence, and humor of real kids. “We had this idea of characters… and it was like low-hanging fruit,” he says. “Writing this book was really a first step for us to introduce our characters and our concept to the masses.”
For DeLa, Dubtown Rockers has become more than a side project — it’s a new form of connection with the people who matter most. “To show them something for them that I’m working on is another level of connection that you can’t beat,” he says.
And with Book #2 already written, the world of Dubtown is only getting bigger.
Watch the full interview with DeLa and Steady Rock Easy below:
Photo credit: Nathaniel Gary, USA TODAY, USA TODAY Acoustic Series
