“¡Fuera, Perro!”

Jess Evans, 2008 Art Center Design College Animation graduate, has just put the finishing touches on the animated music video for the children’s song,“¡Fuera, Perro!” (Out, Dog!) is a lively song with a meringue rhythm, about a dog that gets in the house and causes trouble in various rooms, before finally being shooed out by a young brother and sister and their grandpa. To view the video go to... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAbJ6Vi4yB0

The lyrics shift back and forth between English and Spanish, just as many conversations do in our hybrid New Mexico culture. Take the chorus, for example:

¡Fuera, Perro! de la casa
Or I’m gonna show you who’s the boss-a
Me enojo and I shout, “Get your furry cola out!”
¡Fuera, Perro! de la casa

Jess was awarded this freelance animation job in late September of 2008 and worked closely with the song’s composer and singer, Mister Felipe, to get the music video done under very time constraints. Jess was the only animator on this production and had to create time saving techniques in order to meet the deadline for the corresponding release of the accompanying music CD, Cruzando el Border.

Cruzando el Border is a children’s music CD available online through Mister Felipe’s website, http://misterfelipe.com/. Kids love the catchy melodies, Latin rhythms, and lyrics that playfully mix Spanish and English, and they end up learning Spanish words easily. It's fun for parents too, featuring a range of Latin styles, creative arrangements, and great musicianship.

Mister Felipe is Philip Handmaker, a Spanish and Music teacher with a background in linguistics and a passion for music. Living in Taos, a town in northern New Mexico, he hears lots of delightful Spanglish around and decided to write songs that combine Spanish and English. It was only natural that these songs take on Latin styles ranging from reggaeton to ranchera, mambo to meringue. Felipe had a blast layering the percussion instruments and adding contributions by talented local musicians, including his dog.