First, some background. In the seven years since the group was put together to create music for a Los Angeles Gymboree - which specializes in exercise programs for children and their parents - Parachute Express has produced six albums for the under-10 set on the Disney label.
The latest, "Happy to Be Here," was released last year. They also have two videos to their credit, excerpts of which are played between programs on Nickelodeon.
Schwartz - with longtime friend Janice Hubbard and longtime neighbor/friend Donny Becker (who operated the Gymboree and asked Schwartz to consider a musical collaboration one day when both men were taking out their trash) - has
cultivated a kicky, upbeat style that's a tuneful mix of kiddie-rock, doo-wop and cool harmonies.
At this point, the group's major mission is to give as many fans as possible the opportunity to come out and play with them.
"One of the things we are real excited about is that we do a lot of interactive performance," said Schwartz, from PE headquarters in Glendale, Calif.
"We have three wireless mikes that allow us to get out into the audience and dance with the kids and have them sing along. Rather than have them just watch, we engage them in the performance. They are as much a part of the show as we are."
Schwartz said that another key to the Parachute Express experience is allowing children to view the group on a personal level, after they break down the stage's invisible fourth wall.
"We engage the audience with who we are, through the music," he explained.
"We create playmates within the songs, so the children have the feeling that they know us, there's a feeling of us being all together in the room."
One part of that togetherness has translated into a standing PE practice - the group sits down after the show and meets every child in the audience.
"It's a really special part of our show. Janice calls it the 'dessert' after the performance," said Schwartz, the father of a 10-year-old and a 10- month-old. He laughs. "Sometimes these sessions are longer than our performance."
They pose for pictures. Sign autographs. Shake hands. Commend parents for being patient enough to stand in such a long line.
Gearing up for the second concert tour, Schwartz is still tickled by the number of kids linked in PE's ever-growing friendship chain.
"It's amazing the effect we have on kids," he says, searching for the right word to describe his reaction to Parachute Express' popularity.
"Dumbfounded," he repeats, after someone in the office supplies the illusive adjective. "That's exactly what I am. And I hope I will always be surprised."
