At its simplest level, the world divides into two groups of people: those who are familiar with the work of the Imagination Movers and those who aren't. If you fall into the latter category and the band's work has previously escaped your attention, you probably don't have young children in your household.
The Movers are Rich Collins (percussion), Scott Durbin (lead vocals), Dave Poche (bass) and Scott "Smitty" Smith (guitar), four friends and musicians who live in New Orleans. Together they are also the stars of a recurring Disney Junior TV show that is broadcast in more than 50 countries around the world, including the UAE.
In each episode, the quartet, dressed in bright blue boiler suits, brainstorm their way through a series of conundrums or "idea emergencies" using original songs and knockabout humour. An episode entitled Bucket of Trouble is given this synopsis by OSN, the programme's host broadcaster in this region: "Business is a little quiet, so the guys decide to make a TV commercial. Unfortunately Rich gets his foot stuck in a bucket and they have to get it free."
Children love the show because it's bright, breezy and funny. Their parents love the show because it's broadly educational, encouraging their offsprings to solve problems - the band use the words "reach high, think big, work hard, have fun" as their peppy motto - and the funky, catchy and irrepressible songs are pretty good too.
Musical craftsmanship bubbles away fiercely amid the strong diet of slapstick comedy. The Movers cite multiple influences for their songs, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys, U2, The Killers and Coldplay.
Sometimes compared to The Monkees, who were best known for their own madcap TV series, a straight line could just as easily be drawn between the Movers and The Wiggles, the Australian preschool act who have achieved a close approximation of worldwide megastardom in the past two decades.
Just like their Antipodean counterparts, the Movers regularly take their show on the road.
Promising "real guitars, real drums" and "real fun", their Rock-O-Matic tour will roll into Dubai on June 28 and 29 for four eagerly awaited performances.
Speaking on his mobile phone as he picked his way around a grocery store close to his home in the US, band member Rich Collins says the Movers plan to deliver a show that is "the funnest rock concert any grown-up has seen with their kids. We try to entertain people without being corny".
Collins, who brandishes a pair of "scribble sticks" on stage (more on them later), says "we've been living the dream for several years now, getting to travel the world and meet families who enjoy what we do. It's a great feeling."
Few would contest that statement considering their best-selling CDs and DVDs, the 70-plus episodes of their Emmy Award-winning TV show they have filmed with Disney and, indeed, their ability to play to packed houses of parents and children.
Even so, the band are no strangers to nightmares either.
According to a recent report in The Times-Picayune, the long-established New Orleans newspaper, the band are involved in a legal dispute with Jonathan Shank, their former manager.
The case contends Shank favoured another act under his management, damaging the Movers' own commercial interests in the process.
It is a storm of an entirely different nature, however, that truly defines the group.
When Hurricane Katrina swept through New Orleans in 2005, three of the band members lost their houses. The levees broke just as the Movers, who had started out two years earlier, stood on the threshold of national recognition.
"In a weird, mystical sort of way, Hurricane Katrina is a big part of the reason why we are where we are," says Collins.
"We were deep into the project and we had a tonne of momentum. We were in negotiations with Disney and then the storm wiped out three of our four houses. It wiped out our studios, our offices and all of our instruments. Everything was gone."
Despite all this, the Movers did not stand still.
"Truly, there was this shift. We made the Movers our number one priority.
"The same thing happened with Disney. All of a sudden everyone was thinking about New Orleans and what was happening there. I think it put a laser focus on the Movers. So in all the misery and the tragedy there was a silver lining for us," he says. "It was just part of the mystery of life."
With the Disney contract inked, the band embraced the madness of producing a big-budget TV show.
"It was a blast," says Collins. "There are a hundred people making the show in this big sound stage. It's a very exciting circus. We had a little room down the hall where we had our studio and we'd go in and the producers would say, 'we need a song about butterflies and we need it in two days'.
"That was a privilege. We were spoilt. We were able to have a music-making lab and people to help run it and just these fun assignments. It was cool.
"I look back over the songs now and everything we've done from the Movers theme song - which was basically the first thing we did - to the last song we recorded, and so much of that material is so awesome." Those songs include Jump Up!, On My Way Home, I Want My Mommy and Clean My Room.
Collins, who is married with five children, has recently branched out on his own, releasing an album of adult-oriented rock songs called That Escalated Quickly.
"We finally had a couple of months off over this past year and I put my nose to the grindstone and did it," he says.
"A lot of curious Mover-moms and fans have been finding That Escalated Quickly on iTunes and talking it up. It is essentially a first-time record, but I have had a lot of support from all of our dedicated Mover people."
It is unlikely the project will turn into anything more than a pleasant and occasional distraction for Collins, who remains committed to the collective cause.
"It was a challenge to finish all these songs by myself," says Collins.
"I really appreciate all my friends, colleagues and brothers in the Movers. The sensibilities of the different guys inspire each other. What you hear when you listen to one of our records is a combination of each guy's musical taste."
Collins's talents come to the fore on stage and on TV with his "scribble sticks" (that's drumsticks to you and I), which double-up as sketching implements.
"We were trying to encourage creativity and problem-solving and I feel like our gadgets were a really great conceit.
"I am a visual thinker and I am always sketching on a napkin, so the scribble sticks are the ultimate forum for that type of thought and that kind of problem-solving," he says.
As well as Collins's "scribble sticks", Durbin uses "wobble goggles" to help him look at problems more clearly, Poche has a hat full of gadgets and Smitty keeps a diary of previous idea emergencies.
"All of those tools are based on parts of our personality. There are different ways of approaching problems and this represents a way to communicate that to kids."
Communication is very much at the heart of what the Movers do.
"People like our concerts because we connect with the crowd", concludes Collins. "We make the audience part of the show."
Ÿ Imagination Movers will perform at 1.30pm and 4.30pm on June 28 and 29 at Dubai World Trade Centre, Sheikh Rashid Hall. Ticket prices start from Dh100 and are available from BoxOfficeME.com and other outlets.
Nick March is editor of The Review.
