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They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG expanded to include a backing band. The duo has been credited as vital in the creation and growth of the prolific DIY music scene in Brooklyn in the mid-1980s; the duo's current backing band consists of Marty Beller, Dan Miller and Danny Weinkauf. The group have been noted for their unique style of alternative music, typically using surreal, humorous lyrics, experimental styles and unconventional instruments in their songs. Over their career, they have found success on the modern rock and college radio charts. They have also found success in children's music with several educational albums, and in theme music for television programs and films. TMBG have released 23 studio albums. ''Flood'' has been ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Flansburgh
John Conant Flansburgh (born May 6, 1960) is an American musician. He is half of the long-standing Brooklyn, New York-based alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants with John Linnell, for which he writes, sings, and plays rhythm guitar. Commonly referred to by the nickname Flans or Flansy, he is married to musician Robin Goldwasser, with whom he occasionally performs. Early life Flansburgh was born in Lexington, Massachusetts. His father, Earl Flansburgh, was a well-known Boston architect. His mother, Polly Flansburgh, is the founder and president of Boston By Foot. Her father, Brigadier General Ralph Hospital, was an artillery commander in the U.S. Army in the Italian Campaign during World War II. His brother, Paxus Calta (born Earl Schuyler Flansburgh), is an anti-nuclear activist and political organizer. Flansburgh attended the George Washington University, where he learned to play guitar while working as a parking garage attendant, then Antioch College and Pratt Institute ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. Having successfully promoted and sold records by punk rock and early post-punk and indie pop bands such as the Normal and Desperate Bicycles, Travis began to manage acts and distribute bands such as Scritti Politti and began the label, which was informed by left-wing politics and structured as a co-operative. Soon after, Rough Trade also set up a distribution arm that serviced independent retail outlets across Britain, a network that became known as the Cartel. In 1983, Rough Trade signed the Smiths. Interest and investment of major labels in the UK indie scene in the late 1980s, as well as overtrading on behalf of Rough Trade's distribution wing, led to cash flow problems, and eventually to bankruptcy, forcing the label into receivership. However, Travis resurrected the label in the late 1990s, finding success w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brian Doherty (drummer)
Brian Doherty is an American drummer, singer-songwriter, composer, music producer, and educator based in New York City. After starting his career as a member of the rock bands The Silos and They Might Be Giants, he has also worked with artists such as XTC, Freedy Johnston, and Ben Folds and contributed to movie soundtracks. As of 2014 he has released three albums of royalty-free drum tracks for songwriters, and in 2012 released his debut solo project, ''Treat + Release.'' Early life, education Born in Brooklyn, Doherty began playing drums at the age of seven. Growing up in Randolph, New Jersey, early on he listened avidly to rock bands such as The Outlaws, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Led Zeppelin. Doherty went on to play drums in his high school marching band, percussion ensemble, and a number of garage rock bands. He attended the Manhattan School of Music for both his undergraduate and graduate degree, studying under musicians such as Paul Price and Fred Hinger. He graduated with a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marty Beller
Marty Beller (born July 10, 1967) is an American musician and songwriter. He is the current drummer for They Might Be Giants since Dan Hickey's departure in 2004. He has recorded two solo albums. He has contributed writing and vocals for three of TMBG's albums: ''Here Come the ABCs'' (on "Alphabet Lost And Found"), '' Here Come the 123s'' (on "High Five!") and ''Here Comes Science'' (on "Speed and Velocity"). On TMBG's 2011 compilation album '' Album Raises New and Troubling Questions'', Beller is referenced in the song "Marty Beller Mask", the lyrics of which suggest that he is actually Whitney Houston wearing a mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practic .... On the news of Houston's death, TMBG decided to phase the song out from public performance. Personal life Beller ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Danny Weinkauf
Danny Weinkauf (born 4 December 1963) is a Grammy-winning New York-based musician and composer. He has been the longtime bassist for They Might Be Giants (TMBG). He has recorded and toured with the band since the late 1990s. Weinkauf had previously performed in a band called Lincoln along with TMBG's guitarist Dan Miller and drummer Gonzalo Martinez De La Cotera. He has written four songs for TMBG, all for their children's albums. Weinkauf wrote and sang "Where Do They Make Balloons?" on the children's album ''No!'', "Number Two" from '' Here Come The 123s'', "I Am a Paleontologist" from ''Here Comes Science'', and "Elephants" from '' Why?'' He also played bass alongside bandmate John Flansburgh for his solo project Mono Puff, in addition to providing additional bass on John Linnell's '' State Songs'' album. In 2014 Weinkauf began releasing albums for children and families as "Danny Weinkauf". That year he released "No School Today" followed by "Red Pants Band" (2016), "Totally ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dan Miller (guitarist)
Dan Miller (born October 3, 1967) is an American musician and songwriter. He has toured and recorded with the Brooklyn-based alternative rock band They Might Be Giants since late 1998. Generally, Miller plays guitars for the band. Prior to joining TMBG, he performed with the groups Edith O and Lincoln. Having left Lincoln for personal reasons in 1998, he was contacted by John Flansburgh, who offered him a spot as lead guitarist for They Might Be Giants' Fall 1998 tour. He has also toured with John Flansburgh as Mono Puff's guitarist in the late 1990s, and played on bandmate John Linnell's '' State Songs'' tour. Miller is known to sing backup and some lead during live performances of songs. He also occasionally plays keyboards when Linnell is playing accordion or woodwinds. Miller co-wrote the song "Infinity" with Robert Sharenow on They Might Be Giants' second children's album, '' Here Come the 123s''. In addition to playing with TMBG, Miller and drummer Marty Beller had their ow ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Squeeze (band)
Squeeze are an English rock band that came to prominence in the United Kingdom during the new wave period of the late 1970s, and continued recording in the 1980s, 1990s and 2010s. In the UK, their singles " Cool for Cats", "Up the Junction", and " Labelled with Love" were top-ten chart hits; "Pulling Mussels" only made it to 44 in the UK charts. Though not as commercially successful in the United States, Squeeze had American hits with " Tempted", " Black Coffee in Bed", and "Hourglass", and were considered a part of the Second British Invasion. The vast majority of their material is composed of lyrics by Chris Difford and music by Glenn Tilbrook, who are guitarists and vocalists in the band. The duo were hailed as "the heirs to Lennon and McCartney's throne" during the band's initial popularity in the late 1970s. The group formed in Deptford, London, in 1974, and first broke up in 1982. Squeeze then reformed in 1985, and disbanded again in 1999. The band reunited for tours t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mike Doughty
Michael Ross Doughty ( ; born June 10, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and author. He founded the band Soul Coughing in 1992, and as of '' The Heart Watches While the Brain Burns'' (2016), has released 18 studio albums, live albums, and EPs, all since 2000. Early life Doughty grew up on army bases throughout the United States, including Fort Knox, Fort Hood, and Fort Leavenworth, and spent his teenage years living on the grounds of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He came to New York City at age 19 to study poetry at The New School, where singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco was one of his classmates in Sekou Sundiata's poetry course, "The Shape and Nature of Things to Come". Career Soul Coughing While a doorman at the New York club The Knitting Factory (in that era, a hotbed of avant-garde jazz), Doughty founded Soul Coughing. The band released three critically and commercially successful albums, ''Ruby Vroom'' (1994), ''Irresistible Bliss'' (1996) and ''El ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Young Fresh Fellows
The Young Fresh Fellows are an American alternative rock group, that was formed in 1981 in Seattle, Washington, United States, by Scott McCaughey and Chuck Carroll. Tad Hutchison, Chuck Carroll's first cousin, joined for the recording of the group's debut album in 1983. History Their first album was ''The Fabulous Sounds of the Pacific Northwest'' (1984) after which Jim Sangster joined the group on bass and McCaughey switched from bass to guitar. Carroll left the group in 1988, and was replaced by Kurt Bloch from The Fastbacks. The song "Amy Grant", a comical song about Contemporary Christian music and pop music artist Amy Grant, from the album '' The Men Who Loved Music'', was a success on college radio and arguably their biggest hit. The band are still together, although after 1996's ''A Tribute To Music'' they released no new material until ''Because We Hate You'' (2001), a split release with McCaughey's other band, the Minus 5. McCaughey has given more attention to the Minus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jonathan Coulton
Jonathan William Coulton (born December 1, 1970), often called "JoCo" by fans, is an American folk/comedy singer-songwriter, known for his songs about geek culture and his use of the Internet to draw fans. Among his most popular songs are " Code Monkey", "Re: Your Brains", " Still Alive" and "Want You Gone" (the last three being featured in games developed by Valve: ''Left 4 Dead 2'', ''Portal'', and ''Portal 2'' respectively). He was the house musician for NPR weekly puzzle quiz show '' Ask Me Another'' from 2012 until its end in 2021. His album ''Artificial Heart'' was the first to chart, eventually reaching No. 1 on ''Billboard''s Top Heatseekers and No. 125 in the ''Billboard'' 200. Career Coulton's music tends to fit a folk rock style, with elements of pop and indie rock. Early career and geek culture (1990s–2005) Coulton graduated in 1993 from Yale, where he was a member of The Spizzwinks and the Yale Whiffenpoofs. In the 1990s, Coulton was in a short-lived band, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robin Goldwasser
Robin Goldwasser (born August 14, 1966)https://familysearch.org/search/collection/results?count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3Arobin~%20%2Bsurname%3Agoldwasser~&collection_id=2199956 is an American singer and playwright. She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College. She is the co-writer of the musical '' People Are Wrong!'' with Julia Greenberg. She has a character in the play, as does the producer, her husband, John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants. The musical opened at the Vineyard Theater in New York in November 2004, starring Robin, John Flansburgh, Erin Hill, David Driver, and Maggie Moore. Robin has sung on They Might Be Giants and Mono Puff tracks, including the '' Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'' song, " Doctor Evil", "The Poisonousness" and "Electric Car", and has toured with both bands. She also sings on the '' People Are Wrong!'' CD. She was in a band called the Last Car from 2005-2007, whose Mr. T-themed songs have appeared on the TMBG Podcast. Her voice is promi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mono Puff
John Conant Flansburgh (born May 6, 1960) is an American musician. He is half of the long-standing Brooklyn, New York-based alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants with John Linnell, for which he writes, sings, and plays rhythm guitar. Commonly referred to by the nickname Flans or Flansy, he is married to musician Robin Goldwasser, with whom he occasionally performs. Early life Flansburgh was born in Lexington, Massachusetts. His father, Earl Flansburgh, was a well-known Boston architect. His mother, Polly Flansburgh, is the founder and president of Boston By Foot. Her father, Brigadier General Ralph Hospital, was an artillery commander in the U.S. Army in the Italian Campaign during World War II. His brother, Paxus Calta (born Earl Schuyler Flansburgh), is an anti-nuclear activist and political organizer. Flansburgh attended the George Washington University, where he learned to play guitar while working as a parking garage attendant, then Antioch College and Pratt Institute ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
