Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
,
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
.
Biography
McCurdy was influenced at an early age by the first appearance of
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
on ''
The Ed Sullivan Show
''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...
''. After teaching himself guitar and participating in several high school bands, he went on to front
Yipes! Yipes! is an American rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
History
Band members McCurdy, Hoffmann, and Strand had been playing together since 1971, but formed Yipes! in 1977 after the addition of Freese and Bartel.University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
students. Often described as a
power pop
Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...
or new wave band, Yipes! enjoyed some moderate success after being signed to RCA/Millennium in 1978. However, the label dropped the band after only a few years. He has two sons, Julian and Miles.
Career
McCurdy spent most of the 1980s fronting several bands. The Men About Town (which included several members of
Yipes! Yipes! is an American rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
History
Band members McCurdy, Hoffmann, and Strand had been playing together since 1971, but formed Yipes! in 1977 after the addition of Freese and Bartel.one-hit wonders
A one-hit wonder or viral hit is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music p ...
from those respective decades, invoke a sort of
call-and-response
Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...
with the crowd, where McCurdy sings a line or two from each song, cueing the audience to continue that bit. This style quickly attracted a devoted cult following of fans, many of whom would (and still do) attend his shows on a weekly basis. McCurdy's act has also brought increased involvement of his sound and light man, Jim "Pipe Jim" Schafelburger, an entertaining aspect in its own right. Over time, the audiences became less sparse and the bars became less small, thanks mainly to word-of-mouth marketing.
He regularly tours the upper
midwestern
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
part of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
with regular stops in Milwaukee,
Madison Madison may refer to:
People
* Madison (name), a given name and a surname
* James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States
Place names
* Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
,
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
. His shows usually consist of just him and his guitar and include improvised interaction with the audience. While the majority of his audience is made up of a college-age crowd, McCurdy appeals to a large number of people of all ages. Performing well over 300 shows a year, his large catalog of original songs (over 600 and growing) covers a variety of topics such as lost loves, politics, family vacations, hair styles, the joys of Asian cuisine, the sex organs of long-dead French Emperors, how the world cannot live without Sex & Beer, and wishing to have a Monkey Paw. He even successfully makes humorous the mundane daily cycle of waking up, going to work, getting drunk, and going to sleep.
In 2008, he was asked by the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
to write a song to play in their stadium. Originally objecting because he did not like sports songs, he went on to write "I Love the Green and Gold," eventually making it into a music video starring himself and featuring
Larry the Cable Guy
Daniel Lawrence Whitney (born February 17, 1963), known professionally by his persona Larry the Cable Guy, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, country music artist, and former radio personality.
He was one of the members of the ...
. After the Packers won
Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champi ...
, he wrote a follow-up song entitled "The Trophy Song."
During the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, McCurdy performed 15 consecutive Friday evening "Shelter in Place" shows on Facebook. The shows were streamed live from his home in Wisconsin for tens of thousands of viewers from all around the world. Each show lasted about 90 minutes and featured a different drinking word, unique song requests (including several that Pat had not played in over 25 years) and shout outs and thank yous to fans. The performances often featured cameos by longtime manager Brian "Murf" Murphy, sound wizard Jim "Pipe Jim" Schaufelberger, Kimmy Unger from The WhiskeyBelles and members of McCurdy's family.