The genre-defying duo They Might Be Giants are performing at the Calvin Theater in Northampton tonight with opening act Jonathan Coulton.
They Might Be Giants formed in the early ’80s. The two primary members of the group are John Linnell and John Flansburgh. They are joined by varying additional musicians when the group tours.
The group is known for dipping their toes in a variety of genres in a highly original way each time. One notable foray is the twosome’s stint making children’s music. They Might Be Giants released two such albums, “Here Come The 123s” and “Here Come The ABCs.” Some songs on “123s” were written by Dan Miller, Danny Weinkauf and Marty Beller, who frequently play with the group. According to iheg.com, “spirits will be high” as They Might Be Giants continues to tour in support of their most recent album, “Join Us,” which came out last summer.
Linnell and Flansburgh have kept themselves busy outside of They Might Be Giants over the years, each pursuing their own side projects. Among them for Linnell have been his appearance in the film adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s book “Coraline” (in which he performed the “Other Father’s Song”) and a solo album titled “State Songs” in 1999. Linnell also played the accordion for David Byrne on his album “Grown Backwards.”
Flansburgh has side projects of his own as well, including a starring role in an Off-Broadway musical called “People Are Wrong!” Written in part by his wife, the musical “was originally going to be a concept album, like ‘Jesus Christ Superstar,'” Flansburgh said in an interview with gothamist.com. “People Are Wrong!” ran for just under three months in 2004. Flansburgh also contributed his voice to the cartoon “Xavier: Renegade Angel” on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim lineup in 2007.
In 1998, Linnell submitted an Op-Ed piece to the New York Times in response to his being voted number nine in People Magazine’s list of the most beautiful people of the year. “What was I doing in such company? I still don’t know who was voting for me, although it seems possible that one computer hacker on a mission could stuff the ballot box electronically. The band I sing and perform with … enjoys an audience that probably includes a few loose cannons of this type,” he wrote. He finished the piece saying that it would have been more appropriate if he was “in a different race — the ‘most interestingly mismatched socks’ poll, perhaps.”
Coulton, who dubs himself an “internet superstar” on his website, released his most recent album in the fall of 2011. The album, titled “Artificial Heart,” was produced by Flansburgh. In addition to producing the album, Flansburgh also directed the music video for the song “Je Suis Rick Springfield.” The video is simple and features Coulton against a black background, going back and forth from playing a keyboard to his talking head staring directly into the camera.
Coulton’s website offers 11 prior albums for download in addition to “Artificial Heart.” His voice is airy and smooth-sounding, floating delightfully as he plays a variety of instruments.
At the end of February, Coulton performed on the JoCo Cruise Crazy II, a seven-day Coulton extravaganza of sorts, featuring the man himself and various other performers, including Wil Wheaton and David Rees.
Tickets for the concert are $25 and can be purchased online through iheg.com or at the Iron Horse Entertainment Group’s box office in downtown Northampton. The show is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.
Ellie Rulon-Miller can be reached at [email protected].
