www.theymightbegiants.com

Founders and mainstays of the modern alternative rock movement, John Linnell and John Flansburgh have been creating quirky, catchy songs as They Might Be Giants (known to fans as TMBG) for almost three decades. The two met in their Rhode Island high school but did not start playing together until the pair moved to Brooklyn in 1981. The project began as a duo with Linnell on accordion, saxophone, and maneuvering a drum machine and Flansburgh on the guitar. Recording their songs on an answering machine with advertisements in the Village Voice, dubbed “Dial-A-Song”, TMBG caught their break with a 1982 demo cassette and a subsequent deal with Bar None Records.

They Might Be Giant’s self-titled debut album was released in 1986, but it was not until 1988’s Lincoln that their single “Ana Ng” caught the attention of the mainstream media, reaching #11 on US Modern Rock Charts. In the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s, TMBG expanded, bringing in a backing band that allowed their sound to evolve from a tech-heavy performance to more instrument-driven tunes. Flood (1990), the group’s third full-length album, was their first to go Gold and spawned instant hits, “Birdhouse in Your Soul” and “Istanbul (not Constantinople),” which remain some of their most popular selections.

After fourteen full-length albums and three decades, TMBG is still at the forefront of experimentation.  Previous work in children’s programming has led to four children’s albums, one of which earned a GRAMMY, soundtracks for numerous movies and television shows, including “The Daily Show” and “Malcolm in the Middle”, and recognition as the first band to release an exclusively digital album in MP3 format. The band’s range and ability to develop musically allowed them to retain relevancy. Their most recent release, 2009’s Here Comes Science, caters to their younger fans, but they are planning to release another rock album later this year. While their sound has altered slightly, sometimes taking on heavier rock sounds, sometimes more light-hearted anthems, their geek rock personae has endeared them to unwavering fans throughout their career.