Pop icons They Might Be Giants return for another memorable evening
By Logan Broyles | SDUN Reporter
Playing at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach has become something of a yearly tradition for They Might Be Giants, the renowned alternative-pop group that has been around for the better part of the last three decades.
“We’ve had some of the most memorable evenings of our lives at the Belly Up,” said guitarist and co-founder John Flansburgh. “We often end our national tours there so it’s always a big blowout. This time we’ll probably be buying a couple kegs of beer for the audience and it will just be a big party night.”
This year, the band comes back to the Belly Up June 16.
Flansburgh and John Linnell formed the group in 1982. The two played music together while attending the same high school in Lincoln, Mass., but never played in a band together until they both moved to Brooklyn in the early 1980s after several years apart.
“Basically we both moved to New York at the same time without really knowing it,” Flansburgh said. “The previous band that I had been in just played at college dances, but I was doing some home recording with a four-track tape recorder and teaching myself how to play guitar, and John had been in a working pop band in Rhode Island.
“So when we started the band we were both kind of getting away from more standard ideas of why to put a band together. We wanted to do something that was more original and more personal to us.”
Originally, the pair used prerecorded backup audio and drums during their shows, but in the early 1990s they expanded to include a backing band. The duo’s current band consists of Marty Beller, Dan Miller and Danny Weinkauf.
“We’ve always had an electronic music basis to what we’re doing; we’ve always worked with drum machines; we’ve always worked with synthesizers and computers,” Flansburgh said. “So there’s something very satisfying with seeing today’s hip hop and electronic music pushing the limits of what’s possible.”
The Giants have released 16 studio albums and have sold over four million records, including three children’s music albums. They put out their first release, the self-titled “They Might Be Giants,” in 1986 and reached a commercial and critical high with “Flood” in 1990, featuring the singles “Birdhouse in Your Soul,” “Istanbul” and “Particle Man.” Their current tour is to promote their latest release, “Nanobots,” which came out in March.
“We’re already signed on for a couple album projects for 2014 so our dance card is full and right now we’re just promoting our newest album,” Flansburgh said.
They won two Grammy Awards: in 2002 for the song “Boss of Me” and then again in 2009 for the album “Here Come the 123s.”
They Might Be Giants are perhaps best known, perhaps, for their experimental style and unconventional recordings. “Nanobots,” for example, includes 25 tracks, yet is just over 45 minutes in length. The new album has tracks that range from six, nine and 16 seconds to the typical three-minute songs. The single “Tick” is 12 seconds long.
“We’ve been doing this for 30 years so it would be strange not to evolve,” Flansburgh said. “We’re really interested in experimenting with the form of the song, which is different than being experimental musicians. The song is a really interesting format to write in because it’s so flexible and it’s kind of unlimited, but it’s also very concise and tidy, so it’s just a great vehicle for ideas.”
They Might Be Giants will perform at the Belly Up Tavern, 143 Cedros Ave. in Solana Beach, on June 16. The show begins at 8 p.m. with Moon Hooch opening. Advance tickets start at $27 and are available at bellyup.com or by calling 858-481-8140.
