April 11, 2002

They Might Be Giants Play MASS MoCA on May 11

(North Adams, Mass.) If you're wondering where the geek-rock godfathers, They Might Be Giants, went, they're right under your nose. From the catchy Grammy-award-winning Malcolm In The Middle theme song, Boss of Me, to Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me opening credits number, Dr. Evil, this prolific duo has been working non-stop since they took a break from touring and started making albums. Hot on the heels of the release of Mink Car, their first full-length LP in five years, They Might Be Giants will play MASS MoCA's Hunter Center on Saturday, May 11, at 8 P.M. in a concert co-presented by Iron Horse Entertainment Group. The Salt Lake Tribune described a rare recent concert as "borderline mayhem in the best possible sense."

John Flansburgh and John Linnell first met as children in Lincoln, Massachusetts. Twenty years ago they moved to Brooklyn and soon became fixtures on the Manhattan underground. From very early on the two Johns (as their fans often call them) were pioneers in multimedia ideas. Predating the Internet, they created Dial-a-Song where fans could call them and listen to a new song played on the answering machine. They followed their 1986 self-titled release They Might Be Giants with rapid succession releases including Don't Let's Start, Lincoln, They'll Need A Crane, Flood, Miscellaneous T(a collection of B-sides their label released in response to their growing popularity), Apollo 18, I Palindrome I, Why Does The Sun Shine?, and Back to Skull.

Though taking a break from the relentless touring pace after their 1996 release Factory Showroom, the two have still been writing and recording regular MP3 releases like Long Tall Weekend and Working Undercover For The Man for their growing cult following. In addition to Malcolm in The Middle and Austin Powers themes, they have created music for the Nightline Primetime: Brave New World series and the theme for the Daily Show. They wrote and recorded in just two hours I'm Sick of This American Life for the National Public Radio This American Life story on the group. They recently collaborated with Dave Eggers, Editor of McSweeneys.com and best-selling author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, to create a CD to accompany McSweeney's Literary Journal and later performed live to a reading of the work. New work can still be found daily at www.dialasong.com.

SonicNet said of Mink Car, They Might Be Giants' latest LP, "Every song hits from a different angle, and you may be punch-drunk after sitting through them all." The LP includes 17 tracks and several with notable collaborations including former Soul Coughing frontman M. Doughty and UK hit-makers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley who first worked with the Johns on Birdhouse in Your Soul and Istanbul (Not Constantinople).

Tickets to the They Might Be Giants concert are $22.50 for adults and $17.50 for students with ID. MASS MoCA members get 10% off. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located on Marshall Street in North Adams from 11 A.M. until 5 P.M. every day but Tuesday. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or online at www.massmoca.org at any time of day.

MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located on a 13- acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings. MASS MoCA focuses on the work of visual and performing artists charting new territory.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Katherine Myers
(413) 664-4481 x8113
katherine@massmoca.org