Q&A With Danny Weinkauf, Bass Player For They Might Be Giants

After 17 years of playing bass for the alternative rock group, They Might Be Giants (TMBG), musician Danny Weinkauf has set out on his own with a new solo album called “No School Today.” I’m extremely excited to share an exclusive interview with Grammy Award winning musician, Danny Weinkauf.

What are your earliest music memories?

I didn’t grow up with a lot of music in my house. There were no instruments but we had a record player. On Sundays my parents played The Supremes, Elvis Presley and Petula Clark. When I heard the Beatles on the radio I thought, “Wow, I love this.” At that time I didn’t know what to do with that feeling. I still didn’t play an instrument. When I did pick up the bass guitar my favorite musician was James Jamerson who played for The Supremes. His playing left a lasting impression on me. It is probably connected to the memories of my parents playing it when I was a kid. When I was 17, I bought my first guitar. I didn’t play bass until I was 23 when my high school chemistry teacher, Dr. B (who my dog is named after), called me to play bass in his band at a New Years Eve party. I didn’t have a bass guitar so they lent me theirs.

Tell me about how you joined TMBG.

I was in the opening band for TMBG for 3 years. At that time, their bass player was busy and asked me to sub for him. The manager for TMBG walked on stage during a sound check and asked if I would like to play with TMBG full time. I said I would love to. Now it’s been 17 years, the music is challenging and fun and we’ve done all kinds of things from television shows, commercials, movie sound tracks, adult and kids albums and touring all over the world. Musically, TMBG is open to any music that exists or is not yet invented. Their palette is so wide that there are no limitations.

You wrote 3 songs for TMBG’s children’s album: “Where Do They Make Balloons?,” “Number 2,” & “I am a Paleontologist,” which you said was inspired by your son Kai’s love of dinosaurs. Are your kids the inspiration for all your songs?

Not all songs but often. In the case of “I am a Paleontologist”, it was because of Kai’s interests. I was trying to write a song about electricity and getting stuck, but, when I decided to write about paleontology it came naturally. Some influences can be from a simple thing. One day my wife and I were goofing around and singing about everything in the house. My daughter said, “You’ll sing a song about anything.” So I went into my studio and wrote “A Song About Anything.” The fact I have kids makes it more fun and timely. If I didn’t have children it might not be as enjoyable. Speaking of kids, they are my biggest critics by far. I will go back into the studio and re-sing the song or change a section because they didn’t like it. I go off their gut reaction. I trust it.

TMBG were always known for being unconventional and experimental in both music and business. When they ventured into making a kids album, it all seemed to come at a time when kids music was really becoming more sophisticated and being performed by musicians that I love - TMBG, Lisa Loeb, Dan Zanes to name some newer musicians like Laurie Berkner. You still have the goofy tunes of The Wiggles and Barney, but, as a parent, I didn’t want to listen to that.

Fans of TMBG that told us their kids love our music and they love our music. Enough people just kept asking us to make a kids album and we recorded “No!” The response was amazing and making it was fun. We didn’t dumb it down. We recorded the way we always did but made it more kid specific. The lyrics changed the approach while the music stayed the same.

It also feels like that other music was talking down to kids. My kids never liked it. When my son heard the Ramones at 2, he immediately started to jump around. It was a visceral reaction. I thought I am going to write music that relates to my kid which is how I started my solo album, “No School Today.” I want lyrics to be a little challenging so they can ask their parents what does this mean when he sings about “archeology” or about “a science and humanity”. They may not understand it at that moment but that can lead to an opportunity for an educational discussion.

Your kids and wife contributed to the album. What’s it like to make an album with your family?

It’s great but probably not what people might imagine. My family is busy. When it comes to making a song like “Champion of the Spelling Bee,” it’s from a kids perspective so it makes sense to have a kid sing. I asked my son, Kai, to sing it. I have to literally say “Kai, can I get you for 10 minutes?” I grab my song, show it to him, ask him if he wants a recap? Kai will say “no” and sing it, look at me and ask if he is done so he can run back to what ever it was he was doing.

SiriusXM Kids Place Live had a countdown where they play 13 of their top songs and “Champion of the Spelling Bee” went to #1. The song came on, my wife started dancing around and Kai would leave the room….because he’s 14 now. It climbed up the charts and he wanted no part of it. When it finally reached #1 we had the radio on, I was in the kitchen and they announced “Champion of the Spelling Bee” and they said his name. Kai got up from his computer, came over to me without saying a word, he gave me a hug and then went back to the computer. That was a special moment. He may have been avoiding it all along but he was happy for me and proud of himself. Having my family on the album is really special. I hope they will look back and say, I did this with my family.

In the song “No School Today” you mention Facebook. Do you think we will see more kids songs referencing today’s technology?

I wanted it to be relatable for children today. However 10 years from now that may be an antiquated term. I have a couple of nieces that were obsessed with Facebook. That’s why I felt it made sense to put it in the song. It was such a big part of their lives, but only a couple years later, my son tells me Facebook is for grown ups. Now the kids use Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.

Tell me more about your new single “Wonderful Christmas Day.”

It just came out in October. I started writing something that was a little bit ironic and snarky. As I was writing it; I realized I may not like the commerciality of the holidays but I do love Christmas. So I took the straighter route and wrote a song about being at home with family and the smells of food cooking, being together, and playing in the snow.

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