TMBG's Other Thing
From left: John Linnell, Marcus Rojas, Mark Pender and Dan Levine
They Might Be Giants' Other Thing Brass Band was an alternate lineup of They Might Be Giants' backing band that was active in 2003 and 2004. The group consisted of John Flansburgh and John Linnell, accompanied by a four-piece ensemble featuring Dan Levine (trombone), Mark Pender (trumpet), Marcus Rojas (tuba) and Marty Beller (drums). During its brief existence, the lineup performed five live shows and recorded a six-song self-titled EP.
Background[edit]
The project originated as a one-off performance for Public Radio International's Studio 360 in June 2003, under the name TMBG Mini-Brass. Held at the Coney Island Museum in Brooklyn, New York, the session featured Flansburgh and Linnell accompanied by Beller, Pender, Levine and tuba player Nathan Durham. The group played a set of five beach-themed songs, including the debuts of "Idlewild" and "No Plan B", which may have been written specifically for the occasion.
Following the Studio 360 appearance, the lineup was reconfigured and renamed They Might Be Giants' Other Thing, with Marcus Rojas replacing Durham on tuba. The new ensemble made its live debut on September 28, 2003, with two performances at Joe's Pub in New York City. These shows included the premieres of the songs "Fun Assassin" and "Stalk Of Wheat". Additional performances took place on December 10 and December 26, 2003, and January 12, 2004. Plans were also made for a West Coast appearance in April 2004, but the show did not take place.[1] Other Thing performed independently of They Might Be Giants' regular live band, and their usual backing musicians (Dan Miller, Danny Weinkauf and Dan Hickey) were generally absent from these shows.
In the fall of 2003, the ensemble recorded six tracks at Kampo Studios in New York City, over one or two sessions.[2] Two of these recordings, "Ant" and "Stalk Of Wheat", were released in 2004 on the Indestructible Object EP and The Spine, respectively. In 2011, They Might Be Giants released a digital EP featuring all six recordings exclusively for members of the Instant Fan Club. Later that year, a truncated four-song 7" vinyl edition was made available at live shows, through the band's website, and mailed to Instant Fan Club members. Three of the songs also appeared on the 2011 compilation Album Raises New And Troubling Questions. The complete digital EP received a public release in 2016, expanded with an additional track from the earlier TMBG Mini-Brass session.
Releases[edit]
Recordings[edit]
TMBG's Other Thing[edit]
- Ant (Indestructible Object Version)
- Dirt Bike (Other Thing)
- Metal Detector (Other Thing)
- Mr. Me (Other Thing)
- Particle Man (Other Thing)
- Stalk Of Wheat