Danny Weinkauf
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| Danny Weinkauf | |
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| File:Danny Weinkauf with TMBG in 2010.jpg
Weinkauf performing in 2010
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| Background information | |
| Born | December 4, 1963 |
| Genres | Alternative rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Bass guitar, Guitar, keyboards, vocals |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | Disney Sound, Idlewild Recordings |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | www |
Danny Weinkauf(born December 4, 1963) is a Grammy-winning New York-based musician and composer. He is currently a member of the backing band for They Might Be Giants (TMBG). Playing bass guitar, he has recorded and toured with the band since the late 1990s.[1] Weinkauf had previously performed in a band called Lincoln along with TMBG's guitarist Dan Miller and drummer Gonzalo Martinez De La Cotera.[2] He has written four songs for TMBG, all for their children's albums. Weinkauf wrote and sang "Where Do They Make Balloons?" on the children's album No!, "Number Two" from Here Come The 123s, "I Am a Paleontologist" from Here Comes Science, and "Elephants" from "Why?"[3][4][5] He also played bass alongside bandmate John Flansburgh for his solo project Mono Puff, in addition to providing additional bass on John Linnell's State Songs album.
Weinkauf got his start in music in the New York City-based band The Belltower. The band also featured Jody Porter (Fountains of Wayne), Britta Phillips (Luna - Dean and Britta), and Peter McNeil (Cake). He later played bass on Fountains of Wayne's 1996 debut album. Weinkauf has also played on albums by David Mead, Stephen Fretwell, CandyButchers, and The Davenports, among other musical acts. He and Brian Speiser produced Common Rotation's 2003 Album The Big Fear and can be found in two videos of studio footage on their website. He produced the album The Way We Found It for artist Syd. He has also written and produced hundreds of tracks of music for television, commercials, and movies. Credits include: Sex and the City, Malcolm in the Middle, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Jon and Kate plus 8, ABC Wide world of Sports, HBO, CBS Sports, ESPN, Resident Life, History Channel, MTV, Food Network, A&E, Mercedes Benz, Saturn, Burger King, McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, Radio Shack, Big Brother/Sisters, Elmer's Glue, Kohls, and many others. In 2011, Weinkauf started Red Pants Music which is a website representing his commercial, television, and film composition work. In 2014, Weinkauf signed with Idlewild records as a solo children's music artist and released No School Today. No School Today featured 16 tunes penned by Weinkauf with lyrics co-written by others on 3 songs. Weinkauf produced and played all the instruments on the album and featured his wife and 2 children as well as children's music superstar Laurie Berkner and Vloggbrother Hank green on vocals. Weinkauf released videos for several of the album's songs. The album's first single "Champion of the Spelling Bee" went to #1 on Sirius XM Kids Place Live and featured Weinkauf's 12 yr old son Kai on lead vocals. His songs "The Moon is made of Cheese"(#5), "Cast My Vote", and "Our Love Fits (featuring Laurie Berkner)" also were featured in heavy rotation at Kids Place live. In October of 2014 Weinkauf released his first holiday single called "Wonderful Christmas Day" as a digital release on Idlewild records. In 2015 Weinkauf released 4 singles including "It's your Birthday","My Mom", "Only One You", and "Super Powered Mindy" which have all been featured on Kids Place Live. In 2015 Weinkauf also wrote and produced the song and video "B is for Build" for Sesame Street as part of their season 46 and 1st season with HBO.
Personal life
Weinkauf is married. He has two children, Lena and Kai Weinkauf, who perform spoken word parts on the song "I Am a Paleontologist". Weinkauf's wife and two children perform several vocal and spoken parts on his solo album.[5][6]
Awards
In 2002 TMBG won the Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media; Weinkauf played both bass and guitar. In 2009, They Might Be Giants was awarded a Grammy for Best Children's Album for Here Come the 123s, featuring one song written by Weinkauf.[7] In 2011, TMBG was nominated a third time with Here Comes Science, which features Weinkauf's song "I Am a Paleontologist". In 2014 "No School Today" was declared a Parents' Choice Award winner and a NAPPA award winner. Weinkauf's song "Elephants (Get out of the way)" was an International Songwriting Competition winner in 2015.
References
- ↑ Condran, Ed (2012-02-12). "Bigger Isn't Better for Pop-Rock Duo". The Tampa Tribune.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ No! (Album notes). They Might Be Giants. Rounder Records. 2002.
- ↑ Here Come the 123s (Album notes). They Might Be Giants. Disney Sound. 2008.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Heres Comes Science (Album notes). They Might Be Giants. Disney Sound. 2009.
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