They Might Be Giants in Montclair

They Might Be Giants is an American alternative-rock band formed in Brooklyn in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. Their concise, wordplay-heavy songs draw on rock, pop, electronic arrangements and children’s music. Their best-known recordings include “Don’t Let’s Start,” “Ana Ng,” “Birdhouse in Your Soul,” “Boss of Me” and their version of “Istanbul (Not Constantinople),” while Flood is among their signature albums. They Might Be Giants began performing as a duo, using guitar, accordion, keyboards and a drum machine, before expanding into a full touring band during the 1990s. A 2004 tour produced the Venue Songs project: at stops on the itinerary, they wrote songs about the rooms hosting them. Later anniversary concerts presented Flood in full as the organizing structure of the show. They play club-sized headline dates at Bowery Ballroom and Washington’s 9:30 Club.

Jonathan Coulton is an American singer-songwriter, born in 1970, who writes comic folk rock and acoustic pop about technology, office life and science fiction. His year-long Thing a Week project produced songs including “Code Monkey” and “Re: Your Brains”; he also wrote “Still Alive” and “Want You Gone” for Valve’s Portal games. His catalog includes “Skullcrusher Mountain” and the album Artificial Heart, produced by John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants. In 2008, Jonathan Coulton recorded the live album and concert film Best. Concert. Ever. at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. He later toured clubs and theatres with comedy duo Paul and Storm, and beginning in 2011 he hosted and performed on JoCo Cruise. He also gave convention concerts at PAX.