Keyboard
Keyboard instruments have been an integral part of the They Might Be Giants studio and stage performance since the band's formation. They Might Be Giants' very first show, in Central Park in 1982, included John Linnell playing an electric jazz organ; "Now That I Have Everything", TMBG's first demo, also features an electric keyboard. The majority of They Might Be Giants songs feature either an electric keyboard or some other keyboard instrument. Many early TMBG recordings, including tracks from the 1985 Demo Tape, The Pink Album, and Lincoln were recorded at the Public Access Synthesizer Studio (Studio PASS), where the Johns had access to a large collection of electronic keyboards and rack mounted units, including the Fairlight CMI and Yamaha TX816 (a rack mounted version of the better known DX7).
When They Might Be Giants made the move to a full band lineup in 1992, Kurt Hoffman became their live keyboardist, with Linnell playing accordion or saxophone. However, during the John Henry tour in 1994, John Linnell took over as the primary keyboard player. With the current line-up, guitarist Dan Miller or bassist Danny Weinkauf will occasionally play keyboard live on songs which utilize Linnell to play other instruments, often accordion, saxophone, or bass clarinet.
Setup[edit]
John Linnell[edit]
At TMBG's first live show in 1982, which was played under the name El Grupo De Rock And Roll, John Linnell played a red Farfisa Combo Compact organ. Farfisa Compacts were popular electronic organs manufactured in the late 1960s, before synthesizers rose to prominence. The same model can be seen in some promotional photographs taken in the 1980s. Before the formation of TMBG, this was also the keyboard Linnell used in performances with The Mundanes, with a monophonic Micromoog mounted above it for solos and leads.
In 1989, Linnell and Flansburgh each bought their own Casio FZ-1 synthesizers to record Flood. The FZ-1, which was first manufactured in 1987, was a 61-key polyphonic keyboard that also functioned as a sampler. The keyboard can be heard on various Flood tracks, including "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)".
John Linnell's live keyboard rig from 1994 until August 2006 consisted of a black Roland A-30 76-key MIDI controller connected to an E-Mu sound module for instrument patch programming. The latest module for this rig was the E-Mu Proteus 2000, which was first manufactured in 1998. Until sometime in 1999, Linnell employed the E-Mu Proteus FX, which was first manufactured in 1994.
The generic keyboard stand Linnell had originally used was replaced in 1998 with a custom stand built by Brian Dewan's music company, Dewan Luxury Products. It was originally built around 1990 and painted light blue, with an AC power rack along with a small empty chamber to store additional small percussion instruments, such as a cowbell or stylophone. In late 2002, the rig was expanded to a more complex unit to accommodate a Roland SP-303 sampler, to trigger sound effects (notably on songs such as "Bed Bed Bed" and "Hot Cha") and other samples, and a Korg Kaoss Pad KP-2, a small effects processor and MIDI controller that is operated through an XY axis touch pad. The Kaoss Pad has appeared in a segment called "The Future Of Sound", as well as some songs with spacey effects, such as "Space Suit" and "Robot Parade". In 2003, the power strip connected to the stand was replaced with a more permanent outlet fixture.
In 2006 to 2007, Linnell began using a Roland Fantom X6, a 61-key workstation including built-in instrument sound programming and a pad bank for triggering samples and other sound effects. In May 2007, Linnell switched to a Roland Fantom X8, which is Roland's 88-key version of the X6. A wider wooden support board was added to the stand to accommodate the larger keyboard, and in July, the legs were removed to allow the base sit on top of a traditional metal keyboard stand. Due to its relatively small size, the X6 was still occasionally used for more stripped-down performances after its replacement.
Since 2020, Linnell has been using an 88-key Arturia Keylab as his main controller. The KP-2 Kaoss pad has also been supplanted by a Kaossilator Pro. The original keyboard stand was additionally supplanted by a replicated version with tier drawers for stereo output units and keyboard module. Each unit is downmixed through a Radial JD6 DI box, which goes to PA stereo output.
Keyboard rigs[edit]
In the July-August 1996 edition of Music & Computers, in the article "Giant Step-Time -- Computers in the Life of They Might Be Giants", John Linnell lists the keyboards and synthesizers he was currently and previously using.
- Casio CZ-101 - "But by the time we were making our first record, we were using a lot of other things, like a Casio CZ-101. Great, great instrument. That was the portamento noise at the beginning of Chess Piece Face. We were pretty heavily into the Casio scene at that time."
- Casio FZ-1, Akai 1000KB, and Akai S2000 - "We have an endless pile of MIDI gear. Like I said, the early records were heavy on the Casios, and at a certain point John and I both got Casio FZ-1's and started getting into sampling with those, and eventually traded up to Akais, which we use now. We both have [Akai] 1000KB keyboard samplers, 'cause we got a deal on them, and I just got an Akai S2000, which is the same thing but with more memory. They sound great, just fantastic."
- Roland A-30 and E-Mu Proteus - "Live, I use a Roland A-30 controller and this wooden stand that a friend of mine built, with Danish modern table legs. It's very nice. Built into the stand are four rack spaces, so currently I have a Proteus FX [E-mu synthesizer] in one space, and a backup in another. I got the Proteus because it basically does everything I need."
- Yahama TX81Z - "That's actually an old favorite of mine--it's the four-operator version of the Yamaha DX7, the TX81Z. That was a single-rack thing with some really cheesy sounds. It does sound like a Farfisa [electric organ], though. I used to own one of those but it died."
- Roland U-220, Casio VZ-10m - "Well, at home I use the Roland U-220, a rack-mount synth. Also--this is one of the last things Casio made--a VZ-10m, which can actually make CZ-101 type sound"
- Moog Micromoog - "Oh, and I still have my old Micromoog, which we haul out now and then, but it's not MIDled. We used it on Apollo 18, and probably on Flood, I can't remember."
Backing band[edit]
For the Else and Here Comes Science tours (2007-2009), along with one show in October 2010, Dan Miller played a microKORG on stage.[1] He can be also be seen with it in the video for "Electronic Istanbul", which also features Danny Weinkauf playing an Alesis micron.
Dan Miller utlilized John Linnell's Roland Fantom X6 on stage for the Here Comes Science tour from October 2009 until 2010.
When they played I'm Impressed on Late Night With Conan O'Brien in 2007, Dan played a Nord Lead 2X.
