They Might Be Giants Are the 'Weird Old Guys' at Summer Festivals

According to They Might Be Giants singer-guitarist John Flansburgh, different bands tend to take on defined roles when they play major summer festivals, from the up-and-coming opening act to the seasoned, self-assured headliner.

His own band's distinct role? "We're the weird old guys that people invite to every show," Flansburgh tells Spinner. "And that's fine with us."

The veteran alt-rock band will spend the summer dipping into their back catalog at scattered shows in the US and UK. Following their performance at the Sasquatch! Music Festival, the group is heading to Bonnaroo for a performance on June 13.

Although They Might Be Giants will be playing cuts off of their kid-friendly 2009 album 'Here Comes Science,' the shows will cater to a more rounded crowd. For instance, the band has been playing 'We Live in a Dump,' a short rarity from 2007 bonus album 'Cast Your Pod to the Wind,' because they figured their audience would enjoy the catchy pop track even if they had never heard it before.

"Because it's a general audience and lots of people are there to see things other than ['Here Comes Science'], we're going to lean on the material we think is the most immediate," says Flansburgh. "Plus, most of our songs are so short that we could probably play one from every album in a normal set."

Flansburgh says that the band is excited for their Bonnaroo performance due to the appearance of trumpet player Curt Ramm, who has previously backed Bruce Springsteen. While They Might Be Giants is scheduled to appear at a handful of shows later this summer, the band will focus on finishing two projects this year: a new "adult" album and a kids-oriented project that may incorporate an iPad application.

For a band as prolific as They Might Be Giants, there's nothing wrong with taking a break from the studio to play a couple of festival shows. "Over the course of three years, we did three albums and a whole lot of touring," says Flansburgh. "We're not burnt out at all, but you just can't be chained to the writing desk."