“Weird Al” Yankovic, what first comes to mind when you see those three words? I’m guessing you would say ‘parody’ or ‘spoof’. The satirical work of the man known as Weird Al has been ingrained in the minds of our cultures for the past thirty years. With three Grammy awards won and over twelve million albums sold to date, it’s hard to argue that Al is the overlord of popular music parody, and comedy songs in general. Regardless of genre, Al has influenced a whole new generation of musical performers working today. It is with this notion that we have decided to bring together some of Al’s most talented disciples to create a tribute to his vast catalog and wealth of parody and original songs. He makes the best darn waffles this world has ever seen. ARTISTS APPEARING ON THIS ALBUM: Al’s Band We are very excited to have this act on our album. Namely, because it is made up of Weird Al’s actual backing band! Comprised of Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz (drums), Steve Jay (bass), Jim West (guitar) and Ruben Valtierra (keyboards), this band of amazing musicians adds a great edge of authenticity to this tribute record. On Twenty-Six and a Half, hear them sing about their storied career with the man himself in their big-production closer track “Al’s Band”. Devo Spice Comedy rapper, Devo Spice has been recording hilarious hip-hop tunes for over twenty years. In addition to being the top artist on Dr. Demento’s Funny 25 on more than one occasion, he also helped found the comedy music website known as the FuMP. In April 2011, Devo Spice released his debut solo album, “Gnome Sane?”. On Twenty-Six and a Half, hear Devo rap about his frustration with his songs showing up on file sharing sites miscredited to Al in “Weird Al Didn’t Write This Song”. Dino-Mike Mike Cisneros has been writing and recording his comedy tunes for well over a decade. In 2011 he released his third studio album, Chimericana. On Twenty-Six and a Half, hear his oddly touching cover of “You Make Me” from Al’s “Even Worse” album. Double Down Las Vegas themed swing band Double Down brings the smooth style of Frank Sinatra into the new millennium with an odd mix and wide array of influences (from Dean Martin to Weird Al). On Twenty-Six and a Half, Double Down performs their fabulous cover version of “This is the Life” from Al’s “Dare to be Stupid” album. the great Luke Ski Luke Ski has been writing comedy and parody songs for over fifteen years, and in that time has cultivated a loyal fan following, as well as a legacy on the legendary Dr. Demento radio show. On Twenty-Six and a Half, hear Luke give Al a taste of his own medicine by parodying “My Baby’s in Love with Eddie Vedder” from Al’s “Running with Scissors” album. Insane Ian Ian Bonds is a video game aficionado from Baltimore, Maryland who also enjoys rocking your face off with funny comedy songs…. about being a video game aficionado. In 2010, Ian released his second studio album “The Last Arcade”. On Twenty-Six and a Half, hear his cover of “That Boy Could Dance” from Al’s “‘Weird Al’ Yankovic In 3-D” album. Kobi LaCroix Kobi LaCroix is a professional graphic artist and part-time rocker of faces. He has forcibly become the leader of a manly comedy music movement that only he is apart of. Within this movement he shouts random nonsense at you and sings about random manly things. On Twenty-Six and a Half, watch him continue this trend with his cover of “CNR” from Al’s “Alpocalypse” album. Lager Rhythms In 1994, five friends started this a capella cover band . After sixteen years and four studio albums, they’re still at it. On Twenty-Six and a Half, hear there rich, soothing vocal tones in a cover of “Your Horoscope for Today” from Al’s “Running with Scissors” album. Marc with a C Orlando based lo-fi recording artist Marc with a C has been recording catchy pop tunes for over a decade. With over ten albums and a ten-year anniversary compilation, Marc has become a prolific force in the Florida nerdcore scene. On Twenty-Six and a Half, hear his acoustic cover of “Good Enough for Now” from Al’s “Polka Party!” album. mc chris Chris Ward is a nerdcore rapper from Illinois. Since he first started his career in 2001, Chris has created an extremely loyal national following and released several original albums. On Twenty-Six and a Half, hear his cover of the Weird Al parody “I Lost on Jeopardy” from Al’s “‘Weird Al’ Yankovic In 3-D” album. MC Frontalot Who would’ve thought that nerdy man Damien Hess’s ‘nerdcore’ label would become a global sensation. Since his first success on SongFight.org, MC Frontalot has become a regular touring force in the American nerdy rap movement. Inspiring the documentary film “Nercore Rising” and creating several top-notch albums, Front has become a living rap legend. On Twenty-Six and a Half, hear Frontalot step outside of his rapping comfort zone to cover “Don’t Wear Those Shoes” from Al’s “Polka Party!” album. MC Lars Andrew Nielson is a nerdcore rap artist from California. Since his start in 1999, Lars has become a national touring sensation (having played shows with the likes of Jonathan Coulton, Wheatus and My Chemical Romance, amongst others) , with a strong fan following and wealth of original rap material. In 2011, he is to release his seventh studio album, “Lars Attacks!”. On Twenty-Six and a Half, hear Lars’s cover of “I Can’t Watch This” from Al’s “Off the Deep End” album. Nuclear Bubble Wrap Nuclear Bubble Wrap is an alternative rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. With a few viral videos and one Dr. Demento #1 Funny 25 hit under their belt, this band has become an obvious force in the world of funny music. In 2010, they released their debut studio album “Exploding Head Syndrome”. On Twenty-Six and a Half, they perform a cover of the unreleased Al track “Pac-Man”. Raymond and Scum This California based comedy rock band consists of director Jeff Smith and guitarist Matthew Dunn. On their 2005 album “Suck”, Al’s drummer Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz played percussion on two tracks. On Twenty-Six and a Half, hear their grungy guitar-driven cover of “One More Minute” from Al’s “Dare to be Stupid” album. Shael Riley and the Double Ice Backfire Due to the fact that they are the world ambassadors of catchy chip-tune rock music, it is no surprise the DIB has become a hit in the underground nerdcore movement. In 2011, their debut album “Ultimate Songs from the Pit” is due to be released. On Twenty-Six and a Half they will be covering “Melanie” from Al’s “Even Worse” album. Steve Goodie Nashville, Tennessee’s Steve Goodie is a renowned record producer and prolific producer of funny music. Since his debut record in the 1990s, it is not uncommon for Steve to release more than one album per year. On Twenty-Six and a Half, Steve is the only artist to have two songs included (he’s just that darn awesome), hear his cover of “Everything You Know is Wrong” from Al’s “Bad Hair Day” album and a parody of “Hardware Store” from Al’s “Poodle Hat” album. TV’s Kyle Kyle A Carrozza is a cartoonist and goofy musician from California. When he’s not working his day job at Nickelodeon on the hit CGI children’s program “Fanboy and Chum Chum”, Kyle can be found making a new catchy tune every ten minutes or so. His 2011 album, “Ray Fillet” was written and recorded entirely within the month of February. On Twenty-Six and a Half, Kyle covers “The Check’s in the Mail” from Al’s “‘Weird Al’ Yankovic” album. Worm Quartet Worm Quartet is a synth-punk comedy band from Rochester, New York that consists of, ironically, one member (Tim “Shoebox” Crist). With more than one appearance at #1 on Dr. Demento’s Funny 25 countdown, this ‘band’ has become a huge force in the underground comedy music world. In 2011, Shoebox is expected to release his long-awaited fifth studio album, the first in four years. On Twenty-Six and a Half, hear his cover of “I’ll Be Mellow When I’m Dead” from Al’s “‘Weird Al’ Yankovic” album.