Todd ‘n’ Tina is just the right measure of fun, especially with their latest release Bombtastic. Their videos are fantastic. It was fun to learn more about them.
Tell us about Todd’n’Tina and what inspired you to start playing fun family-friendly music.
Krissy Mondelli (aka “Tina”): The pandemic was definitely the catalyst for me. I am an elementary school teacher, and I missed creating music everyday with my students. Todd called one day and asked me to come over and record a silly kid’s song he wrote, so I went over to record it. One song led to another, and suddenly Todd’n’Tina was born. Todd’n’Tina became my creative outlet during those months when I wasn’t singing with kids. Now, it’s just part of who I am as a musician and educator!
Todd Millenacker: Back in the mid-2000s, I fronted the electropunk band Avenpitch. We put out 4 albums, played every dive bar in the Twin Cities, and would occasionally tour the US. It was a lot of fun, but like lots of bands… life, family, and “grown-up” responsibilities brought us to an end.
I continued to create music and “accidentally” became a jingle writer when I sent Little Caesars this goofy tune called “Pizza Babies”. They liked it so much that they used it for a national advertising campaign! From there, I took advantage of my “15 minutes of fame” and jumped into the world of jingle writing. Occasionally, I’d need a female voice to supplement my “5 note range” so I’d reached out to Krissy.
Then during the pandemic my family went on a road trip and I kept hearing The Presidents of the United States of America (those were the guys who sang “Lump” and “Peaches”). I started to wonder what they were up to and it turns out that their singer (Chris Ballew) became a children’s music artist. I went down that rabbit hole, became obsessed with the idea of creating children’s music, and reached out to Krissy.
You guys have gotten a lot of attention for your music, being on TV and more, can you share some of your favorite musical experiences?
Krissy: I love the spontaneous nature of live performances! It’s fun to interact with kids and families, see which songs resonate with them. My favorite performances have been the ones we have given at the Minnesota State Fair. You’ve really made it in Minnesota if you play at the fair!
Todd: Lots of our lyrics are really ridiculous and I love how we can say the most absurd things in the name of “art””. For instance, when we play our song “If Darth Vader Had an iPhone” live, I sing a verse in “Wookie” and Krissy will sing a verse in “Droid””. In “Flossing is My Hobby”, I get to passionately express my love of oral hygiene and somehow end up going on a tangent about dentures and Poligrip. We have a song called “Jellyfish Chicken” that ponders the ramifications of splicing the DNA of chicken with the DNA of a jellyfish – would you get a boneless chicken or would you get a chicken that could sting you? Ya know, lots and lots of really deep stuff! Luckily, it seems like there’s an audience that enjoys it as much as we do… of course, they could be lying!
The video for “Aquaphobic Scuba Diver” is very fun. How was the experience creating it?
Todd: Our vision was to have Krissy as the “serious singer” and then offset that with scenes of me as a scuba diver wandering through various landscapes. Naturally, because the lyrics say “the only fish I see are in a grocery aisle” it was REQUIRED that I go into a grocery store and wander around the fish section in a wetsuit.
Krissy: I do our video editing, and this video definitely had the most footage, shot on three different days. I love the process of putting a video together, figuring out which shots fit best with the music. People definitely did wonder what we were doing when we were at Lebanon Hills in a wetsuit in the fall!
Do you each have a favorite song on the new album Bombastic? I think “Revenge of the 5th“ is mine.
Todd: Thank you! We wrote “Revenge of the 5th” as a spoof on the whole “May the 4th Be With You” thing. It’s so random and wordy that I really didn’t think people would get the joke, but people keep singling that song out. I figure there’s either some “untapped love” for Episode 3 out there or people are secretly yearning for sleazy 80’s hair metal guitar riffs!
As for me… I know it sounds cliché, but I really do like every track. My personal favorite is “Aquaphobic Scuba Diver” just because I love the words, Krissy kills it on the vocals, and there are cool little production tricks throughout the song – there’s a sonar sound during the chorus and the electric guitars sound all “watery”. Plus, it’s EPIC once the drums come in!
Krissy: “Revenge” is a riot, isn’t it? Every time we sing it, I just crack up at Todd trying to sing all those words so quickly! I’m glad you like it! My favorite is “Transylvania Town”. My blood type is B Positive, and one day I suggested to Todd that we could write a song as a play on blood type and positivity. A few days later, he brought me “Transylvania Town”. I love the story, the style, and I really love to sing it live!
Do you play live shows? I know you are video and recording focused but I’m wondering if kids get to enjoy your music in person too.
Todd: Yes, we play out quite a bit from late spring through early fall. In two years, we’ve played about 50 shows and we’re aiming for another 30 or so this year! For simplicity’s sake (and also not to scare kids – or – make them deaf), we perform as an acoustic duo. I play guitar and sing. Krissy sings, plays ukulele, hand percussion, kazoo, and whatever other instruments are needed. We’ve been playing farmers markets, mid-week kid’s events, and family-friendly events all over the Twin Cities. If you see our name around, please stop by and say “hello”!
Krissy: Last spring, we also played at my school’s carnival. The kids are so excited when they get to meet Todd – he’s such a rock star to them!
Mostly Minnesota 