Comedy rockers, the Middle Aged Dad Jam Band, scored another viral hit last month with their spectacular cover of “Vienna” by Billy Joel, streaked with comedy nonsense and a last-minute appearance by Weird Al Yankovic.
With over 270K views to date, this “Vienna” cover matches nothing that Music Man readers will have watched before. This band (barring the female violinist and backing singer) only formed in 2022, but its middle-aged core members have been working together as a comedy group (‘The State’) since they were university students in the late ’80s in New York, making their chemistry on stage exceptional.
Except, this band’s viral vids don’t come from the stage. The band films their vids in drummer David Wain’s garage, albeit decked out like a working bar, earning the Middle Aged Dad Jam Band their ‘garage band’ status, despite being well past their teens.
You may also like...
- Article Continues Below -
MadJam, as they’re often called, aren’t your average middle-aged dads, either. Vocalist Ken Marino (aged 55) is a renowned actor, starring in titles including “Men Behaving Badly,” “Dawson’s Creek,” “We’re The Millers,” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” amongst countless more film & TV credits. Drummer David Wain (also 55) is a writer, producer, and director, even writing the dark comedy show “Children’s Hospital” which Ken Marino starred in.
These seasoned performers had their own MTV sketch show back in the mid-90s, titled after their comedy troupe, The State. Despite some members of The State not featuring in all of MadJam’s vids, the core members, Ken and David, are still occasionally joined by them as well as their newer recruits and special guests such as Weird Al.
“Vienna” is the band’s second most viewed video to date, and with Ken performing like a cruise boat singer, barefoot, and David ringing up an accordionist to join their set last minute, it’s not hard to see why MadJam went viral: Weird Al shows up just in time to play his flawless accordion solo and rushes out the door just as it finishes. But as the song comes to a close, Ken turns to David saying, “That was such a great idea to call Weird Al,” only for David to reply, “That’s actually not who I called, though,” – the camera panning round to show Weird Al back at the garage band’s door, holding up a parking ticket and asking, “Do you guys validate?”
The Middle Aged Dad Jam Band have already topped 50K subscribers on YouTube and Instagram in the 2 years since they formed the band. Fans in the US can see this band live as they play New York, Denver, and LA in the run-up to Christmas 2024 and the New Year.
If you would like to hear more from this talented band, you can subscribe to their YouTube Channel for more incredible music. Follow them on Instagram for updates and visit their official website for more information.