Koo Koo Kanga Roo was created by Bryan and Neil in 2008 as an experimental project for St. Mary’s University’s annual battle of the bands. The idea centered around crowd participation, comedy and dance music, stretching the concept of a what a “band” could be.
The next few years saw Bryan and Neil touring throughout the midwest playing bars, and releasing their first few albums and music videos. In 2010 the band was chosen to support Orange County superhero rock band The Aquabats on their east coast tour. This turned into more support slots with Reel Big Fish and Yo Gabba Gabba Live. Meanwhile Koo Koo began creating “dance-a-long” videos (initially as something of a joke) for their songs in order to help demonstrate the moves that audiences would need to know at their shows. These videos were unexpectedly a hit with elementary school teachers, which led Koo Koo into the world of children’s music and becoming a “real” kids band.
More domestic and international touring followed as the guys hit the road with The Vans Warped Tour, Frank Turner & Sleeping Souls, and MC Lars. Concept albums about cats, potty humor, self-help, holidays, and Panera Bread added to the band’s discography. Simultaneously, the popularity of their “brain break” dance-a-long videos continued to skyrocket in classrooms around the world.
In 2021 Bryan and Neil released their first non-concept album since 2013, partnering with Twin Cities producer extraordinaire Lazerbeak. “Slow Clap” presents a more hip-hop-centric sound with plenty of grooving bass lines and monstrous drums, while retaining the catchy, weirdo-energy fans expect from the band. More shows, videos, podcast episodes and antics are yet to come!