Fun Intended, the much-anticipated debut album for kids and families from Chicago-based DadJoke, is set for release on June 12, 2026, in time for Father’s Day. DadJoke is the children’s music project of award-winning composer/musician Dave Reminick, best known for almost 20 years as guitarist/singer/songwriter in the post-punk band, Paper Mice, and infamous with his family and friends for being a connoisseur of dad jokes. Unlike most dad jokes, the songs on Fun Intended will not cause eye rolls or groans. This playfully chaotic kids’ album overflows with imaginative, intricately written songs that celebrate curiosity, kindness, creativity, and a passion for the weird.
“I usually describe my music as ‘Weird Music for Weird Kids,’” says Dave Reminick. “It is unpredictable, playful, and stylistically diverse. While there is a foundation of rock, punk, and post-punk, I also draw on funk, metal, jazz, folk, Broadway/Disney, R&B, and avant rock. It’s fun, it’s grownup-friendly, and it’s full of surprises."
Dave continues, “I didn’t hold anything back on this album. In my writing process, I always have my ‘wish list’ of ideas for the most ridiculous, ambitious, or over-the-top things I’d like to include in a song. Normally, if ideas are too unreasonable or impossible to execute, I have to dial them back, but on this album, I went with my wish list every time. When I wanted both a metal band of monsters and a rodent jazz band in ‘Wakey Wake Up,’ I figured out how to make it happen. When ‘I Tried to Use AI’ got waaaay out of hand, and I thought it needed a ‘70s throwback folk guitar section followed by a lush and dramatic full orchestra, I leaned into it.”
Dave Reminick credits ‘80s cartoons and sitcoms, Looney Tunes, The Muppets, and Mister Rogers as having shaped him as an artist. He attributes much of his aesthetic and sense of humor to filmmakers, authors, and comedians as diverse as David Lynch, Salman Rushdie, John Mulaney, Angelo Colina, Amber Ruffin, Terry Gilliam, Jorge Luis Borges, and Seth Meyers. (Two authors who have had an outsized influence on how Dave interacts with and makes music for children are bell hooks and Jason Reynolds.)
Dave also cites a broad range of musical influences including Argentinian children’s music composer/performer Ruth Hillar, Brian Wilson, Burt Bacharach, Stevie Wonder, the free jazz music of the ‘60s and ‘70s as exemplified by Ornette Coleman, and Broadway and Disney musicals, especially the compositions of Robert Lopez & Kirsten Anderson-Lopez, Alan Menkin, Charles Fox, and Lin Manual Miranda.
About Dave Reminick & DadJoke:
Blending elements from Dave Reminick's diverse musical background and decades of music-making, DadJoke creates colorful, catchy, and captivating music that is intricate, thoughtful, and, perhaps most importantly, guaranteed not to annoy adults.
Dave Reminick was born in New York and grew up in East Northport, Long Island. After high school, he attended Oberlin College and Conservatory, earning two degrees: a BA in Psychology and a BM in Saxophone Performance (studying with Paul Cohen). Dave then earned two concurrent Masters degrees at the University of Michigan: an MA in Music Theory (studying with Andrew Mead, Ramon Satyendra, and Elwood Derr) and an MM in Saxophone Performance (studying with Don Sinta). Finally, he pursued doctoral studies at Northwestern University, where he earned a DMA in Composition (studying with the late Lee Hyla, Jay Alan Yim, Hans Thomalla, and Chris Mercer). Dave spent nearly 20 years teaching university-level music theory, composition, and saxophone while also composing and performing professionally as a saxophonist. He has also spent nearly 20 years as singer/guitarist/co-songwriter for the Chicago post-punk band Paper Mice. New Music Box called his adult compositions “bracing, original, and often jaw-dropping.”
Dave plays guitar, piano, saxophone, banjo, mandolin, and ukulele, and he started early! He explains, “I’ve been playing music ever since I was very young, starting piano lessons at probably 3 or 4. My earliest memories of making music are of visiting my grandparents in Brooklyn and sitting next to my Grandma Eleanor at her piano. She adored Debussy and Chopin (in addition to Beethoven, Fauré, and a ton of other composers). She played lovingly and beautifully, and I would sit at her side and try to copy her. When I finally played the first two measures of the Chopin C# Minor Waltz, my whole family was stunned, and I was beaming. It was awesome.”
Fun Intended will be available on all major streaming platforms. CDs will be available on Bandcamp and on the DadJoke website HERE.
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