The Microphone Doctors & Doctor Noize have a cure for those bad moods! Their new family album, Mood Food, exudes a sense of hope, purpose, and sheer fun for all ages. Mood Food will be released on August 30, 2024.
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Picture two guys from wildly different backgrounds having a blast in the studio, not overthinking life, and letting their inner children come out to share the feelings of discovery that a deep new friendship can provide. Mood Food reflects the pure silliness and optimism of childhood, an experience that was interrupted for both Danny Darko of The Microphone Doctors and Cory Cullinan (a.k.a. Doctor Noize) when they were kids.
“The songs I write are just meant to be fun,” says Danny Darko. “My goal as an entertainer is to evoke joy and create happy moments that we can all share. Bringing these moments that I didn’t have as a child to today’s kids has been an unexpectedly cathartic experience. Working with Cory Cullinan was also something I never imagined happening in my wildest dreams!”
“I knew of Danny Darko’s amazing life story, and I thought he was, in many ways, the most intriguing – and certainly the most unlikely – voice in children’s music,” says Cory Cullinan. “So, when he contacted me about producing the next Microphone Doctors album, I was happy to say yes. But I had no idea what a fantastic collaboration this would turn out to be, both musically and personally. We set to out to write, record, and mix a song a day, in a flurry of fun and creativity, and held ourselves to and accomplished that goal! We ended up having such a great time, which no doubt is reflected in the easy feeling of happiness that permeates the entire recording. My transition from producer to co-artist developed naturally as we worked together.”
Cory adds, “It became clear through our chats that Danny and I had a lot more in common than we had suspected. We both had unusual childhoods for people in children’s music. Danny was raised in gang culture, saw many friends die, and was regularly in and out of prison in his youth. When I was a kid, my only sibling died of cancer, and that same year, in desperation, my father died by suicide. Danny and I both decided, at some point, that our lives were not going to be defined by the misfortunes that had occurred in our youth. After much reading, reflection, and planning, we very purposefully and proactively took roads that led in a very different direction. We arrived at children’s music as a creative outlet for similar reasons: We’re trying to relive – and perhaps re-invent – our childhoods a bit and give kids a ‘things are gonna be okay’ feeling – something we probably wish we had a little more of.”
Album highlights include “Lemonade,” which encapsulates everything about the Danny Darko/Cory Cullinan collaboration in one song. Danny wanted to write a summer anthem similar to Outkast’s “Hey Ya,” and “Lemonade” was born of that idea. “I felt it really represented Danny when I heard his lyrics and rap,” explains Cory. “Writing the music under those lyrics took no time at all, and then we added an expanded final chorus and a section for me to sing that brought the song’s joyful philosophy into full perspective. Plus, I got to sing like Queen.”
“Chicken! (Don’t Cross the Road)” is unadulterated fun and an homage to some of Danny’s and Cory’s favorite dance maestros like James Brown. This ridiculously silly number started as a Doctor Noize workshop song that Cory wrote with a group of elementary school kids. When Danny’s creativity was added to the mix, he and Cory couldn’t resist the idea of making a video of this song, showing them dancing around like synchronized chickens. Watch for this hilarious video in October!
The first track Cory and Danny ever recorded – written, tracked, mixed, and mastered on their first day together in Cory’s Denver studio – is “Cool Beans.” A standout for its smooth vibe and whimsical message, “Cool Beans” is filled with pop culture references that listeners will love.
ABOUT THE MICROPHONE DOCTORS & DOCTOR NOIZE:
Danny Darko of The Microphone Doctors dedicates his life to inspiring others through musical entertainment that instills hope, happiness, and imagination. As a recovered addict and ex-con, he is privileged to have the honor of speaking publicly about the experiences that miraculously led to where he is today.
Danny grew up in an abusive household. When times were difficult, and his father went to prison, Danny took solace in music, going to shows at a very young age and dancing a lot! He later wrote most of his first album and first children’s book in a prison alternative work camp. An avid reader, he loves poetry and cites the works of Oscar Wilde, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Bukowski, and Henry Miller, as life changing. A visual artist as well as a musician, Danny admires the works of Salvador Dali, Van Gogh, and Rodin. He is an avid traveler and has visited more than 40 countries.
Chart-topping children’s recording and performing artist Doctor Noize (a.k.a. Cory Cullinan) is many things: Stanford music grad, Professor of Recording Arts, entrepreneur, author, app creator, studio owner, speaker, commissioned composer for stage and screen, and goofball. He loves Mahler, the Beatles, James Brown, Beethoven, Queen, Prince, and the ‘80s (his middle and high school years).
With chart hits in three decades, the Doc’s catalog of recordings is a unique combination of exuberant joy, high-quality production, revered collaborators, and narrative musical structure. Each album is an adventure balancing inspirational learning with positive storytelling and songwriting all ages can explore. His work teaches instruments, music fundamentals, language, leadership, sustainability, equity, diversity, and inclusion — all through the eyes of characters so engaging listeners won’t even know they’re learning.
Previous Microphone Doctors releases include the albums You Can Sit With Us (2023), Country X-Mas (2022), Together with Two (2021), Hot Dog (2020), and Kids Be Like (2017), and the EPs Sizzle (2019) and Cake (2018). Previous albums by Doctor Noize include Homemade (2020), Punctuate This (2017), Phineas McBoof Crashes the Symphony (2016), Grammaropolis (2012), The Return of Phineas McBoof (2011), and The Ballad of Phineas McBoof (2010). Cory Cullinan is also heard on Funk The Earth by Konshens & The Earth Band (2021).
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