Corn Mo
Encyclopedia
Corn Mo is the stage name
of Jon Cunningham, a Brooklyn
-based musician
. Corn Mo sings, plays the accordion
, keyboards
, and sometimes performs as a one man band. His music style is a mixture of circus music
, glam rock
, and humorous novelty songs. He is currently recording his third solo album, and albums with his band .357 Lover. Many of his songs and parody stylings are heavily influenced by Meat Loaf
(to whom he bears a strong physical resemblance) and Queen
.
. Corn Mo released his first full-length album, I Hope You Win!
, in 2000. His 2002 follow-up The Magic Is You!
, features his most popular song, "Busey Boy", about being mistaken for actor
Gary Busey
. He is featured on the Ben Folds
album Supersunnyspeedgraphic singing backing vocals on "Get Your Hands Off My Woman." He recently appeared in the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
' DVD release of On and Off Broadway
. He performed a duet with Jason Trachtenburg on his accordion to a new rendition of the Trachtenburgs' song "Beautiful Dandelion". Back in the Denton days Corn Mo teamed up with friend Mauve Oed for a cassette. It included a cover of Motely Crue's "home Sweet Home" which garned play on local indie radio show The Adventure Club.
, Ron Salvo on drums, and guitarists Brad Williams and Bob Lanzetti. .357 Lover recorded their first EP
, titled Your Favorite Hamburger is a Cheeseburger, in 2007. A full length debut, Diorama of the Golden Lion, was released in September 2009.
and the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
), developing a small but loyal following. In 2003, Corn Mo played the Austin City Limits Music Festival
. On May 20, 2003 Corn Mo appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live
where he performed "Busey Boy" with Kimmel's
live band. In 2003 and 2004, he toured with The Polyphonic Spree
as a member of their band. He has toured numerous times with They Might Be Giants
and Ben Folds
. Corn Mo is featured on the 2004 They Might Be Giants
live album Almanac, playing the song "Particle Mo" (a live version of "Particle Man
") with the band. In June 2006, he performed at the Bonnaroo Music Festival
. In April 2007, .357 Lover performed as the backing group for Andrew W.K.
in Denton, Texas. Corn Mo toured again with Folds on his November Surprise Tour 2006. On June 15, 2007, They Might Be Giants
announced via a My Space Bulletin that Corn Mo would be the opening act for "many of the shows" on their "We Got a Fever for the Flavor of a Whatnot 2007 United States Tour."
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
of Jon Cunningham, a Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
-based musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. Corn Mo sings, plays the accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, and sometimes performs as a one man band. His music style is a mixture of circus music
Circus music
Circus music is any sort of music that is played to accompany a circus, and also music written that emulates its general style. The most common type of circus music is the circus march, or screamer, which are marches played at very fast tempos...
, glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
, and humorous novelty songs. He is currently recording his third solo album, and albums with his band .357 Lover. Many of his songs and parody stylings are heavily influenced by Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
(to whom he bears a strong physical resemblance) and Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
.
Recording as Corn Mo
He started his music career in Denton, TexasDenton, Texas
The city of Denton is the county seat of Denton County, Texas in the United States. Its population was 119,454 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the eleventh largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex...
. Corn Mo released his first full-length album, I Hope You Win!
I Hope You Win!
I Hope You Win! is the debut album from novelty singer Corn Mo.-Track listing:#Junior High#Goodbye For Now#Hersey's Miniatures#Plucky#Wet Dog#Game On#Bummer#My Epilady#Bony Fishsteaks#Just Some Kid on a Bike#Lunch, Desert & Mail...
, in 2000. His 2002 follow-up The Magic Is You!
The Magic Is You!
The Magic is You! is the second album from performer Corn Mo.-Track listing:#Lillipop#Robert Holiday#Goin' to LA#Busey Boy#I Like to Daydream#The Baloney Song#I'll Be Your Platypus#Bananas! #I Wish You Were My Home...
, features his most popular song, "Busey Boy", about being mistaken for actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Gary Busey
Gary Busey
William Gary Busey , best known as Gary Busey, is an American film and stage actor and artist. He has appeared in a large variety of films, as well as making regular appearances on Gunsmoke, Walker, Texas Ranger, Law & Order, and Entourage...
. He is featured on the Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
album Supersunnyspeedgraphic singing backing vocals on "Get Your Hands Off My Woman." He recently appeared in the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players describe themselves as an "indie-vaudeville conceptual art-rock pop band", from the United States. Originally from Seattle, Washington, they are now based in New York, New York.-Overview:...
' DVD release of On and Off Broadway
The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players: Off & On Broadway
The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players: Off & On Broadway is a documentary featuring the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, a self-described indie rock-vaudeville conceptual art-rock pop music collective band. The documentary was directed and produced in 2005 by Richard Drutman, the same...
. He performed a duet with Jason Trachtenburg on his accordion to a new rendition of the Trachtenburgs' song "Beautiful Dandelion". Back in the Denton days Corn Mo teamed up with friend Mauve Oed for a cassette. It included a cover of Motely Crue's "home Sweet Home" which garned play on local indie radio show The Adventure Club.
Albums with .357 Lover
.357 Lover, first formed when Corn Mo lived in Denton, backs Corn Mo when he is not playing as a solo performer. Their current lineup is Dave Wallin on bassBass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Ron Salvo on drums, and guitarists Brad Williams and Bob Lanzetti. .357 Lover recorded their first EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, titled Your Favorite Hamburger is a Cheeseburger, in 2007. A full length debut, Diorama of the Golden Lion, was released in September 2009.
Live
For several years before moving to New York, Corn Mo performed at many small venues in north Texas (DentonDenton, Texas
The city of Denton is the county seat of Denton County, Texas in the United States. Its population was 119,454 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the eleventh largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex...
and the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The area is divided into two metropolitan divisions: Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington. Residents of the area...
), developing a small but loyal following. In 2003, Corn Mo played the Austin City Limits Music Festival
Austin City Limits Music Festival
The Austin City Limits Music Festival is an annual three-day American music festival that takes place in Austin, Texas at the city's central public park, Zilker Park...
. On May 20, 2003 Corn Mo appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...
where he performed "Busey Boy" with Kimmel's
Jimmy Kimmel
James Christian "Jimmy" Kimmel is an American television host and comedian. He is the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a late-night talk show that airs on ABC. Prior to that, Kimmel was best known as the co-host of Comedy Central's The Man Show and Win Ben Stein's Money...
live band. In 2003 and 2004, he toured with The Polyphonic Spree
The Polyphonic Spree
The Polyphonic Spree is a choral symphonic pop rock band from Dallas, Texas that was formed in 2000 by Tim DeLaughter. The band's sound relies on a variety of vocal and instrumental color by featuring a choir, flute, trumpet, trombone, violin, viola, cello, percussion, piano, guitars, bass, drums,...
as a member of their band. He has toured numerous times with They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
and Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
. Corn Mo is featured on the 2004 They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
live album Almanac, playing the song "Particle Mo" (a live version of "Particle Man
Particle Man
"Particle Man" is a song by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. The song is the seventh track on the band's 1990 release, Flood. It has become one of their most popular songs, despite never being released as a single.- Lyrical content :...
") with the band. In June 2006, he performed at the Bonnaroo Music Festival
Bonnaroo Music Festival
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an annual four day music festival created and produced by Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment, held at Great Stage Park on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee. It hosted its tenth annual event June 9–12, 2011...
. In April 2007, .357 Lover performed as the backing group for Andrew W.K.
Andrew W.K.
Andrew W.K. is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, entertainer, and motivational speaker. He is the host of the television series Destroy Build Destroy.-Early life & career:Andrew Wilkes-Krier was born in Stanford, California, and grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan...
in Denton, Texas. Corn Mo toured again with Folds on his November Surprise Tour 2006. On June 15, 2007, They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
announced via a My Space Bulletin that Corn Mo would be the opening act for "many of the shows" on their "We Got a Fever for the Flavor of a Whatnot 2007 United States Tour."