'They Can Hit All Kinds Of Generations': Meet The Minnesota Duo 'Koo Koo Kanga Roo'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- If you spend time around kids, you are likely familiar with the songs of Koo Koo Kanga Roo.
The two-man band of Bryan and Neil has videos that have been viewed more than 100 million times. They have fans around the world -- but Minnesota is ground zero.
"I was in show choir in high school here in Bloomington Kennedy, and Neil was in a punk band in Farmington," Bryan said.
The pair met at St. Mary's University in Winona, and quickly formed a band playing high-energy, G-rated songs.
"We played just for colleges and like bars for like four years, and then people started being like, 'Hey, you should play my kid's birthday party,' and stuff, and we said, 'Yeah,'" Neil said.
They decided to create their own genre, gaining a reputation as "Sesame Street" meets Beastie Boys.
"When you're just two guys running your own biz and, like, you've got to stay alive, and you just have the internet at your disposal, you have to do weird and different stuff, you know," Neil said. "We're always morphing and changing."
A brain break app called GoNoodle picked up their unique videos, produced with an at-home microphone, and next thing they knew, the young men had full-time careers -- playing the Warped Tour and Austin City Limits. They travel the country, but still do gigs at home, like a recent one at Crossroads Church in Woodbury. It was a true all-ages show.
"Adults and kids dancing," said Erik Anderson of Crossroads Church. "It's just fun to see them. They can hit all kinds of generations, and honestly be clean, which is always a hard thing to find when it comes to entertainment."
Their music is clean, but with some dirty references. Take for instance "The Poop Song."
"If you're a fifth-grade boy, it's like your life. But we've found it's more than that. Eight-year-old girls, like, they request 'The Poop Song' all the time," Neil said.
Jokes aside, the duo has been praised by educators around the globe for stimulating students who are non-verbal, and for getting kids to move and groove.
"It's a lesson in stay the course, and just keep making it happen if you can. Then also like finding a niche, finding a corner that's not occupied," Bryan said.
They are two college pals dancing to their own beat.
Bryan and Neil play two shows this weekend. One is for kids on Friday at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, and one is for adults on Saturday at the Turf Club in St. Paul.
