Asa Taccone

Asa Taccone is a musician and the lead singer of the band Electric Guest.

Early life
Asa Taccone was born on September 21, 1983 to Suellen and Tony Taccone (a theater director) in Berkeley, California. His brother, Jorma Taccone, is a member of The Lonely Island. He is of Dutch, English, German, Irish, mixed Italian and Puerto Rican, Scottish and Swedish ancestry. His interest in music began playing trumpet in his elementary school choir during religious holidays; the choir director included a bongo section where he and other children could sing and play the drums. During high school, he became interested in jazz, continuing to play trumpet in the band. Taccone was eventually kicked out his high school, and sent to a boot camp that he could only leave on the weekends. While there, he began to frequent a local Dunkin Donuts. There, he met an elderly woman who remarked that he was "an electric guest of the universe."

Career
Taccone had long been a fan of hip/hop music, and was influenced by Bay-area rappers like Souls Of Mischief, E-40, and Mac Dre. He moved on to synths and started producing hip/hop music. However, he began to grow weary of the "bullshit" of the hip-hop world, and one day—after visiting an incarcerated friend—another inmate recognized Taccone, requesting to work with him after his release. The incident rattled him, and he left the genre for good. His already budding interest in 1960s music took off, and he begin making music the stemmed from that era.

Taccone's older brother, Jorma, joined the writing staff of Saturday Night Live in 2005, and enlisted Asa in composing music for the show's Digital Shorts.

Jorma asked his friend Brian Burton (professionally known as Danger Mouse) to listen to some of Asa's music over the phone. Burton provided positive feedback, encouraging the younger Taccone to continue making music. At the age of 24, Asa made the move from his hometown to Los Angeles to pursue a music career. Burton recommended that Asa take his former room in a boarding house full of musicians.

Initially, Taccone found it difficult to collaborate with others creatively, after years of writing alone. He kept "grinding", producing and writing music for projects that included Digital Shorts on comedy show Saturday Night Live, as well as scores for his father's theatrical productions, making enough money to support himself as his own music.

Reception
The Guardian calls Taccone "a strutting junior Jagger with an androgynous falsetto prepared to front EG's tunes with as much gall as it takes."

Discography

 * This is his work as a solo artist. For his work with his band, see Electric Guest.

Recordings

 * One Unit at a Time and 2 more Various - The Network 2003
 * The Lonely Island - Incredibad  2009
 * Take You Home and 2 more - Joyo Velarde - Love & Understanding 2010
 * Motherlover - The Lonely Island - Turtleneck & Chain 2011
 * Anna - Charlotte Gainsbourg - Stage Whisper  2011
 * Gildas* & Jerry* - Kitsuné Soleil Mix 2012
 * The Lonely Island - The Wack Album 2013
 * The Lonely Island - Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (Original Soundtrack) 2016

Theater

 * Bridge and Tunnel (2006) - Music
 * Taking Over (2009) - Music
 * Lemony Snicket’s The Composer Is Dead (2010) - Film underscoring

Awards

 * 2009 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics – "Dick in a Box"