Tons of Fun University

Tons of Fun University – or T.O.F.U. as they are known short-formally – consists of C.R. Avery, Shane Koyczan, and Mike McGee. All three (being well-accomplished poets and spoken word performers individually) together have created a unique sound that incorporates poetic lyrics, song, beatbox, keyboard, harmonica and humor. They are three frontmen in one band without backup. They are collected thoughts made into understandable noise. They are tons of fun, and the university they run has a huge enrollment. Their curriculum is simple: think, love and understand as best as possible. They call the resulting sound Talk-Rock. Maybe you’ve seen them live. Maybe you’ve only heard their album, “The Them They’re Talking About,” and maybe you know them on a very personal level. Either way, welcome. Tell a friend about T.O.F.U. Formed in an abandoned building in Chicago, August 2003, Tons of Fun University is one of the premier North American groups to combine spoken word and music. Having performed at nearly every major folk festival in Canada, T.O.F.U. is a trio unlike any other. They are a live act that will entertain audiences of all ages and origins, while making them think.

The Vancouver Sun calls them: “Whip smart, wildly rhythmic and hilarious.”

Together, they seek a certain standard and magic on stage, yet they hold the same expectations of themselves when touring solo.

Shane Koyczan is the 2000 National Poetry Slam Individual Champion, and has published poetry with House of Parlance in Vancouver, B.C. He is from Yellowknife, NWT.

C.R. Avery has toured all over Europe, the U.S. and Canada, and is a world class, unparalleled beatbox-harmonicist/singer-songwriter. He is from Kingston, Ontario.

Mike McGee is the 2003 National Poetry Slam Individual Champion and the 2006 Individual World Poetry Slam Champion, the first person ever to hold both titles. He is from San Jose, California.

T.O.F.U. has shared stages with That 1 Guy, Corb Lund, Feist, U. Utah Philips, Ani DiFranco, Maya Angelou, Tom Waits, K’naan, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Viggo Mortensen, and nearly every contemporary spoken word artist working in North America.

Tons of Fun University was the breakout hit of the 2004 Vancouver Folk Music Festival, 2005 Regina Folk Fest, and 2005 Dawson City Music Festival, 2006 Winnipeg Folk Music Festival, 2007 Folk On The Rocks, and they have been featured on CBC Radio and Television many times over.