If you are a parent, you know the pains of listening to the music your kids want to listen to. Most of it can make even short car rides seem like an eternity! Wouldn’t it be nice if you were able to find a band with actual rock musicians that played music both you and your kids would love? Well let me introduce you to Jelly of the Month Club! Jelly of the Month Club is a family friendly rock band that inspires, educates, and entertains kids and adults of all ages. The band, composed of musicians from rock bands such as No Doubt, Sublime, Zen Robbi, and American Wake, uses diverse musical instrumentation, humorous stories, educational messages, and universal values in their original compositions. Band members include Mic Dangerously, Jimmy Da Bull, Doctor Todd, Jon Jon, Maestro, and Scotty Hollywood. Jelly recently launched the Jelly of the Month Club Music Academy which is a virtual music educational curriculum aimed at teaching kids music in a fun and interesting way. It’s the perfect way for you to introduce kids to music and keep them coming back for more! Their third full length album Music 101 is now streaming and they are even working on an animated series.
1. Thank you for taking the time to do this interview! Jelly of the Month Club is a family friendly rock band composed of members from other popular bands. How did you guys all get together to form Jelly of the Month Club?
It all started around 2012 or 2013. Dr. Todd Forman (formerly of Sublime), Bud Gaugh (also from Sublime), and Bert Susanka (The Ziggens) were on tour with Sublime with Rome. One night on the bus, they were watching The Princess and the Frog—which has some absolutely killer music. It got them thinking: “Man, there’s some incredible stuff being made for kids.” Then The Wiggles came on right after, and they were like, “Okay, wait… there’s definitely a market for this—but what if we did it our way?” Music that still rocks, still jams, but is kid-friendly and fun for parents too. That’s when Todd called me. He’d heard my version of “I Wanna Be Like You” from The Jungle Book and asked if I’d be down to produce and sing on a record they were working on. We put out our debut album Introducing the Jelly of the Month Club, and the project just snowballed. Over the years we’ve been lucky to collaborate with amazing musicians from bands like No Doubt, Blink-182, and Fishbone.
2. What drew you to create a family friendly band as opposed to just a rock band?
We’ve all been in rock bands. But when we started thinking about the music we wanted to make for our own kids—or the kind of music we wished we had as kids—it just made sense. We didn’t want to “baby down” the music. We wanted to keep the energy, humor, and musical depth of the bands we’ve been in, but make it accessible for kids and families. It’s fun, it’s positive, and honestly… It’s some of the most rewarding music we’ve ever made.
3. Jelly of the Month Club just released an online music program for children. Why was this the next logical step for the band?
We’ve always believed in music as a tool for connection and learning. Over the years, we’ve performed at dozens of schools and community events—but we realized there was a limit to how many kids we could reach in person. That’s why we created the Jelly of the Month Club Music Academy (JMA)—an online, cartoon-based music education platform for TK–1st graders. It’s like Schoolhouse Rock meets Guitar Hero. It lets us bring music into homes and classrooms everywhere, and give kids a fun, hands-on way to engage.
4. How do you come up with the ideas or plan for the online music program? What is the inspiration for each episode?
It usually starts with a concept we’re excited to teach—like rhythm, melody, or even emotional expression. Then we ask, “How can we make this fun and weird and cool enough to hold a kindergartner’s attention?” A lot of the inspiration comes from our own childhoods—cartoons, video games, and silly songs that stuck with us. James Kee (my partner in crime) and I do everything in-house—we write the songs, voice the characters, animate the episodes, and even build the digital instruments the kids use. It’s a labor of love, and we crack each other up a lot during the process.
5. What is your favorite memory since starting the band?
One moment that really sticks with me happened during a show at Knott’s Berry Farm. I went out into the crowd mid-song, spotted this little girl in the front row, and handed her my guitar pick. Then I knelt down, held the chords on my guitar, and let her strum along with the band. Her face just lit up—she was beaming. I’ll never forget that look. It kind of stopped me in my tracks. That moment said more than a thousand standing ovations ever could.
6. What are you working on now? Any new projects?
Right now we’re working on the next season of the Jelly of the Month Club Music Academy. We’re expanding into new instruments, new genres, and even new characters. At the same time, we’re developing some new music for the band—some Jelly originals and a few wild surprises. We’re always looking for ways to keep things fresh, fun, and just a little bit bonkers.
7. Fun Question—As musicians, if you could play with any musician living or dead, who would you each choose and why?
Oof, tough question. For me (Mic), I’d probably say Freddie Mercury. Just the ultimate performer—power, precision, and passion all in one. I think jamming with him would be equal parts terrifying and exhilarating. I know Todd would probably say someone like Miles Davis. James might go with Paul McCartney. We’d all definitely fight over who gets to be in the room if Frank Zappa shows up.
8. Where can we follow the band on social media?
You can follow us at:
https://www.jellyofthemonthclub.com/
jmalearning.com
Instagram: @jellyofthemonthclub
Facebook: /JellyOfTheMonthClubMusic
YouTube: @JMAlearning