The Terrordactyls

The Terrordactyls are Michael Cadiz and Tyrel Stendahl. Although Michael was born in Maryland and Tyrel hails from Washington, the pair met in high school on the tiny Northwest island of Vashon where they first began to play music together (along with some games of four-square and capture-the-flag.)

Now split between NYC and Washington, Michael and Tyrel still find plenty of time for music-making. The boys recently put the finishing touches on the upcoming Mike Bowers EP, covering five songs by the Seattle band (and close friends) The Pharmacy. Meanwhile, the duo's self-titled debut album has been receiving lots of attention recently for its song "Devices" featuring Kimya Dawson.

With the unexpected popularity of the Juno soundtrack and its many Kimya-penned songs, this Terrordactyls track and its accompanying stop-motion video has become an internet sensation with over 150,000 YouTube views to date.

As you can see, The Terrordactyls are rather talented individuals. In addition to music, Michael's interests include fabricating truths on job applications, answering multiple choice questions and running away. Tyrel enjoys guns, organizing his iTunes music library and being good at life. During the brief periods that Michael and Tyrel are away from the gym, they enjoy watching inspirational sports films and talking about their abs.

On their self-titled album, The Terrordactyls' quirky, lighthearted yet decidedly melancholic tunes are augmented by toy pianos, kazoos, the "stumpf fiddle" and the voice of Kimya Dawson (The Moldy Peaches, Juno). Despite all these charming trappings, though, nothing really serves to take the edge off The Terrordactyls' gutsy interpretation of the sad sweetness (or sweet sadness) of living.