Based in Philadelphia, PA, Man Man is an experimental indie band that incorporates Eastern European and circus-esque styles in their music, creating a unique sound. The band consists of Honus Honus (lead vocals, piano, percussion), Pow Pow (drums, auxiliary percussion), Critter Crat (aka Cougar) (guitar, trumpet, bass, marimba, vocals), Organ Freeman (synth, organ, accordion, vocals), and Chang Wang (alto sax, bari sax, vibraphone, melodica, flute, percussion, vocals).
Man Man has released two LPs with Ace Fu Records: The Man In The Blue Turban With A Face (2004) and Six Demon Bag (2006). In November 2007 they signed with Anti- to release Rabbit Habits (2008). Their second Anti- release is tentatively titled "Live Fantastic" and is slated for the beginning of 2011.
User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.
From Wikipedia:Man Man is an experimental band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Their musical style has been described as Viking-vaudeville, manic Gypsy jazz. Man Man is known for their exuberant live performances. When performing, the members of the band sometimes synchronize their dress, often seen in white outfits and, more commonly, war paint. The band uses pseudonyms?the frontman is Honus Honus, and its other members are Sergei Sogay, Pow Pow, Critter Crat (formerly known as "Cougar"), and Chang Wang. Prior to settling on Man Man, the band was named Gamelon and briefly Magic Blood.
During 2007 Man Man opened for Modest Mouse in several shows during their U.S tour, gaining them public attention. Not long afterward, Nike began airing a series of commercials starring Rainn Wilson with Man Man's "10 lb Mustache" as the background music. That song along with "Feathers" and "Engwish Bwudd" were featured in season 3, episode 8 of the TV show Weeds.
Man Man is known for their multi instrumental style that centers on the piano playing of lead singer Honus Honus accompanied by the singing and wide variety of other instruments played by the rest of the band. On recordings, Honus usually plays a honky tonk style piano but during the live shows he uses a Rhodes Piano. Other instruments played by the rest of the band include a clavinet, microKORG, sousaphone, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, flute, drum set, euphonium, Fender Jazz Bass, Danelectro guitar, xylophone, marimba, melodica and various percussive instruments including pots and pans and toy noise makers and horns.
The 2006 album Six Demon Bag's title is a reference to a line in the film Big Trouble in Little China
Man Man released their third studio album Rabbit Habits in 2008, and embarked on a North American tour in March 2008, with Yeasayer and The Extraordinaires splitting dates. Man Man performed in a side tent at the 2008 Voodoo Experience.
Honus Honus plans to make an album with Nicholas Thorburn (Islands, The Unicorns): "One thing that has been floated around is Honus Honus from Man Man and I [Thorburn] making a record in a new (sub)genre we are developing, called Doom Wop, which is essentially low frequency, and extremely slowed down music atop traditional doo wop harmonies. Or something."