| Man Man | |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Alias: | MM |
| Origin: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Genre: | Experimental rock |
| Years Active: | 2003–present |
| Label: | Sub Pop, Ace Fu Records, ANTI- |
| Associated Acts: | Mister Heavenly, Honus Honus, Mega Naturals, Modest Mouse, Icy Demons, Buffalo Stance, Tom Waits, Outkast, Spaceship Aloha |
| Current Members: | Honus Honus Joe Plummer Mature Kevin Harry Eggs Foster Sam "CST" Small |
Man Man is an American experimental rock band from Philadelphia currently based in Los Angeles. Lead singer, songwriter, and lyricist Honus Honus (Ryan Kattner) is accompanied by a group of multi-instrumentalist musicians and vocalists.
Man Man released their debut, The Man in a Blue Turban with a Face, in October 2004 on Ace Fu Records, but did not begin to tour extensively until the 2006 release of their second album, Six Demon Bag. In 2007, the band opened for Modest Mouse on several U.S. tours, gaining them further public attention. Not long afterward, Nike aired a series of commercials starring Rainn Wilson with Man Man's "10 lb Mustache" as the background music.[1] "10 lb Mustache", "Feathers", and "Engrish Bwudd" were featured in season 3, episode 8 of the TV show Weeds. The band also recorded a cover of "Little Boxes" for the title sequence of that episode.[2]
Man Man released their third studio album, Rabbit Habits, on ANTI- in 2008, and embarked on a North American tour in March 2008, with Yeasayer and Tim Fite splitting dates. They performed at numerous festivals including Voodoo Experience, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, All Tomorrow's Parties, Primavera Sound, and the Meredith Music Festival that same year.
Man Man released their fourth album, Life Fantastic, in May 2011 with producer Mike Mogis (of Bright Eyes and Monsters of Folk fame). The album featured a more somber sound than previous releases. The first song written for the album, "Steak Knives", was inspired by a failed relationship and the death of several close friends. It took Kattner (Honus Honus) over a year to write.[3]
In 2011 and 2017, Honus released albums with the indie supergroup Mister Heavenly.
Man Man's fifth studio album, On Oni Pond, was released on September 10, 2013. The album was again produced by Mike Mogis. The first single, "Head On", peaked at #32 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.
In 2015, Honus completed both a solo album and an album of children's music.[4] On November 4, 2016, Honus released his solo album, Use Your Delusion.
On August 9, 2019, the band released a two-song single for Sub Pop Records Singles Series titled "Beached" / "Witch".[5] Six months later in February, 2020, the band announced the release of their first studio album in seven years, Dream Hunting in the Valley of the In-Between.[6] In 2020, they were featured in the game Cyberpunk 2077 with the previously unreleased song[7] "So It Goes", credited in-universe to "Fingers and the Outlaws".[8]
Instruments played by the band include clavinet, Moog Little Phatty, sousaphone, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, flute, bass clarinet, drum set, euphonium, Fender Jazz Bass, Danelectro baritone guitar, xylophone, marimba, melodica and various percussive instruments including pots and pans, toy noisemakers, Chinese funeral horns, spoons, smashing plates, and fireworks.
Previous members have included Tiberius Lyn, Pow Pow (Christopher Powell), Jazz Diesel (Dylan Ryan), Sweet Chestnut (Dan Scofield), Brown Sugar (Adam Schatz), Shono (Bryan Murphy), Kritter Krat/Cougar/Alejandro Borg (Russell Higbee), Turkey Moth/Giamebee (Jamey Robinson), Chang Wang (Billy Blaise Dufala), Blanco (Steven Dufala), Brett Swett (Brett Morris), Les Mizzle (Craig Van Hise), G. Clinton Killingsworth (Sam Henderson), Liz Rywelski, King Cyrus King, Dicky Betts Jr. (Matt Gibson), Moonbeam (Evander Green), Thu Butler, Jefferson, Brown Sugar Jr. (Michael Kammers), Pee Wee Tay Tay, Shit Foot (Stephanie Smith), Sara Yurman, and Sergei Sogay (Chris Shar).