Steady Tonic

To the first time viewer, Man Man seems to start off like the musical version of the film My Kid Could Paint That. Five guys dressed in white tees, white sweatbands and white cutoffs, banging on various percussion instruments, a small piano, string instruments and god knows what else, bark out lyrics in a tribal fashion. Their sound is assaulting — and sounds like shit.

But a few songs in, while I’m picturing them as the Muppet band — since the vocals, wherever they emanate from, sound like Rolf the dog — something happens. I realize these guys sound like shit, but like extremely precise, well-orchestrated, and highly entertaining shit. If any kids could play like this, I’d be extremely impressed.

By the end of the set, I’m ready to sign up for Man Man boot camp to get in shape. I have no idea how many songs they played, because they never stopped — not once — in the set. Guys kept popping up with new instruments — a saxaphone here, a kazoo there, a metal pot to bang on. The lead “singer” (called Honus Honus as Pitchfork tells me) roams around the stage spastically and hurdles his piano bench on more than one occasion without missing any of the band’s incredible beats. The biceps on these guys must be amazing, considering I counted at least one song that required 16 beats per second for the entire piece.

I’ve got a few Man Man songs, and before now the only image I’d been able to associate with them is what would happen if Tom Waits guest starred on Sesame Street. After seeing them last night, I can now appreciate it much more.

If you get the chance — SEE THIS BAND. Even if their sound is not your thing, it’s well worth the spectacle.