Man or Astro-man?: Difference between revisions

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The collective astro brain cell

Man or Astro-man? were an anachronistic band of the 1990s from land-locked Auburn, Alabama that fused the instrumental surf rock style of the early 1960s with the new wave and punk rock sounds of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Man or Astro-Man? was known for their dedication to science fiction themes, audio samples, obscure electronic devices (such as theremins and tesla coils), and high-energy live performances. Their earlier albums like Is it Man... Or Astro-man? and Destroy All Astromen!! were known for their traditional surf rock instrumentation and sci-fi sound bite song introductions, but their later albums like EEVIAC... and A Spectrum of Infinite Scale were known for their use of moog synthesizers and their more abstract, experimental sound.

The main members of the band were Star Crunch (aka Brian Causey) on guitar and sometimes vocals, Birdstuff (Brian Teasley) on drums, and Coco the Electronic Monkey Wizard (Robert DelBueno) on bass and electronics. They had various bassists/other guitarists over the years. In 1998, Star Crunch left the band to pursue a record label (Athens, GA, based WARM recordings), and was replaced by Trace Reading (Erich Hubner) and Blazar the Probe Handler (Richie Edelson). It should be noted that, although the real names of the band members are known, the band members themselves have never publicly acknowledged their true identities, and steadfastly claim to be extraterrestrials sent to Earth to play surf music.

File:Moam.jpg

Man or astroman at one of their unique live shows

Man Or Astro-Man? was one of the most prolific bands of the 1990's, recording 10 albums between 1993 and 2000 (including the tour-only release A Spectrum of Finite Scale), as well as two CD EP's, and a plethora of singles and contributions to various artists compilation albums. Their last release, 2001's Beyond the Black Hole, was a remixed version of one of their earlier albums, What Remains Inside a Black Hole. Their recordings were often peppered with sound bites from forgotten science fiction films and TV shows of the early 20th Century.

When the band was not in the recording studio, they were usually on the road, gigging almost constantly. Their live shows were notable for their sci-fi theatrics: all members of the band dressed in space age jumpsuits, and often included elaborate sci-fi set pieces. Eventually, the constant workload of recording and touring caught up with them, and, after the tour for A Spectrum of Infinite Scale ended in 2001, the band began a long hiatus. Although the band has never made an official announcement, they have not worked together since that time, leading many fans to believe that the band has broken up for good.

In 2005, there were two signs of life from Man or Astro-Man?. Their official website was updated for the first time since 2002, when they announced their hiatus. This new message beseeched fans to submit video of the band playing live for a planned DVD release. Also in 2005, the band's drummer Birdstuff created a MySpace page for the band. On the page, the band again asks for fans' help in collecting audio and video footage of the band for the planned DVD.

They are perhaps best known for their cover of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 love theme. It was released on one of their earlier albums and was performed live to much crowd appreciation. MST3K creator Joel Hodgson joined them on stage to sing the theme in the mid 1990s, and the character of Joel Robinson mentioned touring with Man Or Astro-Man? on the TV show, claiming to do pryotechniques for the band after escaping the Satellite of Love. Although they often recieve credit for the theme song to Space Ghost Coast to Coast, It was actually recorded by Sonny Sharrock. The confusion arises because they recorded the show's closing credits music, but not the more familiar theme song.

Discography

External links

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 * [http://www.touchandgorecords.com/touchandgo/bands/band.php?id=53 Band page at Touch and Go/Quarterstick Records]
 * [http://www.archive.org/audio/etreelisting-browse.php?collection=etree&cat=Man%20Or%20Astroman%3F Man or Astro-Man? concert downloads] at the [[Internet Archive]]
-* [http://www.thewarmsupercomputer.com/ Warm Electronic Recordings website]
 {{band-stub}}
 [[Category:Surf groups]]

Revision as of 00:24, 4 January 2006

Discography

Singles

Splits

Albums

External links