Man Man serenade their audience at the Trocadero Theater. Staff Photo / Josh Gager

By Josh Gager

Most people have never heard of Man Man. Man Man is not a new mixed drink. It’s not a video game, or a superhero, or even a genre of gay porn. Man Man is a local band from Philadelphia who unleashed their raw gypsy-kickass onto the willing crowdspeople of the Trocadero theatre last Friday, carving a swathe of awesome in their path and leaving nothing but satisfaction in their wake.

The band played crowd favorites like “The Ballad of Butter Beans,” a fast-paced number featuring lead singer Honus Honus’ gravelly voice backed by an exuberant xylophone solo, and “Engrish Bwudd,” where the entire band’s supporting vocalists belted out a cartoonish falsetto for the chorus.

The band has a very distinct style that rests somewhere between carnival music and classical waltz. This makes it very popular with the indie and hipster scenes. They use everything from violin to tuba, kazoo, bass drum, and even, on several memorable occasions, flatware thrown into a small metal bowl to create the raunchy percussive funk that makes up the basis of their tunes.

In fact, according to the band’s myspace page:

“[Man Man] set out to fill the yawning void that gripped the earth, and they crammed the emptiness with sounds, of voices and guitars and drums, yes; but also with squeaky toys and pots and spoons and cap guns and chopsticks and old shoes and fruit and stuffed frogs.”

So sayeth Man Man.

In fact there’s very little these guys haven’t done. Their song “10 lb Moustache” was featured in a Nike ad, and two of their other songs were used in the HBO series “Weeds.”

The music isn’t everything, though. Their stage presence alone would be enough to frighten a bull elephant. All the band’s members play their shows in war paint and white tennis shorts. Interesting headwear and a fur-suited dancing beastie graced the stage Friday, prompting waves of riotous applause from audience members.

The show was neither for the faint of heart nor for the small of stature, as there was a fairly violent mosh pit taking up most of the general admission spots. Stage dives were commonplace, and at one point a fan climbed out onto the balcony and descended onto a stack of speakers before diving into the waiting arms of the crowd below (much to security’s dismay).

Unfortunately for Rowanites, the band is currently on tour, and their next gig is in balmy Florida this Sunday. Then again, a road trip to the Elkton, Florida Harvest of Hope Festival could be a great way to kick off spring break this year!

More info and delicious ear candy can be found at http://www.manmanbandband.com/ or, alternatively at http://www.myspace.com/wearemanman.