Here’s what I got:

Man or Astro-Man? has reunited, which is quite fitting seeing as 2010 is the year we make contact (via Arthur C. Clarke). They play their first show in over a decade at The Bottle Tree in Birmingham on March 6th, then move over the South By Southwest (March 17 until whenever they gotta shut the thing down), though no official shows at the festival have been confirmed. 1.21 JIGGAWATTS!!!

My boss just got back from the 4AD offices yesterday, and their word is, pending the final mastering, Ariel Pink’s debut for 4AD will be hitting in June. And we will be jamming the shit out of it for summer 2K10. Trenchant!

MP3 :::
Man or Astro Man – Adios Johnny Bravo
Ariel Pink –  Gettin’ High in the Morning

Man or Astro-man? sounded like The Ventures after being anally probed by aliens and promptly dumped behind a Radio Shack. In fact, the band claims to be from outer space but rumor has it they surfed out of the same Auburn, Alabama scene as the Immortal Lee County Killers and The Quadrajets.

Dropping science on top of surf guitars, MoAM toured the country with a wagonload of retro tech including theremins and even a homemade tesla coil which remarkably never resulted in a Spinal Tap moment of spontaneous combustion. The band also built its own supercomputer called Eeviac which is reputed to be the most powerful supercomputer ever used on stage by a rock band.

What Remains Inside a Black Hole was an Aussie import on Au-Go-Go Records which compiled many of the band’s early 7” singles. The live version of “Eric Estrotica” was originally included on Man or Astro-man? Vs. Europa while “Adios Johnny Bravo” – complete with Brady Bunch samples – was incarnated in wax on Possession by Remote Control.  Estrus later released a domestic facsimile, Beyond the Black Hole, which included many but not all of the tracks on the Au-Go-Go release.

Bands with a schtick are sometimes entertaining, sometimes annoying. In the realm of entertainment, MoAM’s live shows rank at the head of the class. Certainly well above the toilet antics of GWAR though not quite as retro as The Mummies. For a little teaser check out this snippet from the YooTubes:

MP3 :::
Man… or Astro-Man? – Eric Estrotica (Live in Space)
Man… or Astro-Man? – Adios Johnny Bravo