Man or Astro-Man? share Space 1991 / Tenth Planet EP
Iconic indie rock vet Man or Astro-Man? make their return with a brand new three-track EP entitled Space 1991 / Tenth Planet via Earth Libraries.
“Over the last few years, we’ve put together a ton of new recordings and also we’ve also always had this endlessly bubbling vat of material that has been waiting to be curated and cataloged,” say the band. “This new single is the first bit of all this crap. Much to the detriment of our sanity, we probably toured more than any band in the 1990s and we were constantly on the road for a decade. This was mostly due to us just being punk rock kids from Alabama who wanted to go absolutely anywhere we could. We never imagined we would get to travel to nearly 50 countries and meet so many amazing people over the years. Anyway, while on those travels, we did a ton of studio and radio sessions that we plan on getting out at some point including the eight BBC Peel Sessions we did. This ‘Space 1991’ single sort of bridges the gap between all the old and new crap. Basically, it’s our very own take on the whole right-before-having-a-mid-life crisis space rock genre that all the kids are so crazy about these days.”
Man or Astro-Man? Tour Dates:
10/30/21 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
10/31/21 – Birmingham, AL – Saturn
Man or Astro-man? recorded ten albums between 1993 and 2001 (including the tour-only release A Spectrum of Finite Scale), as well as two CD EPs, and a plethora of singles and contributions to various artists compilation albums. Many of the singles were available on multiple colors of vinyl, some with as many as six variations (see Inside the Head of… Mr. Atom). Their 2001 release, Beyond the Black Hole, was a remixed version of one of their earlier albums, What Remains Inside a Black Hole.
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.
Although they often receive 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 theme and some new interstitial music which all first appeared in the 1997 season, as well as an alternate opening theme that appeared once, but not the more familiar theme song. Also, after his departure from the band in 1998, guitarist/vocalist Star Crunch (aka Brian Causey) would go on to compose and perform the theme song for the popular Nickelodeon TV series, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron.
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. On June 12, 2006, the band’s label Touch and Go Records announced that Man or Astro-man? would be performing for the first time since 2001 at the Touch and Go 25th Anniversary Celebration in Chicago, Illinois, on September 9. They took the stage during the time slot in between Scratch Acid and Big Black, on what was the second day of the three-day festival. The complete original line-up played, and the Tesla coil was brought up on stage at the end of the set. The 45-minute show ended with Birdstuff giving away most of his drumset to stunned audience members. In preparation for the Touch and Go reunion show, the band played on September 6 at the Bottletree Café in Birmingham, Alabama. This show featured Birdstuff, Coco the Electric Monkey Wizard, Star Crunch, and Dr. Deleto. Additionally, Captain Zeno performed on one song, resulting in a five-piece Man or Astroman? performance. These were the first shows since 1998 to feature the original line-up of the band.
On January 20, 2010 it was announced that Man or Astro-man? would be performing at Whirly Ball in Atlanta, Georgia on March 5 and The Bottletree in Birmingham, Alabama on March 6, as well as multiple SXSW dates. In June 2010, Man or Astro-man? played the NXNE festival in Toronto, Canada, with performances at the Horseshoe Tavern (June 19, 2010) and Sneaky Dees (June 20, 2010).
Their ninth album, Defcon 5…4…3…2…1, came out, as digital download, on April 24, 2013, a 12 track LP with familiar sounds from 1000× (EP) and EEVIAC.
Space 1991 / Tenth Planet Tracklisting:
1. Memory Machine
2. Tenth Planet
3. Space 1991
Links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | Apple Music
