Man Is Man

  Once I was driving at night listening to NPR, a Friday I think and they played something from Man Is Man, this show that specialized in playing local music. It was not Sound Opinions, no. But some fucking show and I really was glad I caught it, 'cause I'm a fan.  This is a random post about this band that I miss. Man Is Man emerged out of the ashes of Puerto Muerto. I went to her first show as Man Is Man at Whistler. For me they both cast a light on a mysterious American Grimm style, frontier noir world, they are in the soundtrack. Puerto Muerto was often called gothic country. Man Is Man is a continuation of that world from Christa Meyer. Well, at least for me. I've been sifting through old pictures and came upon some from these two cult bands. They got me thinking. Here and there I'll binge on Man Is Man and Puerto Muerto on Youtube. Vantablack are the shadows in the beautiful and dangerous frontier sounding world of Christa's Man Is Man. What I identify as dark country sounding in terms of the music I like. In one of my favorite videos, Blue Six she plays next to a window where you can hear a thunderstorm. It just so organically works for it. Darkness saturated down to the sweetest element. I listen to the songs when its just her and an auto harp. I never managed to by the vinyl or CD to this. So these videos I'm glad to see up. The Man Is Man videos are posted by her, Christa.  The Bird is old timey bleak and powerful like a raging ocean observed from something chasing a white whale. Anyway, this is one Chicago band I miss seeing and hearing about.
Zig