“I’ve done it now for 25 years, and you hope to have that one hit single, but it’s essentially still an underground career,” says Ryan Kattner aka Honus Honus aka the frontman of Man Man, the originally-Philadelphia-based experimental rockers (now based in Los Angeles) that spent the aughts and early 2010s releasing records via Ace Fu and ANTI- (before signing to Sub Pop, where they’ve been since 2020 LP Dream Hunting in the Valley of the In-Between) and frequently providing support for the likes of Arcade Fire, Cursive, and our phriends Gogol Bordello. “Perception’s a motherfucker,” Kattner jokes with me, acknowledging that just because you may have signed to one of the “big indie” labels and played on some major tours doesn’t necessarily ensure a “luxurious” career. “It took me about 20 years to call myself an artist, but you’re still going from gig to gig, looking for the next thing,” he explains, before going on to clarify that he is grateful that he’s been able to be making music for a quarter of a century now.
In fact, Man Man’s breakthrough sophomore LP, Six Demon Bag, officially turned 20 this February. The album cycle led to Kattner and his crew touring with Fiery Furnaces and Modest Mouse, in addition to a locally infamous show in Rittenhouse Park as part of Philly Weekly’s free summertime concert series, a concert Ryan says he remembers quite fondly: “It was fun to make a racket there and annoy the people at the fine dining places.” The band celebrated the album’s 10th anniversary with a limited-edition rerelease as a 12” LP, and Kattner tells me that the record does have another reissue in the works to celebrate a special anniversary, but that it won’t be this anniversary: “Next year we’re planning for a rerelease on vinyl for the 21st anniversary… It’s old enough to drink!”
However, if you’re hoping to hear tracks off of the 2006 album in a live setting, Kattner says that you can expect a few live rarities this Thursday, July 23rd, when Man Man headlines Underground Arts: “We’re playing a few songs off it on this tour, but songs we probably haven’t played in almost 20 years… The challenge has been just figuring out what to play, because we have so many songs at this point, but we’re taking out some deep cuts.” Ryan’s chatting with me via phone, amidst a tour that kicked off July 6th at the Ottobar in Baltimore. “Just to play these songs from [LP #7] Carrot On Strings, which dropped two years ago, has been a highlight. We’re trying some new stuff, as well, road testing new material,” Kattner tells me when I ask about the jaunt. And he says he’s thrilled to be on the road with (his friends and ours) LA-based garage rockers Death Valley Girls, who are opening the shows: “It’s a dream! They rule! I’ve wanted to tour with them forever!”
Ryan also says that fans can expect to hear him playing a lot more guitar on this tour, which turns out to be a product of his recent involvement in AMC’s Interview with the Vampire series, now rebranded as The Vampire Lestat, where he plays series regular Salamander: “I play a dumb bass player, which forced me to learn guitar again, which is why I’ve been playing more guitar on this tour.” However, in addition to the acting role, Kattner’s also done some co-writing and composing for the show, a gig that he got hooked up with through his longtime “friend, brother, and hero” Rolin Jones, the show’s creator, who also got Man Man three songs featured in a 2007 episode of Weeds when he was writing for the Showtime series. “I was in the writer’s room and, after I co-wrote an episode, they asked if I wanted to audition,” Kattner says of his current involvement in the gothic horror show, which he says is amazing: “It’s an incredible show, especially in this day and age. In this political climate, it’s hard to believe it’s getting made.”
Man Man’s current live dates follow the March 30th official release of single “So It Goes,” a track whose origins date back to another film project of the frontman, who studied screenwriting at University of the Arts. The track is best known for its inclusion in 2020 video game Cyberpunk 2077 (where it was credited to Fingers and the Outlaws), but Kattner says it originally came about with the 2016 eponymous short film: “My buddy, Justin Carlton, was shooting a short film and asked if I’d write a song and then asked if I’d want to be in it. It was with Mary Elizabeth Winstead, but when Sub Pop wanted to put it out, they had me pull out the original demos, and they preferred the one with me singing.” I’m curious if the song has attracted any gamers to recent shows and, while Kattner tells me he suspects it’s minimal, he is more than happy for any exposure the music gets: “It’s not like Wolf Parade on Heated Rivalry. We’re not getting a ton of people out to the shows because of it, but if someone discovers Man Man that way, it’s cool.” However, he will almost definitely be playing it live, and he tells me that if fans who come out want to request a song from The Vampire Lestat, he is open to playing a few of those, as well…
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