January 17th marked the day that Man Man and Xenia Rubinos came to Louisville, KY to put on a stellar performance in a little hole-in-the-wall venue called Zanzabar. As an added bonus for the gamer inside those in the sold-out show, the venue offered a pretty killer arcade for some additional entertainment.
Man Man played two shows that day; one at noon on WFPK’s Live Lunch show and then later that night at Zanzabar. For folks who haven’t seen Man Man or are curious to hear how they sound live, you can listen to their “Live Lunch” set HERE.
The duel-band showcase started with Xenia Rubinos and her drummer Marco Buccelli playing songs off their Magic Trix album. After watching the duo work their magic on stage, it certainly seems like their music lives up to the title. Rubinos’ vocal samples spiral up and out and in and over; which adds a sound of sweetness to her voice. Then, her voice seems to switch to a dangerous sounding edge with mixes of Spanish thrown in; then returning to a tone that easily serenades its victims.
When she calls to her “spirits,” there is an off kilter bout of sporadic keyboard strokes and drum spikes between the two musicians; and for whatever reason, they remain unconventionally tense. It truly seemed like they were trying to serenade the audience into a captivating spell. Eventually, all of that chaos fell into harmony and this vaudeville show really got its wheels turning.
All four members came dressed in skeleton jumpsuits. Their attire fit in perfectly with the sea of costumes that fans were wearing at this wild spectacle of a show. Lead singer/keyboardist, Honus Honus, brought a huge white fur jacket, an alien mask, and a shimmering, multi-layered cloak. The spectacle was supported by saxophones, horns, several various percussion instruments including a cymbal tree and hubcap, and, by the physical efforts of drummer Pow Pow. There was no end to the romps that welled-up and crashed on the stage like intense ocean waves. While playing mostly off their 2013 album, On Oni Pond, and some selections from 2011’s, Life Fantastic, the group successfully brings the majority of the instrumental studio aspects to the stage when they tour live.
Man Man continues their tour with Xenia Rubinos through the end of February. If you are on the fence about either of these bands’ music, you owe it to yourself to go see them live. It is a transformative experience; and if nothing else you’ll have an excellent story to tell your friends the next day.