“When we go the extra yard and do something that’s unexpected and ridiculous, we get really good results,” says Man On Man. Comprised of boyfriends Roddy Bottum (Faith No More, Imperial Teen, Crickets) and Joey Holman (Holman), Man On Man is a self-identified, “unabashed queer rock band… that confronts homophobia, ageism, and fatphobia through their lyrics and visuals.” We’re currently discussing their music video for “Stohner” (which they tell me is “a good place to start” for those thus far unfamiliar with the band), for which they tell me they, “dumped a five-gallon container of honey over ourselves while we were making out… We made it happen and it was such a bang.” They describe Man On Man as, “A project we wish we could’ve had when we were younger. We’re really up front about our queerness and our bodies and that allows us to be really raw and really tender.” However, they tell me that when the band first began – in April of 2020, at the start of lockdown – it wasn’t necessarily something that they thought would be long-term: “Initially, it was a project we just took on to pass the time, but it took on a whole new life when we started playing live.”
2021 saw the release of Man On Man’s self-titled debut LP courtesy of Polyvinyl Records, home of PHILTHY favorites like Good Morning, Ian Sweet, Julia Jacklin, Momma, and Squirrel Flower, and Joey and Roddy tell me that the label has proven to be the perfect fit: “I think the best word to describe them would be, ‘supportive’… They’ve always taken on the position of really supporting what we’re doing.” The band has basically been playing live shows since the album dropped (They’ve already been to PhilaMOCA.), and later this week they kick off an East Coast tour, which includes a stop at Johnny Brenda’s this coming Sunday, October 30th. And they tell me that they already have new music from a forthcoming album (due next summer) that they’re exceptionally excited to get to play live: “We’re just finishing our new record, so we’re most enthused about our new songs… For our debut we were in a crazy introspective place, stuck in quarantine, but after we started playing live, we realized we kind of like to rock and be loud and be in people’s faces, and that informed our new songs.”
*Get your tickets here.
