MAN-EATERS: A DIY Jethro Tull For The End Times
Via social media, I’ve noticed many of my peers asking for suggestions in regards to music that’ll soothe their psyches in this time of utter mystery and fear. Although the title of Chicago’s Man-Eaters debut LP Gentle Ballads For The Simple Soul sounds like just what Doctor Feelgood ordered, its’ given name is what we call in the entertainment business, “A Funny” or “A Ruse”. In fact, the bastard in me would love to be a fly-on-the-wall when some on-the-brink, delicate flower mistakenly chooses to stream it only to get a sonic fistfulla cataclysmic piledriving Rock ‘N’ Roll. The dudes in the band claim their sound to be a simple melding of the Ramones, Motorhead, and KISS, but to me, they sound more like the Outskirts Of Infinity if Bari Watts listened to Greg Ginn rather than Hendrix. But hey, I’m a nerd like that.
Since Gentle Ballads For The Simple Soul has been my go-to listen when I just wanna blast the anxiety of the unknown out of my head and ride an o-minded wave of Monster and lemon tincture, I got in touch with the Man-Eaters guitarist Dani Drugface to see what he is up to while the world collapses. Here’s what he had to say:
Please give me the skinny on how, when and why Man-Eaters came together? Were there any certain bands/vibes you had in mind when coming up with the concept of the band?
Dani Drugface: Umm, well ya know, like most bands, Man-Eaters started off as a result of psychic warfare. Three-fourths of us were in another band together and had just gotten off a long tour with a highly paranoid and deteriorating mind singing in the band. Issues like psychic vampirism, speaking in code through coughs, studying the dark arts, hexes, opiates and the like were all elements that apparently contributed to our disbandment. All that, mixed with just the right amount of violence that occurred, was the perfect recipe to just say fuck it. The remaining three of us decided to keep doing shit together though, luckily for us, we're all psychic vampires. We hooked up with Danni Babirusa, did like three practices, and did a demo.
Were there any certain bands/vibes you had in mind when coming up with the concept of the band?
We kinda milled around with the idea of doing something like the band Soggy mixed with the Rude Kids at first. But it just ended up with everyone being obsessed with KISS, Ramones, and Motorhead and filtering it through not being able to play very well. The sum total doesn't really sound anything like those bands, just kinda sounds like a punk band to me. I think most people say we border on a sound somewhere between the Bee Gees and Venom.
What are you and the rest of the band getting up to while on lockdown?
For the most part, my day to day structure is somewhat normal still. I'm still going to work, for now at least. I'm doing manual labor in a warehouse of scooter and motorcycle parts, therefore my life is worth far less than let's say all of the other people that work in the offices. Luckily they all now reside at home. It's only a matter of time until I get the big C though, my girlfriend works in a criminally understaffed and ill-equipped emergency room where the risk of exposure is higher than average you might say. The rest of the band is at home feverishly masturbating non stop as far as I can tell. In between sweaty raw sessions of self-exploration, they are probably applying for unemployment and looking for ways to stay afloat because everyone's out of work now. I have yet to find any of the good men and women that work in the illicit drug industry not on the job still, so really if you're bored, those brave folks will be there to assist you.
If this truly is the end of existence as we know it, what song do you choose to hear over and over until the inevitable happens?
I don't know, hard to narrow that down. I'm thinking “Your Mind And We Belong Together” or “You Set The Scene'' by Love, both are beefy masterpieces. They also both work for longevity's sake in the fact they are at least 5 minutes and not a thirty-second song from Negative FX. As much as I could listen to a song like “Protester” on repeat it would get old quickly if it's all I could hear until I died. The same goes if I was stranded on an island. I wouldn't necessarily pick my all-time favorite albums, but something that I could chew on longer than say a twenty-five-minute punk album, I'd milk it for all it’s worth baby. Otherwise, “Daytime Dilemma” by the Ramones, “S.U.S” by the Ruts, or “Killer Man” by Gasoline. That was a horrible answer.
Please give me a report on bands in Chicago - and the world in general - you feel a kinship with and why.
Hmm, interesting question, you've stumped me. I'm not sure who we have a kinship with, my only thought at the moment is Ram Jam. Neither local, nor contemporary, but if you've ever watched the footage of them playing “Black Betty” on the lawn of a farmhouse, well then I think you would understand. Who wouldn't want to get down and dirty with those beautiful, articulate savants? I see a gleam of understanding and empathy in the singer's oversized tinted glasses that I yearn to connect with. Definitely some sweet jams to dig in Chicago though, coming out of the likes of Nancy, Fuerza Bruta, Mock Execution, Canal Irreal, Dog Flashback, Affront, Sniper Culture, I don't know, there's a bunch of cool junk.
Man-Eaters really reminds of The Outskirts Of Infinity. Have you ever checked any of that shit out? If not, what bands would you compare Man-Eaters to when the question is posed to you by a normo?
I wish I was hip on these bad boys, but I know nothing about them. I chose to rectify the situation by listening to a song, and the random song I stumbled onto was a five-minute jam with flutes, bongos, and an overall feeling of kicking it at the renaissance fair. I believe it's what you might call an interlude, and boy was it an experience. I can only thank you for liking my sloppy punk band to the cosmos entrancing sounds of the Outskirts Of Infinity. Last year we were driving out to Denver to play Fatal Mistake Fest, and we stopped on the side of the road at a local eatery for nutrition and refreshments. While we were sitting there a group of befuddled locals came up to us to ask if we were a band, and whether or not we were playing the local renaissance fair that day. To our disappointment, we were not, though to their favor we had leather and studs on, much like one would wear at a renaissance fair. I had to inform them that we were playing another costume oriented fest. It all comes full circle though, and I'm happy that we embody the cosmic flute sound. like a DIY Jethro Tull I say. When regular folk asks me if I'm in a band, and what we sound like, I normally say a DIY Jethro Tull. When punks ask me, I just say Jethro Tull, because the DIY part is implied ya know?
If we come out of this thing, what are the plans for the band?
As of now, we are about halfway done writing the songs for a second LP. We have like 6 songs or something. Almost every show we had as of now has been canceled because of the shit going on, and I can only assume all of them will be at some point. Some places still have a cap on the limit of how big gatherings can be before they are canceled, like no gatherings over 100. So, in reality, I feel like we should be in fine shape to play in some cities still. We were going to tour during summer but I'm sure that's gonna be a fucking nightmare now. Hopefully, we can hunker down in this time to work on the molds for a full line of Man-Eaters action figures, vehicles, and playsets.
Please give me your honest opinion on where you think we'll be as a planet in a months' time.
In a month's time, I assume it will be pretty similar honestly. Probably a little worse, more susceptible people will die, low income and middle-class people will be fucked over, racism and intolerance will worsen, people will be ignorant and greedy, which I guess is the world's m.o. in general. More of the same just heightened to ridiculous levels. I heard everyone might get a thousand dollars, I'm sure that will really help, what a gift. Last I heard on the radio was that five Chicago Police Department officers had been tested positive for co-vid, I hope that trend continues.
Please give a recommendation for one book and one record you think will pair well with what we're going through right now.
When I sit back in my quilted reading chair with my chilled bourbon and my pipe there's only one tome that I pull out. I like to shelve the big poppa Hemingway, Bukowski, and R.L.Stein, and pull out Face The Music: A Life Exposed, Paul Stanley's autobiography. Nothing like reading it from the Starchild himself, what prose. The jacket has a picture of him in full makeup and when you peel back the dust cover it's him unmasked, that's worth the price of admission alone I believe. When I've exhausted my Starchild studies for the night, I like to sit back in the same said chair and take in some auditory pleasure. I normally throw on not necessarily a record, but an audiobook, Face The Music: A Life Exposed, Paul Stanley's story read by one, Paul Stanley. It's a journey to read it, but wait until you hear it from the man's own glossy painted lips. I'm not sure if these two selections necessarily coincide with the pandemic, but I believe they should be mandatory readings regardless.
Favorite energy drink and why?
Venom Killer Taipan energy drink. It's a mango flavor and they cost only one dollar. They are clearly the drink of the people. Let us all rejoice and take a nip off the old 16oz can, get pumped, and take solace in quarantine that we will get through this.
Hardcopies of Gentle Ballads For The Simple Soul can be purchased through the Feel It store.
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