MAN OR ASTROMAN?: "Is it..." CD/LP ES129

Is it…Man or Astro-Man?, the debut record by Man or Astro-Man?, stands as a distinct flash point and time piece for one of the most prolific, hardest working bands of the 1990s. Developing an instrumental sound that was equal parts love and irreverence for a long standing tradition of surf music, the record marks the starting point for a young band embarking on a quest to inflect new life in the genre of guitar based instrumental music.

Man or Astro-Man? began in the depths of records long stashed away in parents’ attics or hidden behind racks of old magazines at dilapidated thrift stores in Alabama. The then teenage entities of Man or Astro-Man? became grossly enamored with the scratched up sounds of Link Wray, The Ventures, Dick Dale, Duane Eddy, The Marketts, The Safaris, and other instrumental guitar oriented music of the late fifties and early sixties. For them, instrumental music provided a great escape from the sappy, pretentious drivel of overly emoted lyrics emanating from the then newly christened “alternative” FM radio. At the same time, the general offbeat mythos and stage show stage set ups by Kraftwerk, The Spotniks, The Residents, Devo, Sun Ra, and The Monks had a great impact on the rapidly developing troupe.

The band helped initiate a resurgence of music that avoided the present at all cost and looked instead into the past as much as it did the future. In 1993 Man or Astro-Man? soon caught the attention of Estrus record mogul, Dave Crider. He was taken aback by their nineteen year old, caffeine-induced energy and punkish take on instrumental surf music. Crider soon after released Is it...Man or Astro-Man?, and to this day many rediscover it as a gem that stands the test of both time and space!

FEATURES TWO VINYL-ONLY TRACKS, Ilidium Q-36 and Rudy’s Lounge, BOTH OF WHICH ARE EXCLUSIVE TO THE LP EDITION OF THIS SLAB AND UNAVAILABLE ELSEWHERE • COVER ARTWORK/PAINTING BY SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL ARTIST SUPREME RICHARD POWERS • COVER DESIGN BY ART CHANTRY... MAN OR ASTRO-MAN? “Is It...Man or Astro-Man?" LIMITED EDITION LP REISSUE.