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If the Replacements had met Peter Sellers on the floor of a dive bar somewhere in the
Midwest, they may have drunkenly thought up the Mannequin Men. Four punker-types
with a penchant for getting wild at house parties and spending their free time in a CCR
cover band. Lose Your Illusion, Too is the outcome of a few years steady of playing
gigs and paying dues (They'll play almost anywhere...almost!).
Formed in late 2003, founding members Kevin Richard, Seth Bohn, and Ethan D'ercole
(And then bassist Rick Berger) began the group as an excuse to hang out together, and
write songs in their dingy practice space they wished they were hearing more of
elsewhere. The band self-released their Showbiz Witch LP in 2005 (A record that has
been described as a Tubeway Army cover band fronted by an absolute American). They
began playing all over the great city of Chicago and some scattered Midwest gigs,
sharing stages with The Black Lips, The Circle Jerks, No Age, and the like, leaving a trail
of spilt drinks and sweat stains behind them. In 2006, members Richard and D'ercole
were also honored to be a part of No Wave master James Chance's touring group, and
recorded a vinyl 45 with him. In 2007, Flameshovel released their Sophomore LP, Fresh
Rot, which was met with great reviews. Original bassist Berger left in early 2008, only
to be replaced by new bassist and friend Miles Raymer, just in time for rehearsing and
recording of the new LP.
Brawn and brains, these are men of courage and intellect. Braving the wilds of their own
excess and creativity, they holed up in Chicago's Phantom Manor studios in September
of 2008 recording these rough hewn pop gems which are now presented to you in this
nifty little Ramones' dozen of 14 killer cuts. Quicker to smile than sneer, amidst the barn
burning rockers, they also have soft spots in their collective hearts for sweet melodies and
hooks as big as anchors. Sitting somewhere between the Wipers' razor sharp punk, and
choruses stripped and ripped from all those British invasion tunes that warped the minds
of impressionable youth all around the globe in that era they call the "60's". It's all killer-
no filler rock n' roll the way only people who truly love it can make.
This, their third full length, only does what every great third release should
do... strengthen an already strong reputation as a band who can write a fuckin' tune. Out
June 9th, 2009, Lose Your Illusion, Too (Flameshovel) is here for your daughters... and
most of your sons.
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"Lead vocalist/guitarist K. Richard, like his almost-namesake, has the rock star gene-- the cocksure
swagger and radiant intensity that can command tens of thousands under the right circumstances. He somehow
managed to cut his lip during the set; turned out blood pouring down his chin was a damn good look...
rock-solid rock n roll, done with panache and hooks galore-- you'd do well to keep an eye on that Richard
fellow."
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"Mannequin Men's loose-limbed pizzazz brings to mind frequent tour mates the Black Lips; both acts' wobbly rock'n'roll wavers between
droopy-lid disinterest to all-hands-on-deck gang-vocal attack. But more often, frontman Kevin Richard's detached verve comes off as a tight-pants swagger...."
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"The band's sophomore effort, Fresh Rot, which arrives in stores Sept. 18 from Flameshovel Records, is the sort of loud, dirty and primal noise-gasm
that channels the best of the unhinged moments from The Stooges, Television and The Meat Puppets while setting fire to any distinction between garage-rock,
noise-punk and good, old-fashioned rock'n'roll. Sure, Mannequin Men (guitarist Ethan D'Ercole, bassist Rick Berger and drummer Seth Bohn join Richard) could
probably sit down, have a productive band meeting and sort out just how they want to go about sorting out their jumble of ass-kicking influences to better
fit the needs of a modern, compartmentalized music world, but they have no time for that sort of self-awareness (in the business world, they call it marketing;
take your pick). Mannequin Men are a band that's about acting first, then thinking things out later, if at all. That doesn't mean the Chicago band's a bunch of
brainless meatheads. Quite the opposite, in fact. As one spin of Fresh Rot reveals, the outfit's just blessed with the sort of killer instincts it
can rely upon to crank out rock music that means something. 'Dead Kids' flutters between the stylish grime of the garage and punk's brash, needles-in-the-red
aural warfare, for a tune that could be the backdrop for a gang fight between The Sonics and The Dead Boys. 'Pigpen' cuts through the beach-blanket-bingo nonsense
of garage-era house-party rock to explicitly crawl into bed and writhe with all the sexuality to which classic-era bands could only allude. 'The Fun Never Ends'
sounds like mono-era Kinks and Black Flag splitting a six-pack and getting weepy in the process, and 'Mattress' is a hint at what we should be hearing in rock
clubs if so many bands didn't have a fetish for recreating '60s garage and '70s punk without breathing new life into it. It's the sort of thing that'll
grab the ears of every true-blue rock fan, as every trainspotter, clique-checker and scenester-scorekeeper gives himself a migraine trying to pigeonhole it."
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"It's only been about three years now, but Chicago's Mannequin Men are really on a roll, and with each passing week, 2007 is looking to be their best
year yet. With a handful of still accessible releases to their name, these four regular guys with deep pockets of appreciation for the lost sounds of
New Zealand pop and Pacific Northwestern punk blues have built such an incredible momentum, it's easy to see how they have come so far in such little time."
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"These Chicago scuzz-drunken efficiency brooders make like an undie loaf-eye poonk band misfiring Wipers
tunes with stops, starts and lyrics about getting their sex offa TVs. Smarter than your average Goner Records
message board dumbass, and ready to unwittingly implement an Amphetamine Reptile revival, sans tool-based
names and mechanical rhythm. Or kind of how people think the Murder City Devils sounded when they rave about
them. Their album's titular song, 'Showbiz Witch,' puts a graveyard creep-around into their two
room-microphone-tossed reverbera-shuns, clangy guitars and the desperately debased growl of MM frontman K.
Richards. But it is, as they say, all good, in a bad, pee - off - a - bridge - onto - your - ex-girlfriend's -
car - while - she's - on - her - way - to - a - Cameron-Diaz - movie - with - that - new - fucker way." -
Eric Davidson (Davidson also picked the album as his #1 record of 2006 for CMJ New Music Monthly)
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"Mannequin Men, you don't have to explain yourselves to me. I'll get gritty and crude down at the altar of Iggy with you. I'll swear, spit and booze.
I'll dance the pigpen, too."
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"The fresh-faced youngsters of Mannequin Men command a stoned seductiveness that belies their collective
youth. Last year's self-released Showbiz Witch - an impressive, garage-y debut in the style of the Stooges or
early Wire - was recorded live but still did little justice to their intense shows, which veritably drip with
intoxicated lechery."
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"I'm going to dub Mannequin Men the best band to wake someone from a coma. I'm not saying that just because
they are loud (although, they definitely fit that description) but because once you'd come out of your
unenlightened long term slumber, hearing the sounds of Mannequin Men would make you actually want to live."
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"A whole lot of music fans in Chicago are talking about Mannequin Men and their insane live shows. It won't
be long before the love for their D.I.Y. noise spreads outside the state of Illinois. These four guys are
quickly gaining a reputation as a band that takes it to the next level when they take the stage... When you
want boozy punk rock, this is what you want."
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"The energy from the group was one thing, but what really makes these guys flourish live, beyond the
blistering sonics, is the beautiful contrast in stage presence. Kujawa shouts, jerks around (and bites blood
capsules), channeling several frontmen from the punk rock canon, while deft bassist Rick Berger stoically
stands by, grinning because he knows the M-Men rhythm section is the buried treasure amidst the electrifying
stage show."
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"This Saturday at the Beat Kitchen in Chicago, don't miss another chance to catch on to the seriously psychotic sounds of one of Chicago's most
promising bands of the 21st century, the Mannequin Men.... Strong-arming the prime pithy power and lost energy gleaned from pioneering off-centered acts
like a The Wipers and The Clean, Mannequin Men are quick to move and seldom stay in the same groove, which more than makes up for their lack of
repitition. Saturday's show is also a celebration of signing to local indie label, Flameshovel, who will be releasing Mannequin Men's second LP,
entitled Fresh Rot, later this year...."
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"Their live show trumps just about any flavor-of-the-week rock band's set."
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"Guitars loudly churn over each other while Seth Bohn aggressively pounds his drums, giving the Mannequin
Men's music a truly ripping sound like 'Damaged'-era Black Flag."
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"One of this city's cooler bands and one of the best left-field releases in quite awhile."
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Right Click on Image and Select "Save image as..." to download 300dpi photos
All Photos by John Sturdy & MUST be credited upon use
Copyright 2009 Flameshovel Records
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Fresh Rot
(DIG043)
Released 09.18.07
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Lose Your Illusion, Too
(DIG052)
Released 07.07.09
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