MP3: Man Man – “The Ballad of Butter Beans” (from 2008’s Rabbit Habits)
MP3: Shilpa Ray – “Venus Shaver”
MP3: Shilpa Ray – “Heaven In Stereo”

A couple hundred fans packed San Diego’s Casbah on May 11 to watch freaky Philadelphians Man Man prove once again that they’re not just a band with a “doom-wop” schtick.

Led by the mustachioed Ryan Kattner (see also: Man Man’s list of influences and our 2008 interview with Kattner), Man Man plowed crazy-eyed through a four-album repertoire that included their brand new LP Life Fantastic.

The talented musicians exchanged instruments throughout the set, with guitars, keys, sax, trumpet, and melodica all making appearances. Kattner — who goes by the stage name Honus Honus — played the fewest instruments, but made up for it by occasionally serenading the crowd from atop the stage monitors. Thanks to their impressive musicianship, solid songwriting, and unabashed weirdness, Man Man delivered a high-energy set and raised the bar for their next San Diego show.

Diminutive Jersey girl with a big voice Shilpa Ray opened the evening, playing a mean harmonium and wailing her way through an exotic mix of punk and blues. Touring to support her new album Teenage and Torture, the talented Ray and her amusingly named Happy Hookers came damn close to showing up the Man Man showmen.

Photos – Man Man at the Casbah – May 11, 2011

Photos – Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers at the Casbah – May 11, 2011