| Iggy Pop may be a street walking cheetah with a head full of napalm, but Jonny Manak is a level 4 Druid of Elfin decent with 18 Hit Points, 20 Strength Points, 15 Dexterity Points, 17 Intelligence Points, -1 Wisdom Points and 19 Charisma Points. His weapon of choice is a +1 dancing sword and his Druid Spells include hypnosis, hilarity and Cockgrow Potion. Ok, that was all a lie (except maybe for the last thing). In truth, Jonny Manak (his real name) has never rolled a multi-sided dice. But he is in fact a multi instrumentalist a "one man band" if you will. Manak's latest solo project started out of boredom from inside an empty garage with a four-track. It grew and grew (much like the effects of the aforementioned potion), to birth Jonny Manak and the Depressives -- an electrified punk 'n' roll sound that yielded the album Party Mountain, a good-times soundtrack that was recorded, mixed and mastered over two weekends in August of 2006. Manak played Drums, bass, guitars and took on all singing duties. And if you find that self-indulgent or even "masturbatory," consider this: Dues have been paid in full. Aside from the Depressives, he currently plays (and tours) in three bands: The Forgotten, The Cliftons and skaterock legends, Clay Wheels (hes a professional skater with his own signature board out on Sacrifice Skateboards). He has also played in FANG, The Resistoleros, The Odd Numbers, the Texas Thieves and many more SF Bay Area bands that are much too boring to mention. Manak has always played in the bands of other people and never let himself play the kind of Ritalin deprived, temper-tantrum, seizure-inducing rock that oozes out of him as easily as last nights beer. His first taste of musicianship came at age eight when he joined the school band for the sole purpose of getting to bail class for an hour a day, and much like a young woman in the ghetto getting her first taste of the "glass phallus," he was hooked. After test-driving the clarinet at age nine, the bass clarinet at age ten, and the alto clarinet at age 11, Manak made an important decision. That decision was, "Fuck clarinets." And so it came to pass that when he first picked up the guitar, bass and drums, the foundations for Party Mountain were born. Have you ever been to Party Mountain? It's a magical, mystical mountain where all your dreams come true (except that one where Gary Oldman and Gary Coleman have their own cooking show on NPR). Party Mountain is much like the famed Hotel California, where "You can check in any time you like/But you can never leave." That is not to say that Manak's music sounds anything like the Eagles or any other feathered moustache dad-rock for that matter. Jonny Manak loves 50's, 60's and 70's rock 'n' roll and garage punk. He's heavily influenced by The Sonics, The Kinks, Little Richard, The Real Kids, Chuck Berry, The Rezillos, Johnny Thunders, the Deadboys, Radio Birdman, Buzzcocks, The Jam, The Rolling Stones, The Standells, The Kids and the freedom to make the kind of music that will makes you feel like someone stuffed a hot breakfast burrito in your trousers and then slapped you across the mouth a couple times. But dont take my word for it. Im into battery acid and medical porn. Listen for yourself and forget everything Ive just penned. -Eric Shea, Real Rhapsody |
|
Facebook
Twitter
Contact Artist
Add to Profile
Add to station