One Man Wonder

March 7, 2003 1:16 PM

One Man Wonder
Man-made midi music aside, we still have practicing "old-school traditional" one man bands like Eric Royer, the Bluegrass Contraption Guy; and Charles Kelly (who also teaches ESL at Aichi Institute of Technology in Japan.)

There are even Jamaican one "mon" bands.

However, Mike Silverman AKA "That 1 Guy," seems to me to have a refreshing new approach to the discipline of mono-musicianship.
Bass Player Magazine says, “Like a one-man band plucked from the pages of Dr. Seuss, That 1 Guy delivers earthshaking future funk from ”the magic pipe” to accompany his madcap lyrics about turbo snails, meat storms, and weasel pot pies."

Check out his video and listen to his new "single" entitled "One." It's "singularly" infectious. (You may wish to turn up the volume above "one.")
posted by Dunvegan (14 comments total)

i can attest to that. I've seen this guy play several times at Jupiter and he puts on a rocking show.

he also does a screaming cover of Cameo's "Word Up".

i suppose you should also include another bay area local in your one-man band list: CAPTURED! BY ROBOTS!
posted by fishfucker at 1:34 PM on March 7, 2003

Your post ate up half my screen and I want it back!

Oh, I'd only waste it anyway.
posted by UrbanFigaro at 1:41 PM on March 7, 2003

jesus, that 'One' song is obnoxious.

good god almighty. is that taken from some US-led interrogation in Afghanistan?
posted by xmutex at 1:45 PM on March 7, 2003

Um, yep, Urban...my first front-page thread post, and...of course...I munge the markup.

As if I only had one chance to make a bad first impression.

::hangs tags in shame::

And, Yes! How could I have not mentioned Captured! By Robots!
posted by Dunvegan at 2:12 PM on March 7, 2003

The Streets purports to be a sort of one man band. Of course, I'm more of a Pitman missel.
Cody Chestnutt is the one man low-tech soul wave, going on right now in your area. Or something.
posted by asok at 2:30 PM on March 7, 2003

Hello lovers! those that know and love Roger Nusic can attest to the unfaltering dedication to artistic vision and solo genius that he embodies. (his website is a bit of a nightmare but the content is perfect Nusic). with his prince valiant cut, gold cape, electric violin solos, chorus line kicks, drum-beat samples and guitar all running simultaneously, topped off with what always reminds me of madonna-esque wireless headset mic so he can work the crowd - roger just rocks my world. his recorded music doesn't capture the spirit of his live shows at all, so you'll have to use your imagination and project him shakin' all over the stage warbling "loveerrrsss lovviinggg loovvveeerrsss looovvvinggg lovvvveeeee"

he does these great calendars that i get every year. who needs calendars of cute kitties when for $2 you can have one slathered with nusic in all kinds of wacky poses and costumes.
posted by nyoki at 3:35 PM on March 7, 2003

Don't forget S.K. Thoth's one-man operas.
posted by homunculus at 4:03 PM on March 7, 2003

Dunvegan, I think it's a great first post - I loved the clip from "that 1 guy" - check out the hot boots he is wearing too, woo-hoo! I also liked Charles Kelly - what an interesting cultural emissary he must be.

I am sure I never would have chanced on this stuff on my own, so thanks!
posted by madamjujujive at 4:35 PM on March 7, 2003

UrbanFigaro, thanks -- no day is complete with a little Moleman in it. :-)
posted by davidmsc at 6:15 PM on March 7, 2003

No discussion of Californian one-man bands is complete without mentioning Bobby Brown, definitely not be confused with Mr. Whitney Houston.
posted by jonp72 at 6:30 PM on March 7, 2003

I thought it was quite a good tune. It'd be fun to see this guy in concert (so to speak).

Thanks for the link, Dunvegan.
posted by bwg at 6:58 PM on March 7, 2003

The only one man band that matters...
posted by jonmc at 7:01 PM on March 7, 2003

You apparently have no taste at all. That song sucked dog meat.
posted by Sonserae at 10:41 PM on March 7, 2003

I have learned a good deal here...many thanks for the follow-on posts...a most interesting spectrum of one-person bands. It's expanded my thinking on what qualifies for that phrase. Like, S.K. Thoth.

First time I remember seeing S.K. Thoth on the streets of San Francisco was quite a few years ago...he is amazing to come upon. Me, slogging home from work, in bleak business-mufti, chancing upon him furiously playing his violin in psuedo-aboriginal costuming, bells resplendent, dancing with "tribal balletic" energy, all while singing in his own constructed language.

Coming upon Thoth unexpectedly in the SF Financial District strikes a pronounced and unforgettable counterpoint to the usual day-to-day grey concrete urban reality.

And, I certainly didn't know that Thoth would like it if we, too, danced.

Actually, all these years I'd never known his name, nor did I know a documentary based on his street opera/prayformances had won an Oscar, until I looked into the link on him posted above. The director, Sarah Kernochan, also won an Oscar for her documentary in 1972 on Marjoe Gortner, the child evangelist who exposed all the tricks of the revival tent, and then went Hollywood. Thanks, homunculus.

Ah, well, Sonserae, you do know what they say, "No accounting for bad taste, or a compulsion to discount unusual cultural phenomonae."
posted by Dunvegan at 10:43 AM on March 8, 2003