Mr. Airplane Man is an American blues/garage/punk influenced rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1998. The band consists of Margaret Garrett and Tara McManus who met each other when they were both 10 years old. The two became childhood friends, but later separated, attending separate colleges. After beginning to play music together, the duo experimented with other band members, but preferred playing as a twosome. The group was formed under advice from Morphine frontman Mark Sandman.
Mr. Airplane Man released their first album Red Lite in 2001. The album drew comparisons to The White Stripes and Howlin' Wolf. They released their second full-length album in 2002 titled Moanin'. This was followed up with a third full length album in 2004 titled C'mon DJ. The duo later were asked to open for Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The White Stripes and The Strokes. The duo released an EP in 2012 titled Shakin' Around. After their third album, the duo went on hiatus, citing lack of inspiration. After being asked to play a festival in Germany, the pair decided to reunite. The duo eventually released The Lost Tapes in December 2014, a collection of unreleased recordings from 1999 and a self-titled full length album originally recorded with Mark Sandman in 1998.
In 2016, the band relocated to Los Angeles to pursue musical work in the film and television industry. Their music has appeared in episodes of The L Word and the film Crazy Eyes, amongst others. Mr. Airplane Man released Jacaranda Blues in 2018.
Links to Peel[]
Peel nominated their album Moanin, as one of his albums of the month for October 2002 (Peel's Record Box).
In an interview with Index Magazine in 2003, Peel explained how he got the band to do their debut Peel Session:
"People assume there's some sort of system behind it all. What happens is I hear a record and I think, "Shit, that's great. Let's get them in for a session." For example, right now there's a band I love called Mr. Airplane Man. It's a woman playing this very violent kind of slide guitar and another woman drumming furiously behind her. It's sort of country and exciting and raw. And so I phone up the BBC and say, "Hey, let's get four or five tunes from these people." It's quite fantastic, like being an eighteenth-century patron of the arts." [1]
The group later did another session in March 2004 before Peel tragically died later in October of that year.
Sessions[]
1. Recorded: 2003-02-06. First Broadcast: 25 February 2003
- Red Light / Up In The Room / C'Mon DJ / Sun Goin' Down
2. Recorded: 2004-03-11. First Brodcast: 21 April 2004
- Lonely For You / Little Red Riding Hood / Black Cat Road / No Place To Go
Other Shows Played[]
- 2001
- 08 August 2001: Hangin' Round Your Door ('It Takes Two, Baby' EP 7") Sympathy For The Record Industry
- 2002
- 17 January 2002: Black Cat Bone (LP - Red Lite) Sympathy For The Record Industry
- January 2002 (FSK): Black Cat Bone (LP - Red Lite) Sympathy For The Record Industry
- 24 January 2002 (Radio Eins): Black Cat Bone (album - Red Lite) Sympathy For The Record Industry
- 24 September 2002: Sun Sinking Low (LP - Moanin') Sympathy for the Record Industry (JP: "Now I love The Pig in a way which I can barely describe to you, to the point of madness. But if she played guitar like that I think I'd be able to love her even more.")
- 01 October 2002: 'Like That (LP- Moanin')' (Sympathy For The Record Industry)
- 03 October 2002 (Radio Mafia): 'Like That (LP- Moanin')' (Sympathy For The Record Industry)
- 10 October 2002: 'Drive Me Out (LP – Moanin')' (Sympathy For The Record Industry)
- 10 October 2002 (Radio Eins): Moanin (album - Moanin) Sympathy For The Record Industry
- 15 October 2002: Jesus On The Mainline (LP - Moanin') Sympathy for the Record Industry
- 17 October 2002: Uptight (LP - Moanin') Sympathy for the Record Industry
- 19 October 2002 (BBC World Service): 'Like That (LP- Moanin')' (Sympathy For The Record Industry)
- 22 October 2002: Sun Sinking Low (LP - Moanin') Sympathy For The Record Industry
- 24 October 2002 (Radio Eins): Jesus On The Mainline (album - Moanin) Sympathy For The Record Industry
- 31 October 2002 (Radio Eins): Sun Sinking Low (album - Moanin) Sympathy For The Record Industry
- 04 December 2002: 'Commit A Crime (LP-Moanin')' (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
- 11 December 2002 (Radio Mafia): Commit A Crime (album - Moanin) Sympathy For The Record Industry
- 12 December 2002 (Radio Mafia): Commit A Crime (album - Moanin) Sympathy For The Record Industry
- 13 December 2002 (BBC World Service): 'Commit A Crime (LP-Moanin')' (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
- 05 December 2002 (Radio Eins): Sun Sinking Low (album - Moanin) Sympathy For The Record Industry
- 12 December 2002 (Radio Eins): Commit A Crime (album - Moanin) Sympathy For The Record Industry
- December 2002 (FSK): Sun Sinking Low (CD - Moanin') Sympathy For The Record Industry
- 2003
- 04 September 2003 (Radio Eins): 'Sun Sinking Low (Compilation CD-Root Damage)' (Sympathy For The Record Industry)
- 20 November 2003: 'Shakin' Around (EP: Shakin' Around)' Sympathy For The Record Industry
- 27 November 2003: 'Hang Up (EP: Shakin' Around)' Sympathy For The Record Industry
- 04 December 2003 (Radio Eins): 'Hang Up (10" EP-Shakin' Around)' (Sympathy For The Record Industry)
- 05 December 2003 (BBC World Service): 'Hang Up (10" EP-Shakin' Around)' (Sympathy For The Record Industry)
- 2004
- 06 January 2004: Make You Mine (LP - C'mon DJ) Sympathy for the Record Industry
- January 2004 (FSK): C'mon DJ (CD - C'mon DJ) Sympathy For The Record Industry
- 24 January 2004 (BBC World Service): Make You Mine
- 29 January 2004: Red Light (Album: C'mon DJ) Sympathy For The Record Industry
- 24 February 2004: Lonesome Road (Album: C'mon DJ) Sympathy For The Record Industry
- Pop Depresija (Pop Depression): Little Red Riding Hood (Peel Session)