TRIBEZ A Talk
h i p s t e r h yg i e n e
A n i n s i d e r ' s g u i d e to A u s t i n ' s h i d d e n g e m s .
N e w G row th : B eardbrand From Abraham Lincoln to the men of Duck Dynasty,
W ho Is Ma nChildATX (And Why Is He E ating Peanut Butter)?!? And what does he look like? That’s the question that musician Rich Malley pon-
history. “Beards are ingrained in our DNA. It is the most natural thing to wear a beard. The key
dered while envisioning his latest album, My Mouse Finger Is Insured for $10
is to have confidence,” says Eric Bandholz, owner
Million. The result is as irreverent (and ironically awesome) as it sounds. After
and founder of Beardbrand (beardbrand.com), a
playing in several Austin bands (Kamikaze Refrigerators, Happy Family, and
line of grooming products that offers everything
Horsies) throughout his career, ManChildATX (Malley’s fictional persona) is his first go at fronting a solo act. His latest work delivers alternative pop songs
a gentleman might want or need to make sure his
with influences of punk, funk, rocksteady, and electronic. To conceptualize
whiskers look their best. “In previous years, beards
the album, Malley teamed up with Leslie Bonnell (owner of Stitch Lab sewing
held a certain stereotype. I wanted to create my own
school) and husband Ron Marks (graphic designer and owner of WorkMarks) and local photographer George Brainard to create the image of ManChildATX.
kind of beard community, where professionals and
Inspiration came straight from the album’s tracks. “The title song is my Man-
stylish men felt like they belonged,” Bandholz says.
ChildATX persona boasting about how talented and popular he is. I was trying
Enter the target audience: the urban beardsman.
to strike a balance between a character who's pompous and over-important
“The urban beardsman is a bit of a Venn diagram—
but also totally ridiculous,” says Malley. The result has plenty of swagger, and complements Malley’s humor. For instance, in lieu of a release party, Malley
he is both stylish and rugged. He’s a man who cares
livestreamed the album from his bathroom for a few selected listeners. The
not only about his facial hair, but also about style,
quirky idea evolved into a full-fledged concert complete with lights, lasers, and
career, and independence.” m. dunn
a fog machine. If you missed the loo-based debut, ManChildATX is available from local stores, iTunes, Spotify, and manchildatx.com. t. mendoza
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beards have adorned men of all stripes throughout
november 2014 tribeza.com