Girlyman to perform in Unity

What are you – a girly man? For the folk trio Girlyman, the answer, obviously, is yes, and darn proud of it. They even wrote an open letter to Arnold Schwarzenegger, when he called California legislators “girly men.” It’s a compliment, not a dis. You should be lucky to be a girly man!

A harmony-driven acoustic group made up of guitarist Nate Borofsky, guitarist Doris Muramatsu and percussionist Ty Greenstein, Girlyman has lots of reasons to have the name that it does. Borofsky wears makeup onstage. Greenstein wrote a song called “Young James Dean,” about a girl who gets more girls than the boys. But aside from that, it’s also about not taking things too seriously.

“We had started making music together, sitting around brainstorming. We all just froze in our conversation when Girlyman came up. Something about it really made us laugh. It felt very relevant to what

we do in some strange way,” said Greenstein. “When we first started telling people that, they said ‘Oh God, don’t do that, no one will ever take you seriously.’ But we try not to take ourselves too seriously. I think that’s kind of helped us.”

Girlyman’s third album, “Joyful Sign,” was independently released by the band last April. It’s a confident, fleshed-out record, and it marks a new direction for the band, as it has parted ways with Daemon Records, the label run by Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls, and has struck out on its own. “Joyful Sign” is available for purchase online, at www.girlyman.com or www.cdbaby.com.

“We’re figuring out how to operate in an industry that’s changed so much in the past half-dozen years,” said Greenstein. “It’s not about labels anymore. A lot of it’s just about word of mouth and the Internet. It was an opportunity we had to take, to be able to release it on our own. So far, it’s been a success.”

Since the band’s album came out, the road warriors have toured relentlessly, criss-crossing the country in a biodiesel van. They’ll make a stop in Maine this weekend, when they play Saturday night at the Unity Centre for the Performing Arts.

The stresses of touring and of living together when not touring, as Greenstein, Borofsky and Muramatsu had done for six years, led to some major changes within the band. As a result, “Joyful Sign” is the band’s most personal, intimate album.

“The three of us and our manager had lived together for six years. We realized that we needed to change that, because on top of that we were touring constantly,” said Greenstein. “It was a hard decision, because we’re really a family. Doris lives in Brooklyn and Nate and I moved down to Atlanta. I think when a major change like that happens, you become very raw and exposed. I think that comes through in the songs. It’s very personal, and also more upbeat.”

Girlyman regularly gets compared to Peter, Paul and Mary, with their political bent and their pitch-perfect close harmonies. But the comparisons stop there. Straddling the lines between folk, bluegrass, country rock and straight-up pop, they turn folk stereotypes on their head, even coining a new phrase, “girlygrass,” for their take on traditional bluegrass. They’re really funny too, as evidenced by the witty stage banter during live shows.

“We’re pretty much onstage the way we are normally,” said Greenstein. “We just crack each other up. We have a really good time.”

Girlyman will play at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17 at the Unity Centre for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $15, and are available at the door or by calling 948-SHOW. Opening for the band will be Maine songwriter Sara Cox. Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.