Jack's Mannequin

Welcome back to The Keys To Rock!

Thanks for coming back to check out my next post about piano-rock band Jack's Mannequin.  If you'd like to listen while you read, scroll down and check out the Spotify playlist I've included below.  And remember, if you love piano-rock music or love exploring new bands, you can subscribe by putting your email in the box to the right.

Jack's Mannequin

Jack's Mannequin, of out of Orange County, California, was formed by keyboardist, vocalist, and songwriter Andrew McMahon in 2004.  I hope you've all had the chance to read my post about Something Corporate, McMahon's previous band.  S.C. which was fronted by McMahon, would wind up having a lot of success with multiple albums, a record deal, and international touring.  However, when McMahon was 22, Something Corporate took a break, at which point McMahon began work on his solo project, which would soon become Jack's Mannequin.

Jack's Mannequin, and specifically Andrew McMahon, has been one of my biggest influences as a piano-rock artist.  When Something Corporate split ways and McMahon began writing on his own, there was a therapeutic element to his writing that really helped to give McMahon's new writing an honest lyrical presence.  This has been something I've really taken to heart about McMahon's writing in his Jack's Mannequin material.  Once McMahon realized the songs formed a more collective work, he decided to pay out of pocket to have an album recorded and produced, which soon lead to a record deal with Maverick Records.  

McMahon, working under the alias Jack's Mannequin, would release his project's first album Everything in Transit in August 2005.  As the recording finished up, plans to tour with the album had taken shape but had to be cancelled after McMahon was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and had to receive a stem cell transplant from his sister Kate.

Healthy again and going strong, McMahon and his band would begin recording Jack's Mannequin's second album, The Glass Passenger, in the summer of 2007.  Live videos of a few songs were released online prior to the album's release and McMahon also appeared on the cover of January 2008's issue of Alternative Press, as promotion efforts for The Glass Passenger.  A few tracks would be released individually and in EP form before The Glass Passenger's release in September 2008.  Also in September, it was announced that J.M. would headline a tour that featured their new album.

In the Spring of 2010, McMahon would return to the studio to begin the production of Jack's Mannequin's 3rd full length album titled People and Things.  This new album, which released in October 2011, would feature a few songs by Relient K's Matt Thiessen.
Through the influence of others in his life, McMahon wrote a lot about love and marriage in his third album efforts.  At first the task seemed daunting since it's such a huge topic, but once the writing sessions began, McMahon found that he locked in on the topic and upon finishing the album says he realized how proud he is of his work on that album and all the other works he's written.

In 2012, McMahon came to the realization that he'd need to retire the name Jack's Mannequin as it represented things that he no longer felt were at the forefront of his life.  As thus, McMahon would begin performing and putting out music under his own name, retiring the name Jack's Mannequin.

To read more about Jack's Mannequin or Andrew McMahon and his career of musical endeavors, check out a few of the links below.  Don't forget to subscribe, via email, to The Keys To Rock, to regularly hear about more great piano-rock bands!  You can also follow me on twitter @alecryanmusic to get information/notifications about future posts, and to hear what I have going on as a piano-rock artist!  Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time,

Alec Ryan

http://www.andrewmcmahon.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_McMahon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack's_Mannequin

Keane

Welcome back to The Keys To Rock!

Thanks for stopping in to check out the next featured artist! Keane comes to you all the way from East Sussex, England.  If you aren't already familiar with their sound, I encourage you to listen while you read!  Keane's Spotify Top 10 is available for listening in a playlist below.  And remember, if you love piano-rock music or love exploring new bands, you can subscribe by putting your email in the box to the right!

Keane

Keane is a keys-driven pop/rock band formed in 1997 by pianist/vocalist Tim Rice-Oxley, guitarist Dominic Scott, and drummer/backup-vocalist Richard Hughes.  Around the same time, Rice-Oxley was invited by Chris Martin of then newly-formed Coldplay, to play keys, Rice-Oxley would decline since Keane (then operating as Cherry Keane, named after a friend's mother who was inspirational to them..."Cherry" was later dropped from the name) was already actively working.  Singer/guitarist Tom Chaplin would join the band very shortly after its formation and later guitarist Jesse Quin would also eventually join the mix.

In 1998-99 Keane got its start with small tours of the London pub circuit and the release of two singles, Call Me What You Like and Wolf at the Door, on their own label Zoomorphic.  After a few more years, one of Keane's shows was attended by Simon Williams of Fierce Panda Records who would offer to release the band's first commercial single, Everybody's Changing.  However just before this, Scott would leave Keane to focus on his studies.  

After the release of Everybody's Changing, Keane would be offered a deal from Island Records in 2003 based on their "brilliant songwriting...and fantastic live show," as Island A&R put it.  Hopes and Fears, Keane's debut album, was released in May 2004 and this launched their first world tour.  The album debuted at the top of the UK Albums Chart, selling 5.5 million copies worldwide.

In April 2005, during the Hopes and Fears tour, Keane would team up with producer Andy Green from the Hopes and Fears album to start recording their sophomore album, Under the Iron Sea.  The album would release in June 2006, again putting Keane at the top of the UK Albums Chart while sales reached 2.2 million copies.  The band would have a second world tour in support of their sophomore album efforts, however the tour would be suspended briefly as Chaplin announced he had admitted himself to a clinic in efforts to help drug and alcohol problems.  In October 2007, Concert Live released a 9-CD set of every Keane live performance in the UK in October of '06, titled Live 06.

In 2008-09 the band would embark upon the recording of their third studio album, Perfect Symmetry, which would again take Keane to #1 on the UK Albums Chart.  They would follow this with an immediate world tour and the release of an 8-song EP entitled Night Train a few years later.  Night Train would again take Keane, for the fourth time, up to the top of the charts.

Keane finished work on its fourth full-length studio album, Strangeland, in early 2012 and performances were booked out of high-demand shortly thereafter.  Many shows in the Strangeland Tour sold out in minutes.

In catching up to modern day status for Keane, November 2013 saw the band release the album The Best of Keane, which was followed by a hiatus for the band.  Chaplin clarified things amongst the circling rumors, saying that the band wasn't splitting up, but was just "taking a bit of time out from being Keane" to have the opportunity to pursue other projects in their lives.

To read more about Keane, check out a few of the links below.  Don't forget to subscribe to The Keys To Rock in the box to the right to regularly hear about more great piano-rock bands!  You can also follow me on twitter @alecryanmusic to get information/notifications about future posts, and to hear what I have going on as a piano-rock artist!

Until next time,

Alec Ryan

http://www.keanemusic.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keane_(band)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keane_discography

Socratic

Welcome back to The Keys To Rock!

I hope you all enjoyed my last post about Something Corporate.  If you didn't get the chance to check it out, you can find it here.  I've got another solid piano-rock band coming to you, this time from the opposite coast. Socratic hails from New Jersey and brings a lot of fun to their light-hearted rock.  If you'd like to listen while you read, scroll down and check out the Spotify playlist I've included below.  And remember, if you love piano-rock music or love exploring new bands, you can subscribe by putting your email in the box to the right!  Without further ado...Socratic:

Socratic

In 1999, front man and guitarist Duane Okun, guitarist Kevin Bryan, keyboardist Vincent D'Amico, drummer Thomas Stratton, and bassist Adam Swider formed the five-piece piano-rock group Socratic in Linden, N.J.  Socratic is characterized by the fun-loving style found in both their lyrics and the feel of their songs.

Signing originally with No Milk Records, Socratic put out their first EP, It's Getting Late, in 2002.  No Milk Records, an independent record label based out of Jackson, New Jersey, had a lineup of mostly rock and piano-rock bands from New Jersey, and as such, naturally signed Socratic.

In really solidifying the free-spirited style that Socratic embodies, the band would release their first full-length album, Lunch For The Sky, in 2005 on Drive-Thru Records.  California's Drive-Thru Records played a large role in promoting the pop-punk/emo sound of the early 2000's.  If you read my last post on Something Corporate, you may remember that S.C. had also worked with Drive-Thru in the early 2000's.

In 2006, Socratic released Just Turn, a 5-track EP available for download on the band's social media profiles.  However, their next large release was their full-length album Spread The Rumors, released in 2008.  Produced by Mark Hoppus of blink-182, Spread The Rumors had a very melodic, upbeat style despite the lesser presence of the piano in comparison to previous albums.

I really think Socratic was just reaching their best sound in Spread The Rumors.  Their style had been refined and the album really packed a punch that mixed their punk/rock roots with poppy melodies that would easily get stuck in your head.  However, after Spread The Rumors, Socratic would remain fairly inactive in terms of music releases until 2012 when the band released their self-titled album Socratic.

Socratic, the band's final album release, really saw the band stray further away from their punk/rock roots, into a much more laid-back pop/rock oriented sound overall.  Having produced the full album themselves, Socratic also saw the band incorporating the piano back into their music more often.

I often find myself listening to music that goes deeper with its lyrics and is serious in nature, but sometimes a fun-loving style with light-hearted lyrics such as Socratic's is refreshing.  Though the members have each moved on to other projects in their lives, I definitely think they've made a great impression on the music scene.

To check out some more information about Socratic, its music, or its members, feel free to check out some links below.  Also don't forget to subscribe with the box to the right if you love hearing about piano-rock bands; and follow me on twitter @AlecRyanMusic if you're interested in seeing what I'm up to as a piano-rock artist in Iowa!

Until Next Time,

Alec Ryan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratic_(band)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drive-Thru_Records

http://socratic.bandcamp.com

Something Corporate

Welcome back to The Keys To Rock!

Thanks for coming back to check out our second piano-rock band, from Orange County, Something Corporate.  If you'd like to listen while you read, scroll down and check out the Spotify playlist I've included below.  And remember, if you love piano-rock music or love exploring new bands, you can subscribe by putting your email in the box to the right.

Something Corporate

Something Corporate, and more specifically their front-man and principle songwriter Andrew McMahon, have been very influential in my own style as a piano-rock artist.  Andrew McMahon's subsequent band, Jack's Mannequin, has been, perhaps, my sole biggest influence as an artist.  But, working in chronological order here, let's stick to the band that came first, the topic at hand, Something Corporate...

In 1998, just out of high school, front-man/vocalist/keyboardist, Andrew McMahon, along with drummer Brian Ireland, and bassist Kevin Page, formed Something Corporate.  Adding guitarists Josh Partington and Reuben Hernandez, S.C. would settle in as a five-piece.  In the fall of 2000, the band independently released a demo CD titled Ready...Break which was followed with an official member change as Hernandez was replaced (and the lineup consequently solidified) by guitarist William Tell.

In 2001, having formed their distinct piano-based alternative-rock-style sound, the band signed with MCA Records and Drive-Thru Records to release their EP Audioboxer.  The band would promote Audioboxer and its featured single, If You C Jordan, with nationwide tours.

In May 2002, S.C. released their first major label album, Leaving Through The Window, which contained two singles, I Woke Up In A Car and Punk Rock Princess, the latter of which reached #33 on the U.K. Singles Chart.  It surprises me that I Woke Up In A Car didn't break into the charts, since not only is it a personal favorite of mine, but it also appears to currently be their second most played song on such players as Spotify.  Leaving Through The Window, as a whole, would hit #1 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart as well as #101 on the Billboard 200.

In October 2003, the band's second full-length album, North, would debut at #24 on the Billboard 200, with its only single being Space, written by guitarist Partington.  A few months later, in February 2004, guitarist William Tell would leave the band to pursue solo work, just months before S.C. filmed their concert at Ventura Theater, which would shortly thereafter be released on DVD.  Here is S.C.'s performance of their song Konstantine from their live DVD, shot at Ventura Theater.



A hiatus followed, beginning in the summer of 2004. They promised the break would not be permanent, stating that they just wanted to reconnect with the life that originally spawned the band.  In 2006, Something Corporate would reunite to perform three songs as special guests on a show in Pomona, CA; and in 2010 the band would come together more extensively, releasing a greatest hits album titled Played in Space: The Best of Something Corporate, and following that up with a reunion tour.

Andrew McMahon, the face of piano-rock of the early 2000's, and his young five-piece band, Something Corporate, helped define a niche in the ever-evolving landscape that is the rock genre.  McMahon has been very influential and inspirational to me as an artist, and to many many others, I'm sure.

To read more about Something Corporate or Andrew McMahon and his career of musical endeavors, check out a few of the links below.  Don't forget to subscribe, via email, to The Keys To Rock, to regularly hear about more great piano-rock bands!  You can also follow me on twitter @alecryanmusic to get information/notifications about future posts, and to hear what I have going on as a piano-rock artist!

Until next time,

Alec Ryan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Something_Corporate#Studio_albums

http://www.andrewmcmahon.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_McMahon

https://myspace.com/soco

Ben Folds Five

Welcome to The Keys To Rock, everybody!

Thanks for stopping by to check out my first post!  If you're a fan of piano-rock music and you like what you find here, subscribe with the box to the right.  I've started this blog out of my personal love for piano-rock music.  As a piano-rock based songwriter and artist myself, hearing some of the bands you'll find in this blog has been very inspiring to me.  I would be a vastly different artist without influence from these bands.  But without further ado, let us dive in!

Ben Folds Five

   

In thinking about the true genre of piano-based rock, where else to begin than with Ben Folds Five.  If you'd like to listen while you read, I've created a Ben Folds Five Spotify playlist and embedded it below.

As a piano-rock based songwriter myself, Benjamin Folds (lead vocals, piano/keyboards, and principle songwriter of Ben Folds Five) has been one of my biggest influences.  Folds, along with bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee formed the piano-rock trio Ben Folds Five in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.   The three never brought an overly mainstream sound to their unique style of rock, which, in my mind, has shown that having a mainstream sound isn't the only way to find success.

Ben Folds has a vocal style that certainly doesn't scream well-trained-vocalist, but somehow his unique voice and wide range of lyric styles fit right in with the band's self-prescribed "punk rock for sissies" sound.

As Ben Folds Five began to find its sound in the early years, it released its first self-titled album, Ben Folds Five, in 1995.  Following was Whatever and Ever Amen, the band's sophomore album. This has always been a personal favorite of mine, having listened to it with my family on many cross country family vacations.  Folds' varying writing on this album features a pull-no-punches style of blunt lyricism and music that perfectly accompanies each lyrical mood, both qualities I admire in Folds' writing.  The album's most successful single, Brick, would reach #6 on US charts in '98.

Naked Baby Photos, an album containing a lot of odds-and-ends songs, was released early the following year.  One year later, the band released The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner which was ultimately a flop album, achieving little to no commercial success and receiving mostly average reviews. Folds has explained that this album really showed how naive the band was in thinking that the music industry would care about their most somber and musically sophisticated/different writing, though he thinks that the album contained some of their best work.

In October 2000, Ben Folds Five would break up.  Folds would then begin his string of six solo LP releases, as well as collaborations with a variety of well known artists.  Ben Folds Five reunited in 2011 and released their album The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind and would tour with that album in 2012.

As one of my all-time favorite bands, Ben Folds Five has already been a major influence for many piano-based rock artists, and I'm sure they will continue to be an influence to many generations to come.  As an artist, I like to think that true well-honed musicianship and the expression of one's truest emotions can help an artist find success.  Bands like Ben Folds Five give me hope that I may just be right.

For more extensive information about Ben Folds Five, or Ben Folds' solo artist work, check out the links below.

Thanks for reading my first post to my new blog The Keys To Rock! Don't forget to subscribe to The Keys To Rock by entering your email in the box to the right.  You can also follow me on twitter @alecryanmusic to get information about future posts, and to hear what I have coming up as a piano-rock artist!

Until next time,

Alec Ryan

http://www.benfolds.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Folds_Five

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Folds