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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.
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.
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
