Jack's Mannequin

Jack's Mannequin

Jack’s Mannequin is an American piano rock and alternative rock group from Orange County, California, active from 2004 to 2012. The project begins as a side project for Andrew McMahon, the vocalist, pianist and principal songwriter of Something Corporate, and later becomes his main focus. The line-up includes McMahon alongside Bobby “Raw” Anderson, Tommy Lee and Jonathan Sullivan, and the group records for Maverick.

Formation and name

The band name comes from McMahon’s song “Dear Jack”, which he writes about a friend whose brother is diagnosed with childhood leukemia. An early creative starting point for the project is “Locked Doors”, a song McMahon records in December 2003 and feels is too different from Something Corporate material to fit that band. After Something Corporate takes a break from touring in late summer 2004, McMahon starts writing and recording songs that are more personal and separate from his previous group’s work.

Early recordings and live debut

McMahon records the early material with producer Jim Wirt, who adds guitar and bass over sampled drum tracks while McMahon performs vocals and piano. Additional musicians are later brought in, including Bobby Anderson, formerly of River City High, and Tommy Lee. By the time of the first live performance in March 2005 at Molly Malone’s Irish pub in Los Angeles, the band also includes Jon Sullivan on bass, Jacques Brautbar on guitar and Jay McMillan on drums.

Albums and releases

Jack’s Mannequin’s debut album, Everything in Transit, is released in 2005 and enters the Billboard 200 at number 37. The record is well received by fans and critics. A planned summer tour to support it is cancelled after McMahon is diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and has a bone marrow transplant.

The second album, The Glass Passenger, is released in 2008 and is the band’s first album for Sire Records. It follows several delays from an earlier planned release date and debuts at number 8 on the Billboard 200. Before the album appears, the iTunes-only The Ghost Overground EP is issued to promote it, with “The Resolution”, “Bloodshot” and two live versions of songs from Everything in Transit. “The Resolution” then reaches number one on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart.

The third album, People and Things, appears in 2011. Its first single is “My Racing Thoughts”.

Activity and later development

McMahon is diagnosed with leukemia on 1 June 2005, and the band’s plans are affected by his treatment. Recording for the second album begins in the summer of 2007, and in 2007 and 2008 several songs from the follow-up are performed live, including “Cellular Phone”, “Caves” and “Suicide Blonde”. In 2008 McMahon appears on the cover of Alternative Press with an interview inside. In 2012 the Jack’s Mannequin name is retired and McMahon moves on to solo work, which later continues as Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness.