As Jack’s Mannequin tour launches in L.A., Andrew McMahon sketches a musical future

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Okay, so listening back to my first album as Jack’s Mannequin, “Everything In Transit,” is… tough. It was 2005, and honestly, it makes me cringe a little now! It’s a concept album built around a really rough breakup, and the irony is, that woman eventually became my wife, Kelly Hansch. We’ve been married since 2006, so revisiting those songs is… a whole experience, let me tell you.

Looking back at his first album after his band Something Corporate broke up, McMahon says he finds it both amusing and cringeworthy. ‘There are funny moments when I read the lyrics – lyrics I still love,’ he explains over Zoom, ‘but I also think, ‘Wow, I was so naive back then!”

It took Andrew McMahon time and self-reflection to look back on his album “Everything In Transit” – and its popular songs like “Holiday From Real” and “The Mixed Tape” – with fondness rather than worry. This personal growth led him to happily celebrate the album’s 20th anniversary. On October 11th, he’ll hit the road again with the reunited Jack’s Mannequin – featuring Bobby Anderson, Jay McMillan, and Mikey Wagner – for the second part of their MFEO (Made For Each Other) tour. They’ll be performing songs from “Everything In Transit,” as well as their later albums, “The Glass Passenger” (2008) and “People And Things” (2011).

I was able to move forward because I took the time – with the help of therapy – to forgive myself for my past actions,” McMahon explains. “My twenties were a time of learning through mistakes, figuring out who I was and what I wanted in life. It can be humbling to admit those struggles out loud.

Adding to the significance of this anniversary is a challenging chapter from McMahon’s past, one he never anticipated being linked to his music. In 2005, the day he finished recording “Everything In Transit,” he was hospitalized with a persistent sore throat and exhaustion. He was quickly diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia and began chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Fortunately, a few months later, as the album was released, he received a successful stem cell transplant from his sister and was declared cancer-free. The following year, in 2006, McMahon established the Dear Jack Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting teenagers and young adults battling cancer. One dollar from every MFEO ticket sold will be donated to this foundation.

Although McMahon’s cancer experience wasn’t long, it deeply affected him even after he recovered. He dove headfirst into the rockstar lifestyle – excessive partying and drinking – as a way to convince himself that he hadn’t changed. He admits he was in denial about the impact of his diagnosis. He spent years trying to prove he could still live as wildly as he did before getting sick, believing it would somehow show he was okay. Eventually, this took a heavy toll and contributed to the band’s eventual decline.

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Jack’s Mannequin ended in 2012, and Andrew McMahon continued making music under the name Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness. While he sometimes played Jack’s Mannequin songs during concerts, he didn’t fully return to that project until the 10th anniversary of their debut album, “Everything In Transit,” in 2015. That anniversary was celebrated with a 10-city tour where the band played the album in its entirety for the first time. This current tour, however, feels different to McMahon. He sees it as a natural progression of embracing all his music, from his early work with Something Corporate to his present-day projects. He explains, “I finished a Wilderness tour in 2023, brought out the Something Corporate guys for a surprise set, and that made me want to reunite the band. Then, it just felt right to explore my musical history now that I’m settled.”

Adding to the excitement of the Jack’s Mannequin reunion is the surprise EP, “Everything In Transit: Strings Attached.” This release features stripped-down, acoustic versions of five songs from the original album, enhanced by orchestral strings played by Allie Stamler. Andrew McMahon describes the recording sessions as experimental and atmospheric. He and longtime collaborator, producer Suzy Shinn, worked in her home studio, reimagining the songs and only keeping the versions that felt genuinely joyful. The process was similar to how they originally recorded ‘Transit’ – focusing on a relaxed, creative approach and prioritizing enjoyment.

Revisiting older songs has inspired McMahon to consider new possibilities for future performances. He envisions shows featuring orchestras or string quartets, building on the unique atmosphere he’s created with recent tours like Wilderness, Something Corporate, and Jack’s Mannequin. He enjoys the freedom to experiment at this stage in his career, finding common threads between his different projects and reinventing classic songs for live audiences. He’s excited about the idea of taking these fresh arrangements on the road.

Performing songs from his entire career – including his work with Something Corporate and Wilderness – has been a really positive experience for McMahon. He realized a few years ago that revisiting his past music was the key to figuring out his future. Seeing this plan come together after years of effort has been incredibly satisfying. He finds freedom in not knowing what’s next, explaining that the goal was to understand where he’s been so he could then decide where he wants to go.

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2025-10-07 22:31