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| photo: Brendan Walter |
Q: What made you come up with the idea for an acoustic tour?
The truth is, originally my plan was to do an expanded version of this tour. We started booking for something that would happen in the new year. Then we got that awesome opportunity to go and support AWOLNATION. I still had my heart set on doing it, so we found some markets that we weren’t going to be playing on that spring tour and decided to come out and do something before the holiday, try to set the mood and spread a little love before the madness of Christmas, Hanukkah and everything else came into view and I thought it would be fun to go out and play some shows because I’ve been off for awhile.
Q: Were you a bit apprehensive at first about being onstage by yourself for an entire show?
That’s part of what drew me to doing it in the first place. I’ve been doing shows like this, to some extent, on and off for the last couple years. I’ll do a radio show and it’ll just be me and the piano. A lot of times at the benefit gigs, I’ll do a night where I do just solo piano stuff.
Q: You’ll also be doing a gig in Big Bear. Are you a skier or snowboarder?
I do ski - how well is certainly left to interpretation. I do like to ski and if I can, plan to get on the mountain in the morning. I’m definitely gonna try. Originally, we were going to end the tour there, then we added a date right afterward. I was gonna try and sneak up there and take a weekend, but we’re pushing onto San Diego.
Q: Although "Upside Down Flowers" didn't get the attention that it deserved, with hindsight, are you satisfied with how it turned out from a creative standpoint?
It’s a really personal record and was a lot of fun to make. There wasn’t really a sense at any point in the creation of the writing or in the production of this painful thing that can often happen when you’re making records. It was a very free process. Certainly, I think there is a part of me that would’ve liked to have seen a little more happen around it. I think that’s just the way that some of these things go. I’ve been making records for a long time and every now and again you make one where you’re hoping it will get a little more attention that it does and you gotta keep moving.
I think there was a lot going on around the release of that record. It was the last album on my record contract. A lot of people that I worked with from the original label that signed me for the Wilderness project had all been fired or let go or moved on. I tend to find that’s the trickiest thing about creating in this business - a lot of times you sign contracts and the people that you loved that brought you into them, are no longer there and you’re still making music for whoever inherited it. I don’t put any blame on anybody. I just think those things happen. The songs are fun to play and I love getting onstage with them. I feel like the fans who have been with me for a long time got the record. I think that’s the most important thing, really.
Q: Are you still a big supporter of the album as a format, especially when so many acts are putting out EPs instead these days?
I think for me at this particular moment, I’m less concerned with the format and more concerned with trying to write great songs. I feel like I’m in the process of working right now and I’m having a blast working with so many cool and creative producers and artists. I find myself really inspired.
I make a point of not saying, this is me making a record,’ but ‘this is me going on my next musical adventure.’ Go into the studio and take chances and be bold and say things you feel need to be said. If that turns into a record when it’s all said and done, after a few months of that, I feel like there 9 or 10 songs that really belong together, then I’ll put it out as a record. But if it feels like ‘hey, these cohesive elements and 3 or 4 songs belong together,’ then I’ll do that. I think the beauty of the moment right now is that - when a record is really great, people celebrate it as a record. I’m trying to take the approach of ‘if you don't have a record’s worth of material that you think is all great and needs to be out, then release 3 or 4 and keep moving.’
I’ve always loved the album format. It’s hard. When it came to the last record for instance, there are songs from that record I could've put out months earlier and watching the way that music is consumed now, there is an argument to make against always taking the album format route. If you have great songs you want people to hear, sometimes if they’re buried as track 10 on a record, they might not see the light of day with a lot of music listeners. That part of it is sad to let songs go that you think are your best work and they don’t get the look that you want them to get.
Q: Was the process like making the last album with Butch Walker, someone who pretty much does it all?
It was awesome. I’ve always wanted to work with Butch. We met back in ‘05 when we were both working on Tommy Lee’s record together. I was doing the first Jack’s Mannequin album and the first time we met was in the most hysterical rock ‘n’ roll scene - in the Hollywood Hills, a private chef and Tommy Lee. I was like, ‘how did I end up in this room with these people?’ We kept tabs on each other and eventually in a strange twist of fate, I ended up being managed by Butch’s long time manager. When I started writing the songs for the record, I was really glad [my team thought] ‘we should bring this to Butch.’ We just had fun.
Q: How did the benefit concert last month in L.A. for your Dear Jack Foundation turn out? How is the charity doing in general?
We do more than fundraising through the benefit, like our annual giving challenge we do with fans where they build teams and raise money. We started those 3-4 years ago. That alone has raised over $1 million. This year, between the benefit show and giving challenge, we cleared around $400,000. It’s pretty remarkable. That’s a portion of what we do every year.
My fans are so engaged with the charity and that’s how it started. It is a big portion of what we bring in a year is through their shared giving and engaging with other fans and members of their community. It’s been remarkable to see the organization grow since it started. We've been around 13-14 years now. We’re at a place where I brought in this amazing staff one person at a time 5 years ago and since making that shift to full-time staff on board, the amount of people we’re reaching every year, through the programs we’re building through the foundation is pretty touching.
Q: What have been your highlights of the year?
I’ll give you my professional and personal [ones] - On the professional side, I was given the opportunity to score “Soundtrack,” a TV show for Netflix this summer and I kind of went into hiding. Worked with a close friend of mine, Morgan Kibby [White Sea, M83]. She’s been doing a lot of composing and I brought her in when I got this opportunity. I had to learn on the job, working with a major studio and a pretty heavy hitting cast of players to score this TV show.
“Smash,” the show that I had written a bunch of music for on NBC, the showrunner for that show, asked if I would be interested in scoring this and that’s how I got involved. That was major. My daughter started Kindergarten this year. That was amazing. Seeing her turn into this full fledged little kid has been pretty cool. Also, while I was home this summer, I hired a coach and I’ve been learning to surf for the past 6-8 months. The personal highlight was getting to be home for a rare summer in California and say I’m going to try and push myself to learn new things. The surfing thing was big for me.
dearjackfoundation.org
andrewmcmahon.com
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