Andrew McMahon, previously the frontman of the bands Jack’s Mannequin and Something Corporate, has begun a new self-focused project. On Nov. 7, his new band, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, performed at Ram’s Head, Live! in the Inner Harbor, with opening acts by Junior Prom and Hunter Hunted.
Junior Prom consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Mark Solomich and drummer Erik Ratensperger. The band was energetic and performed well, conveying the same 1980’s nostalgia on stage as they do in their hit single “Sheila Put the Knife Down.” Although many of their songs were unfamiliar to the audience, their stage presence had everyone excited about the rest of the show.
Hunter Hunted was formed by keyboardist Michael Garner and guitarist Dan Chang after the dissolution of their old band, Lady Danville. Now, with more members and more synthetic beats, the band has a higher production value and more of a pop sound than Lady Danville did.
With a violinist and a pianist, as well as the drummer, electric guitarist and synthesizer, the band put a classical twist on the pop music to which we’ve become accustomed. Their music, including single “Keep Together,” is reminiscent of lazy, carefree and youthful summers.
As Hunter Hunted left the stage and the crew began to dismantle and remove their instruments, the audience’s anticipation was nearly tangible. Then, three guys dressed all in black rolled out McMahon’s piano. The audience erupted in cheers and applause.
Through each incarnation of McMahon’s musical career, two things have always been constant: his smooth voice and his brown, baby grand piano. And it wasn’t long before McMahon himself came out to play it.
Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness is the first band that is primarily a platform for McMahon to display his solo work. Although he tours with a drummer, a guitarist and a bass player, the self-titled album is billed as his first real solo release — a nice break for him after nearly 10 years being part of a band.
Friday’s set list was the perfect mix of the guitar-heavy, indie-rock of McMahon’s past bands as well as the indie-pop sound he has now. Along with current hits like “Cecilia and the Satellite” and “High Dive,” McMahon played Jack’s Mannequin’s most popular song, “Dark Blue.”
When he abandoned the piano to explore the stage, the screaming of the audience seemed to only energize him more.
Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness is a perfect culmination of everything that McMahon has created as an artist. It combines his classical piano with new pop beats, but the meanings behind his songs are still just as relevant and as emotional as they have always been.
McMahon wrote the song “Rainy Girl” for his daughter before she was born. The song expresses how excited he is to meet her, and he played it acoustically, with only his voice and his piano, giving the song a much greater emotional impact live.
McMahon closed with the song “Synesthesia” from his little-known EP The Pop Underground. The song is very bouncy and energetic and is a perfect finale to a wonderful show full of nostalgia as well as new songs.
Fans of Andrew McMahon’s past and current work should check out the performer in his upcoming shows. While he isn’t headed to Baltimore anytime soon, the newly solo artist is heading soon to the East Coast, appearing in New York on Nov. 12 and Philadelphia on Nov. 14. If you can’t make it to any of these out-of-state performances, look out for his next Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness release!
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