Jack's Mannequin - Drop Out - The So Unknown @ The Viper Room, Los Angeles (10.10.08)

Jack's Mannequin performing "Drop Out - The So Unknown" from their second full-length studio album The Glass Passenger (Sire Records, 2008).

Jack's Mannequin - Bloodshot (acoustic) Live in Cities 97 Studio C November 10, 2008

Jack's Mannequin performs an acoustic version of Bloodshot from their 2nd full-length album The Glass Passenger (Sire Records, 2008).

Jack's Mannequin - Bloodshot - Live in Studio C from Cities 97 Radio on Vimeo.

Something Corporate - Audioboxer EP

Something Corporate - Audioboxer EP

(Hurricane) The Formal Weather Pattern

iF yoU C Jordan

Punk Rock Princess

Bad Days

Little

Walking By

Produced by: Jim Wirt

Drive Thru Records (2001)

The Audioboxer EP was Something Corporate's first release on Drive Thru after being signed in early 2001. The EP features the first releases of "(Hurricane) The Formal Weather Pattern"; "iF yoU C Jordan", and "Punk Rock Princess"--all of which were rerecorded for Leaving Through The Window (Drive Thru, 2002). "Little" and "Walking By" were also rereleased on the band's debut album; but only as bonus tracks on the UK/Japan pressings.

"(Hurricane) The Formal Weather Pattern", was written by Partington during an oceanography class (which he claims nobody ever went to) and was originally selected to be the EP's single. However, the band decided to go with "iF yoU C Jordan" out of respect to their fans' unprecedented love for it. "Jordan", peaking at #29 on the Alternative Songs chart, remains the band's highest charting single.

The remaining five songs on the EP are credited to McMahon-- the band's primary lyricist. He actually refers to "Walking By" in the second verse of "Into The Airwaves"; the final track on his solo project, Jack's Mannequin's debut release: Everything In Transit (Maverick Records, 2005). He states, "from the corner by the studio, the gold-soaked afternoon comes slow. I deconstruct my thoughts and I am, walking by." In the chorus of "Walking By", McMahon also references the Cheshire Cat; presumably the one from Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland: "so why do you leave these stories unfinished, my cheshire cat doorstop with tears in your eyes." In an interview series called "Under The Skin," he describes a tattoo that he wants to get of the Cheshire Cat preaching to Alice: "if you knew what I do of time, you wouldn't talk of wasting it." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tnxl7b0t6o)

Although McMahon has yet to publicly detail the influences behind "Walking By", it is my personal interpretation that the lyrics "and these nights I get high just from breathing. When I lie here with you I'm sure that I'm real like the fireworks over the freeway" refer to Disneyland's extravagant firework show, which can be seen from the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5). I say this because Something Corporate is from Orange County, California and frequently played the circuit of small venues in the surrounding area (ie. Chain Reaction, House of Blues, The Grove).

"Punk Rock Princess" is the revised version of the piano ballad "Heroine"--featured on the band's Galaxy Sessions (2001).

"Little" is featured in the closing credits of Something Corporate's 2nd dvd: "Live at the Ventura Theater (Drive Thru/Geffen, 2004)

Something Corporate is:

Andrew McMahon (piano, b3, vocals)

William Tell (guitar)

Josh Partington (guitar)

Kevin "Clutch" Page (bass)

Brian Ireland (drums)

Something Corporate (1998 - 2006)