Andrew McMahon Gives a Glimpse of Tour Life, His Memoir and New Music

All photos by Mandi Bosse (for Off Record Blog)

After his set in Austin’s Stubbs Amphitheatre, Andrew McMahon talks with Off Record Blog about the current tour with Dashboard Confessional, beginnings with Jack’s Mannequin / Something Corporate, and new music in the works.

Andrew McMahon has been in the game for a long time – whether you know him from alternative groups like Something Corporate or Jack’s Mannequin, or from his solo project Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, you know about his strong passion for music. His overall musical journey can be noted in his first memoir called Three Pianos, which was released in late 2021. Off Record Blog was able to chat with McMahon after he took the stage at Stubbs in Austin.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions for the Off Record Blog! We are huge fans of this project – we know that you’ve been making music for a while now, including bands like Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin. What’s the ride been like?

Andrew McMahon (AM): It’s been wild to say the least. Making music is all I’ve ever wanted to do and the fact that I’ve been able to for so many years with so many talented collaborators is truly a gift. Speaking candidly though, like any good ride there are tremendous highs and lows. With every project over the years there have been those moments where I’ve looked around and thought “this can’t be real, this is the dream I had when I was 9 and started writing songs”. But of course there is the other side of that coin too. Record companies dropping the ball or losing interest in my projects, bands imploding, fear of failure, relationships tested, months and sometimes years where I didn’t believe in myself and making music was a struggle. I’m an optimist by nature and in the darkest moments I’ve been lucky to find my way out, almost always through a song. I’m a lot more level now than I was as a kid. Being 18 and making records is a lot different than it is at 39. I’ve learned a lot about my craft and the business. While the success of whatever I’m currently working on is still a factor in how I see myself and my place in the world, I have a life outside of music now – a family and close friends that keep me stable. I put a lot of energy into that side of my life and it makes it possible to weather the constantly shifting nature of the entertainment business. 

Along with your many works, you’ve been a featured artist on multiple singles, most notably with Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine earlier this year. How do those features come to be?

AM:  Usually, it’s just people reaching out. In the case of Tom we have a friend in common who played Tom some of my music and he got excited to work together. Honestly, I was beside myself- as a kid, I grew up blasting rage in my car daily and never in a million years could you have convinced me that one day I’d collaborate with Tom Morello. How cool is that?

You’ve most recently released a video for your track “Stars,” which includes a wide variety of animated elements. What was the inspiration behind the video and what were you trying to convey? 

AM: I wanted the video to feel like the song. Celestial and dreamlike. Stars is a love song – but when you have been with someone as long as I have, love is something deeper and deserving of a word I’ve yet to find in the English language- It’s a complex world of memories, successes and heartbreaks and you carry it some days like a stone but most days like a sail and a rudder. I think of the video as a journey through the beautiful and sometimes painful corners of a bond that has sustained me for more than half of my life. 

You are currently on tour with another well-known alternative artist Dashboard Confessional. Since the bands have been around for a while now, what kinds of elements of nostalgia do you attempt to bring fans? 

AM: I’m a sucker for nostalgia but historically I’ve been wary of leaning too hard into touring that relies heavily on it as a strategy. I’ve kept reunion and album anniversary engagements pretty limited and always worked hard to earn a seat at the table of modern music with whatever I create. Admittedly though, I threw that ethos out the window this summer. There was just something that felt so right about me and Chris getting on the road together at this moment and for me to play songs from my catalog that haven’t always made the set list. Maybe I’ve reached a place in my life where I see the past a little clearer and have come to truly appreciate all I created in the whirlwind of my youth… but I also had this feeling, that with everything the world has been through these past few years, there would be something beautiful about creating a space for both myself and the fans to access the music and more importantly the memories of a time that felt simpler. 

Besides music, you’ve also been busy with other things such as writing your first memoir called “Three Pianos.” According to the book’s description, your memoir focuses on your challenges/triumphs seen through your lens and “personal connection to three pianos.” What inspired your narrative and why did you choose to tell your story in such a way?

AM: The whole thing was accidental. I’ve been asked over the years by a handful of publishers to write a memoir – mostly in the years following my cancer. There was so much more to my life than my disease and leaning into it further at the time felt indulgent and frankly a bit exploitative. In hindsight,  I’m not sure I knew myself well enough at that moment either. There was too much I hadn’t unpacked and really taken stock of. Then in the summer of 2019 my parents were moving and considering selling the piano I had grown up playing and it struck a very deep nerve in me. It sounds dramatic but it felt like some essential piece of me was about to be torn away and lost forever. I was in an airport on the way to a gig and processing the potential loss and found myself writing an essay in which that old piano appeared as a friend and confidant rather than a piece of musical furniture. The bond was that deep and it reminded me how I’d moved through the world telling stories and my most treasured pianos had seen me through that wild and beautiful journey. When I finished the essay I knew instantly that I had found the vehicle for the narrative. The piano never got sold thankfully. 

Ending this fun little Q&A, what can fans expect from your upcoming fourth album? Is there anything else you want to tell our readers about it?

AM: I think this album is one of the most sonically adventurous and free pieces of music I’ve ever made. It’s been a minute since I’ve put out new music and knowing this would be released some time in my 40th year on this earth, I threw everything at it. I wanted the songs to reflect where I’ve been and what I’ve learned, but it was important that they felt light on their feet. I’ve been through a lot, but I get to live my dream and I wanted each song on this album to sparkle with the depth of my experiences and the feeling of hope that has sustained me. 

(fun little question to wrap up) What’s your favorite spot in Austin and why?

AM: I’ll always have a soft spot for true blue tattoo. Most of my early tattoos were done there and I’m reminded daily of my craziest days on the road when I look down at the art on my arms.