Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness – Upside Down Flowers Tour

Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness – Upside Down Flowers Tour

Lauded for creating emotive, astute rock with his L.A.-based bands Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin, a sea change occurred for prolific pianist-performer Andrew McMahon around 2014. The old-school model of the music biz had collapsed, allowing McMahon freedom, but a wealth of open doors also brought pressure. McMahon was truly operating In the Wilderness. It was an apt descriptor for a beauty and wildness that was at once terrifying and freeing. As McMahon walked through his creative open door, he wondered, “What does me making music 14, 15 years into my career look like?” His answer: “It was about incubating my creative process with a handful of trusted people, for a journey and end result that’s spiritually fulfilling and a purely artistic endeavor, not a commodity.”

On tour, as in life, McMahon looks forward to onward and upward. He won’t leave the past behind entirely, though, noting with a laugh that his longtime band is “effectively just Jack’s Mannequin with one extra guy, which is sort of hysterical.” However, “in recent years, I’ve tried to keep the studio and the road separate in an effort to keep them both pure,” he explains, “which I find keeps those relationships strong.” While some Jack’s Mannequin and Something Corporate songs will be in his live set, McMahon is also “making a point not to make it a pure nostalgia fest, and to really lean on the new material and keep people coming for the new stuff.” When the armor falls away and the rug is pulled out, you’re left In the Wilderness. Some may crumble or fall. But not McMahon. He writes his way in—and out—of life, with Upside Down Flowers as a strong musical and lyrical statement about that journey.

Head to The Paramount's website for tickets and additional info.