Concert Review: Jack's Mannequin w/ Lady Danville

California based groups Jack's Mannequin and Lady Danville have been spending a lot of time out on the road together hitting several tour stops. I was fortunate enough to see these groups perform at Headliners Music Hall in Louisville Kentucky just this past week.

This show marked the first time I had ever been to Headliners Music Hall for a show and it was also the first time I have ever seen anyone play a percussion cymbal with his hands. From what I could tell, the drummer Matthew Frankel also used his hands on the cajon he was sitting on, snare, and tom drum as he provided the back beat for the trio Lady Danville. Coming in to the show I was vaguely familiar with the groups music. I had even thought about sharing some of their free music tracks on this site before because I like their sound.

Instrumentally the group has a guitar, piano, and percussion lineup but the sound I am referring to is largely centered around the groups ever present three-part harmony. The instruments really play a reserve role in this group and their vocal mesh carries the weight throughout each song. A good example of this comes from the song I enjoy most from these guys titled "Tired Magician", which can be downloaded for free using the link at the bottom of the post. The friends that I attended the show with really enjoyed Lady Danville's set so I believe it's safe to assume these guys gained some new fans that night. Check out this bands TOUR BLOG for more information and pictures from touring on the road.

As for Jack's Mannequins performance, what can I really say. I am incredibly partial to this group considering that Andrew McMahon is my favorite music artist. These guys can rock you to a frenzy or serenade you to a somber silence at the change of a note. If you are a fan of Jack's Mannequin then you probably know that it is something special to see them perform live. Andrew McMahon's stage presence is what gets me going as he plays the keys to the crowd in a stand up/sit down fashion while singing into one of three different mic's. The highlight of the show is almost always during one of the groups high energy rock songs where Andrew will start off with his patented samba shake and then end the song on top of the piano crushing the keys with his feet.

The night was really capped off right as Jack's Mannequin played "La La Lie" and the guys from Lady Danville joined them on stage for the last chorus. Then just a few minutes later, the band came back for the encore to play 2 of the groups fan-favorite songs with "Swim" and "Dark Blue". Unfortunately I do not have any free music from Jack's but if you pre-order their upcoming album "People and Things" you get an immediate free download of "My Racing Thoughts" and "Amy I".

Links:
Free Download: 2 Songs from Lady Danville
Pre Order - Jack's Mannequin: People and Things