Formerly known as the front man for Something Corporate, a West Coast punk-pop quintet that garnered a modest following during the early 2000s, Andrew McMahon is also the piano-playing songwriter behind Jack's Mannequin. The primary impulse behind McMahon's solo project Jack's Mannequin was a song he recorded in December 2000 titled "Locked Doors". He felt the song was too different from previous Something Corporate material to be one of their songs. He realized that if he ever decided to release it, it would be on a solo album rather than a Something Corporate record.
Utilizing the talents of numerous friends and collaborators (including Mötley Crüe percussionist Tommy Lee), McMahon began work on the collective's debut following Something Corporate's hiatus in 2004. The resulting Everything in Transit, a sunny pop/rock "concept album exploring his alienating return to the hometown he left to pursue his music," was released on Maverick Records in August 2005 to a positive critical response. Fans also approved of McMahon's new sound, and Everything in Transit debuted at number 37 on the Billboard album charts. However, a supporting summer tour was cancelled after McMahon was diagnosed with Acute Lymphatic Leukemia that same summer. He underwent a successful bone marrow transplant from his sister (for whom Something Corporate briefly reunited to record the song "Katie") and embarked on the longVideos