Jack's Mannequin = screaming girls

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The Southern Cali quartet, Jack’s Mannequin, hit up the social on Friday for a sold-out show complete with screaming girls, sing-alongs and emo-pop gusto bursting at the seams.

This side project of Something Corporate’s Andrew McMahon is packing clubs tighter than a college kid’s car on fall semester move-in day.

Before Jack’s Mannequin took the stage, attendees rocked out to Treaty of Paris. This band, which dons the name of a historical agreement that ended the Seven Years’ War, is like a hybrid of the Strokes and the Jonas Brothers. They are musically inclined, dusted in a cloud of thrift-store chic and wear the metaphorical shoes of both bubblegum poppers and indie rockers.

The kazoo was even broken out on the closing of their track “New Improved.” Fans let out a cheer for the childlike humming buzz, but probably only because they were buzzed.

“Rollerskates,” a cheery tune about enjoying a beautiful day outdoors, sounded like it could have been heard on the Disney Channel. Then Treaty of Paris dropped the F-bomb and extinguished all possibility of them making a cameo in High School Musical 3.

Next, solo soul man, Eric Hutchinson brought the keyboard chord combos that just make you want to groove like no one is watching. Sporting a sweater vest and tie, he looked like the captain of the chess club sprinkled with Motown bravado. Exuding candid, energetic stage presence he opened with “Food Chain” — a toe-tapping song whose chorus was reminiscent of a male Sara Bareilles.

 “Oh,” a jazzy number, came equipped with thought-provoking lyrics like “Riding the subway with the scent of her hair/She took out a toothbrush started using it there/She explained ‘I’m always sure today's the day I will die/I wanna look good if I get to look God in the eye’…”

Stepping away from the keyboard and strapping on a guitar, Hutchinson jumped into “You Don’t Have To Believe Me.” This funkafied tune could have easily been performed by Stevie Wonder or the late James Brown.  That “Get on up” vibe was paired with comedic sensibility when Hutchinson did his best impression of Cher taking on one of his songs with an added techno-like drum beat.

In the vein of Gavin DeGraw, but possessing way more wit and originality, Hutchinson is a burgeoning artist void of artificial flavoring. By far, this Maryland musician was the owner of the most impressive vocal tone of the evening.

Jack’s Mannequin were welcomed onstage by high pitch screams. The band jumped into “Crashing,”a song that gave McMahon plenty of opportunities to dramatically pivot from sitting to standing, all while forcefully holding down piano keys.

They segwayed into “Annie Use Your Telescope,” a whimsical ballad about never losing touch with a loved one. The imagery of a girl using an instrument meant for star gazing to keep track of a beau was insightful.

Enthused fans held up lit cells and sang along loudly to favorites like “American Love,” “Dark Blue,” “Swim,” “The Mixed Tape” and the seductively smooth “What Gets You Off”—a song with breathy vocals and lyrics that may have induced a blush or two: “That black designer dress looks better underneath our feet…”

“The Resolution,” a hit that has been making its way up the TRL countdown, got the biggest response of the night. This piano-infused battle cry of self-preservation has resonated with teens and twenty-somethings alike. The genuineness was palpable when McMahon, a rocker who beat Leukemia’s butt, belted out: “And I'm alive/And I don't need a witness /To know that I survived…”

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