Jack’s Mannequin have announced a replacement for bassist Jon Sullivan, who left the band in September.
In a blog post, frontman Andrew McMahon revealed that:
Mikey “The Kid” Wagner will take over bass duties as the band record their new album. He said, “Searching for a new band member is no easy task, especially when you’ve been as lucky as I have to share the stage with players who have always been good friends first and foremost. When we found ourselves putting auditions together the list was long on talent but short on a connection back to that idea of an initial chemistry. Rewind a few months to Bob and Jay looking for a bass player to join them for future Bikelock shows. A friend from sound city where we’ve recorded for many years, suggested his roommate, Mike, sit in with them. As we got closer to bringing people into Jam, Bob mentioned this “kid”, they had join them for a rehearsal. He said they really loved playing with him, adding that he was a great singer, so we put him on the list to try out. On the audition days Bob commented a few times that he was looking forward to seeing how Mike stacked up to the guys we were playing with, most of the time referring to him simply as “The Kid”. Needless to say playing with Mike felt really natural and we asked him to join us for the upcoming gigs, nickname and all. Through the first couple of shows we’ve played together as well as the time we’ve spent in and out of rehearsals we’ve really come to enjoy having him as a part of the band. The fact that he has a pet pig would be reason enough to afford him some respect, but he’s also an intelligent, gentle kind of guy that is very pleasant to have around, not to mention he throws a pretty radical house party. “Kid” may be a bit of a stretch being that he’s 24, but somehow it seemed to fit. One way or another we think you all are going to enjoy what he brings to Jack’s Mannequin and look forward to seeing you on the road.”Jack’s Mannequin have announced a replacement for bassist Jon Sullivan, who left the band in September.