J. Mann

December 22nd marked the five-year anniversary of Joe Strummer's death, and I didn't see it mentioned ANYWHERE, which is surprising. And sad. For many of my friends, Strummer's death was like our JFK-shooting--we remember where we were when the news came in. My ol' friend J. Mann wrote an awesome song about that day called "Strummer." Really, you should buy his album--it's available on Zunior.com--sample How to be an Ambivalent Negotiator. 'Night Joe. - The Coast, Canada

This album kicks off with the oddest ever Christmas song, in which the protagonist-vocalist finds himself stressed out over the death of Joe Strummer. Imagine that on the latest festive compilation. I wish. This collection of songs starts out in such a strange place that it can only travel in yet stranger directions. That said, this is fairly regular, but very tight guitar pop that finds its legs somewhere between American garage and Britpop. The J Mann sound is where Smashing Pumpkins meet Supergrass, but the album’s identity is all it’s own. And while it definitely ‘rocks’, there are some great slices of popcraft on offer: ‘Three Hot Potatoes’, the excellent ‘Slipping into Debt’ (featuring raw vocals from Miranda Jelicie) and the Modern Lovers-style groove of ‘All You Can Do’. The most essential track is ‘One-horse Town’ which relates a quite horrifically bad road trip over a wonderfully languid desert of a tune and features a brilliant set of Dylan-esque vocals from Sarah Davison.
Elton Townend Jones - Herts & Essex Music, UK

Translated from Catalan. Article in full can be found at:
http://www.middleoftheroadrecords.com/jmpressmondosonorofeb08.htm

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In some way, J. Mann was predestined to live in Catalonia. My father lived in GeordieLand in England, and even though my name was Jordan, he always called me 'Jordi'. When I came for the first time to Barcelona and heard everyone saying 'Jordi', I thought: 'Wow! This is my place!'. Then, when I finally moved here, and introduced myself as 'Jordi', people said to me: 'Jordi? How it can be, you're not from Catalonia...it's impossible.'

Jordan Mitchell explains these anecdotes with a half voice broken that reinforces the comedy of his existence. In choosing his pseudonym, he thought a bit of J. Mascis and the author Thomas Mann, although he remembers, amusingly, that he was looking for a change from his former name, 'Man with a Van,' which was in honour of a Volkswagen van. He released his first disk in 1996, "Nimbu Hari Kameez," and since then the music has not stopped, musically and physically speaking. "I arrived in Barcelona with my fourth album, 'Walk Left, Stand Right', and almost immediately formed a new band, The Customers," with whom he recorded a pair of EPs.

{Continues} - Mondo Sonoro, Spain

J. Mann got his musical start in London, England, playing at the famed Gorge, behind Andy's guitar shop on Denmark Street. After his return to Canada with many shows culminating in London, Ontario, this reviewer’s hometown, he went on to assemble a three-piece and created Middle of the Road Records as a podium to mail out his cassette tapes and demo CDs.

J. Mann continued solo and released a series of independent recordings such as the full length Nimbu Hari Kameez, and the 7-inch single Knight of Endless Humiliation. The latter received kudos from Toronto to Stockholm and encouraged J. Mann to start touring the Americas in search of new audiences and sounds. His travels took him to Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Cuba, Argentina and Uruguay.

While promoting Too Much Theatre, J. Mann reunited with his former band mates to start what would become the two-and-a-half year process of recording, How to be an Ambivalent Negotiator.

J. Mann destined to achieve varied and distinct sounds and invited contributions from local musicians such as Guillermo Martorell (Mr. Hubba), Richie Alvarez Cals (Holland Park, Brazzaville) and members of the Peter Loveday band (along with Peter himself). His opening track “Strummer” is a story of Xmas eve and death, flowed by a series of original and entertaining tunes, like “Wellington does Mathematics” with a fast punk like pace. My favorite is “Dear Abbey,” which is a little bit of troubadour magic. - Lipstik, Canada

Bajo el pseudónimo de J. Mann, Jordan Mitchell, un peculiar canadiense que ha echado raíces en España, ha publicado su segundo álbum: How To Be An Ambivalent Negotiator. En él, con la colaboración de varios amigos y ex-compañeros de The Costumers, ha logrado mezclar -que no agitar- pop y folk independiente a partes iguales. Y como resultado tenemos un cocktail que suena de maravilla. Una pieza única de un autor realmente diferente.

Tres años han tenido que pasar en diversos estudios y casas de amigos, para que el álbum cogiese forma. En él, además, han participado hasta doce músicos aportando el sonido de diversos instrumentos, como órganos u otros más propios del country y otras músicas tradicionales americanas como banjos y slide guitars. Tras este tiempo, How To Be An Ambivalent Negotiator se mezcló y masterizó en Canadá, país natal de Mitchell. Será por la variedad de propuestas, por una peculiar visión de la música independiente o por lo qué sea, pero este álbum suena único, autentico y fascinante.

J. Mann, como su segundo larga duración, es diferente, y así nos lo hace ver en su nota de prensa promocional donde asegura que quiere “renunciar a un trabajo bueno y estable como es la música por la inestabilidad de la vida corporativa”. Además, el singular autor afirma que “la música independiente ha sido buena para mi (…), pero siento que no estoy vivo. Me siento como un robot. Siempre he estado atraído por el esplendor de los bloques de oficinas (…). Necesito encontrar la imagen guarra y guay de un trepador corporativo”. Sea como fuere, no sabemos si J. Mann volverá a componer o se dedicará a pleno rendimiento a los negocios, lo que si sabemos es que nos deja un legado, por lo menos, bastante atractivo. Sobre todo este segundo álbum, plagado de buenas ideas y grandes canciones ("Strummer", "Slipping Into Debt" o "Ambivalent Negotiator") a pesar de una producción más bien mísera y escasa de recursos. Por otro lado, J. Mann no es un prodigio cantando y eso se nota en algunos cortes que exigen otro intérprete más adecuado.

Poco más hay que decir de un disco original y auténtico -que no es poco- de un artista desigual que aboga por la grandeza de la vida corporativa (“es mucho más atrevida que cualquier bolo de rock n’ roll que he visto”) y reniega de la música independiente y “su vida reprimida, con noches aburridas y falta de acción. - Supernovapop, Spain

We had the good fortune of catching J. Mann at the Free Times Cafe last night. It was his first Toronto gig since last year's NXNE showcase. Live appearances are rare -- the Canadian singer-songwriter now resides much of the year in Barcelona, Spain.

Though he may not be local, J. Mann is still very supportive of the Canadian scene. In far-off Spain, he runs a small record label, Middle of the Road Records, populated mostly by Canadian talent. And his own recordings are available exclusively on Zunior, Canada's first pay-for-download site for independent artists.

He's been making music for over a decade now, originally emerging from the uber-hip London, Ontario music scene of the mid-'90's under the name Man with a Van. (Back when name-dropping Popaphile or Prozac Blue was a clear indicator of cool.)

Last night's live show was a stripped-down affair. J. Mann played acoustic guitar while singing through an old telephone microphone. For one song, he employed a looping pedal and his mouth to lay down a hip-hop backbeat. His supporting band fleshed out the sound with bass and brushed drums played on an old suitcase.

The night closed out with a cover of Pixies classic "Where is My Mind?" sung in alternating english and spanish. We sang along as best we could.

J. Mann's latest release, Too Much Theatre has a warm pop style that evokes both The Eels and The Doves. Download "This City is a Movie Set." You won't be disappointed.

By Gary Campbell in Culture - Torontoist, Canada

Local band, The Customers, formed in Barcelona and together they give their audiences a taste of cultural mayhem. Hailing from Canada, Argentina and Spain, the group members bring their own influences and particular skills to the band. J. Mann from Toronto has played on stages in Russia, Mexico and the US, Marc continues to impress audiences with his mastery of the guitar, while Argentine Fernando experiments with new sounds and modern ideas. Diego, who like Fernando is from Buenos Aires, adds a touch of punk to the mix. To experience the energy and innovative sounds of The Customers for yourselves, check out their October show.

- Barcelona Metropolitan, Spain

Enmansbandet J. Mann gör, med folkrock som botten, en egensinnig och mörk popmusik som blir riktigt interssant tack vare Jordan Mitchells sång. Inspelningen är knastertorr och instrumenteringen sparsam och väl vald. Känslan av ensam kille med gitarr nere i källaren är stark, men låtarna är så pass bra att det håller.

Bäst är det i lugna ”The Ballad of the Rat and the Girl Named Respect,” där Jordan endast kompar sig själv med akustisk gitarr, och i sårbart nakna ”I am Scary” där sången även ackompanjeras av piano.

Influenserna är blandade, men Beatles, Paul Weller, Nick Drake och Tom Waits (och framför allt Elliot Smith! PH) är de främsta.
- Sound Affects, Sweden

The Knight of Endless Humiliation EP by J. Mann is perfect for those confusing times when nothing seems to go right and you just want to wallow. “The Ballad of the Rat and The Girl Named Respect,” may start out like an Aesop’s Fable, but it ends up dealing more with a fear of change rather than offering any solutions. If you like your music upbeat and light, then stay away. But just remember this: you can’t deny that you’ve ever felt this way and sometimes this type of music can help let you know you aren’t alone. Get yours from the strangely named Middle of the Road Records. - Chart Magazine, Canada