Every artistic movement and every musical wave has a catalyst.  For the post-punk revival of the early 2000's, that catalyst was The Mansions.

At a time when most bands in Los Angeles were donning backward baseball caps or skanking to the burgeoning ska and punk scene from Orange Country, The Mansions were paving a road of pure swagger.  While their sound drew comparisons to British bands such as Suede and Pulp, it was frontman Eddie O. and the raw energy of their live show that evoked David Bowie, Iggy Pop and The Doors.

Within months of their first show, The Mansions found themselves performing at all the legendary clubs in LA and opening up for national acts including The Pretty Things, Beachwood Sparks and Slash's Snakepit.   The band earned international praise from journalists and radio stations alike- topping college radio charts across America- and attracted the attention of major labels including Island, Maverick and Virgin with whom they reached contract negotiations, but that moment marked the zenith for The Mansions arc.

The Mansions may have been a product of the last era in which the music business still operated by its original rules- when a band's trajectory, expectations and attitudes were still aimed squarely at the proverbial pinnacle of rock stardom.  Like true rock stars in the making, they became casualties of the classic narratives of that road: clashing egos, exhaustion from mounting pressures and the industry waiting game, the struggle to stay ahead as other artists caught on to what the originators were doing, and the inevitable price of living the rock star ethos of sex, drugs and rock and roll.

As things began to unravel, The Mansions parted ways,  spawning other projects that went on to varying degrees of success.   The members eventually moved on to new pastures.   Three of them- Chris Cano, Chris Ridenhour and Eddie O.- became composers for film and television and collaborate on productions from time to time.  Johnny Burke created and hosts the Closer to Venus podcast.

The status and idea of rock stardom are relative.  The Mansions may not have reached the version of it they once envisioned, but for a moment they were considered rock stars in what was the capital of the music industry and in its most competaitve scene (Los Angeles).  Their music was celebrated internationally through radio and the press in an era before social apps- when stars were still born through word of mouth and true fans digging deep into the internet to discover and follow the new bands they loved.  

In 2019, The Mansions reunited for a show at the world famous Troubadour in West Hollywood. The lads remain close friends and have continued making music together over the years- most of it still unheard.  Now the time has come: as they prepare to bring both previously issued material and long-shelved songs back into the light, fans will finally have the chance to explore their vast catalog. 

As these songs from different chapters of their career finally surface, get ready to sit back (or dance along), turn it up, reminisce about the past, celebrate the present, and dream about the future- listening to the songs that once fueled a musical rocketship.