Mannequin Heist are an alternative rock band from Queens, NYC formed in the Fall of 2019. The members, Gerard, Chris and JP, bring a variety of different musical influences such as Punk, Alternative Rock and Indie. Formed months right before the pandemic took full control of everyone’s life, Mannequin Heist was able to come around all hardships, worked on music and waited for the right moment to finally let the audience hear their sound. We caught up with the band to see how they formed and what inspires them:
How did the band form? And what does the band name mean?
We formed back in December 2019 when the drummer Chris met Gerard on the first day of work. All shift they talked about music and shared their recordings. JP the lead guitarist was a good friend of Gerards many years prior. So a week later Gerard got everyone together and we never looked back. The band name has many meanings but we definitely feel that it's the most fitting one for us. Apart from Mannequin Massacre of course! Haha.
Previous musical projects? How did you first get into music?
JP had multiple bands in Colombia playing in bands as a bassist and a drummer, before ultimately landing on being a kick ass guitarist here in NYC. Gerard and Chris on the other hand never had much experience prior to the start of Mannequin Heist. We first got into music when we were young from our parents and grandparents, however all our tastes are different and we think it definitely helps when we write music.
First concert you ever went to?
The first concert we went to as a band was Strokes New Years show for 2022, which was an amazing experience, we also all went to see the Red Hot Chilli peppers in Miami that same year, which definitely helped improved the bond between us because as much as we are a band we are also best friends.
What's your writing process like?
It varies honestly. Sometimes either Gerard or JP would bring an idea to jam it out or they would bring a whole song already and share with everyone to hear their opinions, or when the whole band is jamming a song would come to fruition.
What other artists or songs inspire your music?
Lastly, Julian Casablancas and Brandon Flowers have a huge influence on Gerard. Their approach to melody and lyrics have inspired him to dig into feelings, thoughts and how to connect with them and sharing them with the audience.
As for all of us Instant crush is one of those songs that we think is perfect in every way and means alot to us in ways that cannot be explained.
What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be it’s own thing?
We absolutely think the live experience is highly important. You have to be able to showcase your feelings and express them as much as you can. Connect with the music and connect with the lyrics, by doing so people would connect with you as well. As far as live music being identical to the recorded version, we think what you hear in the studio should be the same thing live if not better.
Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been, best shows? Worst shows?
We have played gigs mostly in New York City with two exceptions, one in Binghamton (Upstate, NY) and one in Naples (Florida). Overall our experiences have been okay. Sometimes you have a gig where everything goes smoothly and it just sounds awesome, like the one we had at Arlene’s Grocery in LES. Good venue and good sound. But there are times where either the sound guy forgets to save your presets and realizes when is time to go on stage or when the equipment is not working. For example we recently played a gig in Brooklyn and there was not enough power, so one of the amps was not working properly which left us with a not so great tone on one of the guitars.
What's up next for the band?
The sky's the limit. Currently we are looking into doing a small tour around Pennsylvania and New Jersey as well as keep playing our usual shows here in NYC. We are also hoping to get back into the studio soon and get some new stuff out before the year is over as well as releasing some music videos for certain songs. We just want to bring our music to as many people as we can and have them connect with it.