Jonathan Mann (musician)

Jonathan Mann
Mann performing at the 2011 Macworld Expo.
Background information
Origin	Westford, Vermont
Genres	Alternative Rock, Folk rock, freak folk,
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	vocals, guitar, banjo, ukulele, piano, accordion, harmonica, programming
Years active	2005–present
Associated acts	The Spinto Band
Website	http://jonathanmann.net/

Jonathan Mann (born April 9, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for creating and publishing a new song and video each day since January 2009, under the YouTube channel "Song A Day."^[1] Due to his vast quantity of material and speed of composition, his songs often reference immediate current events and popular trends of the very day the video was uploaded. His biting satire and musical versatility have been referenced by Steve Jobs, Paul Krugman, Rachel Maddow and Steve Wozniak, among many others.

Career

Mann started composing at the age of 12, before enrolling at Bennington College. While pursuing his graduate studies at CalArts,^[2] he co-wrote and starred in an rock opera called “The Last Nympho Leprechaun” with colleague Thomas Hughes. In grad school, he wrote and starred in a rock opera based on the Super Mario Brothers. Since then, he has recorded music and self-released albums under the names Forty (or 40) Second Songs, The Nympho Leprechauns, Novox the Robot, GameJew, The Mario Opera, as well as simply Jonathan Mann.

In 2006, Mann started uploading videos to YouTube under the alias “GameJew." He later started his best known project, "Song A Day," which has been continuously operating since January 1, 2009. The project came to national attention following several viral hits and an exposé on CNN.^[3]

In July 2012, Mann's "Song a Day: The Album" initiative let colleagues from around the world interact with performers and contribute to compositions via livestream. The album was produced by Mann along with Nick Krill and Thomas Hughes of the Spinto Band.

Notable Compositions

• His most viewed video, "The iPhone Antenna Song," was played by Apple CEO Steve Jobs at the start of the iPhone 4 press conference.^[4]
• The commercial tune "Bing Goes the Internet" won a jingle contest sponsored by Microsoft Bing, yet was deemed "the worst jingle in the world" by the website Techcrunch.^[5]
• "Hey, Paul Krugman!," a song dedicated to economist Paul Krugman, was performed live on the Rachel Maddow Show.^[6]
• Janet Hill, the wife of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, commissioned Mann to produce a song in honor of Wozniak's 60th birthday. The song "That's Just the Woz," was noted as Wozniak described the composition as the "best present she'd ever received." ^[7]
• Mann composed the official theme to the 2011 TEDMED conference, and debuted it as the conference's keynote speaker with an interactive and comedic presentation.

Discography

• "Song A Day: Year Five" (2013)
• "Song A Day: Year Four" (2012)
• "Song A Day: The Album (2012)
• "Song A Day: Year Three" (2011)
• "Song A Day: Year Two" (2011)
• "Song A Day: Year One" (2010)
• "Barefoot in the Family Tree EP" (2009)
• "Tonight I'm Gonna Shave My Head" (2007)
• "The Mushroom Singdom Vol. 0-3 " (2007)
• "The Mario Opera: Acts 2 + 3 Demos" (2006)
• "The Mario Opera: Act 1 (demos)" (2005)
• "Songs for Girls" (2005)
• "There Are So Many Possibilities" (2004)
• "I've Got A Bigger Radio" (2004)
• "Novox The Robot" (2004)

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jonathan Mann (musician).

• Official website
• Jonathan Mann on Myspace