Somewhere in between experimental composer and folkie singer/songwriter is Workman Song’s Sean McMahon. Perhaps it’s best to just call him a storyteller, and a daring one at that. Weaving together hugely encompassing themes with personal experience, McMahon creates an atmosphere that you can’t help but connect with and a narrative that expands past the boundaries of most man-bunned acoustic acts.
“I like colorful fantasy and sci-fi so an acoustic guitar alone will never suffice,” says the 25-year-old Western Mass native. “I need saxophones and viols and synthesizers and prepared pianos too.”
McMahon’s new tune, “Jesse Winters,” is heavy to say the least, following a misguided kid who, in a wave of confusion and anger, takes drastic measures against forces he deems responsible for all the violence and tragedy around him. With a focus on the Boston Marathon bombings, along with the Columbine and Sandy Hook shootings, this song asks some of our most bone-chilling questions: why do horrible things happen, how did they happen, what were the people thinking, and how could it have been different?
Check out Workman Song’s video for “Jesse Winters,” which features footage from McMahon’s sister’s self-documented recovery, “You’re OK,” below.