What started as a funny pseudonym for TikTok covers quickly turned into a personal aspect of songwriting for one SAM employee. Jack Meadows, known to us as Johnny Mangini, released his first EP on Spotify and Apple Music on March 7, 2023. The EP has two songs in the folk and indie style, a genre he enjoys and hopes to be discovered in.
The first song, “Savior,” is a story of hope. Johnny said he wrote it for people to relate to when they feel stuck and tied down – to know that there’s always hope when they are aching for something better. “I wanted to use Jesus as someone who is personable, but not necessarily as a spiritual or religious figure,” Johnny said. “I wanted to mention his life and what happened in it so people could see the story, relate it to themselves, and know that there are many things you can rely on for hope.”
The second song, “The Dam,” is about a love story gone awry. “If you’ve ever been in a relationship before, or have a close relationship with a friend or family member, it’s hard to lose that connection,” he said. “Throughout the song, you understand the connection is being lost, and the dam is a metaphor for the heart being broken by one of the people in the relationship.”
Johnny has been writing songs for around three years, but he decided to take his hobby more seriously in 2022 when he began writing for the EP. He soon connected with Justin Miller, a producer with Five Points Recording Studio in his hometown of Huntsville, Alabama. He began recording in January of this year, and it took around 10 hours for two other musicians and him to record both songs. Ethan Shattuck, the violinist, and David Cowart, the drummer, are two of Johnny’s close friends from childhood. “I was really glad to have both of them; they’re really cool dudes.”
On the EP, Johnny recorded the vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, and bass. However, as a child, he never played any instruments. “I tried to learn when I was about 11 years old,” he said. “On Christmas Day, I tried playing with a Home Shopping Network guitar… I gave it up after the first few days. It was just too hard.” Around the time he started writing three years ago, he picked it back up.
Johnny draws his inspiration from a variety of bands and musicians in the folk, indie, blues, rock, and alternative genres. “Kaleo, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Nick Drake… they all shaped my sound and how I write,” Johnny said. The first year of writing was a small stepping stone compared to where he is now. “It took me a while to get a good grasp on it – trying to figure out what I like to write, how I write, and how to find my voice.”
Johnny shared that he would love to book a few gigs to perform his EP and future songs. “I’ve been going around to bars, breweries, record shops, and coffee shops in town with promo cards and posters to promote the EP,” he said. He has sent his songs to some of the hotspots across the country for indie music, as well as submitted them to playlist curators on Spotify.
When asked who his biggest supporters are, Johnny said it would have to be a three-way tie. “My mom, dad, and sister – they have supported me through the music process since day one. They’ve never stopped, and I appreciate everything they do for me.”
