Damon McMahon

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Damon McMahon
McMahon in 2014
Background information
Born1980 (age 43–44)[1][2]
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
Years active2006–present
Labels

Damon Duell McMahon[3] is an American indie rock musician and the primary member of the musical project Amen Dunes.[4] Originally from Philadelphia, he is currently based in Los Angeles.[5]

Early life and education[edit]

McMahon was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Weston, Connecticut.[6][7] His mother, Thea Duell, was a prolific painter and sculptor, a lawyer at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, and the head of a real estate company in New York City. She died on June 27, 2018.[8] She was a Jewish American and a child of survivors of the Holocaust. His father is an Irish Catholic "working-class guy" from Philadelphia.[9] McMahon attended his mother's alma mater, Swarthmore College, where he studied Chinese as an English Literature and Performance double major.[10]

Career[edit]

McMahon was previously a member of short-lived NYC group Inouk. Originally formed in Philadelphia, Inouk was made up of McMahon on guitar and vocals, his brother, Alexander McMahon on guitar, keyboard, and vocals, Ian Fenger on lead guitar, Jesse Johnson on bass and vocals, and Glen Brasile on drums.[11] In 2004, Inouk released a 4-song EP recorded by Chris Zane called Search For The Bees on Say Hey Records,[11] followed by a full length record called No Danger later in 2004, also on Say Hey Records.[12]

He also recorded a solo album under his own name called Mansions on Astralwerks.[13]

Personal life[edit]

McMahon currently lives in Los Angeles.[5] He previously lived in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.[1]

In December 2018, comments made by McMahon during an interview with No Fear of Pop in 2014 were recirculated on social media.[14][15] In the interview, McMahon replied that he did not wish to collaborate with female musicians, stating, "I don't think my energy would work with that. I mean, I love women, and I have plenty of female friends, but I don't think my energy would work with a woman. I don't know, I can't imagine it, actually. It's just not my vibe, and I don't mean that in any kind of disparaging or critical way; I just don't think chemically it'll work."[16] McMahon responded with a post on Amen Dunes' Facebook page, where revealed that he had been sexually abused by two different adult women throughout his adolescence, between the ages of 9 and 18. He said, "When I finally reached an age where I gained enough courage to begin to acknowledge what happened to me, Amen Dunes became a form of my own therapy. It was the one safe space I had to explore the feelings and the trauma from childhood, and to start to try and reclaim my identity and sexuality as a man."[17] He also said, "I realize without giving context, my answer was not phrased well. At that time I did not feel it appropriate, nor was I healed enough, to explain my reason in detail."[18] The recirculation of McMahon's prior comments on social media without context has been labeled as an example of cancel culture.[19]

Discography[edit]

Solo albums[edit]

  • Mansions (2006)

With Inouk[edit]

With Amen Dunes[edit]

  • D.I.A. (2009)
  • Through Donkey Jaw (2011)
  • Spoiler (2013)
  • Love (2014)
  • Freedom (2018)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Hine, Samuel (March 30, 2018). "Damon McMahon of Amen Dunes Just Released the Best Album of 2018 (So Far)". GQ. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  2. ^ Sartor, Valerie (June 3, 2008). "Crooning in China". Beijing Review. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  3. ^ "BABA YAGA". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  4. ^ Baird, Saxon (April 3, 2018). "Amen Dunes has always written pop songs. Now he wants people to actually hear them". The Fader. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Leas, Ryan (December 3, 2018). "The End And Beginning Of Amen Dunes". Stereogum. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  6. ^ Cantor, Dave (June 25, 2014). "Amen Dunes keeps roving". Creative Loafing Atlanta. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  7. ^ Gaca, Anna (March 23, 2018). "Q&A: Amen Dunes on the Meaning of Freedom". Spin. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  8. ^ "Thea Duell, Prolific Painter and Sculptor, Renaissance Woman". Vineyard Gazette. July 5, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  9. ^ "An intimate interview with Amen Dunes, maestro of the sublime". Huckmag.com. 2018-04-05. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  10. ^ Beusman, Mikaila. "Talking with Amen Dunes". Impose Magazine. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  11. ^ a b c "Inouk: Bio". Inouk.net. 2004. Archived from the original on 2004-06-07. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  12. ^ Laurence, Alexander (2004). "Inouk". Free Williamsburg.
  13. ^ Parks, Andrew (12 May 2014). "The Strange Loves of Amen Dunes". Wondering Sound. Archived from the original on 13 May 2014.
  14. ^ Sodomsky, Sam (December 31, 2018). "Amen Dunes Opens Up About Childhood Sexual Abuse". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  15. ^ Kamp, Justin (December 31, 2018). "Amen Dunes' Damon McMahon Addresses Childhood Abuse in Statement". Paste. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  16. ^ Malinowski, Evelyn (May 12, 2014). "Interview: Amen Dunes on Confinement, Astrology, and The Masculinity of "Love"". No Fear of Pop. Archived from the original on January 7, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  17. ^ Arcand, Rob (December 30, 2018). "Amen Dunes Explains His Quote About Not Collaborating with Women". Spin. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  18. ^ Renshaw, David (December 31, 2018). "Amen Dunes discusses history of childhood sexual abuse". The Fader. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  19. ^ Cosores, Philip (December 31, 2018). "Amen Dunes Discussed His Childhood Sexual Abuse Following Criticism Of His Past Comments About Women". UPROXX. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
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